Rice to Riches

Photo by Brad Greenlee

Location: 37 Spring Street, Manhattan
Website: http://www.ricetoriches.com/
Price: $

Walking along Spring Street from SoHo towards the Bowery, you'll find an unexpected surprised nestled between the high-end boutiques and sidewalk cafes.  Rice to Riches is unapologetically loud and garish, with signs plastered inside and outside the restaurant that range from mild and informative to hilariously crass, often towad the restaurant's own patrons.

Obviously the signs and bright lights piqued my interest, but as soon as I saw the words "rice pudding" my inner fat kid took over and I was standing at the order counter before I even knew what was going on.  I guess this proves at least one sign correct.  As our more perceptive readers may have gleaned from what's been said so far, this establishment serves rice pudding, and only rice pudding.  It is a refreshing departure from the quick-serve frozen yogurt places that boomed following Pinkberry's success, and have since reached a level of uninspired ubiquity throughout the city.

At Rice to Riches you can choose from a variety of flavors and toppings with exciting names like "Fluent in French Toast" and "Sex Drugs and Rocky Road".  Sizes range from individual (which is actually large enough to split between two people) and "Sumo", which is a KFC-bucket-sized tub of rice pudding that I should hope would only be ordered if there was some sort of an epic rice pudding party... or maybe after a really bad breakup (pro tip: the "Sumo" size can be delivered directly to your home, presumably to hide your shame).

Now, I'm a fairly simple guy when it comes to my food, so I had the "Understanding Vanilla" pudding with an awesome topping made of crushed graham crackers, raisins, and cinnamon.  I'm not normally one to exaggerate, and I feel comfortable saying that it was definitely a memorable experience.  The vanilla pudding was sweet and smooth, and the topping added just enough flavor and texture to keep the pudding from being a gloppy vanilla mess.  And there are plenty of more exotic options and possible combinations for those who are more adventurous with their food than me.

I'm not sure if rice pudding has the broad-based mass appeal that made frozen yogurt such a fad in the city, but this establishment is an interesting and delicious experiment nonetheless.  Somewhere deep down, I kind of hope that they reach a level of success of their own, but refrain from rising to the level of becoming the next frozen yogurt or cupcake cart.  That way Rice to Riches will remain one of the quirky things I love about living in New York City.