C'est Bon Cafe

120 East 57th Street New York, New York 10022 (212) 888-7272. http://www.cafecestbon.com/.

Looking for a nearby place to have brunch, my girl friends and I decided to try out C’est Bon Cafe, just a few steps from my friend’s apartment. What looked like a simple little cafe with breads, pastries and coffee turned out to be a large cafe and deli with a full service restaurant.

The first thing you see as you walk in is a pastries and coffee area, where baked goods such as cupcakes, muffins, macaroons, cakes and breads are displayed. The breads, to my delight, were made by Ceci-Cela (my favourite little patisserie by Spring Street)! I asked the staff if all the other cakes and pastries were made by Ceci-Cela as well and unfortunately, he didn’t know. My guess though is that the rest of the cakes and pastries were supplied by someone else or baked by the store since they didn’t have the Ceci-Cela tags on them. The cupcakes, which were so large they looked like mini-cakes, looked a bit too sweet and were available in flavours such as Chocolate Chip Fudge or Cookie Dough. Maybe something to try when you’re craving for an intensely sinful treat.

The Cinnamon Walnut Coffee Cake and New York Cheesecake looked really good though so I thought to try these out. Aside from the very expensive slice at $4 for the tiniest slice I have ever been served in NY, the Cinnamon Walnut Coffee Cake was quite delicious! The cake was very moist, slightly buttery, but nicely sweetened with cinnamon and brown sugar and textured with walnuts. The New York Cheesecake was creamy and luscious too...but then again for the $4 price for such a small slice, maybe not that worth it.

What was interesting though, was that C’est Bon’s ground floor actually has its own deli that serves fresh juice and smoothies, artisan breads, bagels and rolls that you may opt have with made to order eggs, and a bar where you may create your own pastas, sandwiches and salads. On the second floor is actually a restaurant that serves Woodburning Brick Oven Pizza in traditional Neopolitan Style.

An interesting place with a lot of choices, C’est Bon is fairly new and still evolving. From what I have read, it opened a few years ago at 55th Street between Madison and Fifth Avenue but closed as they lost the space. This new Midtown location just opened this year. A cross between a bake shop, deli and restaurant, C’est Bon definitely has potential but it has yet to distinguish itself from the likes of quick service Deli’s such as Oxford Cafe, Pax or Cafe Metro...or maybe evolve into a Patisserie? Let’s wait and see.