Virgin territory download.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Screen-shot-2009-10-22-at-12.16.01-AM-150×150.png” alt=”Screen shot 2009-10-22 at 12.16.01 AM” width=”150″ height=”150″ />Although your parents told you that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, this isn’t so true at NYU, where 9:30 a.m. lectures are considered something near purgatory. But after moving into SoHo this semester, I’ve had three great (and delicious) reasons to wake up before noon, including — though not exclusively — the following: Ceci Cela, The Doughnut Plant and Balthazar.

CeciCela (Spring St. & Lafayette St.), boasts a mesmerizing assortment of French pastries: éclairs, croissants, scones, unicorns, etc. After ogling the display case, I asked one of the waitresses for a recommendation:

“The almond croissant and the almond croissant with chocolate are our best sellers.”
“Sounds great.”
“Which one?”
“Definitely the almond with chocolate.”
“Okay, sweetheart.”

And I now go to Ceci Cela every Friday morning for that croissant.

The Doughnut Plant (Grand St. & Norfolk St.), which I first heard about on some foodie blog, somehow elevates the doughnut above its archetypal position as nourishment for the police force. Mark Israel, the owner, has made the doughnut decadent (and I say that in all seriousness). Crème brulee, vanilla bean, valrhona chocolate, and tres leches doughnuts attests to this transformation. While grabbing rave reviews from sources such as the New York Times and the Boston Globe, these doughnuts have even made it into an issue of Vogue. So frankly, if Anna Wintour approves, I approve.

And that being said, I snagged a Vanilla Bean doughnut and a Tres Leches cake doughnut when I went. Really. Really. Good.

Balthazar (Spring St. & Broadway), already an established breakfast Mecca, is more formalized as far as the event of going-out-to-breakfast/brunch goes. While Ceci Cela and The Doughnut Plant are endearing in their cramped spaces, Balthazar has an amazing, grand interior space with curved mirrors covering the walls, evoking kind of a 1950’s Paris feel. During the weekends, before 10 a.m., they serve continental breakfast, including pain du chocolat and soft-boiled eggs, and the kitchen opens for hot brunch. I went to the continental breakfast, but fully plan on going back for the brunch — sour cream hazelnut waffles and eggs florentine beckon.

However, let me end this post with a tangential history lesson.

SoHo, named to indicate South of Houston Street, was originally established in the 1950’s as home of Manhattan’s starving artists. An economic downturn and a lack of commercialism in the area left buildings empty, creating homes or “lofts” for artists who were attracted to the large open spaces and cheap rent available.

SoHo was the creative pace-maker at the bottom of Manhattan’s heart.

Keeping this in mind, fast forward to present day.

For the most part, SoHo has transformed into a commercialized tourist destination. Not to come down harsh on this endearing neighborhood. SoHo’s not a sell out. The masses just have a way of doing this to things they like.

And this extremely brief, generalizing summary of an example of the capitalization of creativity brings me to my point about independent coffee houses and breakfast restaurants in SoHo: they’re kind of dying out. And by default, Starbucks has become the coffee purveyor and morning stop of choice for most hipsters in the area. So while it’s no big thing to grab a convenient cup of Starbucks during a busy week, I would advocate taking some time on the weekends to check out the more local spots (i.e. Ceci Cela, The Doughnut Plant and Balthazar).

Photo from Flickr user Inside_man under the Creative Commons License.