Valentine treats in NYC

February 12, 2013 7:29 PM

I'm spending Valentine's Day on a business trip to Manhattan instead of home with my sweetie. What little treat/gift can I pick up to take home that says "I went all the way to NYC just to get this for you"?

Ideal gift is small and survives crowded train travel and is not easily available in my own large East Coast city. I'm thinking something like "special box of chocolates from NYC's best chocolatier," but I could be talked into something like "hipster bar of scented soap shaped like the Brooklyn Bridge."

(Anon because said sweetie reads Metafilter. Said sweetie is a man, if it matters.)

posted by anonymous to shopping (21 answers total)

Where in Manhattan will you be spending most of your time?

"hipster bar of scented soap shaped like the Brooklyn Bridge."

That's not a thing ;)
posted by sweetkid at 7:38 PM on February 12

Cheesecake from Juniors.

Though as someone also in NYC on business this Valentine's day I am SO eating my own weight in borscht at Veselka!
posted by bitter-girl.com at 7:38 PM on February 12

Bagels
posted by Potomac Avenue at 7:39 PM on February 12

If you're around Rockefeller Center, Maison du Chocolat is amazing (and they only have stores in NY and Paris). Or if he's not a chocolate guy, the Lego store is nearby!
posted by chickenmagazine at 7:39 PM on February 12 [1 favorite]

If you definitely want to go the chocolate route, you must do either Mast Brothers, Nunu or Liddabit Sweets. All are local, and each is in a different part of the spectrum between class and "cute".
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:45 PM on February 12 [3 favorites]

If you definitely want to go the chocolate route, you must do either Mast Brothers, Nunu or Liddabit Sweets.

Oh most agreed.
posted by sweetkid at 7:48 PM on February 12

Does he like coffee? Pick up a bag of beans at Blue Bottle Coffee. Also agree with the Mast Bros chocolate suggestion.
posted by greta simone at 7:49 PM on February 12 [1 favorite]

Tiny cupcakes in Valentine's colors are available at Baked by Melissa, which is only in NYC.
posted by xo at 7:53 PM on February 12

Bagels for sure, if she likes them. Our water is amazing. Fairway coffee.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 8:01 PM on February 12

I'm thinking something like "special box of chocolates from NYC's best chocolatier"

Where to Buy Chocolates in NYC.

If you want truffles and filled chocolates, you want Kee's. They are usually pre-orders only for Valentine's Day but for the first time they are doing walk-ins at the Soho shop this year (go early). I'd still try to call ahead to reserve if I were you. Creme brulee, balsalmic vinegar, Thai chili, kaffir lime, yuzu, and passionfruit are a few of my favorites. Kee's makes them fresh daily. I like her chocolates better than Vosges, Jacques Torres, La Maison, Mariebelle, etc. Skip the macarons though.

I do like La Maison du Chocolat a lot, but their chocolates are flown in from France a few times a week, and their flavors are more conventional and less bold than Kee's. Depends how subtle you like your chocolates.

Mast Brothers is bars-only, IIRC. You can get them at many places around NYC -- Stumptown, Whole Foods, etc. It's good and the wrapping paper is pretty but unless you're gifting the black truffle-sea salt flavor, a bunch of chocolate bars just doesn't feel quite as special as a box of Kee's to me.

I'm not a huge fan of Baked by Melissa (my office gets them all the time because they are around the corner). They are cute but overpriced and don't taste that great. General consensus is the best one is the "tie dye." The founder is ambitious enough that I wouldn't be surprised if Baked by Melissa ends up in your own large East Coast city soon. I'm also guessing that your East Coast city is also flooded with cupcake bakeries by now.

For something more twee and precious than a box of chocolates, with the additional "I schlepped this all the way from NYC" factor, get a box of macarons from Laduree. Pricey, beautifully boxed, and fragile, but make wonderful gifts.
posted by kathryn at 8:07 PM on February 12 [3 favorites]

sweetie is a man, roomthreeseventeen.
posted by sweetkid at 8:07 PM on February 12

Seconding Kee's. They make the best truffles I've ever had, anywhere.
posted by 168 at 10:22 PM on February 12

It's not exactly cute and precious, but New York is the only city where I've found babka to be readily obtainable. You can get it at Fairway or Zabar's or Russ & Daughters.
posted by the_blizz at 10:26 PM on February 12

There is also Li-lac, which is not fancy foodie chocolate, but sweet, traditional classic NYC (since 1923) chocolate that is also pretty delicious.
posted by judith at 12:08 AM on February 13

If my boyfriend got me the spicy pickles and pickled mushrooms from The Pickle Guys, I'd be pretty psyched.

Oh, the tangy, crispy and salty deliciousness.
posted by kinetic at 3:26 AM on February 13 [1 favorite]

If he's a doughnut fan, the Doughnut Plant has a valentine's special. I've given those doughnuts to my valentine before and they were much appreciated.
posted by beyond_pink at 6:08 AM on February 13

Kee's is pretty awesome. (um... and La Maison du Chocolat actually also has a store in Short Hills Mall in NJ.)

My sweetie is getting a box of chocolate penguins (our first valentine's day he was in antarctica, hence we have a running penguin joke theme in our relationship) from Burdick. They're on E 20th between 5th ave & Broadway.
posted by lyra4 at 7:44 AM on February 13

Burdick is very Boston. It really says 'Boston' to me not 'New York.' Good, though.
posted by sweetkid at 7:49 AM on February 13

My husband would love Compost cookies from Momofuku Milk Bar if I were bringing him something from NYC.
posted by ridiculous at 8:11 AM on February 13

Nthing Kee's, if you can get them back quickly enough (the creme brulee, in particular, must be eaten within 24 hours). They are simply the best truffles I have had, anywhere.
posted by novalis_dt at 10:30 AM on February 13

OP here: Thank you all for amazing suggestions! Kee's was exactly what I was looking for (though completely, totally, 100% sold out when I stopped by). Went with the Laduree macarons, which were lovely and exotic and gifty as hoped. Much obliged for all the wonderful ideas -- will try out the others when we're back in NYC.
posted by teditrix at 12:01 PM on February 16