Sweet Revenge

After two and a half years of discussion, no lie, Courtney and I finally had a cupcake together. When choosing the bakery, my biggest priority was finding somewhere with enough space to sit and catch up. Bakeries typically require the grab and go, but it was too cold to walk around outside (can't wait for that weather to get here).

Based on Yelp reviews, I chose Sweet Revenge. The large windows and white walls help the space feel airy, even though it was carefully filled to the brim with seating for about 15. There was a little bit of a wait and service wasn't 100% due to a high volume of customers, but the most important part - the cupcakes - was good!

Courtney had the Dirty (Valhrona Chocolate Cake with Dark Chocolate Truffle) with a cappuccino and I had the Pure (Mexican Vanilla Cake with Mexican Vanilla Icing) with milk in a wine glass. The cupcakes came wrapped carefully in paper rather than in a traditional cupcake wrapper. We agreed the cake was moist; it left that yummy residue on the cupcake paper, which is always a good sign for me. You could actually taste the vanilla in the cake and frosting, rather than just enjoying something sweet. I especially liked the frosting. It was not cloying and had large sugar crystals on top for texture.

Sweet Revenge paid a lot of attention to details that enhance the experience. I will definitely make a return visit. I want to try their namesake cupcake the Sweet Revenge.

Location: 62 Carmine Street (Between South 7th Avenue and Bedford Street)
Hours: Mon-Thurs 8:00p-11:00p, Fri 8:00a-12:30p, Sat 11:00a-12:30a, Sun 11:00a-9:00p
Cost: $$ ($3.50 per cupcake, which is a bit higher than most)

Blossom and Billy's Bakery

Karina and I met up tonight for my birthday dinner at Blossom. After finding the first three crosstown buses too full, I belatedly arrived at 7:30 pm. Luckily, Blossom wasn't packed and Karina had been able to sit while she waited. Blossom's is warm and inviting. The wait staff is attentive, for the most part, and they don't rush you.

I ordered the Seitan Scallopini with Basil Mashed Potatoes and Sauteed Greens ($21). The Seitan was pretty convincing in representing lamb's texture and the sauce helped make the flavor seem closer. The basil mashed potatoes stole the show; I savored every single bite of their rich flavor. Karina's entree the Phyllo Roullade with Lentils and Root Vegetables ($17) trumped my choice. The mixture of vegetables, sauce, and phyllo melted in my mouth.

For dessert, we split a Banana Maple Tart with Strawberries ($9). I'm not going to lie, I ate most of it. The tart's crust was phyllo dough again and the center was appropriately creamy, however, it didn't have a strong maple or banana flavor. This was my first experience with vegan food. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised, although, for me, Candle 79 still takes the cake for veggie restaurants.

Blossom
Location: 187 9th Avenue (between 21st and 22nd Streets)
Hours: Mon-Thurs 5:00p-10:00p, Fri-Sat 12:00p-2:45p and 5:00p-10:30p, 12:00p-2:45p and 5:00p-9:00p
Cost: $$$

Afterward the lure of refined sugar across the street at Billy's Bakery was too much for me, so I stood in the short line for a cupcake. Once inside, I attempted to order the classic Vanilla Cupcake with Vanilla Buttercream, which at Billy's is called a Yellow Daisy Cake with Vanilla Buttercream ($2). I could not get the words out, but somehow I got what I wanted. The decor at Billy's makes you think of a pastel, 1950s kitchen and they actually have seating (rare for a bakery up here!).

Upon arriving at the register, I was told my cupcake was on the house. I smiled at the cashier and awkwardly left, as he wouldn't give me change for a tip and I felt strange about it. I lead quite the charmed life sometimes. The cupcake made my subway ride home much sweeter. The cake was a little dry, but tasted like vanilla, not cornmeal. The frosting was sweet without being cloying and complimented the cake nicely. I'm sure I'll go here again, if I'm in the area. This was actually my second trip, so I am posting the original pictures from last year below.

