A Sweet Start With ‘Pastéis de Nata,’ or Egg Custard Tarts from Portugal

Jonathan Randall Kay, a foodie with a sweet tooth, could not resist. As soon as Marc Elliot Rofsky mentioned during their correspondence over social media that he was going to Portugal the next day, Mr. Kay suggested he try the flaky, buttery Portuguese egg tarts, or pastéis de nata at Pastéis de Belém 1837 in Lisbon.

“He seemed full of life, full of energy, super fun, cool, creative,” said Mr. Kay, 35, who had connected with Mr. Rofsky on Instagram in July 2018, after noticing him in photos with mutual friends and friends of friends.

A couple of days after Mr. Rofsky returned from his weeklong trip, they met for the first time in person at Malaparte, an Italian restaurant in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village. Before dessert, Mr. Rofsky handed him a souvenir — a crumpled bag containing two pastéis de nata from Lisbon.

“They were stale and smushed,” said Mr. Kay, who was delighted and touched by the gesture.

Before taking the subway home to to Park Slope, Brooklyn, where he grew up, “we had a sweet smooch,” Mr. Kay said. Mr. Rofsky, originally from Freehold, N.J., walked home to Chelsea.

“I’m going to marry that man,” Mr. Kay recalled telling a few friends, “who chuckled and said, ‘slow down.’”

A couple of days later they had dinner in the backyard at Colonia Verde, a Latin restaurant in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, where both recalled feeling a warm, golden glow between them.