[Photo: Kathy YL Chan]

At Stumptown Coffee, the gigantic crisp meringue($4) is baked by The Breslin next door. Crack the meringue open to reveal housemade lemon curd—creamy and puckery-tart, to cut the sweetness. There is toasted coconut on the surface, a nice little extra as you break the light shell and slide your spoon down into the puffy soft interior. Coffee might be the basis of Stumptown's business, but it's the pastries that keep me coming back.

Stumptown Coffee (in the Ace Hotel)

20 West 29th Street, New York NY 10001 (map)
212-679-2222