Brunch at Locanda Verde

The Sheep's Milk Ricotta with Truffled Honey and Burnt Orange Toast was a revelation. Creamy and rich, the ricotta flavor was offset perfectly by the honey. The citrus notes on the toast added another layer of deliciousness, but I would have dipped my fingers into the cheese if I thought that I could get away with it unnoticed.

Hazelnut-Crusted French Toast with Sicilian Citrus Salad was just as remarkable as the ricotta. If you think you've had french toast, you are wrong. You don't know how delightful french toast can be until you try it at Locanda Verde. There wasn't actually a crust, but a little bit of a crispiness on the outside. French toast can sometimes be dense and soggy, but not so at Locanda Verde. It was moist and delicate, and the citrus salad only made the dish feel lighter. Still, it was unbelievably satisfying and I would call this a perfect breakfast.

377 Greenwich Street, NYC 10013. (212)925-3797.

The Meatball Shop

Though I do love meatballs, I'm in the business of indulging my sweet tooth here. The homemade cookie ice cream sandwiches at The Meatball Shop are as much a reason to frequent this unassuming little restaurant as its spherical namesakes are.

House-made chocolate ice cream on freshly baked brownie cookies. This is unrelentingly chocolate, not a choice I would recommend for non-chocoholics. One tip I've uncovered that could be game-changing for you; you are allowed to mix and match the cookies on your ice cream sandwich!

84 Stanton Sreet, NYC 10002. (212)982-8895.

Seon's Chocolate Cupcakes

These are the fluffiest chocolate cupcakes ever. Toothsome, too! I've never shared my secret recipe with anyone, so this is an exclusive!

Seon's Chocolate Cupcakes:

Yields: About 18 cupcakes

Total Time: 45 min

Ingredients:

2 c all-purpose unbleached flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

12 Tbs unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 c plus 2 tablespoons sugar

3/4 c nonalkalized cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed)

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 1/4 c water

1/4 c milk

1 c sour cream

1/2 c vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350ºF. Paper-line 18 muffin cups.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed until smooth; about 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium-high and slowly add the sugar. Continue beating until light and smooth, about 4 minutes. Turn the mixer off and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

Add the cocoa powder and vanilla and beat at medium speed for 1 minute more. (Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl again, if needed.) With the mixer running at medium-low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 1 minute between each addition. Add sour cream, veg oil, vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Combine the water and milk in a saucepan and bring just to just below a boil-- small bubbles. Remove from the heat.

With the mixer at low speed, add the flour mixture, about a 1/4 cup at a time. Carefully pour the warm liquid into the batter. Remove the bowl from the mixer and, using a large rubber spatula, finish combining the batter until smooth.

Bake cupcakes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool on wire rack for 5 minutes, then remove cupcakes from pans and leave them on the rack to cool completely.

Make your favorite icing to frost these babies. I like buttercream on them, but I've also made regular white icing and a lemon icing just for fun. Chocolate icing would also work well. Decorate as desired!