Soft buns at Jane's Sweet Buns
Jane's Sweet Bun's is located on Saint Mark's Place in the East Village, just east of 1st ave. It came on the scene late in the summer and captured the attention of many food lovers. I think the reason is because deep down, we all grew up eating mall food like Cinnabon and now that we're sophisticated and snobby foodies, I mean, food enthusiasts, we want the artisan version of our childhood favorites. I mean, that's why Next Restaurant is going to do a childhood theme soon, right? Because deep down food is about what we feel, what we know, and what we love. We always think we know what we want, but we really want to be surprised about our desires not being what it used to be, instead a fancier version of last year's model. Seriously, when's the last time an elementary school kid told you, "Shiiiiiiiit, this dessert is too sweet!" Yet, it's seemingly the only refrain that comes out of Gail Simmon's and Johnny Iuzzini's mouths on Top Chef. Apparently when we grow up, desserts aren't supposed to be sweet anymore. I just want to slap people and be like, "If something is cloyingly sweet, DRINK SOME FUCKING WATER AND PUNCH YOURSELF IN THE FACE ASSHOLE!" So what we want isn't Cinnabon of our memories, what we want is something newer, something better. Jane's Sweet Buns has that, if you like your buns with booze.
The first two items on the menu at Jane's Sweet Buns are buns that feature alcohol. The Old Fashioned is the first thing on the menu, and the second word to describe this item is Bourbon. The next item on the menu is called The Rum Runner, and alcohol is built into the name. We picked The Old Fashioned because it's always good to start with the classics, plus it's the first thing on the menu. For $5.50 you get something that looks like a cinnamon roll topped with some sticky looking pecans.
You probably wouldn't want little kids eating these pecans because they feature the bourbon quite prominently. It's good for nut or alcohol lovers, which is probably like 80% of the population. The thing about these pecans is that they're coated in this caramel-ly bourbon sauce which make them sticky, but they don't adhere to each other or to the bun very well, and end up falling off quite easily. No matter, the quick fix is to eat the pecans first and then tackle the bun.
Sugar haters everywhere can calm down because these buns are not too bootilicious. They are not overly sweet and they are very soft. It makes for a good snack or dessert. What I liked was that the bun was at room temperature and still soft. With other buns of lesser quality, generally if you take it home and nuke it for a few seconds, you can soften it up. These don't need to be warmed up to have great texture. Yes, Jane's buns are sweet, and not too much. If you like your buns with a dash of alcohol, you should be happy with these.
Jane's Sweet Buns
102 Saint Mark's Pl.
New York, NY 10009
212-777-6707
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