Local Treats and Treasures.

I love gems.  And I love them even better when they're local.  Recently, I discovered two local gems.

At a MOCA art opening a couple of months ago, there was food service, as is typical of MOCA art openings.  One of the items was popsicles.  These were unique popsicles, with very unusual flavors.  And they were amazingly good.  I don't generally care for popsicles.  They're sweet and standardized.  Not these popsicles.  They didn't taste overly sweet at all, and they were a frozen version of gourmet dessert.

The person behind these popsicles is Megan Danko.  Her popsicle store, Ladyfingrs (no, I did not forget to type an e), is on 6th Avenue, just above 123rd St, on the east side of the street.  Her sign in the window says Popsicles, and she keeps a little bistro table and chairs outside during business hours.  Her slogan is "Fresh Popsicles Handmade with Love."  Do you think that's a bit too flowery?  You think it's a bit much?  Go taste one of Megan's popsicles.  Then tell me what you think of the slogan.

This is how Ladyfingrs' website describes the birth of this business: "It all began with two girls from fashion school and a love for ice cream. After working in the corporate world for several years, they both decided that bringing their passions together and starting their own business was the way to go. Mariana, already having amazing success with an ice-cream business in Brazil, brought the idea back to Miami to link up with business partner Megan and from that moment, Ladyfingrs was born."

I never met or spoke to Mariana, but Megan might be all the heart and soul this business needs.  And here's what they sell: "natural and hand-made ice cream popsicles with ooey-gooey surprises in the middle...sourced from the best chocolates from Italy, the freshest local fruits, and the most unique fillings from all around the globe."  They make their proprietary "Booze Pops, which are famous classic drinks served as a popsicle."  Their range of flavors includes coconut pineapple, lemon basil, passion fruit with condensed milk, strawberry mint, lychee rose water lemonade, mango ginger, chocolate lava (yes, "chocolate fudge gooey filling"), cream 'n' nutella, oreo madness, strawberry and condensed milk, watermelon flavor (sounds tame by comparison, right?), strawberry cheesecake, and dragonfruit blueberry.  Are you still reading this, or have you gone to Megan's place by now?

I know you're going to say $5 is too much to pay for a popsicle, but I think you should try "one" before you make up your mind.  If you love these as much as I do, and you really think $5 each is too much, ask Megan how many you would have to buy-- you know, to keep handy in your freezer, just in case you should ever want another one-- for her to give you the wholesale price.  And for what it's worth, not that I ever care about such things, but Megan is a delightful woman.  The address of the shop is 12327 NE 6th Avenue, and the phone number is 305-970-9252.  Megan's not always there when she's supposed to be, so maybe call first.

Last week, I went to the last installment of this season of musimelange.  I've told you about musimelange, and if you don't go, that's your problem.  It's quite an amazing cultural treat, like nothing you ever attended.  One of the central features is food.  The other central features are music and wine.  The food offering is always different from one musimelange evening to another.  This last time, they featured a bread offering (along with all the other food, the main course of which was extremely unusual tacos), and bread-based desserts.  The reason for this focus was the discovery of Bryan Ford and his wife, Alycia Domma.  They run a brand new bakery called Lesage.  Lesage is so new that they don't even have a storefront yet.  They work out of "shared [commercial baking] space" in Hallandale, and they deliver whatever their patrons choose.  They have two main offerings.  One is bread, which is fundamentally sourdough, and the other is croissants.

I love bread.  That, and tomatoes, are my favorite foods.  And I love sourdough bread.  For the past couple of years, I have bought little else, and I get Zak's bread, which I buy from Marky's gourmet grocery store on 79th Street.  I was completely content with Zak's bread, and I would not have considered getting any other bread, until I encountered Lesage.

Here's what Lesage sells: multiseed sourdough baguette for $3, plantain sourdough loaf for $6.75, papaya almond sourdough loaf for $6.75, multiseed sourdough loaf (the full size one, not the baguette) for $6.75, country white/wheat sourdough loaf for $5.50, croissants for $18 for six, pain au chocolat (chocolate croissants) for $24 for six, and fruit danish for $24 for six.  The sourdough loaves (probably 2-3 pounds)  are at least as good as Zak's-- probably a bit better-- and the croissants are the best I have ever tasted.  Bryan and Alycia, since they do not have a retail outlet, do not bake up a batch of goods to sell over the course of the day.  They custom bake what their customers order in advance.  And they deliver Mondays and Wednesdays.  So you tell them the week before what you want, and you'll get it on Monday or Wednesday.  If you're home, they'll hand it to you, and you can pay them.  If you're not home, they'll leave it for you, and you can pay them later or next time.  If you order on a given week, the prices are what I quoted.  If you commit to regular, predictable deliveries, a month at a time, you get a 10% discount.  And that discount is generous, because the bread is worth every bit of the retail price.  If you're interested, you can go to Bryan's and Alycia's site-- www.lesagebakery.com-- or you can call Bryan at 305-310-1487.  Funny enough, Bryan and Alycia live in Miami Shores, so it's easy for them to serve us on their way home.

Don't make a mistake.  Go see Megan, and give Bryan a call.  If you don't absolutely love what you get from them, I'll buy the unused portion of it from you, for whatever you paid.  And if you do absolutely love what you get from them, you're welcome.