Gift Guide 2013

Ah, the holidays! A time for family, friends and gifting delicious things. If you still have shopping to do, here are a few items I'm currently loving.

Pepper2mint Drinking Chocolate
San Francisco chocolate maker tcho spices up this classic holiday drink with Indonesian cubeb peppers. $11.95

Rooibos Chai
Harney & Son's herbal red tea is spiked with the Indian spices like cloves, cardamom and cinnamon. $9.60

Pairing Knife Set
Kuhn Rikon's spotted paring knives are trendy and surprisingly sharp. $10

Mini-prep Food Processor
A new addition to my own kitchen, Cuisinart's mini food processor—in fun hues like blueberry and buttercup—is a time-saver that doesn't take up too much countertop space. $39.95

Robicelli's A Love Story, with Cupcakes
There are a ton of great cookbooks out this year, but my favorite is this collection from fellow Brooklyn natives Allison and Matt Robicelli. If you're not familiar with their witty spark and amazing sweets, hop on over to their blog (and new Bay Ridge shop!). $35

Spicy BBQ Marinade
This delicious marinade—with black pepper, garlic and gochujang—from Smorgasburg vendor We Rub You will make Korean barbecuin' a breeze. $9

Flamin' Raspberry Jam
Yes, this jam is pretty pricey, but one container goes a long way (a small dollop of the spicy spread is amazing with cheddar cheese) and it comes in a glass weck jar that you can use again. $13

The S'more
The campfire snack was everywhere this summer and Liddabit's rendition—a graham cracker-and-marshmallow bar enrobed in chocolate—is the perfect stocking stuffer. $8

Nama Chocolate "Maccha"
These richly dense truffles come in several flavors, including a luscious green tea. $18

Goat Milk Chai Caramel
The award-winning candies from Vermont's Big Picture Farms are made with tangy goat milk and fragrant chai. $10.99

You'll recognize a few of these items from my TONY gift guide. Check out some more great ideas over there.

Mango Mango

Mochi at Mango Mango

Chinatown has seen quite a boom in Hong Kong-style dessert shops recently. But as with the few that have popped up in the past, I always approach with caution. Rarely have they done justice to Chinese desserts, especially tong sui (a traditional dessert soup that literally means "sugar water").

Mango Mango — a narrow, neon-hued spot on Bayard St — is no exception. I wasn't impressed by the two items I picked up on my way home to Brooklyn. While the mango-milk pudding had a smooth, creamy consistency, it was very one-note in terms of flavor. The mango mochi had the opposite problem — it was far too chewy and gelatinous, lacking the wonderful, slightly tacky texture of good law mai chi.

It looks like I'll be sticking with nearby Indessert for my tong sui fix — there's good reason why I chose their fragrant and refreshing mango-pomelo sago as one of my favorite dishes of the year.

Mango Mango, 63 Bayard St. between Elizabeth and Mott Sts. (646-422-7576)
Indessert, 1 E. Broadway between Catherine and Oliver Sts. (212-528-3188)

Snapshots: Coffices

As I learned from working at home post-Hurricane Sandy, sitting around in your pajamas at 4 p.m. isn't as fun or glamorous as most of us office bees tend to think. So last week, I decided to set up shop at a few local spots.

Milk & Honey Cafe
By far the prettiest of the bunch, this lovely cafe is all Brooklyn: exposed brick, a "live" wall of garden greens and plenty of toddler-toting moms (not to mention this obligatory freelance writer). The coffee is serious — they do Counter Culture espressos, pour-overs, etc. — and the sandwiches were also a popular order. To get a better idea of how gorgeous the space is, check out this video with owner Max Habib. 1119 Newkirk Ave. at Westminster Rd., Ditmas Park, Brooklyn. (718-513-0441)

Press Tea
This isn't technically a coffice since they don't serve coffee, but I love tea as much as I do java, so it was also a great place to hole up at for an afternoon (or two). I heard their drinks were good and the rose black teappucino — fragrant and slightly bitter, like a good strong tea should be — lived up to expectations. I was also happily surprised by the top-notch apricot scone. Extra perk: Taim is right around the corner. 167 Seventh Ave. South at Waverly Pl. (212-888-6666)

Kopi Kopi
I should have realized that this Greenwich Village shop would be swarming with NYU students. It's the biggest of the four I visited last week — there's a spacious back room popular with the 20-something laptop crowd — and also the busiest. As a nod to the owners' Indonesian heritage, they offer single-origin brews and food from the island nation, including an avocado coffee shake called es alkupat. Their regular cup of joe was strong, but the co-ed vibe isn't quite for me anymore. 68 W. Third St. between LaGuardia Pl. and Thompson St. (212-777-7285)

Hungry Ghost
If you're a true java fiend, then this is the place for you. The growing chainlet — they also have locations on Fulton St and in DUMBO — serves a mean cup of Stumptown coffee and delicious housemade paninis. The space is comfortable and not too noisy — definitely try to snag one of the standalone wood tables in the front if you're planning to linger. 253 Flatbush Ave. at Sixth Ave., Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. (718-483-8666)

Ivan Ramen Slurp Shop

Shio ramen at Ivan Ramen Slurp Shop

Shio ramen at Ivan Ramen Slurp Shop

There's been a ton of buzz surrounding the New York homecoming of Long Island-bred ramen guru, Ivan Orkin. While his full Lower East Side shop is still in the works, noodle lovers can now slurp down bowls at his aptly-named spot inside the sprawling Gotham West Market. A two-part broth (it's a blend of fish dashi and schmaltz-infused chicken) gives his shio (salt) a rich unctuousness, but the noodles are the true star. Made from both wheat and rye flours, the strands are springy and chewy, truly some of the best I've had.

Ivan Ramen Slurp Shop, 600 11th Ave. at W. 44th St. (212-582-9351)