Lindsay's List: December 2024

My number one NYC bakery, an approachable cookbook and the butter chicken of my dreams

Jan 06, 2025

∙ Paid

December was weird this year because it kind of felt like if the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day was a month long. I feel like I simultaneously did so much and also nothing? Personally, I think the takeaway is that Thanksgiving should not be allowed so late in the month moving forward. And if you see my Christmas tree up until mid-January — no you didn’t!!! I think we all deserve a little extra holiday spirit… as a treat.

But let’s get to the important stuff: the present. Deep down I know everything is fake about the concept of a new year being a fresh slate, but at the same time, who does it hurt to believe in the nonsensical stuff in life? I’m just excited for the new year. As always, I’m so grateful that you’re here and can’t wait to keep writing in 2025.

And with that, here are my favorites and flops for December:

The Favorites:

Haircut from Tony at Pell 22 Hair Salon
Location: 22 Pell St B in Chinatown
Transportation: Canal St 4/6; Grand St B/D; East Broadway F or Chambers J/Z
Cost: $42 (cash only; before tip)
Sorry to the haters but the Lindsay mirror selfie isn't going away in 2025
Not to brag, but not even my friends have been able to shut up about how good this haircut looks on me 🤭… and for $42!!! Literally insane, borderline unheard of in this economy and it was on par with many a haircut I’ve paid much, much more for. All the reviews said to make a res to go to Tony, so that’s what I did and he perfected my vision.

Butter Chicken at Angel
Location: 7414 37th Rd in Jackson Heights
Transportation: Jackson Hts-Roosevelt Av E/F/M/R or Q32 Bus
Cost: $18.99
Might just be the best restaurant butter chicken of my life…
I’ve thought about this butter chicken every single day since I’ve had it. This dish was dreamy and all four of us couldn’t stop talking about how insanely delicious it was while we were eating it, especially when paired with the garlic naan (also some of the best I’ve ever had). The cold ass winter we’ve been having is brutal, but this butter chicken is very close to the subway and will warm you in a way that no number of layers could.
“Easy Weeknight Dinners” NYT Cooking Cookbook
Cost: $35 (I received this for free as PR but would never recommend something I wouldn’t pay full price for myself)
For once in my life, I was eager to eat leftovers
My wonderful partner Claire has been working on becoming a better cook and we’ve been heavily relying on this cookbook, which is a compilation of 50 easy weeknight dinners from NYT Cooking. It’s been an excellent starting point for her to find recipes, and huge W for me! We both were obsessed with these two recipes: Baked Spanakopita Pasta With Greens and Feta and Pork Meatballs With Ginger and Fish Sauce (we used chicken). We also paired the meatballs with microwave coconut rice, some greens and another recipe from the book: Yum Yum Sauce.
The Fudgiest Brownie at Hani’s bakery + cafe
Location: 67 Cooper Sq in the East Village
Transportation: Astor Pl 6; 3 Av L; 8 St-NYU R/W or M8/103 Buses
Cost: $5.50
The best brownie in NYC
The name doesn’t lie, y’all. This truly was the fudgiest brownie I’ve ever had, so it has to be my pick from Hani’s. That said, every single thing I had here was pretty perfect, and this is easily my number one bakery in all of NYC now… and possibly even the world. The PB&J Crunch Cake is also not to be missed. Run, don’t walk.
Ca phe Muoi at le gaz
Location: 55 Canal St on the Lower East Side
Transportation: East Broadway F or M9/15 Buses
Cost: $8
This will fulfill your little treat craving
If you think a normal Vietnamese iced coffee slays, you need to find out what a Vietnamese iced coffee with salted cold foam tastes like. Despite having copious amounts of caffeine and condensed milk, I wasn’t too jittery from this and my stomach was fully fine. This wasn’t just the best coffee I had in December, but also one of the best I’ve had in the city.
Chocolate Croissant at Welcome Home
Location: 1047 Bedford Ave in Bed-Stuy
Transportation: Bedford-Nostrand Avs G or B38/44 Buses
Cost: $5
In this case, a picture is worth a thousand words (or croissant layers)
Sorry for the double bakery feature (rumor has it there’s a third in the paid section 👀), but I just ate a lot of stellar pastries this month! Welcome Home is dangerously close to my apartment and even though I went before 9 a.m. on a frigid, snowy morning right before the holidays, they were sold out. But this was a blessing in disguise because it meant just a 10-15 minute wait for a warm croissant. And holy shit this was delectable and worth both the wait and the early wake up call.
The Flops:
Gifting gone wrong: I made some cardamom syrup as a gift and accidentally broke the glass bottle in my BAGGU, leaving a sticky mess everywhere and leaving me a gift short </3
Bad kitty: My cat Winston was in the walls and ceiling in the basement of my childhood home for like two days, which was extremely terrifying!!! Luckily, he’s safe and back in Brooklyn now.
Flop alert: After a very strong trivia season, The Queerbaiters 🌈 flopped at the championship event. Turns out, movie portmanteaus are not our strong suit!