i know. it’s not really necessary to showcase the wonderful bakery baked yet again, but i couldn’t help myself as this weekend k and i went on a red hook outing and of course had to see what they baked had on offer. and yes, i was very pleased they had these hostess imitation cupcakes i had tried a few weeks ago. i used to love those hostess cupcakes (and the snoballswere also a favorite, and the brighter the color the better) and would get them every chance i could but as i got older i just knew that i shouldn’t be eating that stuff at least that often because who knew what was in there.

but these cupcakes are much easier to justify. homemade with a little darker chocolate and the inside gooey filling, these baked hostess cupcakes are a little less sweet making them an easy buy for the three of us in the family who love chocolate and treats. baked, 359 van brunt street between wolcott and dikeman streets, brooklyn, new york, 718.222.0345.

while streb is officially a dance troupe, their work seems to focus on what some call “aggressive physicality” where the dancers — or maybe really they should be called acrobats — take on a lot of risks to perform actions that maybe the normal human just wouldn’t tackle. although i have not yet seen them (they are on my list), based on the reviews i’ve read, the choreographer behind streb, elizabeth streb focuses on pushing everyone beyond their limits in a way that can be discomfiting for the audience but is also inspiring. their most recent show, catapult, which is being performed at a large space in williamsburg referred to as the “slab” or the streb lab for action mechanics (slab), has plenty of these incredible feats as part of the action.

this latest performance is definitely kid friendly, and i am guessing that k would be fascinated to see the group try to defy gravity by seeming to use a vertical wall as a horizontal dance floor and see dancers try to stay on a 20 foot circle platform spinning vigorously (k will probably want to try it herself — the scarier the better). and while certainly the kids will love it, i’m thinking the adults won’t be too unhappy either and it’s always great to have an excuse to hang out in williamsburg. streb at slam catapult, 51 n. 1st street between wythe and kent avenues, brooklyn, new york, 718.384.6491. through may 17, 2009.

mini guide new york: williamsburg: there are so many places to eat great food and shop affordably for great stuff that my only trouble is narrowing down the list. so my goal here is just to provide some options super close to streb so that you don’t have to trek too far out of your way. williamsburg is defined fairly broadly sometimes so this area is what i believe the natives call south williamsburg.

food:

la superior: i finally made it to this amazing mexican street food spot. not much to look at and lacking some of the usual amenities (all cash, no alchohol) the food was outstanding. i’ll be posting about it next week. 295 berry street near s. 2nd street, brooklyn, new york, 718.388.5988.

fette sau: i have been wanting and wanting to try out this and this weekend we might get lucky. supposed to have excellent barbecue in an industrial setting. 354 metropolitan avenue at havemeyer street, brooklyn, new york, 718.963.3404.

dressler: for something a bit fancier, this spot which is a few years old is supposed to have excellent contemporary american food. some suggest it might be a little boring and maybe even have passed its heyday but it’s still on my list to check out. 149 broadway between bedford and driggs avenues, brooklyn, new york, 718.384.6343.

marlow & sons: another beloved spot that has been around for a few years, marlow & sons operates as a cafe with pastries and coffee during the day and a casual meditteranean restaurant serving oysters and other basics at night. i have also not yet been here and also have not visited its sister butcher shop located nearby marlow & daughters but they seem worth a visit. 81 broadway near berry street, brooklyn, new york, 718.384.1441.

shops:

streb seems to be located right near some of the best shopping (especially furniture, home design and women’s clothes) clusters along n. 6th street from kent avenue towards havemeyer, and along bedford avenue. some shops i wouldn’t miss include the following:

the future perfect: this shop has become ground zero for some for cutting edge modern design, and although most of their items are expensive they always seem to have a few affordable entertaining gifts. 115 n. 6th street near berry street, brooklyn, new york, 718.599.6278.

a & g merch: another more accessible furniture store for urbanites with usually something irrestible like an owl umbrella stand, a to don’t pad and a westernwear cowboy pitcher. 111 n. 6th street, between berry street and wythe avenue, brooklyn, new york, 718.388.1779.

