Author Archive
Not So Régular
Okay, so while I may be long done with finals, I have been seeking shelter in local cafés and coffee shops with increasing frequency as the cruel death grip of winter tightens around my borough. The slush, salt and snow is just compounding at this point, making the memories of charming, freshly fallen snow seem all the more distant (despite the fact that fresh snow is indeed falling as I write). In desperate need of a break from the confines of my apartment, my second home has become Park Slope’s bevy of coffee shops.
While small and lacking in tables, my mainstay has become Cafe Régular. Oozing in European charm, this quaint Franco-Italiano hole in the wall transports me back to my semester abroad in Londontown where coffee culture (tea culture?) is a bit different than it is here in the states. Recently, NYT writer David Sax wrote a great monograph on laptop culture in Williamsburg, Brooklyn (I encourage you to read it here). While reading the article, I felt like I (along with the rest of my generation) was being cruelly mocked for our dedication to blog maintenance, lattes and quality baked goods.
Upon completing Sax’s astute cultural critique, I was reminded that things are done differently across the pond where the British participate in lavish and social tea services, the Italians sip strong espresso while standing and the French imbibe caffeine with the requisite cigarette and butter croissant at miniature outdoor cafe tables. It’s all just so dignified over there; people know how to take a moment and enjoy their coffee break.
Dusting the crumbs off my MacBook Pro and wiping the grease off of my iPad, I avowed to mix up my routine.
Cafe Régular is just the place to do so as you would likely be shamed out the door by menacing cross glances if you dared brandish an iProduct in this intimate space. Rather, it’s a place to socialize or to just be quiet, enjoying the lavish interiors, with oneself. I could write for hours on the magnificent painting they feature prominently on east wall; speaking to my inner art historian, it is kind of like the hypothetical love child of Picasso, Calder and Matisse.
The lattes are consistent and hot, the coffee is solid and their tea selection is admirable. They also have some of the best chocolate croissants in the Slope. While the menu is small, it is focused and everything is totally delightful. And as an added bonus Co-Op members get an extra 10% off (if you’re from Park Slope, you’ll know what that means).
Before signing off, I want to mention that in baby-friendly Park Slope, this is one spot that–in all of its charming, European crampedness–is not. So mommies, please refrain from bringing your buggies, double strollers and baby baskets into my coffee haven.
Price: Under $5
Location: 158 Berkeley Pl., Park Slope, Brooklyn
Subway: B/Q at 7th Ave.
Comforting Freshness @ BK Larder
After my month-long holiday break in the Midwest, I finally returned to my Brooklyn apartment this afternoon to a truly unnerving sight. As I was packing last night, an unshakable sense of foreboding washed over me as I pondered which food item I had forgotten to dispose of roughly 30 days prior. Dropping my luggage by the door, I feverishly scoured my small apartment to find that my fridge was pristinely empty, the trash had been taken out and the dates on the condiments were reassuringly far off.
Yet, upon opening my “pantry” (if you can call my bread-dedicated [breadicated?] cabinet that), I found the two menacing bread products that had slipped my mind: a loaf of generic, grocery store brand, whole wheat sandwich bread and a few organic whole wheat pita pockets from a local store. While the pitas were covered in a nauseating blanket of furry green mold (contained safely inside of a plastic bag), the sandwich bread (approximately a month and half old at this point…) looked as if it was fresh from the grocery store.
Now, while I find mold as gross as the next girl, I found the more disturbing of the two to be the “bakery fresh”-looking sandwich bread that was–according to traditional logic–way past its prime. Bread is supposed to get stale and moldy and inedible after a few days or at most a week. I mean, isn’t that why it’s so cheap? Why coffee shop bagels and muffins are a dollar for a whole bag the day after? Why bread boxes were invented?
Here is where I make a sweeping New Year’s resolution to swear off overly-preservative-packed food items: an easy thing to say, a harder thing to actually do since preservatives lurk unnoticed in even the most simplistic, wholesome and “natural” of foods. I don’t know about you, but living to be 157 because of the food I eat (a human science experiment in pickling) is not one of my long term life goals (ha!).
And here’s where the food reviewing comes in: by shopping and noshing at Brooklyn Larder *–a neighborhood newcomer between Prospect Heights and Park Slope–this resolution will be considerably easier to keep.
