Lee Lee's Baked Goods

One is a rugele, two or more are rugelach, and a half-dozen may only leave you hungrier for more.

In New York, where great rugelach are hard to come by, you might never think to look in Harlem. And even if you know where, "when" can be problematic: On the day I stopped in, less than a half-hour after that morning's batch had left the oven, a half-dozen ($3.90) were all that remained. Baked from a cream cheese dough (I believe) that's rolled with nuts, raisins, sugar, and perhaps cinnamon, Lee Lee's rugelach are meltingly flaky and soft; in my hands, the last of the batch didn't last long.

Also at Lee Lee's: honey-nut pound cake (slice; $2.50), cinnamon danish ($1.75), and a lunchtime-only chicken soup that I haven't tried, and that reportedly draws on the baker's Caribbean roots.

Lee Lee's Baked Goods
283 West 118th St. (near Frederick Douglass Blvd.)
917-493-6633

Comments

[D. Bell]

Mr. Lee did a nice job of making the place look inviting. It was so bare bones before. Business must be doing well.

[Just another foodie in Queens]

Dave,
'Superior Market
40-08 Queens Boulevard, which you wrote about under 'SUNNYSIDE' also sells good rugelach. They don't skimp on the dried fruit. Buy the rugelach when the pile is still high, which means they are fresh(er). When there aren't many left, they're not as flaky. The spinach pies are good too, especially earlier in the day.