On my long list of culinary loves, kooky sweets ranks somewhere near the top. While most would flinch at the notion of pairing black olives with beer or rosemary with apricots when it comes to desserts, I gravitate toward these unusual combinations whenever they are presented.
Momofuku Milk Bar, the lone confectionery in Chef David Chang’s East Village empire, specializes in classic baked goods turned upside down. Just how unusual are the offerings here? One of the most popular items on the menu is something called a Crack Pie™. It’s so famous that it’s trademarked.
Connected to Momofuku Ssam Bar by a short hallway, the Milk Bar consists of an open kitchen to the left and a series of glass cases lined with baked goods toward the front. The austere and chair-less space lacks the warmth of a neighborhood bakery, which is disappointing but not surprising considering the aesthetic of Chef Chang’s other Momofuku outlets (See: Ssam Bar and Noodle Bar).
I was this close to ordering a slice of the Crack Pie™, but then remembered my personal policy against eating foods that are referred to as crack or crack-like. Blame it on D.A.R.E. After I passed on the toasted oat crust with gooey butter filling, also known as crack cocaine in pie form, The Astronomer chose the blueberry pie. The Astronomer loves berries.
The sour cream-tinged slice ($5.25) came topped with corn streusel. One bite of our chilled treat and we realized that it only resembled pie in appearance. Composition-wise—cookie crust, jammy filling, and crumbly topping—this baby was all bar. Bars are nice and all, but we were hoping for some warm and fruity pie.
The best item I tasted at Milk Bar was the sweet and salty cucumber soft serve. I would’ve gotten a whole serving of this weirdly delicious flavor, but it was rainy out, and my California blood couldn’t handle a shock to the core.
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Momofuku Milk Bar
207 2nd Avenue
New York, NY 10003
Phone: 212-254-3500
I blame Nancy Reagan for my aversion to crack. We passed by this place without going in, so I’m glad to read your review!
you should do to some famous vietnamese eateries in nyc and eat and write about them.
i love vn!
Oh but the crack pie is SO good! 😉 Ok you can take my word for it. I’ll have you know my lips were NOT white after eating my slice!
If you wake up early on a weekend morning on NYC’s east-side, I suggest stopping by Momofuku Milk for their upscale rendition of an egg mcmuffin. (That is, if you’ve already had your fill of Doughnut Plant/Russ & Daughter’s.) And to drink, I find time and time again, my favorite item at Momofuku Milk is their strawberry milk, which is revelatory (made with real strawberries!) for someone who grew up only knowing Nestle Quik’s so-called strawberry milk. Just enough tartness in David Chang’s strawberry milk to stir the senses. I find some of Milk’s pies & cookies to be intimidatingly rich/sweet. Of course, just lovely that you can run into an outpost of Momofuku and get an order of their pork buns without doing a full meal, because those pork buns yield an addiction all their own, and sometimes, all you want in the universe is that decadent jewel, accented with a quick drizzle or Sriracha.
Oh, I miss visiting NYC! Did you see that a Momofuku milk jug was featured in an episode of Gossip Girl? Well, maybe not “featured” … 😀
I totally rocked it out in DARE in elementary school. I even won the DARE essay contest in 6th grade! Just say no to crack, Cathy. Just say no.
Embrace the crack!
Your aversion to crack and crack-named products is really funny. I sense a fellow child of the 80’s!
And I’d be disappointed if I thought I’d ordered a pie and gotten a bar, too.
I must try the crack….in January! 😛
aw you should have gotten the crack pie!
so, crack pie next time…
the sheer reality of going to any momofuku outlet is so bad ass.
anyways, no chocolate awards yet 🙁
see you in TJ! 🙂
I was gonna say I wish you had gotten the crack pie bcs I wonder how it is, but all the comments here suggest that it’s totally worth getting 😀
Totally coming here on my trip in November (and getting the soft serve too hopefully … I also have California blood so I’m not sure I can handle it then!)
oh my god, how could you pass up crack pie? BUTTER FILLING? sweet, sweet jebus, save me. going for fruit over butter? shame!
i’m going to have to be a “pusher” and say if you wanna be part of the cool crowd, you shoulda done crack. dang.
If there’s one thing I learned in D.A.R.E., it’s that peer pressure is very real. I will NOT hop on the bandwagon! Crack is whack. Just. Say. No.
personal policy against eating foods that are referred to as crack or crack-like??????
im not angry with you, just disappointed.
Dave – I’ll do a few lines of li hing mui every so often, but crack? Can’t do it. Did you see what it did to Whitney Houston?
I have to say the corn flakes were my fave and the coffee infused milk was eh…okay.