Billy's Bakery
Location: 184 9th Avenue (between 21st and 22nd Streets)
Hours: Mon-Thurs 9:00a-11:00p, Fri-Sat 9:00a-12:00a, Sun 10:00a-11:00p
Cost: $

Milk & Cookies Bakery

When I mentioned to Kimberly that I needed a West Village location to meet my sort-of co-worker, Molly, she suggested Milk & Cookies Bakery. It was a great pick. The girl behind the counter was friendly and the cozy, quiet bakery had seats available for catching up.

The fare is simple, yet there are enough options that it took a few minutes for me to decide on an ice cream sandwich. I chose one composed of two sugar cookies and almond ice cream and ordered milk to go with it. Molly quickly chose hot tea and mint-chocolate cookies and mint ice cream for her ice cream sandwich. Neither of us shared, but her ice cream sandwich looked good and disappeared rapidly. I can attest that mine was good. My only complaint is that the ice cream didn't have an almond flavor? It just tasted like plain ice cream.

That said, the important thing at a bakery named Milk & Cookies is the cookies and they were rounded as if scooped with an ice cream scoop and slightly chewy i.e. perfect. On my way out, I contemplated buying an oatmeal scotchie cookie and the girl generously gave me one on the house. It tasted very oatmeal and had a great texture, but could've used a bit more butterscotch.

Overall, I would say that Milk & Cookies is slightly uneven but totally worth the trip.

Location: 19 Commerce Street (between Bedford & Seventh Avenue South)
Hours: Tues-Sun 12:00p-10:00p
Cost: $ ($1.00 per cookie and $4.50, I think, for ice cream sandwiches)

City Bakery

During a rapidly cooling pre-Marathon afternoon, my favorite Marathon runner and fellow food admirer, Katie, and I were in Union Square finding the perfect running capris for the following day. Since we were so close, I suggested that we wander over to City Bakery to warm up and try the famed hot cocoa.

It was wonderful for warming us up, but the rich flavor and thick, creamy texture made it more like hot chocolate soup. We both agreed one cup with extra homemade marshmallows was the way to go on future trips. While at City Baker we also tried a chocolate chip cookie and the pretzel croissant. The cookie was slightly soft and very tasty, but the pretzel croissant was dry and somewhat flavorless.

I'll try City Bakery again eventually, but it wasn't love at first taste.


Location: 3 West 18th St (Between 5th Avenue and 6th Avenue)
Hours: Mon-Fri 7:30a-7:00p, Sat 7:30a-6:00p, Sun 9:00a-5:30p
Cost: $$ ($11.50 for 2 hot cocoas with marshmallows and a cookie)

Crumbs

Last night I had cupcakes at Crumbs to celebrate my 25th birthday. Crumbs has a wider variety of cupcakes than Magnolia; they had everything from Caramel Apple (mmm) to Carrot Cake to your basic Buttercream. With all of the choices most of us couldn't choose just one cupcake. Between the 5 of us, we tried 10!

Crumbs' light, whipped buttercream frosting wasn't as sweet as Magnolia's but still is generously spread and tasty, especially the raspberry. The big disappointment with Crumbs was the dryness of their cake. The chocolate was more moist than the vanilla, but it still wasn't what I expect from (a cup) cake. Specifically, I would avoid the Boston Cream Pie cupcake, which was surprisingly skimpy on the cream and overwhelmed by the fudge-y frosting.

I would return to Crumbs again if craving a cupcake and in the area (or at Dylan's Candy Bar), but I won't go out of my way to get there. Crumbs also serves giant muffins, cupcakes, tea, milk, coffee, et cetera, and is a kosher eatery.

Location visited: 1371 Third Avenue @ 78th Street
Hours: Mon-Tue: 7:30 a-9:00 p, Wed-Fri: 7:30a-10:00p, Sat 8:30a-10:00p, Sun 8:30a-9:00p
Cost: $ ($3.50 for regular cupcakes & $1.99 for minis)