The gift that stops giving not long after being received.

December 1, 2008 12:15 PM

Giftfilter: What are your favorite consumables that are only available in NYC/on the East Coast?

My sister, who is trying to own fewer things, has requested a Christmas present that can be used up. She lives in the western U.S. and I live in Brooklyn, so I'm looking for foods and other consumable things that aren't readily available where she is. I'll be buying the gift at least 4 days before Christmas and taking it on the plane with me, so it needs to last at least that long and be able to withstand a flight, though I'll be checking a bag so liquids should be ok. Price range around $30, per our family gift-exchange rules.

Her tastes are pretty eclectic in terms of food and entertainment: she likes most sweets and junk foods, though she's somewhat health conscious and doesn't drink alcohol. My fallback gift plan is some Peanut Chews and a Netflix gift certificate, but surely I can do better than that.

posted by doift to shopping (32 comments total)

I like pickles from "the pickle guys" on Essex and Grand.
posted by abirae at 12:25 PM on December 1, 2008

Tastykakes? Most of my favorite East Coast consumables usually aren't that good after 4 days (bagels, water ice, pretzels, pizza, etc.)
posted by gnutron at 12:29 PM on December 1, 2008

Fluff.
posted by General Malaise at 12:31 PM on December 1, 2008

Off the top of my head... how about some treats from Katz's Delicatessen, Ess-A-Bagel, or Peanut Butter & Co.?
posted by lgandme0717 at 12:41 PM on December 1, 2008

re: Katz's: "Send a Salami to your Boy in the Army?"

My family members like receiving chocolates from Jacques Torres in Dumbo. I usually get an assortment of the good stuff (I lean towards dark over milk), and crowd pleasers have been the "Wicked" (spicy) flavor, the passionfruit cognac hearts, and the Key Lime "Love Bug". Everything there is delicious, and the cop who helped fix our flat tire on the way up to Thanksgiving seemed pleased with the dark chocolate covered corn flakes we gave him as a thank you gift.
posted by abirae at 12:51 PM on December 1, 2008

Abirae's post just reminded me of more chocolate-y goodness: Max Brenner: Chocolate by the Bald Man. Yum!
posted by lgandme0717 at 12:57 PM on December 1, 2008

It is more of a combustable than a consumable, but you could go to Chinatown and get consumer goods made for burning. They are very cheap, and pretty cool. I couldn't find a photo of the NYC stores (around Mott and Bayard streets), but here is a link to something similar
posted by abirae at 1:10 PM on December 1, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Dunkin Donuts is not available on the West Coast...or so say my brother and sister-in-law who have lived in L.A. for 8 years, and expressly requested a pound of the grounds for Christmas one year.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:28 PM on December 1, 2008

I'd like a dozen fresh H & H sourdough bagels and some lox from Zabar's. Pick up a pound of coffee from Zabar's as long as you're there, and maybe some of their rugelah too. Thanks.
posted by Kangaroo at 1:28 PM on December 1, 2008

its more of a baltimore thing (but hey its on the east coast)...and I know I will get some people cursing my name for reminding them about them but how about Berger Cookies?
posted by ShawnString at 1:32 PM on December 1, 2008

Oh my goodness, I went on vacation with one of my friends from Brooklyn and the NY Bagels she brought with her were absolutely the best thing I have ever tasted. Is it possible to purchase the gift later than four days before the start of your trip? That requirement would be the only downside to this delicious plan of mine.
posted by kate blank at 1:36 PM on December 1, 2008

As much as I lurrrv me some Ess-a-Bagel (I picked up a dozen the last time I was up there), I think a four day lag puts this in the questionable category. It would be criminal to give any other kind of Ess-a-Bagel than piping hot and fresh.
posted by The Straightener at 1:40 PM on December 1, 2008

Sure, bagels are best when fresh and warm from the oven, but toasted, previously-frozen bagels are an acceptable substitute. I visit NYC often and can't get NY-style bagels where I live, so I'll bring a dozen home, slice them, and freeze them. They are still worlds away in quality than any packaged frozen bagel I've tried. Can you bring them on the plane fresh, and then do the slice-and-freeze once you arrive at your destination? Then just give her a card saying "your gift's in the freezer" (but, you know, be creative and funny).
posted by chowflap at 1:47 PM on December 1, 2008

I have been known to FedEx bagels to the less-fortunate, but I don't think she's crazy enough about bagels for that to be sufficiently special. If they could be fresh, maybe, but even the Best Bagel in the World suffers after four days, and I don't think I can swing a hiding place in the freezer.

The other suggestions are great, though, keep 'em coming!
posted by doift at 1:59 PM on December 1, 2008

Nthing Tastykake and Dunkin' Donuts, and adding Yuengling beer.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 2:16 PM on December 1, 2008

In keeping with the spirit of Peanut Chews, there's always Economy Candy on Rivington Street on the Lower East Side... close enough to Gus's Pickles and the Pickle Guys if you want to mix the salty with the sweet. They have all the BlackJack gum, single color m&ms and vintage sweets your sister could ever want. The prices are reasonable, but it's easy to blow $30 there, no problem.

In terms of fancy candy, Vosges used to have the only-in-new-york Vincent Gallo chocolate which was suggestively shaped and filled with salty cheese. MarieBelle makes the cutest girliest chocolates. But as a Brooklyn resident, I'm somewhat loyal to Jacques Torres in small part because of geography, but mostly because the chocolates are out of this world (really, in a class of their own), made fresh on site, and surprisingly reasonably priced for top tier chocolate.

