I took my friend Steve on a whirlwind journey of new East Village eats. I’m never in the area so I need to take advantage of it when I am. We hit up three restaurants in 2 hours – starting with dessert.

We met at Mahalo Bakery, a Hawaiian inspired spot for cupcakes or pre-ordered tiered cake masterpieces. Two cupcakes stood out to me: Pineapple Guava and Taro Coconut. We got both and dug in. Ok these cupcakes are pretty, but like most things it’s what’s on the inside that counts. Taro Coconut was my FAVE. The moist (sorry) coconut on the inside was reminiscent of a tres leches cake.

Stuffed Ice Cream introduced me to the new best way to eat ice cream ever. #1 they have blue ice cream. It’s called Cookie Monster. I needed to have it. #2 they stuff these wild ice cream flavors into glazed donuts. Then they cover it with all the things your mom told you not to eat, like fruity pebbles and gummy bears. We got Red Velvet Cookie Dough Crumble and Cookie Monster ice cream with fruity pebbles. This thing is a beast, so I recommend sharing one. Especially if you are on a dessert journey.

Pinky’s Space is what you make it. A Food/Art house. Gourmet to go. Adult Happy Meals. These are just some of the terms co-owner, Wesley, throws out for you to catch. Here, we had a full on meal: brisket, biscuits and sausage gravy, spiralized salads (I guess we could be healthy), roasted turkey dinner, potatoes with artichoke bottoms…ok we had everything on the menu.

The eclectic neon-pink-meets-black-and-white-striped art studio fits nowhere in the world except the East Village. I’m thinking Wesley & his partner knew their audience. The space is a pseudo art studio with original graffiti by renowned artist, Hektad. Dog collars are for sale in the corner and each dish on the menu is framed in an outgoing jewel toned plaster frame.

Just know that everything I’m talking about fits into a mere 6×8 (I’m estimating) sized space. The food is unexpected, in a good way. There’s a master chef in the kitchen, but you can’t quite tell where he’s from. Kentucky? (That brisket is clearly cooked for 24 hours and doused in a secret sweet/spicy sauce.) France? (I’ve never tasted potatoes made with so much love and attention). Perhaps it’s all of the above.

Bring a friend to Pinky’s Space and chill a while. It’s an experience in itself, hanging with Wesley, asking him a bazillion questions about his inspiration for the space, for the meal… I’ll let you discover those gems for yourself.

To round off the experience, we did some mini sightseeing. Recognize this spot?

Make a guess in the comments or find me on Insta @maryinmanhattan and I’ll tell ya!