Sugar Rush: How Sweet It Is on the LES

Posted by Kathy YL Chan, June 5, 2008 at 5:30 PM

"Precious," is the first word that comes to mind upon entering How Sweet It Is, a catering kitchen turned bakery by co-owners Beth Pilar and Ellen Sternau. Less than a year old, the bakery is a welcome addition to a neighborhood once dominated (bakery-wise, that is) by Sugar Sweet Sunshine. As delicious as endless helpings of Sugar Sweet Sunshine's banana pudding and red velvet cupcakes may sound, sometimes you need something a little different, perhaps a bit refined.

Torrone bar and meringue cookie.

And that's when you head straight to the doors of How Sweet It Is, the tiniest of bakeries with tiny pastries to match. They pay as much attention to decor as they do to the sweets here, not surprising given Ms. Pilar's background in food styling—white walls with carved flower etchings, a single couch with black and white pillows, and the pastries! A duo of macarons displayed in a tall glass dome, torrone bars arranged and aligned with such precision that I was afraid to purchase one, lest I throw off the balance. But doubtless, we had the nougat, pistachio and almond studded torrone bar, dainty with a light chew and lingering hints of honey. The rectangle was breathless in weight, save for the chocolate dipped bottom. We then moved onto a giant meringue cookie, a shattering crisp creature, the vanilla scented shell harboring pockets of dark chocolate.

Pistachio and Nutella macarons.

They have quite a hand with egg whites at the bakery, found in the torrone, meringue, and the newest of their selection, macarons. One would not call them gigantic macarons, but rather towering macarons. A friend pointed out that each looked like two complete macarons sandwiched together. When I said, "that's because they have feet," he responded with, "not feet, more like pedestals." I could do nothing else but agree in genuine laughter.

Pistachio and Nutella macaron fillings.

Size aside, the filling is skimpy and unremarkable, a lightly flavored pistachio buttercream on one, Nutella on another. But the sandwiches themselves are something else, a thin crackly shell easily giving way to moist almond or pistachio studded meringue. A bumpy surface shell demands more finely ground nuts, but it was delicious nonetheless.

Nutella-filled almond cake cupcakes with chocolate frosting.

The same Nutella cream found in the macaron was injected deep into the center of a nutty and dense almond base making for an unusual cupcake with an airy chocolate frosting. The cupcake was heavy, though that's not to be negatively misinterpreted, for it was the type of heavy that any moist and rich almond cake ought to be.

Lemon cheese puff.

Leaning on the lighter end, I much preferred an exquisite little lemon cheese puff, a buttery pasty shell with deep caves of lemony cream cheese, reminiscent of a cheese danish gone upscale, with a dusting of powdered sugar. I could only imagine how delicious it tastes warm out of the oven.

Goat's milk strawberry panna cotta.

A selection of refrigerated sweets change with the week, though few remain consistent staples, including panna cotta. A visit months back led to honey panna cotta made with sheep's milk, but on this occasion we encountered a goat's milk strawberry panna cotta. It's a subtle change for those who don't notice, but all the difference in the world for those who pay attention. Sheep or goat, the panna cotta remains luscious and silky, this time around, with a trio of macerated strawberries, the chilly duo slipping down your throat on a hot day.

Also worth noting are the ice cream sandwiches made from their selection of cookies and Capogiro gelato, as well as the goat cheesecake nestled in a darling kataifi nest. The bakery offers a various teas in addition to Counter Culture coffee and milk from Ronnybrook. Save for a lack of proper seating, it's a darling afternoon place to drop in when it's your taste buds and not stomach which you crave to satisfy.

How Sweet It Is

157 Allen Street, New York, NY 10002 (b/n Stanton/Rivington; map)
Phone: 212-777-0418
Website: howsweetitispastry.com

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Tags: bakeries, How Sweet It Is, Lower East Side, Manhattan, pastries