Lady M

We've taken a look inside our Upper East Side flagship, the boutique at The Plaza Food Hall, and our fabulous Los Angeles location. Today we're heading to... Bryant Park!

Located on 40th Street, directly across from the south side of Bryant Park, this boutique is one of our busiest and buzziest locations. It is our third boutique (after Upper East Side and The Plaza Food Hall), and we love Lady M Bryant Park for its super central location, ample seating, and all around great service.

The boutique gets extra packed in the afternoons and we notice that neighborhood regulars enjoyed coming here in the morning (breakfast meeting, anyone?) when it's peaceful, and you can have cake and coffee/tea at leisure. People tend to think of Lady M as an afternoon/dessert spot, but morning visits are always such a treat. Come by around 9am or 10am for a hot drink (we've been in a London Fog mood all week) and a morning pastry. The cakes get all the coverage and love, but don't overlook the pastries that we keep tucked on the side (near the register). We took a deep look at all the pastry options in this blog post; they're lovely and sized perfectly for one.

You'll notice that we have exclusive sweets for certain locations. Chocolate-Banana Mille Crêpes are exclusive to The Plaza Food Hall, Red Bean Mille Crêpes are exclusive to the Boston boutique and... Green Tea Éclairs are exclusive to Bryant Park! If you haven't tried these éclairs yet, you really must. We start with our classic choux pastry dough, then generously pipe it full with a voluptuous green tea custard. The top gets polished with a green tea and white chocolate glaze and... goodness! This one is a real treat. The green tea flavor comes through so clearly and the naturally occurring bitterness of green tea is balanced out by the sweet notes of the custard base and silky white chocolate. Be sure to stop by for this treat.

Make sure to send aside some extra time before/after your visit to the boutique, as there's a lot to do in this area. The main branch of the New York Public Library is located on the east border of Bryant Park, and that alone is worth a visit to the neighborhood. The Library is an architectural wonder and one of the true gems of NYC. Check out the Rose Main Reading Room (which was closed for two years for repairs and reopened in late 2016). You've seen this room in many movies and shows... it is even more stunning in real life. Another really neat tidbit - the entirety of Bryant Park (which runs 40th to 42nd street, 5th to 6th Avenue) covers an elaborate underground structure which houses the library's book stacks! Amazing, right? Keep that in mind next time you walk through the park. 

On the 6th Avenue end of Bryant Park, we love visiting Kinokuniya to browse all the Japanese magazines (many of which come with "treats" like little tote bags packaged inside) and books, and all sorts of odds and ends. We really enjoy decadent meals at Da Dong (the first US location of this famous peking duck restaurant from Beijing) - it's luxe and over the top and we love it. A couple of blocks west is Times Square... and if you head east, you're at Grand Central Station, so you've got quite a bit of exploring to do!

Till next time,
Lady M