Our next stop was The Good Batch, originally made famous for their stroopwafel ice cream sandwich.
Everything in the display case looked good, including, of course, the scones. But then I saw their signature cookies were on happy hour special for $1/each and got one of each.
I wish I hadn’t been such a cheapo and tried something else instead. The brown butter shortbread and white chocolate cranberry were good, but the others I didn’t like texturally (too cakey.) Looking at the first picture now, I can’t wait to go back and try something else.
I dug deep and vowed to improve my batting average while we drove to the original Four and Twenty Blackbirds in Gowanus. They had a rotating menu of seasonal pies available, as well as other non-pie items. They were also selling all-butter pie crust for you to bake at home.
I wished they had the Matcha Custard pie that day. We took a long time coming to a decision. In the meantime, it seemed like some workers were on break, and the woman at the cash register was making drinks, cutting pie slices, and taking money at lightning speed. I found myself again amazed at how so many NYC workers will do the work of three average Baltimore workers. I understand how NYC transplants get frustrated so easily by the slow pace of things elsewhere. In any case, we finally decided on the Black Bottom Oat pie. A dollop of whipped cream was recommended, and we did not refuse.
Honestly, it was not my first choice, but after much deliberation I was overruled. And I am glad I was. It was like a pie and cookie combined, a dense chocolate layer topped with a chess-like oat custard, forming a crisp oat layer on top as it baked. The whipped cream provided the perfect relief. I appreciate they actually whipped the cream instead of using one of those canisters; N2O cream can be too light. It was so good that when we got back to Baltimore, I immediately got a copy of their pie book. I can’t wait for a lazy day when I can just relax and bake this pie at home.
I had been especially looking forward to our next stop, Ladybird Bakery in Park Slope, for their Brooklyn Blackout cake. Unfortunately, they weren’t baking full tilt since it was just after Christmas. Most of the cakes weren’t available, and the pie/tart case was completely empty. They had lots of scones and muffins, though.
We settled for a cupcake version of the Brooklyn Blackout, a berry scone, and a linzer bar. We were meeting the kid’s aunt later, so we got a few basic cupcakes to take along with us, too.
The cupcake was great, a more literal interpretation than the one at Little Cupcake Bakeshop. We purchased a glass of milk so we could properly enjoy it. The scone was the least impressive scone we had during the trip, and it was still good. Most of the other scones we had were standalone goods, but I liked that this one could be paired with butter or jam because it wasn’t as rich or sweet. The linzer bar was technically excellent, with distinctly separated layers. There was just a flavor (almond paste?) that was too strong for us. Later that night, we would take a few bites of the cupcakes, too. Nothing special, but not bad, either.
As we headed toward Red Hook, I thought about how Ladybird reminded me of the quaint cake shops of yesteryear.
she was thrilled and didn’t realize there was such a thing as the black sesame. I met her elsewhere for brunch but they also offer brunch although the menu was on the simple side i’m sure the scrambled eggs on a croissant is lovely.
