if you ever find yourself on the upper west side of manhattan (so for us tourists, most likely during a trip to the museum of natural history), please, please make the short walk to levain bakery.  a friend had mentioned it to me and provided the address (167 west 74th street).  apparently this place is a huge deal and very well known to city dwellers, but, being from out of town, i never would’ve wandered down that street or noticed the tiny downstairs bake shop if it wasn’t for my friend’s suggestion (thank you, jen!).

i went in and ordered the chocolate chip walnut cookie, and, this was, simply put, the best cookie i’ve ever had. absolutely amazing.  it was huge, hearty, a little crunchy on the outside, with melted chocolate chips on the inside, so rich, delicious — it got better and better with each bite. it was honestly like no other cookie i’ve had before.  i know you’re probably thinking, “really?  it’s just a cookie,” but, i’m totally serious.  this was the cookie to end all other cookies.  totally deserving of its own blog post.

levain bakery also makes bread, scones, and flatbread pizzas.  we had an artichoke flatbread which was also delicious, but . . . the cookies!

i was quite excited to see that you can order their stuff online and have it shipped to you, and i’m pretty sure the day will come when i disregard the overnight shipping fee and just go for it.

so yeah, the next time you’re in the city, go get some!  you won’t be disappointed!

(photo source :: levain bakery website, because my cell phone shots did it no justice!)