It’s 59 degrees at lunchtime in Queens; it’s a gorgeous day. By this time tomorrow, a winter storm is scheduled to encapsulate the area with at least 8 inches of snow, starting its fall at 4 am tonight.

New York is very insane. Today, I plan to walk around after work downtown in the Village with some friends, and to eat like there is no tomorrow, starting off with lunch.

(What if we get snowed in? Will all the libraries be closed? Or, if they are not closed, and I’m still able to make it to work, will I get caught in Queens by the storm, and have to spend the night here?)

So many things to think about. I need some savory Eastern European pie. And a doughnut. I’ll walk it off later…

The lone, unblemished mushroom pie (no slices, was encased with golden brown pastry garnished with a pastry mushroom) at Stolles Bakery was just too beautiful to touch. Or to photograph…I ordered the potato with mushrooms pie instead.

Wonderful as usual: potatoes and mushrooms commingling with a rich sour cream sauce, stuffed a beautifully latticed dough pocket. Each pie at Stolles makes me very happy.

The new cashier was a lovely woman: gregarious, charming, blond, and encouraging. She told me about the other Stolles Bakery storefronts; they are both in Brooklyn.

The Doughnut Plant was also knee-deep in lovely things, for Valentines Day. Rose petals and rose water (also prevalent in the Rose Hot Chocolate; so good! Check out the photo below!) and honey with bee pollen.

I never had bee pollen. It may cause some allergies to one system and it’s not great for pregnant and lactating women (no worries here), yet another site deems it a superfood. Well, which one is it?

The glaze on the yeast doughnut was very honey-friendly, Honey. No adverse side effects from the bee pollen (as of yet).

Many more flavors to try at the Plant. I hope the storm won’t beat us to a pulp tomorrow…we’ll see.

Enjoy!