If you are considering inedible consumables, Christopher Brosius (of Demeter fame) has a scent gallery in Williamsburg which sells his outstanding fragrances. His single note accords (scents like Holy Basil, Blood Orange, Lava Rock, Ginger Ale, Roast Beef or Doll's Head) are amazing and cost about $25.
posted by abirae at 2:21 PM on December 1, 2008

Another fancy treat are the organic cakes by Sarah Magid in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. She does incredibly beautiful classy work, but some of my favorites are the little twinkie-like cream filled cakes that look like golden poos.
posted by abirae at 2:28 PM on December 1, 2008

Mallomars, Mallowmars, Mallomars.

Also real salt water taffy from Atlantic City.

(You could FedEx me some NYC bagels....)
posted by tzikeh at 2:31 PM on December 1, 2008

Can you find coffee syrup anywhere in town?
posted by citron at 3:52 PM on December 1, 2008

Some people love it, some people hate it, seems to be strictly a New York phenomenon (I couldn't get it in Baltimore, even): celery soda! Dr. Brown's Cel-Ray soda, to be specific.

Send a six-pack my way and I'll shoot you a San Francisco sourdough loaf, OK?
posted by Quietgal at 4:46 PM on December 1, 2008

Manhattan Special! It's espresso, it's fizzy, it's divine! They have a store locater on the website. The only place I know of off-hand is a little store on Broadway between 78th & 79th. It's on the east side of the street, and I believe it's called Bruno's.
posted by Evangeline at 5:17 PM on December 1, 2008

The things I would miss if I ever left Brooklyn, which I assume you can't get on the west coast:

Mallomars!
U-Bet chocolate syrup for making egg creams
Black & white cookies
posted by cosmic osmo at 5:37 PM on December 1, 2008

There's a stand at the Union Square Greenmarket (Saturdays, at least, don't know their weekday schedule) that sells Maple Syrup candy that my dad loves. It's pretty cheap and they have a few varieties-- ginger, pecan, coconut and plain if memory serves.

Seconding chocolates from Jacques Torres or Max Brenner, tho there may be fantastic chocolate out on the west coast too...
posted by ahimsa at 6:16 PM on December 1, 2008

Pig Candy (a.k.a. Chocolate Covered Bacon) available at Roni-Sue's inside the Essex Street Market.
posted by Frank Grimes at 6:36 PM on December 1, 2008

The Silver Palate marinara sauce.

And Drake's is way better than Tastykake. And I've never had a Dunkin Donut that wasn't stale.
posted by Zambrano at 6:43 PM on December 1, 2008

White Castle
posted by Wayman Tisdale at 9:07 PM on December 1, 2008

I guess cheesecake would be tough and an egg cream impossible. hmmm. I did bring steaks from the farmer's market to a foreign country once, though. What about some kind of sauce from a restaurant?
posted by snofoam at 9:33 AM on December 2, 2008

Two words: Zabar's babka

This has been a hit gift whenever/wherever I bring it.
posted by funkiwan at 10:41 AM on December 2, 2008

Excellent. Many of these suggestions will end up in a smorgasbord of NYC treats.

cosmic osmo, I'm way ahead of you on the U-Bet for egg creams- I've been put in charge of soft drinks for Christmas dinner.

Quietgal: Cel-Ray! I love Cel-Ray! It's a complex love, but still. Thanks for reminding me.
posted by doift at 5:32 PM on December 2, 2008

Max Brenner is mediocre quality, novelty chocolate. You are better off with a non-chain store like Jacques Torres (which keeps well) and is very well packaged. My favorite chocolatier in the city is actually Kee's but her stuff is fragile and doesn't keep. MarieBelle is very, very pretty but after sampling a lot from a big box at work, I'm not impressed with the flavor profiles. Vosges has very high quality ingredients but for whatever reason the flavor combinations they've chosen don't really mesh in truffle form. Their bars are much better. I would also look into La Maison du Chocolat (French with more subtle flavoring) or Michel Cluizel, but I think Jacques Torres' are always a crowd pleaser. Oh, and make sure you ask Roni-Sue's how long the pig candy keeps. Not sure that the bacon in it can withstand that much time.

2nding the Zabar's babka.

For Economy Candy, it's a great (but sometimes dusty) wonderland but be careful of what you're buying as some items may have been on the shelf for a long time.

If you are going to Union Square Greenmarket, there are a wealth of vendors with unique offerings. Skip the Holiday Market, there's not a lot that distinguishes it from the other holiday markets around town, and most items aren't consumable. Some ideas:

- Oak Grove for unique grains (and I think they have some interesting flours and pancake mix, as well as corn for popping)
- 3 Corner Field for sheep's milk cheeses or soap
- Twin Spruce honey (there are a few vendors but I forget which one is illegally gotten NYC rooftop honey)
- Berkshire Berries for honey and james (he has unusual ones like garlic jam and hot pepper jam)
- Deep Mountain for maple syrups, maple candy, etc.
- Eckerton may or may not still be around that late in the year, but they have great dried hot peppers
posted by kathryn at 9:10 PM on December 3, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

Jacques Torres is okay higher-endish chocolate. It does keep well. Kee's is really the best (and comparatively priced) , but she only makes limited batches and they're fragile little hothouse flowers and have to be eaten right away.

Nting local, Grade B maple syrup with the dark maple flavor.
posted by The Whelk at 12:41 PM on December 7, 2008

Update: I ended up giving her a bunch of nuts and trail mixes from Trader Joe's at my mom's suggestion, because she doesn't have one nearby, and a six-pack of Cel-Ray. The Cel-Ray went over surprisingly well.

I bought Mallomars as well, but somehow they didn't make it home.

Now to start using this list for my own enjoyment...
posted by doift at 8:46 AM on January 1