Daily highlight #67: transcending sweets - Bakery - Lady M (New York)

Watching Project Runway always makes me think of A, my fashion designer friend, who is still holding the fort in the big apple. We met eight years ago working at a big bank on Wall Street. While neither of us stuck with the job, our friendship survived. Part of me likes to think that it's because of our shared love for desserts. No matter what happens in our lives, we always manage to get together for a moment of bliss over something sweet. Come to think of it, our shared love saved me on the day of the infamous New York blackout when A tempted me from my office on the 50th floor of the Rockefeller complex, just shortly before the lights went out, to trek down to Union Square for a hot chocolate at the City Bakery. The next day, I was the only one at the office not suffering from leg cramps. :)

Even now, whenever I see A, we invariably end up eating sweets. This last time, we made the hike to Lady M, the ultimate stop for tea and sweet refreshments on the upper east side.

Mille Crepes is the killer item that everyone goes to Lady M to try. Imagine layer upon layer of paper thin crepe sandwiching layer upon layer of fluffy cream. It all sounds simple, but there are so many things that could go wrong. Yet, nothing ever does go wrong. Not here, not at Lady M. This is stuff of dreams.

Besides the mille crepes, it was ridiculously hard to decide among the others, some of which are shown here. We considered all our options without a decision until the man in front of us asked for a slice of strawberry shortcake and showed us the light. This wasn't the rustic strawberry shortcake sporting biscuits. This (top) involved some delicate construction of rip strawberries, soft sponge cakes, and, yes, more fluff cream.

We were giddy with our choices and spent hours forking at the light yet very satisfying cakes while laughing over our lives' ups and downs. Through tears over a lost loved one and excitement over new designs, we found our way back to those glorious days when we look at the Big City through dreamy eyes.

Lady M
41 East 78th St.
New York, NY 10075
212-452-2222