It's hard to believe Levain Bakery's most popular cookie at all locations can be simultaneously fully cooked and melting on the inside with layers of chocolate chips. Rocco DiSpirito loves — no adores — the cookie, calling it "the most important chocolate experience you’ll ever have in your life."

World-famous pastry chef Francois Payard makes the holiday yule log cake, Buche de Noel, so well he inspired Bobby to challenge him to a throw down. The classic but casual French patisserie also excels in simple sandwiches, salads and irresistible pastries.

Bobby Flay drives by the DessertTruck Works in New York to sample the decadent Chocolate Bread Pudding on Food Network's Throwdown with Bobby Flay.

The Doughnut Plant's peanut butter and jelly doughnuts will trasport you back to childhood. The square doughnuts are glazed in fresh roasted peanut butter and filled with homemade blackberry jam. Chocolate lovers should try the Blackout, which is a chocolate-glazed and filled chocolate doughnut. For the holidays, they create the Menorah Ripple, a menorah-shaped doughnut packed with blackberry jelly with a cream cheese glaze.

Didier Pawlicki is in love with cheese and doesn't care who knows it. His smash hit French restaurant, Taureau, serves one thing only: fondue. Of his 13 varieties, indulge in the Perigord, made with Chardonnay, sharp aged Gran Padano and black truffles. Stake, dip, swirl and bon appetit!

Of the hundreds of falafel shops and stands in New York City, only one was declared to have the best falafel from New York Magazine, and that's Taim Falafel in the West Village. Owner Einat Admony's light and fluffy medley of chickpeas and spices impressed Bobby (her former boss) on Throwdown.

The arepas here are so flavorful that they beat Bobby's in a throw down. The corn cakes are stuffed with sweet and savory fillings like the De Pabellon, filled with beef, beans, plantains and cotija cheese. Want a kick in your bite? Try the La de Pernil with pork shoulder and spicy mango sauce.

Rao’s classic Italian-American cuisine is legendary. The tangy lemon chicken and the tender meatballs made of beef, pork and veal taste like they came straight from Grandma’s kitchen. Another must-try is the Beef Lasagna featuring ricotta, pecorino, mozzarella and a sausage-studded Bolognese sauce.

"Good Cuban food makes you put a smile on your face," says a diner at La Isla. It's a small place right on Washington St. in Hoboken that specializes in world-class flavors in a down-home environment. Guy stopped in and ate so much of the spicy food, his eyeballs started sweating.

Chef Nick Vazquez won a James Beard award for having the most authentic Cuban restaurant on the East Coast. This proved to be no joke when he won the throwdown against Bobby with his Cuban sandwich stuffed with ham, roast pork, Swiss cheese and dill pickles. The ropa vieja is another fan favorite.

Just about every diner offers grilled cheese, but only The Pop Shop in Collingswood, N.J., offers more than 30 varieties of grilled cheese. Their best-selling Calvert has melted Monterey Jack, bacon, turkey and avocado; Bobby himself said ''it's a really good sandwich'' on Throwdown.

When Bobby heard about A Salt & Battery's award-winning fish and chips, he immediately called for a throwdown. But chef Mat Arnfield had his British roots to guide him. Today they're using a sustainable Pollock with their classic light batter. Ultimately, these chips were the best catch of the day.

As the world's largest kosher restaurant, Abigael's on Broadway features far more than iconic Jewish specialties. It also serves Latin, American, Pan-Asian cuisines and more, to both kosher and non-kosher customers. In 2009, the restaurant's Chicken Matzo Ball Soup went head-to-head with Bobby's.

When Bobby heard that Manny's Buckhorn Tavern had the seventh best burger in the nation, he had to challenge them to a Green Chile Cheeseburger throwdown. The competition was tough, but in the end, Chef Bob Olguin's refried green chiles and toasted bun helped him take the prize.

For a date night dessert that's out of this world, try Chef Eunice Feller's Boston Cream Pie. It's the bakery’s specialty, but you'll find plenty of European and American specialties to share with your sweetie.