Umber Ahmad and Shelly Barbera, the pastry geniuses behind Mah Ze Dahr, have been delighting the taste buds of thousands of fans - including the likes of Tom Colicchio and Oprah - for a few years now through their wholesale business. Mah Ze Dahr is derived from the Urdu word mazedar, which means the "essence". And to the delight of their fans, Mah Ze Dahr has finally opened its first brick-and-mortar bakery location on Greenwich Avenue, in the heart of West Village, NYC. Of course, I made my way there as fast as I could, and I was not disappointed. 

pastry, bread, cake, sweet
Weichen Yan

The smell of freshly baked goods was intoxicating as I entered the bakery, so welcoming on a chilly afternoon. There were cookies, Mah Ze Dahr's famous brownies, and various cakes and savory items on display. An espresso machine is happily humming in the background.

pie
Weichen Yan

Unable to decide on one thing, I got a few items to try, in the name of research of course. The lemon meringue cake is one of their specialties, and it was probably my favorite. There were layers of airy sponge, and sandwiched in between these sponge layers was the smoothest lemon curd, with just the right amount of tang to cut through the sweetness of the torched meringue on top.

cake, meringue, baked alaska, cream, chocolate, pie, lemon, pastry, sweet, whipped cream
Weichen Yan

The adorable puffs were made from a choux pastry filled with a vanilla bean custard that was silky and not overly sweet. I was also a big fan of the vegetable quiche: the veggies were seasoned nicely and the pastry was buttery and crumbly. 

sweet, pie, cake, pastry, chocolate, caramel, candy, apple pie
Weichen Yan

The apple tart was also a star. The nuts scattered through the crumble topping were nicely caramelized. Paired with a cup of Earl Grey tea, this is a perfect dessert for autumn. 

As I was leaving the bakery, I heard that their cheesecake is also a crowd favorite. I guess I'll need to come back for another visit soon.

And I'm not the only one that seems to be smitten. This cute pup was quite eager to come in too!

pizza, cake
Weichen Yan