This week I was so happy to be able to revisit a two-block stretch of Grand Street. It's one of my favorite places for good snacks - let's call this Lower East Side strip the Walk of Nosh.
Doughnut Plant
First up: Doughnut Plant at 379 Grand. At this eight-year-old landmark, the doughnuts, made fresh daily, are much more intensely (and often unusually) flavored than the much more boring options elsewhere. Think grapefruit, peanut butter and jelly, even marzipan, and not just vanilla or chocolate. Lavender and blueberry were options the day I went, but I went for the tres leches, a takeoff on the Latin cake of the same name. Covered in a crisp, pale-white frosting, this doughnut had been soaked in sweet milk, making for a gooey interior. A tip: if you do head here, don't go too late in the day: when the day's allotment are gone, they're really gone.
Kossar's Bialys
A couple doors down from Doughnut Plant, at 367 Grand, is a much older and traditional carb-seller: Kossar’s Bialys. Although you can get bagels at this bakery, the real reason for coming is the bialy, a flatter, denser bagel variant that comes with a mass of smashed onions in the center. It addition to being delicious, those bialys are also a reminder of the area's heritage. At one time, Grand Street, like most of the L.E.S., was intensely Jewish. The neighborhood has changed in many ways since then, but Kossar's and many other kosher and Jewish places remain in and around Grand Street.
Pickle Guys
With your dougnut and bialy needs taken care of, there are lots of other places nearby worth checking out. If you're seeking something salty and sour, head to nearby Essex Street for the Pickle Guys, where its pickled vegetables of all sorts are stored in large open tubs. Sure, the pickles are great, but I also love the giardinera, a heavily brined mix of carrots, cauliflower, red pepper, and celery that's very good at a picnic.
Isabella's Oven
If pizza's on your mind, Isabella’s Oven, at 365 Grand, makes a tasty, albeit somewhat pricey, option -- bonus points for the charming small garden in back. Farther east, at 409 Grand, is the laidback Roots and Vine cafe, serving wine and beer as well as coffee. Either place is a good spot for plotting and planning your next NYC destination.