While I could write a short novel on all of the goodies the Larder carries (local sausage, coffee, tea, cheese, bread, condiments, chocolate, beer, wine, Euro sodas, oh my!), I’m going to focus on a single bowl of soup and a crunchy hunk of (undoubtedly) fresh bread. Concocting a new hearty soup daily, the Larder intermittently offers chicken noodles, tomato bisques and interesting stews. On the day I happened into the Larder, it was love at first sight as I noted that the daily special was a beer cheese soup–perfect for one of those bitterly crisp fall days.
Unlike traditional bar fare, this beer cheese soup was actually beer-based with chunks of tangy cheddar mingling with thin sliced onions in the thin beer broth–a dish in which the beer took center stage. Whipped together that morning, I took comfort in the fact that I could identify each of the soup’s ingredients just by sight.
At a window seat, I lingered over my $5 bowl of soup, dipping hunks of their crusty French bread amongst the cheese chunks and onions, for an inordinate amount of time oogling over the menu and pondering what I would get on my next visit. A great supplement to your weekly grocery store shopping, the Larder also is just one of those nonchalant, local places that you want to be–its proximity automatically making you that much cooler.
Squelching dietary preservatives has never promised this much cultural capital.
Price: Varies, but their lunch special is $12 for a soup, sandwich, cookie and soda.
Location: 228 Flatbush Ave.
Subway: 2, 3, 4 at Bergen St.
Website: http://www.bklynlarder.com/
*According to Wikipedia, a larder is a cool place to store food prior to use. They were common before the invention of the refrigerator.
For the past 6 or-so years, my parents and I have been in a love/not-so-love relationship with Kansas City’s Thai staple, Lulu’s. I have many fond ties (Thais?) to the restaurant, including a first date or two and many a First Friday. Perhaps that’s why I keep coming back, year after year, through good times and better.
Since first moving to St. Louis (which has an amazing batch of Thai restaurants on Grand Street) and more recently to New York (enough said), I’ve become a bit of an Asiatic snob and, thus, may be judging my most recent trip to Lulu’s a bit too harshly. It may also have something to do with the fact that I branched away from their amazing (and my staple) tofu basil fried rice (extra spicy) and opted instead for chicken red curry this time around. In retrospect, the food was all fine. But keeping in mind that a Thai restaurant with a good ambiance is hard to come by in Kansas City, it was actually pretty great.
We started with a notable pair of shrimp spring rolls–made so by their immense size and tasty pair of dipping sauces. My mom, a devout lover of Tom Yum soup, went for a large bowl of it along with a side of rice to dump in for added heartiness. As previously mentioned, Lulu’s red curry had me yearning for her basil fried rice, but regardless, it left me warm and satisfied, and with a carry out container for another day’s lunch
But perhaps the most memorable aspect of this time’s visit was Lulu’s new locale! Once situated amongst a batch of indie galleries, salons, shops and the Architectural Salvage on Southwest Boulevard, Lulu’s has recently moved about a block down into a shiny new loft-like space replete with tons more seating. This is likely to be welcome news to First Friday-frequenters who once had to wait in long lines for Lulu’s excellent happy hour once monthly. The new digs (and spanky-new bar chock-full of Boulevard ales!) should promise shorter lines on those busy Fridays.
To the chagrin of who looked to be the owner, after lunch I (catlike) stalked around the new space snapping pictures of the many delightful eating nooks and Crossroads-appropriate decor to share with you, lovely readers. Yet, I managed to get out before he had to escort me out.
All in all, while my standards may have changed, it goes without saying that I will return the next chance I have to go home. It’s everything a local eatery should be: accessible, friendly, consistent and laden with memories.
Location: 230 Central St., Kansas City, MO
Price: Under $15
Phone: (816) 474-8424
New Website: Coming Soon
Home for the Holidays: Church Food
Typically the phrase “church food” conjures images of bland communion wafers and the blood of Christ. When you think of food from the Garden of Eden you might think of lush garden vegetables or the forbidden fruit. Occasionally the neighborhood church might sponsor a chili supper or your run-of-the-mill bake sale, but rarely do any of these religion-themed edibles bring to mind vegan enchilada tortes, sweet potato burritos or vegetarian meatloaf.
Cue Kansas City’s Eden Alley. Located in the basement of the Unity Temple–a non-denominational church (temple? congregation?) that welcomes diversity at its weekly services and encourages spiritual and emotional enlightenment through free yoga and meditation classes–Eden Alley is not your typical church rumpus room. One time they even hosted the always bombastic (and certainly not church-friendly) Chuck Palahniuk for a book signing.
