Hello! I’m Sarah Bonisteel, Food Desk Editor, and I’m filling in for Nikita and Becky this week. For many of us, food memories are powerful evocations. When I miss my grandmother, I make her pie. And every year at this time, when the wind carries the first sharp shrieks of autumn, a childhood hunger flares up in me. I want cider. I need donuts. Soft pretzels must be eaten with salt.
In Dexter, Michigan, where I went to elementary school, all three are very well made. The cider mills along the Huron River are open the entire time the Statue of Liberty welcomes newcomers to New York City, turning out delightfully golden donuts dusted with sugar and best washed down with cold apple cider. is. The 1915 bakery on Main Street churns out soft pretzel sticks, my Proustian ideal.
These days, I spend less time chasing down memories from my youth and more time creating core memories for my son. Activities are always the biggest draw for my 6-year-old son, so our meals are often eaten in between adventures. So over the past few weeks, we’ve gone on a treasure hunt in search of seasonal delights and flavors.
“Best pretzels in town”
At least that’s what the menu says Werkstadtan Austrian restaurant located in Prospect Park South. This glossy pretzel ($13) is served on a quarter sheet pan and served with a sauce cup of Liptauer, Hungarian cheese spread and a dollop of mustard. My son is a huge fan and ate these pretzels every day for a week this summer as a post-camp snack. (Pretzels fall into his current dinner plate period: beige.) But fall is truly prime time for this behemoth. Order the cheesy spaetzle, loaded with bacon and caramelized onions, to beat the cold.
Werkstatt, 509 Coney Island Avenue (Turner Place)
Throw pumpkins and eat donuts
decker farm The farm in New Springfield, Staten Island is touted as the oldest continuously operating farm in New York City. The Town of Historic Richmond manages this 11-acre property and hosts a pumpkin hunt every October weekend (admission $12, $10 for children 6-11, children under 5 is free). Here you’ll find an artfully placed pumpkin patch for cute Instagram photos and a giant slingshot to shoot pre-cut pumpkin slices and hay. Fuel up with cider donuts ($3) made by . Mark’s Bake Shop. It has a sweet, cake-like consistency that is perfect for this season. Get there early, as they sometimes sell out (glazed pumpkin donuts are also popular, however).
Decker Farm, 435 Richmond Hill Road (Pierpont Place)
Mark’s Bake Shoppe, 3479 Richmond Road (Aultman Avenue)
Get lost in the maze and eat donuts
Every year, Queens County Farm Museum Build a giant corn maze (Amazing Maze Maze, $14 for adults, $10 for kids ages 4-11, free for ages 3 and under) with new patterns. This year we celebrate the monarch butterfly. Inside the Stem Maze, you’ll find a mailbox containing nine maze maps that you can assemble to find your way out. It gets crowded on weekends, so you’ll have to wait a bit for the cider donut ($3.50). tulip bake shop. These donuts featured icing on the top and were a big hit with my son. There’s also an artfully placed pumpkin patch here, with typical New York City street fair food, beer, and hard cider being sold around the farm.
Queens County Farm Museum, 73-50 Little Neck Parkway (73rd Road)
Tulip Bake Shop, 138 Tulip Avenue (Violet Avenue)
