Bruno Bakery, New York

With their very own chef baker, Biagio Settepani, Bruno Bakery boasts the name of one of most genuine Italian joints in town. This classy café space-- with glass counters filled with goodies from eye-attracting pastries, candies and chocolates to flavorful ice-cream—is another joint with a very 1930s-like décor. And that works good especially with Frank Sinatra’s hits played here not so rarely. The ice-cream choice is as dizzying as the choice of cookies, and the prices are reasonable. Bruno is also the place where I learned that the chocolate in a waffle cone actually serves a practical purpose. If you’re somewhat a masochistic gourmand/ voyeur, check out one of Bruno’s cake-baking competitions. Respectable of people’s parents as I am, I bet your mama can’t bake like that.