Finally Fridays - Dessert

Want to indulge in something sweet after a long, arduous week?  In this Finally Fridays, we pay homage to the sweet tooth, as we reveal our top 5 picks for Astorian desserts. 

Cara Bella - Profiteroles with chocolate sauce, chocolate gelato and fresh raspberries
47-02 30th Avenue, Astoria.  718.956.1101

Vesta - Baby Jesus Cake.  Crispy, warm cake with butterscotch sauce and fresh whipped cream
21-02 30th Avenue, Astoria.  718.545.5550

Martha's Bakery - Vanilla butter cream cupcake with M&Ms

36-21 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria.  718.545.9737

Djerdan - Keks torta, layered custard cake, a bit like Tiramisu
34-04A 31st Avenue, Astoria.  718.721.2694

Laziza - Assortment of cookies and cakes - coconut-almond cake, baklava, pistachio and date cookies
25-78 Steinway Street, Astoria.  718.777.7676

Hope these satisfy your sweet tooth - please chime in with your personal favorites.

Astoria Loves Red Velvet

What's with the Red Velvet love? And by Red Velvet we mean cupcakes--of course.

Judging from the signs I've seen in storefronts on 30th Avenue, "We sell Red Velvet cupcakes", "Red Velvet cupcakes available here," there's certainly a demand for these spongy sensations. It struck me as interesting that this very American dessert is desired in our very ethnic neighborhood. What you usually find in bakeries in Astoria is flaky Balkava, creamy Napoleans or luxurious Cannoli--but Red Velvet? I personally love this dessert and scoped out the best places that carry it. And because it's such a rare treat in Astoria, it certainly goes for a premium. The below bakeries make Red Velvet quite well and to keep things more interesting, we even added a home baker extraordinaire into the mix.

Terrizzi Pasticceria - An authentic Italian bakery owned by pastry chef Joseph Anthony Polito. He's known for his elaborate cakes (especially wedding cakes) and has prepared his treats for public figures such as Michael Jackson and Colin Powell. Terrizzi sells Red Velvet cupcakes for $2.00 each. 35-14 30th Avenue. 718.726.9698

Frank's Bakery - Another Italian bakery (one of two Frank's in the 'hood), which offers various types of breads and pastries--my favorite is their olive bread. They sell Red Velvet cupcakes for a whopping $2.95 each. 36-02 30th Avenue. 718.726.7813

Martha's Country Bakery - By far the most designer, Manhattan-like bakery in Astoria. You can easily compare it to Billy's or Magnolia but I think Martha's is much better. The cupcake variety is enormous--Oreo to Carrot Cake to Red Velvet! You can get Red Velvet in cupcake form for $2 each or in various cake sizes: 5 inch cake $10.95, 7 inch cake $22, 8 inch cake $25. 36-21 Ditmars Blvd. 718.545.9737

Baked Goodness by Shaya Elcock - A local foodie and baker extraordinaire, Shaya Elcock is not only a talented treats-maker she's an entrepreneur in the making. Her company Baked Goodness is just the beginning to her lifelong dream of owning a bakery. Shaya makes a mean Red Velvet cupcake for a bargain price of $1.65 each. You can contact her directly to order: 219.510.3923 or bakedgoodnessnyc@gmail.com

Hope that we've satisfied your sweet tooth!