Chip

I trekked all the way to Astoria on a weekend with subway construction woes just to try Chip, and I'm happy to report I didn't regret that decision one bit.  I like how Chip is focused on just making cookies (instead of offering a bunch of different things) and is focused on doing that one thing well. 

It may not be fair or right, but so many people try to compare all good cookies to NY's gold standard, Levain, and I can see in particular why there are a lot of Chip-Levain comparisons, as both are fat (and not flat) cookies that have a slight and subtle crunch to the bite before the ooey, gooey, chewy center takes over.  Chip does offer some more unique and seasonal flavors though, and their current model is to have 4 flavors a day and rotate each day. 

When I went, the flavors of the day were chocolate chip walnut, s'mores, triple chocolate, and oatmeal apple pie.  The chocolate chip walnut was a delicious classic done just as well as Levain, as was the triple chocolate, which was nice and chocolatey without being overwhelmingly rich or sweet.  The s'mores cookie tastes as good as it looks, and I was pretty excited by the gooey apple pie filling that came oozing out when we broke into it.  All of the flavors were good, and I was surprised that the cookies were still warm when I had them an hour after I bought them.  The only slight negative was that the oatmeal apple pie cookie tasted a bit dry the next day, but overall super enjoyable.