Granola 101

Much like people, every granola smells and tastes a little bit different. Why else would the cereal aisle be spilling over with boxes of uniqueness? Dorset Cereals makes a fine (but slightly pricey) box of the stuff, but when you have developed a serious habit as I have, it's time to bake your own.

As usual, I turned to Google this morning to find a recipe. I took another search through Slashfood and came up with some inspiration. And this blog has a good stand-by recipe. Ultimately, I went off script and opted for a mish mash of my own device.

Fortunately, it’s hard to botch granola. Here are the guidelines: I use about 2 ½ cups of oats, tossed in cinnamon and salt, and then coated with a goo made from honey, vegetable oil, brown sugar (roughly a ¼ cup on each) with splash of vanilla or orange extract. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, turn, bake 10 more minutes and then mix in your favorite dried fruits and nuts. Today's add-ins included pecans, pepitas, cranberries, raisins and coconut. The taste: sweet and salty, perfect on plain yogurt. -CN

Spot Dessert Bar

I am all for the expanding Asia-fication of Saint Mark's Place. The ongoing boom in noodle bars, sushi dives and the refurb of Panya (near St. Mark's Bookstore) into a full-fledged minimart is a good thing. Consider the other alternatives for late-night beer-induced grazing: falafel and gyro joints? more mediocre doughy pizza? I'll take make-your-own-cotton-candy and soba noodles at Kenka any night.

Chef Pichet Ong opened Spot Dessert Bar on the heels of shuttering P*ng earlier this year (see Belly Up review) and he adds to the swelling tide of alt foodie Asian eateries in the neighborhood. Located in a subterranean slot on the St. Mark's strip, Spot is all things darling: soft lighting, under age-friendly non-alcoholic beverages and a long bar of treats, bolstered by a tempting "look book" of past, present and future sweets near the cash register.

Knowing full well that that diners will come in groups prepared to share, Ong has organized the menu so that each dessert can be ordered tapas-like. An order of four desserts is $26, while single orders are $7 each. While the whole thing capitalizes on the cute appeal of dessert, it does so without overstepping into the weird cupcake fetishization that inexplicably continues (cupcake photo above excepted.)

Our cheerful waitress was eager to share her favorites (Yuzu Eskimo and Five Spiced Fennel Cake) as we compiled a hearty order. While the setting was distinctly 16-year-old-on-a-first-date, the desserts are anything but and can stand up to any of the downtown foodie temples. The savory-style desserts, such as the Avocado Parfait and Yellow Corn Crema are adventurous choices, but I personally stuck to my favorite flavor combination of chocolate, strawberries and cream in the Yuzu Eskimo. The sweet shop closes at 1 a.m. and all the baked goods (try the Chinese Walnut cookie) are half-priced in the hour before closing. –CN

Where: 13 St. Marks Place, New York, NY (212) 677-5670