"Red Gate Bakery super-fans are loud and proud, but the storefront, on the stretch of 1st Street that hides behind East Houston, is pretty quiet. Don't let that stop you though, because this place casually turns out some of the city's best baked goods. On Wednesday and Thursday, they do cinnamon buns, with loose, squishy layers packed with cinnamon sugar, and on Fridays and Saturdays there are special flavors, like pavlova buns, or a chocolate caramel pretzel variety. But any day you come, they'll have their flawless, brown buttery chocolate chip cookies. Everything is made in a tiny kitchen that’s always full of bakers, chatting as they shape buns and pipe pink frosting onto intricate layer cakes. photo credit: Willa Moore" - Willa Moore