jumelle, a relatively expensive women’s clothing store with well known (a.p.c., phillip lim and a detacher) as well as smaller designers with stylish bags by the likes of tilamarch and alexander wang. 148 bedford avenue between n. 8th and n. 9th streets, brooklyn, new york, 718.388.9525.

the shoe market, i keep seeing this place mentioned, though some say it is too pricey, i’m always curious to check out more independent shoe shops with interesting collections. 160 n. 6th street at bedford avenue, brooklyn, new york, 718.388.8495.

this past march felt like we were in birthday party craziness. i think we were going to a birthday party if not every day of every weekend, at least once a weekend, and what’s a poor parent to do. fortunately we have a great little spot lulu’s cuts and toys that has every variety of plastic, metal and princess kind of toy for the children in our lives (or in our classrooms). with friendly helpful staff, lulu’s has helped us successfully sort through exactly what would be the right present for a hannah montana loving, bead obsessessed soon-to-be six year old. since our daughter has no interest in girlie things - focusing more on dragons and climbing adventures - we definitely need the advice.

though they used to be located just around the corner from us, lulu’sis now located further north along 5th avenue closer to atlantic avenue in park slope. so it’s a bit of a walk, but somehow k. seems to manage it without much complaint. going home on the other hand is another story. and while we don’t use lulu’s for this purpose, they also offer kid’s haircuts complete with little cars and videos to provide distractions during even the most challenging trim. lulu’s cuts and toys, 48 5th avenue at bergen street, brooklyn, new york, 718.832.3732.

i know, i know, we really should have gone by now. the brooklyn museum has been hosting 1st saturdays for several years now, and even though they are family friendly and we aren’t exactly booked most saturday nights we have never made our way over there for what seem like great events. the lineup planned for tomorrow night looks great (as does most everything that they have done so far) so i think we really owe it to ourselves to make our way over to eastern parkway.

the evening begins with the blue vipers of brooklyn (pictured above) playing swing for a couple of hours (something j and i have taken way too many lessons for at the great sandra cameron dance center and yet we still can only remember just a few steps but maybe this will help us brush up) and some fun kid and adult activities centered around the hernan bas exhibit (see below). to finish up, dj adrian michna will spin the sounds of miami bass.

mini guide new york: brooklyn museum: now, for what to do nearby. this is a little more challenging. my sense is that the closest, prospect heights doesn’t really have that many dazzling eating choices (other than franny’s of course), so here are some of my thoughts on what might be good based on a little research:

food:

glass shop: a very new coffee shop in crown heights apparently serving what is called australian espressos using la colombe torrefaction. according to my good friend who lives nearby, and she is very fussy, the coffee is good. 766 classon avenue between st. johns and sterling places, brooklyn, new york.

chavella’s: this very small spot serving mexican in prospect heights is a favorite in the neighborhood. 732 classon avenue near park place, brooklyn, new york, 718.622.3100.

james: a little fancier, might need a reservation, james is a lovely adult spot with pretty tasty american seasonally-based food with what they call old-world european influences and a really excellent atmosphere. 605 carlton avenue at st. marks avenue, brooklyn, new york, 718.942.4255.

cheryls’s global soul: with a food network pedigree that would normally put me off, the eclectic menu focusing on the worldly comfort food seems like it might be good, and i think that despite the variety of opinions it would be interesting to try, and it is super close to the museum. 236 underhill avenue near eastern parkway, brooklyn, new york 347.529.2855.

vanderbilt avenue bars: according to my insider friend, and the new york times, there are a bunch of fun places here for drinks so these might be good to check out post dancing festivities including weather up (589 vanderbilt avenue at dean street, 718.788.1756) and barrette (601 vanderbilt avenue at, 718.230.5170), both in brooklyn, new york.

shop/do:

brooklyn botanic garden: not to point out the obvious, since the gardens are really right next door to the museum, these gardens really are lovely especially this time of year as those cherry trees begin to blossom. for little kids (or even bigger ones), i am an especially big fan of their well-run and designed children’s garden. 1000 washington avenue, brooklyn, new york, 718.623.7200.

