Ceci-Cela Patisserie
May 28 '02
The Bottom Line Tiny, unpretentious French patisserie nestled away in Little Italy/SoHo serving all sorts of goodies, including luscious chocolate cakes.
Ceci Cela is a tiny French pastry shop/hole in the wall nestled away in a quiet spot of Little Italy/SoHo. You can easily miss the shop if not for the cakes in the front window beckoning one to come inside. Adding to the allure is the unpretentious, and homely feel of the place, and prices that are reasonable.
Should you find yourself lucky enough to squeeze your way inside the tiny shop, and it is really tiny, you just might find yourself unlucky in being the one to decide what not to get, as everything you see and want, this and that -- “ceci, cela” -- looks delectable.
Ceci-Cela has all sorts of goodies available -- sometimes sold out -- chocolate croissants, mille feuille, brioche, financiers, fruit tarts, langue de chat (cookies that are ridiculously easy to make), quiche, bread, even sorbet and petit four. Among the best things available are the cakes. They are beautiful and fit for any occasion, birthday, or just for yourself.
I especially like the two kinds of melt-in-your mouth chocolate cakes they have available. The elegant rectangular chocolate raspberry cake filled with raspberries, crème fraîche, chocolate sponge, and encased in a thin layer of dark chocolate; and the cherry chocolate cake filled with alternating layers of dark chocolate sponge, brandy soaked cherries, and crème fraîche lightly flavored with coffee, the sides of the round cake dusted in cocoa to offer a slight bitterness to counter the sweetness of the cake, yum. The chocolate raspberry cake is especially good served alongside some oolong tea.
Also a good bet is the pear cheesecake, and the 10” fruit tart. The tart features a buttery shortbread crust “pâte brisée” filled with a layer of fragrant frangipane, a layer of vanilla pastry cream, and topped off with slices of kiwi, and raspberries. It too is drenched with liquor to give it a little kick.
One cake I found a bit too sweet for my tastes is the mango mousse. This festive and tropical looking cake is filled with creamy mango mousse, surrounded by ladyfingers, and topped off with a cornucopia of fruit; blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, mangos, kiwi, and mandarin orange. I was half hoping a girl would appear to place a flower lei around my neck while I ate, but that was not to be.
All tarts and cakes are $18 - $24.00. The 4” tarts are $3.25, individual cakes slices are $4.50. Cookies, and croissants are $1.00. They also make bread, savory items, and on special holidays, specialties such as galette de roi (pithivier). If you plan to stay, instead of take-out, there is a tiny bit of seating hidden in the back of the shop. The staff is efficient, and personable.
Address: 55 Spring Street.
Phone: 212 274 9179
Directions: Ceci Cela is located east of Lafayette (two blocks east of Broadway), and on the north side of Spring Street. The 6 train stops here.
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