Cronuts - the croissant-meets-donut hybrid from Dominique Ansel's Soho bakery - have been getting more than their fair share of attention from pastry lovers as of late. That's all well and good, if you can get on line early enough to snag one of the coveted treats.
However, I am here today to tell those dessert fiends who are not early risers to grab their MetroCards, leave Spring Street far behind, and hit the wilds of Astoria, Queens to experience a sweet revelation - in the form of a visit to Güllüoglu Baklava & Cafe.
This Turkish gem is brimming with flaky baklava and pastry in a myriad of shapes, sizes and flavors. It's enough to make a girl swoon in sweet anticipation of the first bite, and the second, and the third...
There is Cevizli Baklava stuffed with walnuts, Fistikli Baklava filled with bright green pistachios, and Ozel Baklava which is double stuffed with pistachios. And, did I mention the Sekerpare semolina cookies, Acibadem almond cookies, and the squares of Turkish bread pudding, called Ekmek Kadayifi? If that's not enough, how about Turkish clotted cream, known as Kaymak, and rose-flavored Gullu Lokum candy? My favorite, pictured above, are the bakery's Visneli Baklava, packed with sour cherries.
And, if you can't handle going to Queens for your sweet fix, you'll be pleased to know that Güllüoglu also has outposts in Midtown Manhattan, Brighton Beach and even Cliffside, New Jersey. You'll have to wait a long while before Cronuts get that kind of metro-area distribution!
