Despaña

My daughters and I may have found the perfect spot for a wintertime snack. Not that this tiny Spanish delicacies/sandwich/tapas shop on the eastern edge of Soho is anything new... in fact Despaña has been slicing serrano and such for almost two years now. But after our first visit last week, there's no way we're waiting that long to stop in again.

First up? Tons of free samples of things we really like to eat: several hams, lots of olives, four different kinds of balsamic vinegar, y muchos quesos ricos. Anyway, when we finally made it to the cramped cafe area in back, we went straight for the bocadillos, Spanish-style heros served on crusty, chewy ciabatta. Any one of the ten or so choices sounded good, but we decided to split the Gallego, pressed and served warm, the serrano ham, chorizón and melted arúa ulloa cheese delivering an intensely flavored, perfectly balanced sandwich experience.

For dessert we opted for a double order of churros and hot chocolate, the doughnutty sticks moist and covered in sugar; the sweet cocoa beverage refreshingly liquid, rather than the trendy (though admittedly delicious) sludge most places seem to be serving these days. All in all, this was a totally satisfying snacking adventure.

Despaña is located on Broome Street between Lafayette and Centre. It was pretty empty when we were there, around 3:00 on a Friday afternoon, but I can imagine on weekends having to wait for one of the six stools in the back. The counter workers are all extremely helpful and friendly.

Papabubble

Debbie nailed it the other day when she said that what Papabubble's really selling in their sleek new New York City outpost is just "old-lady candy repackaged to look cool and mod. And it works." Indeed it does. If you're at all susceptible to the lure of good design, just try to walk out of there without plunking down an absurd amount of money for a bag or five of hard candy. Especially, I imagine, if you catch them cooking and stretching and shaping and slicing up their taffy-like wads right there in the store behind the counter.

Of course, it helps that, for the most part, Papabubble delivers on the promise of their packaging, using natural flavors and essential oils to turn the standard recipe of sugar, water and glucose into something... not transcendent, for sure, but certainly a sweet treat that's several cuts above any sucking candy I can remember ever eating before. Anyway, my eager-to-volunteer younger daughter Co and I sampled a number of flavors over this past week, and here's what we think.

A solid selection for newbies like us was the Morris Mix, which seemed to have a little bit everything in the fruit and mint category. The flavors here really are quite extraordinary in some cases—it actually tastes like, say, strawberry, or lemon, and not like "red", or "yellow"—and because they're so intense, you really only need (or want) two or three small pieces to satisfy whatever craving led you here in the first place.

The best bag we tried, however, was filled with Acid Drops, which had all the pleasures of the fruit suckers above with the added bonus of actually being sour enough to provoke puckering throughout. Less eye-opening were the Peppermint Pebbles, which are softer and chalkier than the regular candies. No question, these are top-of-the-line after dinner mints, but there's no getting around the fact that they are, well... after dinner mints.

Finally, I dove in solo to the Chocolate Mix bag (though I have a confirming report from a trusty field correspondent), which ranged from the strong, very good coffee, to the strong, very gross spearmint.

Papabubble is located on Broome Street between Mulberry and Mott. This is the company's first U.S. store, joining the Barcelona flagship as well as branches in Tokyo and Amsterdam. They make candy behind the counter throughout the day, but apparently I was unlucky and arrived during a break.

Cafe Colonial

Hard to believe that Cafe Colonial has been around for 12 years, but there you have it: you really have aged that much since you first spotted the "jungle mural" and bright blue awning on that bustling Nolita corner. Anyway, after all these years, a couple of weeks ago I took my laggard daughters for their first ever meal at this casual Brazilian place before a movie at the Sunshine.... and while the reviews around our table were mixed, there was a least one dish that they they liked so much that I don't think not returning is an option.

I'm speaking, of course, of the Pao de Queijo, or cheese rolls. Now that the great Puff and Pao is closed, we need to get our fix of these gummy, chewy, cheesy, puffy breadstuffs from somewhere... and though Cafe Colonial doesn't offer them in any other variety except regular, these are nice and big and certainly amazing enough to be an absolute requirement with any meal you may have there, whether lunch, brunch or dinner.

We did eat some other things, too. I liked my Steak Salad just fine: the greens were bright and bitter, the meat reasonably juicy, the fries mostly crisp, the balsamic dressing adding just enough sweetness and tang to make it feel a little special. Bo was also happy, munching away at her Santa Fe Salad, a well-handled version (fresh ingredients, nicely balanced) of what I imagine they serve at any number of those family chains as a "taco salad": corn, cheese, lettuce, cabbage and tomato all piled onto a tortilla that's been spread with refried beans and guacamole.

Co, on the other hand, was dealt a disappointment with her Cowboy Rice, an appealing-sounding dish of beef, rice, fried eggs and black beans, but in reality the meat was chewy, the beans bland, and the rice oddly and overly seasoned (not sure what is was, but it wasn't pleasant). For dessert we wolfed a serviceably sweet Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding and a Brazilian Flan, supposedly "grandma's recipe" and definitely very good indeed... but also definitely not as good as the version they serve a few blocks away at Móle.

Cafe Colonial is located on the corner of Houston and Elizabeth Streets. Your fellow patrons will likely be thin and beautiful.

Plus: Bonus moody photo, courtesy of Co!