I know, the recession has us all a little down.  Even people in relatively secure positions are hunkering down financially, and the rest of us are trying not to run scared.  So, let me share with you one of my favorite low-budget treats.

While this is particularly topical now, I am at all times a big fan of little treats.  I’m admittedly not the biggest budget shopper on the planet, but I’m a huge advocate of taking fullest advantage of the small pleasures in life.  Yeah, vacations to the other side of the world are great, but how often can anyone other than Emma really do that?  It’s the little joys that make your day-to-day life really worthwhile.   And, particularly in a town like New York, there are a million little indulgences that can brighten up your day without costing a ton. A cup of slightly sparkling grape juice from the Union Square Greenmarket on a crisp fall day, a pint of fresh farm strawberries in the spring, a weird new herbal iced tea in the summer.  My favorite winter indulgence?  A trip to the Chelsea Market for a terrific cappuccino from 9th Street Espresso and a Fat Witch brownie, just a few doors down.  Folks, this is the perfect combination.  It’s practically zen how good these things are together.

9th Street Espresso?  Well, I’m on a mission to find the city’s best cappuccino.  While I am nowhere near the conclusion of that process, I will admit I’ve gotten a little bogged down by 9th Street Espresso, which is far and away the best one I’ve found so far.  It’s rich and lovely, the baristas invariably put a fancy design in the crema.  (Admittedly, I immediately spoil this by stirring in a little sugar, but it’s fun to admire it while it lasts.)  Their cappuccino has completely spoiled me for Starbucks, and I find it totally incomprehensible that the Starbucks across the street from the Chelsea Market always has people in it.  (Another item for the list of ways in which New York has ruined me for the ordinary by developing my tastes.)  Seriously, people, if you are anywhere within ten blocks of one of the 9th Street Espresso outposts, it is nonsensical to buy anything at Starbucks.  By the time I hit the bottom of the cup, invariably way too soon, I am generally wondering if it makes any sense to walk back to the Chelsea Market from wherever I am to get another one.

As for Fat Witch, I’m not going to say that these are the best brownies in the city — I have often wondered if their classic Fat Witch might not be improved by just a bit of salt — but they’re damn good, and they are absolutely the perfect thing to have with a really good cappuccino.  If I’m eating them by themselves, I like the Breakfast Witch, which is an oatmeal walnut blondie with a little coffee in it on top of a layer of chocolate brownie, but the classic Fat Witch is the way to go with a cappuccino. There’s nothing like a little hit of sugar and chocolate to balance out the rich bitterness of of the espresso. If you’re feeling diet-inclined, they have Baby Witches, mini-brownies about a quarter the size of the originals, that are just about the right amount to go with your cappuccino.  I’ll admit I usually take a full sized brownie home, but the Baby Witches are great for portion control.

All told, this moment of zen will cost you a maximum of about $7, and well worth it at that.  Mmm.  I’m making myself hungry.  I might just need to stop in and do that today!

Tags: 9th Street Espresso, Chelsea Market, Fat Witch

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 5th, 2009 at 9:59 am and is filed under Jersey. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.