On my visits to Kansas City, this place is always at the top of my to-do list. And in a city where meat, BBQ and excess reign supreme (I promise I’ll review one of KC’s infamous BBQ joints one of these days) it is refreshing to nosh on some vegan delights.
However, Eden Alley does not limit itself to bland tofu and tempeh. Rather, it takes these base ingredients and creates comfort foods that could fool even the most devoted of meat-lovers. On my numerous trips I’ve tried the “meat” loaf, the enchilada torte and their famous tacos–all of which were solid, filling, flavorful and beautiful to look at. On this trip, however, the moms and I stuck to soups and salad (a lady has to watch her figure during this season of sweets and over-the-top formal meals).
She had the Betty Bailey Berry salad–and yes, the waiter tested my mom’s propensity for tongue-twisters–with greens, cous cous, apples, dried cranberries, oranges, red onions, candied walnuts and a poppyseed dressing. I had the Chef’s Choice with falafel crumbles, taziki, cucumbers, tomatoes, brown rice and a red wine vinaigrette. Both were totally refreshing and unbelievably fresh.
However, the item of note was the tomato bisque soup: i.e. the best soup I have ever had in my life. My mom was spot-on when she said that it had a shockingly citrus-ey taste for a creamy bisque. Add in some bleu cheese and local cream and I turn into a 14-year-old girl on AIM…OMFG. SO GOOD.
Also of note is their honey butter which is (apparently) vegan. How they manage vegan butter that rivals even the best European butter, I’ll never know…
On a cold, wet winter day, my mom and I left warm and happy–which is saying a lot for vegan delights.
Price: Under $15
Location: 707 West 47th Street, Kansas City, MO (On the Plaza)
La Bagel Delightful
I have completely lost my appetite–in all of its entirety. It is a terrible affliction to befall an unpaid, amateurish food blogger that I believe to be directly correlated with my ever-mounting, grad school-induced stress. And on that note, I promise to quit complaining about my student status after December 15, but until then, it’s making for pretty great food fodder, no?
Anyway, I think it was a wee bit of an overstatement to say that I’ve completely lost my appetite. I do crave one thing, and that thing is bagels. Specifically, everything bagels with scallion cream cheese. I think I’ve eaten one every day this week…
The first time I ordered this clever combination was actually during my first weekend in Park Slope . A bageltique amateur, I didn’t realize what a potent combination people thought this to be as the bagel boy proceeded to exclaim, “Scallion and everything!? You ain’t f*ck*ng around, lady!”
At the time, I didn’t realize what a lucky Lucy I was to have a La Bagel Delight directly around the corner from my humble abode as I slinked off with my savory-to-the-max breakfast. From what I’ve gathered, this shop (like many others I’ve reviewed) is a Brooklyn institution. Oozing with BK charm, the employees are crass, the coffee is strong and the bagels are gigantic.
While everything+scallion=delicious, for the weak of heart, they also have a tamer variety of homemade (!) cream cheeses (among them, strawberry, blueberry, veggie, pumpkin, sun-dried tomato and basil, tofu blends, etc.) and bagels (pumpernickel, regular, whole wheat, onion, cinnamon-raisin, etc.). Their bagels are perhaps the most perfect I’ve ever had. Not only are they meals in themselves, but they are crunchy and tough on the outside and irresistibly chewy on the inside; I have no idea how they do it. With their rapid turnover, you are almost guaranteed to get a warm bagel every time, making toasting totally unnecessary. But the thing that makes La Bagel so special is the fact that they put toppings on both the top and bottom–a key determinant of a good NY bagel.
While they are delicious, the immense amount of cream cheese they top their circular delights with is enough to schmear about 4 or 5 bagels. Thus, I kind of need my appetite depression to pass soon because I might have my own bagel around my midsection before all is said and done.
Bagel Price: $3.25
Location: 252 7th Ave., Park Slope (others are listed on their website)
Nearest Train: B/Q at 7th ave., 2/3 at Grand Army Plaza
Phone: (718) 768-6107
Slurp, Chew, Rest and Repeat.
Shotgun ramen.
Ramen. It is the much-lauded and decidedly un-fancy college dietary component that is as cheap as it is nutritious; while costing a mere twenty-five cents a pack (if that much), a single serving (a pack is actually two servings) boasts a whopping 36% or 861 milligrams of your daily sodium allotment. While I was known to indulge a time or two in college, I typically steered clear, opting instead for my university’s nationally-ranked, Michelin Guide-worthy food plan, replete with fresh sushi and bleu cheese crumbles by the truckload.
