butter didn’t make it better
Dear Foodiez:
In an attempt to satiate my hunger for more and more of the Lower East Side L.E.S of Manhattan, I spent Memorial Day Weekend Hopelessly wondering through the L.E.S.
The Tri – Guy suggested we take in Butterlane Bakery for a cupcake after our brunch at Clinton Street Bakery & Restaurant (review to follow this Sunday).
Butterlane is adorable, the building it’s in almost looks like a castle. It’s teeny-tiny inside, with a super friendly staff. Their “thing” is to offer a variety of icings and allow the customer to choose between chocolate or vanilla cake. I’m currently obsessed with pistachio cupcakes. In the interest of maintaing some semblance of a 32″ waist, I am now limiting myself to one flavor – and trying to sucker someone into to splitting it with me (you all know who you are 
).
With the first bite…. more on the review after the JUMP!! Read More…
it’s cupcakes on the go!!
What an amazing idea.
If Mohammad won’t go to the mountain – bring the mountain to Mohammad! Cupcakestop.com will deliver cupcakes to your home, has two trucks that move around Manhattan filled their varying daily flavors – AND – they now have a store in the Limelight Market Place. They work hard to get you a cupcake!
Cupcakestop.com is very active on Facebook.com and Twitter.com and update daily, where their trucks will be located.
I tweeted ahead of time and asked which flavor they would recommend. I ended up dismissing their suggestion of French Toast and opted for Chocolate/Peanut Butter. I found their truck at Broadway and Spring in SOHO.
Chocolate Peanut Butter
The Tri Guy was with me and he was all…. “I’m sure these truck cupcakes are gonna suck.” I wasn’t making any such declaration … I could only think of my Mexican Taco Truck experience (remember Foodiez?) …the nosh guy… loved his Taco Truck Dinner!
My review of the cuppy after the JUMP!! Read More…
Flying Monkey doesn’t sore ….
Flying Monkey's Pistachio Cupcake
Dear Foodiez:
What’s going on with Pistachio? It’s everywhere lately?
Last week, I fell in love with a pistachio cupcake in NYC @ Sugar Sweet Sunshine. Seriously! A light, airy, pistachio flavored cake with a light, sweet butter cream pistachio flavored icing – with crumbled pistachios on top. (Cupcake on your Right)
Sugar Sweet Sunshine's Pistachio
I came home to Philly and began expanding my cupcake knowledge of my hometown!
Easy, I’ve been around the block in Philly, I know where the pastries are, and have had many! My first “official” stop on the cupcake tour – Flying Monkey. Multiple locations in Philly. The Locust Street location is a cute little “Magnolia-ish” looking – oy, that pale green paint and beat up white furniture. I hypothesize that the design is to conjure up images of my grey haired grandma, in an apron baking me cupcakes … ha, jokes on them. My grandmother was a stylish woman of the 70′s – with a beautician for a daughter! Gram had a stylish bouffant, dyed a perfect shade of autumn sunrise! She had faux paneled wood kitchen walls with some really funky wall paper! No beat up white furniture – she had custom-made cabinets. Oh, and she smoked! That’s right …the nosh guy’s… gram was a diva – oh hellz yeah!!!
Oh, sorry, I drifted! Back to the cupcakes.
Flying Monkey’s “thing” is to only use vanilla or chocolate cake and put all the flavoring into the icing. The only problem, I didn’t get a whole lota pistachio flavoring in the icing. The cake was good, one of the better vanilla’s, that I’ve had, but the icing needed some more pop.
NYC Cupcake Warz – WINNER
Sugar Sweet Sunshine Vanilla/Vanilla
Dear Foodiez.
What a day. We took the winner of our UWS Cupcake Warz, Magnolia, and set it against two NYC cult favorites, Two Little Red Hens and Sugar Sweet Sunshine! This contest was Magnolia’s to lose…………
We take cupcakes very seriously. We had input from Philly Blogger, Colleen, of Sweetswallowsbaking.com (she was rooting for Sugar Sweet Sunshine’s pistachio). Guest Judge Guapps came back for a cameo at Sugar Sweet Sunshine – He’s a huge fan of Sugar Sweet Sunshine and was super psyched to taste test the Pistachio. The full Warz post after the JUMP!! Read More…
NYC Cupcake Warz – iz tomorrow! U ready NYC?
Foodrulez.com held the Upper West Side Cupcake Warz, where we evaluated Magnolia, Crumbs and Buttercup.
We found that Magnolia was the best bakery on the Upper West Side.
Now we’re going to put Magnolia up against 2 other bakeries in Manhattan that were nominated by Foodrulez.com readers.
The NYC Cupcake Warz will include:
Magnolia – winner of the Upper West Side Warz
Sugar Sweet Sunshine – Lower East Side
Two Little Red Hens – Upper East Side
Who do you think will win?
Got a favorite flavor at any of these bakeries?
NYC Cupcake Warz is May 23rd
Foodrulez.com held the Upper West Side Cupcake Warz, where we evaluated Magnolia, Crumbs and Buttercup.
We found that Magnolia was the best bakery on the Upper West Side.
