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I woke up early on a beautiful cold day and headed straight to Levain, the most popular bakery in New York, a place everybody should try at least once in their life – or at least this is what people say. The last time I was here, visiting Levain was not possible. This is my second time in the Big Apple, not coming to Levain would be a sin.
Up on the West Side is a hole in the wall under street level 167 West 74th. You’ll find a small shop under "Max Wax" to better find it. Thousands and thousands of cookies were reaching out as we stood in line for the real deal. It was so cold but no one cared.
The line was building up in front of a blue shop, two lights one on each side, a glass facade and the logo written in gold and blue colors.... I was the fourth customer standing next to the door, freezing from the cold but enjoying the strong aromas of bread and molten chocolate.
And the doors opened... Four bakers were here to serve a guest at time while the line started building up even more. I've immediately ordered one of everything they had then walked out searching for a bench to sit on at the sidewalk. I couldn’t find one so I simply stopped next to a tree and dug into the hot bag.
My suggestion: don't order anything else than the cookies. We had the bun, the brioche and the muffin, which are good but not the best ever, so you will be disappointed. When you expect amazement, eating something good disappoints. So it cookies only!
Let's taste:
- Blueberry Muffin: Moist and juicy muffin with a heart of sweet blueberry. Nothing is chewy and nothing is crunchy, a tasty muffin but I surely had better.
- The Chocolate Valhrona Brioche: A bread bun with a super crunchy bottom cut in four like a cross in the middle and filled with molten chocolate Valhrona chocolate. Good quality bread, airy and a light with this intense taste of chocolate that adds a specialty touch to it. It's good but not exceptional.
- Dark Chocolate Brioche: It's an unconventional brioche like a rectangular pizza, two layers one on top of the other and lots of dark chocolate inside. It’s a super fluffy and lightly sticky bun with this heart-warming melting premium dark chocolate. I loved the chewiness and the lightness of the bun as well as the chocolate. It’s a good one.
Now for the cookies, a dream! The best cookies I've ever had in my entire life.
- The Raisin and Oat Cookie: It really makes you feel good. A cookie served warm with crunchy envelope and warm tender heart filled with raisins. Lightly sweet, this cookie is huge in size. It’s worth a try.
- Walnuts, Chocolate Chips... Oh my Lord that's awesome, that's amazingly awesome. Crunchiness, molten heart, light bodied walnuts... A sensation, the mind can't find words to describe.
- The Double Chocolate Cookie: I surely wasn't expecting to eat something even better than the one before. The world's famous orgasmic cookie can make you scream indistinctly to an extent of losing your mind. A dark chocolate cookie with molten dough and a heart of flowing chocolate sparkling independently in this ball of madness. Cut in the middle to see this amazing masterpiece before devouring it.
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookie: Did you ever feel like talking to a cookie? I'm not crazy but I really did. Chocolate and bits of molten peanut butter, the cookie that follows you for hours after you have finished it. My sweet Lord I have discovered what amazement is.
Now I understand: You can't visit New York and not pass by Levain; it's literally the best cookie I've ever had.
