It’s a Wednesday night. It’s the middle of the week and people are home from their exhausting hump day. This is obviously not the best time to search for something to eat after midnight. We happen to have just gotten out of a late comedy show and were not hungry enough for dinner, but just hungry enough for dessert. The search begins.
We go to one of our local haunts; Magnolia Bakery. Famous for their cupcakes and hummingbird cake, I was salivating at the thought. We parked and as we approached the door, my stomach dropped and grumbled at the same time. “Sorry – We are closed”. Back to the car.
The search continues; Rice to Riches. Ooey gooey rice pudding with crunchy toppings and creamy sauces; my body was ready. Driving by we could already see that the lights were dim and not a soul was in sight. UGH!
Onto our favorite, the place that never fails, the one institution that has been doing Italian and French pastries right since the dawn of time…Ferrara’s Bakery. We turn the corner and we see it, all lit up and sparkly like it always is. I started brainstorming what I would want; the trio of pastries? Maybe a slice of cake? Some macarons and gelato? My thoughts were interrupted by an inferior sight…the manager carting the sidewalk gelato cart inside where all the chairs were upended onto their tables. How could you have failed us, Ferrara’s!!??
We were about to give up when a shining beacon of hope caught our eyes while we were sulking our way down Houston St. I saw the word “Sugar”, saw people being served and pastries in a case. Our prayers were answered!
Sugar Cafe is, at first glance, confusing. Open 24 hours they have everything and anything on their menu; eggs, sandwiches, burgers and fries, entrees like veal lasagna and yellow fin tuna, and-
HOLD UP. Here is my warning as a seasoned restauranteur. Let’s do the math here. You’re at a 24 hour cafe. The title of the cafe is “Sugar”. At first glance, the counter is full of sweets and cakes and they are clearly advertising burgers. Add all this up, we can all assume that the things they do best and sell most often are….desserts and burgers. Being open 24 hours, this is no surprise that drunks wandering along Houston at 3:00 am will order those things.
I am only going to say this once. I would never order any sort of fish or delicate/uncommon meats off menus like this. If they get one shipment in a week (let’s be fair and say two), and the majority of the customers are not ordering yellowfin tuna or veal lasagna, what do you think happens to those meats? THEY SIT. AND THEY WAIT TO BE ORDERED OR THROWN OUT. Leave the Yellowfin Tuna to the Japanese, alright?
However…their desserts are fantastic, and they taste even MORE fantastic after searching high and low for dessert places open after midnight. Their cakes are moist and delicate, especially the coconut cake. It was amazing. My boyfriend got the pecan pie (his absolute staple whenever possible). They put it in the microwave, which made me a little leery. But it came out warm and gooey, and with a scoop of vanilla icecream, it was great. The staff was kind and all smiles and the cafe itself was open to the summer air.
Needless to say, Sugar Cafe is the perfect place to wander into on a late summer night when you want dessert that isn’t ice cream. It was a satisfying end to an already great night, and if you are too drunk or too lazy to leave your own apartment, they deliver! Yay!
The Hungry New Yorker 