Now we’re going to put Magnolia up against 2 other bakeries in Manhattan that were nominated by Foodrulez.com readers.
The NYC Cupcake Warz will include:
Magnolia – winner of the Upper West Side Warz
Sugar Sweet Sunshine – Lower East Side
Two Little Red Hens – Upper East Side
Who do you think will win?
Got a favorite flavor at any of these bakeries?
and the cupcake winner is……
Cupcakes At Crumbs
Nosh Guy @ Magnolia, the winning Bakery
War is hell! 70 degrees, sunny, not a cloud in the sky and the mission that we choose to accept – eat cupcakes! Yes war is indeed, hell.
The Upper West Side of Manhattan has 3 cupcake bakeries within 6 blocks of each other.
Three of us, The Nosh Guy, Guapps, and The Cibella set out to determine which of these 3 bakeries (Magnolia, ButterCup and Crumbs) was truly the best.
Tasting a Vanilla/Vanilla, a Red Velvet and a Specialty Chocolate cupcake we meticulously taste tested 9 of these amazing culinary creations!
How the war unfolded, after the JUMP!!!
Whipped Bakeshop ZZZZ
Whipped Bakeshop
4 ZZZZ’s out of 5 ZZZZZ’s
Merrily biking in Fishtown, I spy this very modern building, I pay closer attention, the sign reads, Whipped Bakeshop! BRAKE!!!! I love it when I just stumble on something.
What is this Whipped Bakeshop? I’ve not heard of it! I must know what it is!!! The display easel on the sidewalk taunted me with its list of luscious culinary confections! Cup cakes, cookies,…. i stopped reading and just ran inside!
Very chic inside. A few display cakes in the window! This place is 1st class!!
One tiny refrigerated display with CUPCAKES, CUPCAKES CUPCAKES!!! Red velvet, Triple Chocolate, Banana Caramel, Vanilla-Vanilla! I went into overload!!!
I asked which one set them apart – their piece de resistance – if you will. Banana Caramel W. Cream Cheese Frosting! UM, Duh, how can you go wrong! What is the magical sensation when caramel meets a banana? My review of the cupcake after the JUMP! Read More…
ms tootsie’s
A few friends and I decided to spend Easter together, a friend suggested Ms. Tootsie’s. He had a devilish grin when he said,”they’re having an all you can eat brunch.” Now, If you don’t already know, Ms Tootsie’s is an up and coming soul food restaurant in Philadelphia. I’ve never been, but the possibility of ALL YOU CAN EAT ribs, collard greens, mac -n- cheese was; oh so wonderful.
It was a very cool concept, they offered a 3 course, “all you can eat menu”. There wasn’t a buffet, it was table service, it was really comfortable. We were allowed to order as many servings of the 2nd course. (choice of fried chicken, fried fish, ribs, turkey wings with your choice of sides……)
My group of friends decided to skin the 1st course: The Three Green Salad. I’m sorry, but when I’m looking at Fried Chicken Cheesy, Cheese Macaroni Cheese – I’M SKIPPING THE SALAD!
I’m embarrassed to say that when the waitress asked me what I wanted to drink, I asked if they had any unsweetened tea, the waitress got a shocked look on her face and said, “oh no sir, it’s real sweet!” I was embarrassed for myself at that moment. Initially we passed on the sweet tea. However, as we ordered our second plate of fried chicken, cheesey cheese macaroni and cheese, and collard greens, we ordered the sweet tea as we roared with laughter – does the sugar content really matter at this point?
We all agreed the Fried Chicken was the clear winner in the main course category!!! I mean this chicken was redonkyadonk good!!! The outside was crunchy and light, spiced perfectly and the chicken was so juicy it literally burst when you bit into it!! For the first time ever, I added hot sauce to my fried chicken, DAMN!!! How did I not know it was SO GOOD!!
For the side dishes: the yams, cheesey cheese macaroni and cheese, collard greens and sautéed baby leaf cabbage were the clear front-runners! MS. Tootsie – I do not know what you do to collard greens, but I need to find out. They danced on tongue! I am embarrassed to say, I’ve only had them a few times in my life….. and NOW, I will be chasing a dragon! These were amazing.
Ok, now I gotta tell ya about these Yams. FLAVA! Seriously delicious, sweet, perfectly spiced and baked to perfection!!
We each ate 2 rounds of main course. We decided we were going to throw down with Ms. Tootsie – and we did!
OK – NOW FOR DESSERT!!! I need to tell you about the CUPCAKES for dessert!! We sampled 5: Dark Chocolate, White Chocolate, Sweet Potato, 7-UP and Cherry 7-UP (yes they’re made w. 7-up). HANDS DOWN winner SWEET POTATO cupcake!!! When I ate the first bite, the heavens opened up and I could hear angels sing!!! When I tell you peoples eye’s were rolling back in their heads, I’m not kidding! The cream cheese icing was sweet and it was the perfect complement to the WARM….. yes, I said W A R M sweet potato cupcake!!!!
This was not my first experience with down home soul food, but it clearly was one of my favorites~!!!!
Ms Tootsie’s
1312 South Street, Philadelphia PA 19147 215-985-2001
http://www.kevenparker.net/
