Quintessentially American goodies from New York

I’m not proud of this behavior, but Crayton and I have become addicted to Combos. They’re these absolutely fake, cheese-filled pretzel or cracker nuggets that happen to taste really good with beer. We bought some at the airport yesterday and spent our first evening back in Mexico City throwing back Combos and watching old movies.

On a more healthier, more substantive note — well, not exactly healthier, but definitely substantive — I wanted to share some pictures of a few more only-in-America goodies I ate in New York last week.

First up was a soft serve cone from Captain Softee, which was my saving grace on those long, humid walks back to the subway. (And surprisingly, it’s not the same thing as Mister Softee — they’re two competing companies.)

This turkey burger game from David Burke, the cafe inside Bloomingdale’s.

Do you see the decadence? Do you see?

The pretzel croissant from City Bakery has a cult following. It’s buttery like a croissant, but has the dense, wheat taste of a pretzel. And it’s salty on top. It’s really good, especially with a cup of coffee. Followed by a big salad for lunch.

Doughnut Plant’s dulce de leche doughnut is one of the Lower East Side shop’s most famous varieties. It’s an artisanal doughnut shop, meaning everything is made fresh with no artificial flavors or ingredients. (Basically, the opposite of Combos.) When you bite into the dulce de leche donut, a little bit of cream oozes out from inside. Must try the peanut butter and jelly and creme brulee flavors next time.

Lastly, I ate a zeppole at a street fair in Astoria, Queens on Saturday night. It’s a big chunk of fried dough that’s rolled in powdered sugar. You eat it while it’s still warm and sugar dust gets all over your face.

I didn’t get a picture because I’d left my camera at home, but here’s one from Giada on the Food Network: