Patsy’s and Dylan’s
We’d worked up quite an appetite laughing in the park for two hours, and knowing that the famous dessert establishment, Serendipity, was in the area, we thought we’d give it a shot. Unfortunately, there was over a two hour wait. Fortunately, there was a Patsy’s right across the street, and having never tried this particularly renowned slice of New York City, I was naturally obliged to go.
I was definitely not disappointed, but I’m not going to go into as great detail for this pizza because in the end, it was the spitting image of the pizza I got at Grimaldi’s under the Brooklyn Bridge. The reason for this, I learned, is that the two famous pizza makers are related! Patsy Lancieri, the man for whom the restaurant is named, is apparently Patsy Grimaldi’s Uncle!
The two are so similar that I’m actually just going to refer you to my review of Grimaldi’s if you want to find out what I think of the pizza. The point on which the two differ is really the presentation. Where Grimaldi’s was completely packed to the point of having a line out the door, Patsy’s was calm and it was easy to get a table that we didn’t have to share, literally rubbing elbows with our neighbors. The service at Patsy’s was more along the lines of a good Italian restaurant than a pizzeria, which can definitely be refreshing, and the price was pretty much the same as it would have been anywhere else, so I’m giving Patsy’s a solid 8 in the other category. Very impressive.
After having had my obligatory pizza fill for the night, I decided to indulge my sweet tooth. Since Serendipity wasn’t happening anytime soon, I crossed the street yet again and explored what can only be described as a Wonderland of Sugar. Dylan’s Candy Bar is a two story candy nirvana owned by Ralph Lauren’s daughter, Dylan Lauren. The first floor encompasses both a multitude of candy dispensers and an ice cream bar. The dispensers are filled with every type of candy imaginable, including my personal favorite, chocolate covered gummy bears. So much chocolatey goodness!
I was elated to have found my chocolate covered gummy bears right away, but there was a whole other level worth exploring. The downstairs is also filled with a wide array of candy dispensers, the most prominent being the M&M display with M&Ms in every color of the visual spectrum. Another amazing find was the Wonka Bar, which I had never tried before. I learned that this store had been the epicenter for the promotion of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and it was obvious why. The candy selection was incredibly diverse and pretty much any treat you could possibly want is available, even schnozberries. Just kidding!