However, now that I’m in grad school and poorer than I’ve ever been in this incredibly expensive city, I’ve been dabbling in the wide, wide world of Ramen more than I would like to admit. But not in the way you might think.
Rather than going to my local Key Foods and stocking up by the gross, I’ve been strategically buying hefty portions of ramen (usually by the quart), laden with vegetables, my beloved Rooster Sauce and various proteins in order to keep myself satiated throughout long grad-school afternoons. Cost effective and (relatively?) nutritious, it’s also a strategy that’s kept me warm during these first few weeks of wintery weather.
Thus, when Naruto Ramen opened up in Park Slope, I was pretty pleased that I would be able to find my new dietary staple in my own ‘hood. With a shotgun-style interior, the long front room is dominated by a seat-yourself counter that wraps around a Japanese-style short order kitchen. Once saddled up on a stool of your choosing, one of the cooks will hand you a menu. For lunch, it’s as easy (literally) as “1-2-3″ with a pre-fixe menu that, for $11, lets you choose one of three ramen soups, an appetizer and a beverage (bargain!).
Knowing all too well what I was getting myself into, I opted out of the special and ordered (off the menu!) a dinner soup called TanTan (ground pork, spicy broth and fishcake) that was not unlike a Vietnamese sandwich in a bowl and a green tea.
Now, there is a technique to eating hefty portions of ramen such as this, and it goes as follows: slurp, chew, rest and repeat. Add in a third ‘r’–a bit of reading to aid in digestion–and you’re fully prepared to get the most bang for your buck. Over the course of about 45 minutes (they were probably so happy to see my arse go), I followed my foolproof method and made it most of the way through my spicy, hot and flavorful meal whilst watching the cooks deftly prepare steaming bowls for other lunch-bunchers. Overall, a highly enjoyable and filling way to spend part of an afternoon.
I do declare that I will be returning.
Location: 276 5th Ave. (between Garfield and 1st), Park Slope, Brooklyn
Nearest Subway: M/R at Union or B/Q at 7th ave.
Price: $9.50 for a bowl of ramen; $11 lunch special
Phone: (718) 832-1111
Website: n/a
Park Slope Pizza Throwdown: Round 2
I–like many other twenty-somethings in this city–am currently in the throes of academic hell week. While my first semester of graduate school is rapidly winding down, my four term papers are inching along at a snail’s pace. Secluded to my Park Slope apartment and a slue of libraries throughout the city, I’ve been forced to observe this early part of the holiday season from a distance, a requisite nonfat eggnog latte always in hand.
With long nights and boring days, the only bright spot in the season of finals is the study food. For those of you who don’t remember, study food includes all of those greasy, chewy, salty, crunchy, sweet bite-size snacks that make writing and studying just a little bit more tolerable. And as finals week only comes around twice a year, it is also a time when you can throw all of your food ethics out the window and indulge in those not-so-great-for-you treats that you typically abstain from.
While in college my vice was sugary bags of candy corn or yogurt covered pretzels that were sold in snack packs at the library, Brooklyn has presented new calorie-laden options. With my typical eating schedule effectively shot-to-’shite,’ I find myself noshing things at all hours, even not so study friendly foods…like pizza (imagine cheese and sauce dripping all over my keyboard and loaned books).
As the second installment to my Park Slope Pizza Throwdown, today I’m waxing poetic about Joe’s Pizza. Covered in Zagat, Yelp and Citysearch stickers, this place, like Pino’s, is a Park Slope landmark. Yet, unlike Pino’s it’s not packed with droves of smarmy teenagers and snot-nosed children at all hours (plus!). A friendly and efficient little shop, Joe’s has also become my go-to as it is located literally around the corner from my apartment.
While Pino’s abounds with Italian-esque options, Joe’s predominantly sticks to the basics with a small chalkboard menu offering a selection of pockets, grinders, slices and soups (with a smile!). I’ve had the sausage grinder as well as the eggplant grinder. Gooey, huge, crunchy and hot, their sandwiches satiate even the most bestial of study-induced cravings.
But let’s not kid ourselves; the issue at hand is the slice. While Pino’s tends towards chewy, Joe’s has perfected the art of thin and crispy…which I love. Their fresh mozzarella slice is the freshest and actually tastes like aromatic, green basil and new tomatoes–the freshness altogether reducing my pizza-eating guilt. Basil counts as a vegetable, right?
