How to Quench a Sweet Tooth, NYC-style

I am a great believer in eating healthy but one in a while it is good to give into your cravings. All things in moderation and when I am feeling low, nothing lifts up my mood like a little treat from a fine patisserie. If I am going to put on calories, I might as well do so with the very best and New York City has a number of fine patisseries that could well be in the center of Paris. When I worked Downtown in Wall Street I was a regular at Financier on Stone Street, www.financierpastries.com which has the most heavenly pastries. Stone Street off of William Street is like this little European oasis in the heart of the Financial District, with a row of restaurants where people sit at outdoor terraces when it's warm.

The quintessential New York destination for naughty diet breaks is Payard's on the Upper East Side, www.payard.com . They make fantastic pastries as well as their own chocolates, some of which have real gold on them and cost a fortune. Fortunately for me it is not often I find a partner in crime to join me there so I tend to get there on my birthday and special occasions like that. When you go to Payard's you can forget Paris, it is heaven on earth.

For a woman, there is no better cure for PMS or anything else that ails like a good, sweet treat. When I am on a lower budget, pressed for time or just conveniently located, I go to Beard Papa's for my little cravings. Beard Papa, www.muginohousa.com, makes these little cream pastries that have got to be Japan's best export. One of my best friends lives around the corner from one of their New York locations and if it was me, I'd be obese because I cannot resist those pastries. I love Asian desserts and smoothies, especially those fruit drinks with tapioca beads in them. Fortunately I don't get to Chinatown often because there is a juice shop off Canal on Center Street that puts Jamba juice to shame. No trip to Chinatown is complete without a stop there.

Finally, the Lindt store on Fifth Avenue has a young lady who greets you at the door with a basket full of truffle samples for people to try for free. Needless to say, I go in there on a frequent basis and it is getting embarrassing because I hardly ever buy anything. The two free samples I get are all the chocolate I need to eat in a day in any care. Do I hear freeloader, anyone?