Dickson's uses the real stuff to make its Slim Jakes and flavored jerky ($15 / half-pound). More

After an hour, we reached our unscientific conclusion: people come for the crepes, and stay for the comfortable albeit lively atmosphere. If music had been playing, we couldn't hear it over the low, pleasant rumble of conversation, like the subway gently idling outside of the station. Le Grainne Cafe has an open kitchen, creamed corn-colored walls and pressed tin ceilings, as well as a solid selection of French staples. It's best for: a date who stands out in a crowd. More

No need to get too fancy. Chocolate and Salted Caramel, two creatures made for each other, come together in this slice from Empire Cakes. The salted caramel is potent (no kidding around with the salt) and smooth. The classic chocolate cake is layered with even, dense crumbs and caramel-spiked ganache. It's an easy cake to love that doesn't pull any surprises. A perfect start to the weekend and fairly priced at $4.50 a slice. More

[Photograph: Kathy YL Chan] An assortment of artisan candy bars by H.S. Chocolate Co. can be found at Haven's Kitchen in Chelsea. Look for the well of beautifully wrapped bars near the cash register, $7.25 apiece. Death by Chocolate... More

[Photograph: Kathy YL Chan] At Three Tarts in Chelsea, everything has a touch of whimsy, hot steamers ($4) included. Instead of the usual shot of vanilla or other flavored syrup, the steamers here come topped with your choice of... More

When was the last time you couldn't stop taking bites of a chicken sandwich? The mostly dark meat Rotisserie Chicken ($7.95) is incredibly juicy—and it actually tastes like a chicken that walked around a little. More

Pamela Elizabeth, founder and owner of six vegan restaurants and cafes throughout the city, recently opened Blossom Bakery, her latest addition to the Blossom family. We dropped by to take a look at their vegan sweets and some savory options. More

Served in individual rounds, the cake is all at once fluffy and comforting. Alternating layers of feather-soft coconut cake and a whipped coconut mousse are paired with seasonal fruits and a luxurious scoop of coconut sorbet. More

Pars tends to play it safe. There's an in-house belly dancer named Valeri, according to the website, but she only comes out on Saturdays. The menu offers a strong selection of proteins, but mostly in the form of kebabs. Some boldness appears in the decor, via white-washed walls adorned with sparkly vests and caps, lamps bedecked in intricate beadwork, and a long bench covered in woven cloth. Perhaps keeping it mild is a political strategy as much as a culinary one here. More

The two olive oil baked goods offered at Blue Bottle's new Chelsea location are more savory than sweet. A crisp, crumbly shortbread ($1.50) comes with a heavy dose of Salvatore Bklyn's olive oil from Sicily. It imparts grassy, peppery flavors which are then paired with fresh rosemary, chopped right into the shortbread. More

Kofoo, near Madison Square Garden, is a tiny Korean spot with maybe a half-dozen chairs. You can eat there, hunched over the short counter, but Kofoo is really set up for takeaway, so you can enjoy the food in your office or the comfort of your own home. I'm not in the neighborhood very often, but when I am I try to stop by for a quick bite, and I've never had a bad meal. More

The new year has already seen the arrival of a delicious foreign invasion. Vancouver's Japadog is proving that there's more to Canadian fast food than Tim Hortons. More

Finding the best Xiao Long Bao—the famed soup-filled dumplings from Shanghai—in New York has always been a pet project of mine, but it's not an easy goal to accomplish. Given the magnitude of the task, I decided to break it down into more manageable, walkable segments. For our first installment, I limited my search area to Manhattan's Chinatown. More

For the holidays, all the locations of Financier Patisserie are offering Yule Logs in four different flavors—Coffee, Praline, Chocolate and Grand Marnier. Call me boring, but chocolate is my favorite, a tidy roll polished in buttercream and crisp meringue. More