In the end…I can’t decide. Pino’s has a great plain slice while Joe’s has old world neighborhood charm and thin crust. I probably won’t be able to choose a winner at the end of this experiment because, in reality, if a shop can stay in business long enough to become a landmark in this cutthroat food neighborhood, then it’s going to be great.
Plain-slice-price: $2.50
Location: 137 7th Ave., Park Slope, Brooklyn
Nearest Subway: B/Q at 7th Ave or 2/3 at Grand Army Plaza
Website: n/a
During an awkward period in my childhood–a time when my mom had stopped cooking and my dad hadn’t yet turned into the master chef that he is today–we subsisted on fish sticks, canned tamales, crinkle-cut french fries and pot pies. We became connoisseurs of the frozen food department, deftly navigating a landscape of pot pies that only the most discerning of palates could differentiate between. There were crispy crusts, bottom crusts, low sodium, beef, chicken and vegetarian options. After much trial and error, we settled upon Swanson’s Hungry-Man variety as the best-of-the-best. While it is a period of my childhood I hold very near and dear to my heart, in retrospect, it’s a wonder we don’t all weigh 700 pounds.
That's right.
Thus, when I was choosing eateries for my Kansas City itinerary, I was overjoyed to find a restaurant that lovingly revisits one of my childhood favorites with an eye for the trendy and quaint. Since 2006, PotPie in Westport has been gaining capital as a cult favorite while staying true to its humble roots. With a few tables, a small wait staff and a menu that is scribbled on a single chalkboard nightly, the eating experience is just as comforting as the eats.
With some guiding advice from Yelp, we went for some of the fan favorites and nightly regulars: the spinach and brie tart, mussels in garlic-butter broth, chicken pot pie and beef and mushroom pot pie.
The mussels were perhaps some of the best I’ve ever eaten, which is surprising considering Kansas City’s landlocked geography. It was a good thing they served endless bread because my family and I could not stop sopping up the broth with its hints of tomato, leek and European butter. The waitress literally had to pry it away and then wipe away the excess from our place settings in order to make room for our entrees.
Now that my dad is a home chef of sorts, he’s a tough sell as far as eating out goes since he thinks he can make everything better at home. He also hates to spend less than, oh, about $4 on an entree and it’s rare to get anything more than a surprised dilation of the pupils out of him when he likes what he’s been served. He’s also a stickler for pot pie being weaned on it himself as a child. Thus, when he curtly said “not bad” to his beef and mushroom pot pie, it actually means pretty f*ck*ng great.
My mom and I also liked it very much.
Hand-scrawled menu nightly.
I may be wrong on this one, but it seems that my generation has a penchant for reviving simplistic comfort foods as full blown and highly lucrative trends; i.e. rice pudding and cupcakes. Just a thought, but if everyone could do it as well, as cheaply and as charmingly as PotPie, these delicious, gooey, meatey pastries just might be the next thing. Just saying…
Price: Under $15 per entree
Location: 904 Westport Rd., Kansas City, MO
Hours: Tu-Th, 11am-10pm; Fri, 11am-11pm; Sat, 5pm-11pm
Phone: (816) 561-2702
Website: http://www.kcpotpie.com/
Home for the Holidays: Mexico Authentico
Humble Ninfa's near Kansas City, KS
You know that first time you taste real homemade, handmade pasta? How the whole experience is a kind of awakening that makes you pine for what you’ve been missing out on all of these years? How the pasta–pregnant with flavors that could only be compared to…love–quite literally melts in your mouth? How everything else comes to play second fiddle to the pasta’s simple greatness?
Well, that’s sort of what eating Ninfa’s tortillas is like.
Located in an industrial area, nestled between Argentine and the West Bottoms, family-operated Ninfa’s Tortillas & Taqueria is way off the radar of the Kansas City food scene. I would have never stumbled upon this place had it not been for my dad who stopped into this place occasionally on his brief lunch break back when he worked as a carpenter. He took me for the first time back in high school, and ever since, I’ve made it a point to visit whenever I come home.
Since moving to New York, I’ve come to miss Kansas City Mexican food. Everything in the city just seems too expensive and is never without a gimmick. Yes, I appreciate an all-you-can-drink margarita brunch as much as the next girl, but I just can’t stomach the $16 price tag for enchiladas. And to be frank, it’s sort of an all talk, no game scenario with the food failing to deliver 99% of the time.
