New York - August 16, 2005

Kerpow! It’s Snack Time!

Puff & Pao Opens in the West Village

In the pantheon of compliments, “cream puff” and “cheese ball” usually fall pretty low in the ranks.

One visit to Puff & Pao, however, and you’ll be redefining your terms of endearment.

The spanking-new sweet-and-savory snack shop on Christopher Street was created by Stephen Elliot, a former lawyer bored by mergers and contracts (if we had a dollar for every time that happened).

Inspired by the Asian puff craze he observed while in Hong Kong (arigato, Beard Papa), Elliot took traditional Brazilian pao de queijo (cheese bread) and Euro-style profiteroles and updated them for New York palates. Bite-size paos come in flavors like cracked pepper, chorizo, green onion, farmhouse cheddar, and basil. The brioche-like puffs are filled with pastry cream or homemade whipped cream (vanilla maple, mocha, dark chocolate).

This being the West Village, you can get sugar-free puffs. This being reality and not fantasyland, you can’t get them carb-, calorie-, or fat-free.

Elliot, a Pacific Northwest native, is serious about his espresso drinks, down to the latte art decorating the foam (um, okay). Muffin-size breakfast paos change daily but are always filled with some cheese-and-egg mix. Yes, it sounds like a fancy Egg McMuffin.

But no worries. There’s nothing cheesy about it.

Puff & Pao, 105 Christopher Street, between Hudson and Bleecker Streets (212-633-7833).