prospect park carousel: one of my favorite things to do with kids in brooklyn. this is a fabulous carousel running from spring to late fall with sweet horses and very affordable pricing. located at children’s corner, just outside willinick entrance to the park at the intersection of ocean and flatbush avenues and empire boulevard, brooklyn, new york see here for a better map. 718.282.7789.

vanderbilt avenue strip: starting close to grand army plaza, there are a few cute shops lining this main drag of prospect heights including fabrica with some lovely cheerful household items, pieces with some interesting clothing, red lipstick with a more sophisticated take on knitting and corduroy kid a pretty cute children’s clothing store (there is also a park slope branch). pieces, 671 vanderbilt avenue at park place, 718.857.7211; fabrica, 619 vanderbilt avenue at st. marks avenue, 718.398.3831; corduroy kid, 613 vanderbilt avenue between st. marks avenue and bergen street, 718.622.4145; red lipstick, 560 vanderbilt avenue between dean and bergen streets, 718.857.9534. all in brooklyn, new york.

after walking for blocks and blocks along columbus and amsterdam avenues, i was about to give up on finding any place that i might want to write about. my friends had warned me but still i was determined to find something, or at least hopeful that there might be a few cute shops up here not related to some mega chain. although i wasn’t able to prove them wrong, roam was my one real suprise, and it was a good one. with nice and friendly staff, the shop has a little bit of everything for the home and kids and even some accessories. although nothing particularly unusual, most of what they had was cute especially in the home and kids departments. they had lots of tea children’s clothing (i have this terrible feeling that this might be all that s. will wear for his early years - it is by far the best boys clothes that i find easily) my favorite kind of wooden baby toys by grimm (and i have featured them before here), bags by mz wallace and orla kiely, lots of earring and lovely vases and other home goods and these incredibly adorable shoes by pediped (featured above). so while the upper west side has not yet become a shopping destination, at least roam provides a place for finding some of those cute things all in one place. roam, 488 amsterdam avenue between 83rd and 84th streets, manhattan, ny, 212.721.0155.

i don’t think that it is really possible to say enough great things about the bank street bookstore. the staff here are just phenomenal. what’s amazing about them is not just that they are super friendly and nice but they know their collections inside and out. i took k here a few weeks ago, and asked for some help selecting some fun chapter books - they had to be not too scary and definitely not girly but have lots of story. the woman who helped us (she definitely looked like she could be a student) was up to the task as she gave us detailed descriptions of book after book after book. her knowledge was indepth and impressive, and now that we have read some of the selections k has been enthralled with the picks as they were right on. and this has been my consistent experience with bank street. when k was first born, i was a bit desperate and so called them for some music advice — songs that might be soothing but also would not make me cringe. and despite listening them for hours on end, the local artists they introduced me to (elizabeth mitchell and wendy gelsanliter among others) have continued to rotate on our favorites list. i don’t really think there is another book store in the big city of new york (and i really have been to them all) where you can get such amazing advice. friends who go here also report consistently the same experience, so really if you need children’s books, cds or whatever, this is the place to go. bank street bookstore, 2879 broadway near 112th street, manhattan, ny, 212.678.1654.

ok, so i was all energized to finally have one good weekend of ice skating before spring finally arrives, and as i was doing my research i find out that lots of rinks have closed including our local favorite wollman rink located in prospect park as well as the very cool looking and synthetically made polar rink at the american museum of natural history museum. and although i am feeling like a pretty bad mum for waiting this long to take k skating (did i really miss the entire season), fortunately the south street seaport ice rink is open through sunday. this 8,000 square foot rink ,which just opened this winter has glorious views and i’m curious to see what it’s like and if it takes full advantage of it’s setting, and i am guessing given how much i have procrastinated and depending on how nice the weather is this weekend we might even have the ice to ourselves.

so then of course the big question is what to do before and after, and given that i have covered the wall street neighborhood before, we’re looking at some fairly sad eating and drinking options. so i might suggest heading north toward chinatown which has a wealth of great food so the few listed below represent just the very tip of the iceberg and if you do more research you will find widely varying opinions though i still think these are worth stopping by. i have not provided any dim sum places because i think that the very best are off in queens or hong kong so not worth going to here. and shopping gems, sadly, other than food markets, are a little harder to find.