Charmingly derelict and gimmick-free.
Ninfa’s, on the other hand, is one of those hole-in-the-wall restaurants that has the power to transport you to another place. Without all of the pretensions of an eatery that has, oh say, an interior decorating scheme, reserved parking and a hostess, the food at Ninfa’s is left to do most of the culinary heavy lifting.
When you sit down in the small dining area, you are immediately brought a stack of freshly-made tortillas onto which you squirt a generous glob of butter (who knew they still made squirt margarine?) and a cold ribbon of fresh salsa from a ketchup bottle. Gag-inducing in theory, delicious in practice, the tortillas are perhaps one of the best and freshest things I’ve ever put in my mouth.
An "oh-my-god" eating experience.
The best part is that you can actually watch your appetizer being patted out in the small kitchen adjacent to the dining area so that when they’re delivered, they’re still radiating heat from the griddle.
Ninfa’s serves up some solid entrees as well (their tamales are famous), although the tortillas do tend to steal the show. On this day, my dad had the taco platter and I had the house special chili–a very traditional take on the stew that eschews chopped veggies and tomatoes in favor of tender chunks of pork, beans and their cooking juices into which I dipped pieces of tortilla.
Who knew they still made squeeze butter?
In the largely Hispanic and Spanish-speaking neighborhood, Ninfa’s is an approachable choice that is popular amongst Gringos and locals alike. If and when you visit, don’t be turned off by the eatery’s shabby exterior; in this case, it’s truly what’s inside that counts.
Price: SO CHEAP, under $6!
Location: 964 Kansas Ave., Kansas City, KS 66105
Phone: (913) 621-1743
Cupcake Quest: Volume 1
When I moved to this city, I learned quickly that New Yorkers take cupcakes seriously. Like, seriously seriously. As a standalone industry in the cutthroat world of baked goods, they hold quite the reputation the world over.
Magnolia was the stuff of legends with token references in Sex and the City. Two Little Red Hens–the site of my first NYC cupcake–was a game changer with its affordable behemoths and set the bar high for all ‘cakes to follow. And Crumbs has become an easy go-to with multiple locations all over the city.
The Cupcake Stop in all of its blazing, fluorescent glory.
Why these puppies hold such an allure, I’ll never know. What is certain though is that I’ve become something of an aficionado that could take any of the opinionated and well-versed Yelpers to task. Many a foodie has embarked upon this difficult journey to find the best cupcake in the city, and the aforementioned locations are well-trodden territory. I, however, will be blazing new territory, navigating the lesser-known cupcake landscape of Park Slope in my search for this neighborhood’s best.
Stop #1 is, quite appropriately, The Cupcake Stop. While it’s a shop on wheels (and the city’s first mobile cupcake shop), it’s always located outside of the New York Methodist Hospital on 7th Avenue and smack in the middle of my walk home from the subway.
While it has tempted me many a night, last night was the first time I’ve stopped. It’s uncertain to me what exactly their hours are, but I think they generally motor off around 8 when the day’s stock has been depleted. While most use the red velvet as the litmus for a shop’s overall quality, I typically go with the chocolate (in this case, ‘triple chocolate’), and they had one left for the taking at 7:55.
Like I mentioned earlier, Two Little Red Hens set sort of an unfair standard with cupcakes that could pass simply as stunted regular cakes, so this little guy looked a little lonely in his oversize container. He also got a pretty thorough shakedown, bouncing around in the bottom of my bag on the 10-block walk home; however, when I took him out, he was completely unscathed, which was a little unnerving.
The frosting certainly is something unique, and for lack of better phrasing, was as hard as a rock. I’m not sure what I would call it, but it wasn’t really frosting-like. Perhaps more like a fondant? Regardless of what the deal with its texture was, it was pretty tasty and certainly interesting. And while the cake could have been a bit moister, it wasn’t lacking in triple-chocolate flavor. In short, there was some definite potential there.
I’m going to chalk the inconsistencies up to end-of-the-day syndrome since there is always a line of people waiting to get their hands on one, and they always seem to sell out. Moreover, it had that homemade taste, which is refreshing in an industry laden with mass-produced impostors. On this night, I will give them a B- (and an A for effort!).
Price: $3
Hours: Er…unclear.
Nearest Subway: F/G at 7th Ave.
Phone: (718) 702-2825
Website: http://www.cupcakestop.com/
