Pumpkin Party

It is no secret I love pumpkin flavored anything. However, I feel very strongly that pumpkin should only be consumed in the autumn months (from late September to Thanksgiving to be exact). A sort of tradition has emerged where my friends and I spend a Saturday in October consuming the finest pumpkin treats NYC has to offer. It also has become tradition that the weather be as unpleasant as possible. Here is a breakdown of Pumpkinfest 2009.

First we started with "old reliable," Sugar Sweet Sunshine. This Lower East Side bakery is legendary for its cupcakes, cakes, and trifles, and the pumpkin trifle here is the gold standard by which pumpkin desserts should be measured. It is essentially pumpkin cake, vanilla pudding, and whipped cream, all mashed together in a cup. It is amazing. What makes it for me is the vanilla pudding because it adds silkier and denser texture than just whipped cream would. I only opted for a few bites as we had to pace ourselves given the ambitious agenda we had ahead of us.

Next up, we realized our proximity to Doughnut Plant, an NY establishment known for having some of the best doughnuts in the country. I had never been, so I was thrilled to sample it on Pumpkinfest of all days. DP offered two kinds of pumpkin doughnuts: cake (think old-fashioned) and yeast (think glazed). The man running the shop that afternoon recommended both, and who were we to turn him down? I was partial to the cake doughnut, because it reminded me of the doughnuts I used to eat at cider farms growing up and I like the denser consistency. This was a matter of preference however, as my friend preferred the yeast. Aside from the out of this world doughnuts (which I would eat anytime, by the way), the store was a great place to people watch.

Our final destination was Stand, a Greenwich Village diner I've mentioned before. I had read they had a pumpkin milkshake that was delicious (after all, the toasted marshmallow comes from there), so off we went to try. Stand was definitely the most controversial outing of the day. First of all, the service was pretty deplorable, though we learned it was our server's first day. As for the shake itself, reviews were decidedly mixed. I liked it, another friend thought it was fine, and another thought it was down right terrible. It definitely tasted more like pumpkin the squash as opposed to pumpkin in pumpkin pie, if that makes any sense. It was not a heavy on the nutmeg and cinnamon so typical of pumpkin desserts, but I appreciated the brightness of the pumpkin flavor on its own. We also managed to scarf down a plate of onion rings, which gave our palates a nice break from nonstop sweets.

After it was all said and done, my consensus winner was the donut plant pumpkin cake doughnut. Last year, I gave the milkshake at Ronnybrook in Chelsea Market the blue ribbon, which still haunts my dreams. Until Autumn 2010!

On an unrelated note, secured Marea reservations in early November!