food:

fried dumpling: this very very affordable place for fried pork and chive dumplings ($5 for 5 i believe) has no atmosphere but has been written about everywhere and while i have not yet been it is very high on my list of places to go. more street food than a full-on lunch. 99 allen street near delancey street, 212.941.9975.

joe’s shanghai: although a little controversial among the hard-core foodies, i think it’s pretty tried and true for some pretty excellent soup dumplings. 9 pell street between doyers street and the bowery, 212.233.8888.

cantoon garden: a beloved cantonese place that definitely sounds like the it spot for lobsters, crabs and salt baked squid. definitely tend toward the fishy side of things here. 22 elizabeth street between bayard and canal streets, 212.964.2229.

shops:

pearl paint: while not my usual kind of store to write about, this arts emporium really is incredibly vast and incredibly cheap. if you need supplies or just want to think you might some day be creative this is a great place to stock up. 308 canal street near broadway, 212.431.7392.

yunhong chopsticks: just opened this winter, sounds like it might be an interesting shop for gifts or just the chopstick obsessed but maybe not such modern offerings. 50 mott street between pell and bayard streets, 212.566.8828.

hong kong supermarket: a vast market with all kinds of goodies from all over so be prepared to go home right after with your stash. 135 east broadway near pike street, 212.571.9631.

last spring i think i must have lost my mind because i thought it would be a good idea for all four of us to get our summer shoes together in one afternoon. trying to get the shoes for the little ones, let alone for the big guy, resulted in some purchases but nothing exciting for the kiddies and definitely left me and them exhausted. fortunately, i think i have found a favorite children’s shoe store in the big city. located on a cozy corner in the west village, shoe garden. with astroturf and a lizard for entertainment, as well as a big poufy loungechair in the middle, it is very pleasant to hang out while forcing some really cute shoes on the kids and they won’t even suffer too much during the experience. the well-edited selection includes a few european designers like primigi, geox, naturino, bopy and pom d’api as well as the super stylish umi and the very cute converse chuck high tops and lacoste sneakers. and just in time for spring, they are carrying some super cute rainboots from pluie as well as some umbrellas. and while i can find some of these brands at the more common kid shoe shops like harry’s in manhattan and peek a boo kids in brooklyn, at shoe garden i can find them all at the same cozy place from ages baby through pre-teen with a reasonable price tag (and they have really good sales). the shoe garden, 152 west 10th street between 7th avenue and waverly place, manhattan, ny, 212.989.4230.

when we first started looking to move to brooklyn after i had been away for nearly 15 years, hanging out on 5th avenue was like finding a slice of shopping heaven. i could not believe not only the huge transformation from the late ’80s but also how many great tiny shops were clustered along one street. to me, one block (between carroll and president streets) represents the epicenter of this independent, creative movement with five strong shops, and which showcase beautiful clothing, interesting home design and interesting shoes and personally designed swimsuits. i plan to profile all these shops in cherrypatter, starting with scaredy cat. what i consider the best card shop in south brooklyn features excellent designers like egg press, letterspace hello! lucky and elum. scaredy kat also has all those little random tidbits needed for a quick gift like an animal frame, a set of soaps or a good board game. lots of interesting, useful (and nonuseful but fun) stuff for not too steep a price — now that is a recipe for frequent visits. scaredy cat, 229 5th avenue between carroll and president streets, brooklyn, ny 718.623.1869.

for some reason, this winter a bunch of friends have had babies and so we’ve been on a renewed hunt for great toys. one friend in particular (a new mom interested in only the best for her child) has asked for something for her newborn that is intellectually stimulating. hmmm, that’s not usually something that i think of for an infant but i am sure that is only because we are depriving our kids in so many ways as woefully undriven parents. put to the challenge, i decided to check out romp, a great store that used to be on fifth avenue in brooklyn but now lives online only (sadly). with a focus on beautiful things that both parent and child can love, romp stocks a great collection of lovely german toys like the stacking toys above. i am sure our friend will be happy with one of these options and the baby’s brain power will be put into action very very soon.