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Thanks for the review. Did you happen to ask about the possible inclusion of oyster sauce in some of the recipes? Or about the beef broth that often makes up brown sauces? These would be great to know about as well.

Shocking and interesting that tastes can differ so much. I can't remember if I've tried their croissants per se, but I've tasted Ceci Cela's chocolate croissants and found them sorely lacking. My standard for the best are the great chocolate croissants of Paris (e.g. Maison Kayser, Gerard Mulot).

I've tried most of the chocolate croissants at places on the list, and on many places off it. The only ones that strike me as worthy are:

-Petrossian's
-Taralluci e Vino
-The Breslin
-Olea (in Brooklyn)
-Colson

There's a mid-tier that includes Bouchon, Payard, Madeleine, Bergamote, Financier, Almondine, Canelle.

But the chocolate croissants at Balthazar and Ceci-Cela are downright mediocre in my opinion, and I'm also not a terribly huge fan of the ones at Patisserie Claude (they seem off to me somehow).

Really, I actually like the random street-corner pizza places when I'm in the mode for pizza. The just-average picked-at-a-glance pizza place slice of cheese, topped with red peppers, oregano, and parmesan cheese can really hit the spot.

That said:

Artichoke (square)
Ben's on Macdougal (grandma)
Joe's (fresh mozzarella)
Pizza 33 (fresh mozzarella)

Kathy, can you please consider including more information about whether you *like* the food you review? I notice it's common in your reviews just to describe it, when the reader really wants to know "Is this a must-eat?"

Was the vietnamese coffee good?

Grom's is excellent and better than JT, Choc Bar, Vosges, Maison, City Bakery... Actually the Dessert Truck's was the best before their permit got revoked. Hopefully their new storefront on Clinton St. will open soon.

Petrossian, Taralluci e Vino, Almondine, Bouley

Baked, Petrossian's, Chocolate Bar, Jacques Torres

Tina's List +

Gimme Coffee in Soho and Williamsburg
Second Stop in Williamsburg
Smooch in Ft. Greene
Everyman in the East Village
Cafe Grumpy in Chelsea
Zibetto in Midtown West
Via Quadronno on UES
Gorilla Coffee in Park Slope
Espresso 77 in Jackson Heights
El Beit in Williamsburg

The Vegetarian New Yorker: http://vegny.blogspot.com/

Dessert Truck is in my opinion best. Thick, rich, chocolatey, sweet, divine. Jacques Torres and City Bakery are also quite good. I like Chocolate Bar's liquid chocolate better cold than hot. La Maison's chocolate is more "civilized" -- delicous, but not super thick. Shake Shack's hot chocolate is also excellent.

The Vegetarian New Yorker: http://vegny.blogspot.com/

None of them (except Otto's olive oil) compares to Il Laboratorio di Gelato.