Last Night I Dreamt About Cheddar Cheese Apple Pie

Met up with Penguin for a meandering lunch which spanned four hours and four stops. Our original destination was the Lower East Side, but we detoured at the bright pink Automat, where we shared in the genius that is the mac and cheese kroket, basically fried mac and cheese. So good! Unbelievably, this fine establishment also makes a fried peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Also fantastic. The cheeseburger, though very good, didn't provide the same entertainment value. Mere blocks later, while still ambling colorful St. Mark's Place, we came upon Crif Dogs. We knew we had to pace ourselves since this was clearly not the end of lunch, so we split a BLT Dog. Yes, more genius to be found in the bacon-wrapped hot dog. I never said this was a healthy lunch.

Our next stop took us to the Little Pie Company near Times Square where Penguin had raved about the sour cream apple walnut pie. It really was divine. The apples slices are paper thin thanks to a mandoline and layered in between is sour cream. To complete this delightful combination is a not super sugary walnut topping. Our other pie selection was the cheddar cheese apple pie, with bits of cheddar cheese embedded in the crust. Apparently this is a New England combination, but being new to me, I had to try it. Delicious, but if I could only choose one pie, sour cream it would be. Another bonus about this lovely pie shop is that you can see the pies being made. With the open kitchen, it's a buttery, cinnamon scent than greets you at the door. Though bowled over by our previous three courses, were were close enough to Sullivan St. Bakery (oddly enough, it's not on Sullivan Street) that I dragged Penguin there on foot. Truth be told, walking was pretty much the only thing that would keep me awake at that point. Sadly, the bakery was closed, but a peek through the windows indicated beautiful breads (and really good cookies, I'm told). So much for having two dessert courses with lunch!