Sweets Endeavor

Magnolia Bakery

Cupcakes

'Magnolia Bakery', located at 401 Bleecker Street and W. 11th Street in New York's West Village, is cupcake heaven. Not only that but their Red Velvet mini Cheesecakes are to die for. I love Red Velvet so the first cupcake i went for was their red velvet with vanilla cream frosting... it was good but i think cream cheese frosting is way better. There are tons of flavors to choose from and each one has its own distinct charm.

Mini Cheesecakes

Georgetown Cupcake

There are people on the sidewalk lined up for cupcakes everyday... no surprise! a whole tray full of them disappeared before my eyes in a matter of minutes. Some of the crowd favorite flavors are German Chocolate, Devil’s Food, Hummingbird, Caramel, Banana and of course Red Velvet. Other than cupcakes you can find the most amazing Carrot Cake and their Banana Pudding is also worth trying. But if you are looking for quality cupakes then the place worth mentioning is 'Georgetown Cupcake' also known as 'DC Cupcakes', located in SoHo at 111 Mercer Street (between Spring and Prince street). DC stands for 'Designer Cupcakes' and its the name of the TV show about 'Georgetown Cupcake' and its owners, two sisters who quit their jobs to follow their passion to make cupcakes. The signature cupcake here is the Classic Red Velvet with vanilla cream cheese frosting topped with a red fondant heart. I also loved Toffee crunch which was delicious, but was disappointed by their Chocolate Ganache cupacke which was heavy and tasted more like a cake than a cupcake. The best thing about this place is that they use the best ingredients which is why their cupcakes are packed with flavor... love them. A good cupatea! and a cupcake to go with it, can really make my day yummylicious. The only other thing that comes close is Frozen Yogurt... hmmm maybe my next blog post should be about that!

Simple Pleasures of Life

The Italian Way... Few people know how to live a quality life... the Italian's definitely are an exception. Enjoying a cup of coffee without looking at the watch a hundred times, or taking time to finish a meal savoring every bite... all heighten our day to day experiences to a different level. I'm not a big fan of Italian food. I hardly ever opt for Pizza or Pasta... even though i do enjoy a good Risotto every once in a while. But I am a big fan of Italian desserts... from Tiramisu, Cannoli's to Gelato or Italian Chocolate, i love it all. Nobody does desserts better than the Italians. The place i have to mention is 'Eataly' which sounds similar to 'Italy'. Located in New York's Flatiron district at 200 Fifth Avenue, this place has everything Italian under one roof. It spans over 50,000 square feet with five different restaurants serving Pasta, Fish, Pizza and everything Italian you can think of. It is also a marketplace where you can find everything from the best quality olive oil, tomato sauce, homemade pasta, meat, fish.. even sun dried tomatoes and fresh baked Italian bread. Those who love to cook can find great cookbooks from famed Italian chefs like Mario Batali and Lidia Matticchio Bastianich, who also happen to be the owners of 'Eataly' along with Oscar Farinetti and Joe Bastianich. The original Tiramisu at 'Eataly' is just incredible... and if you have it with their rich Hot Chocolate the experience will have you coming back for more every time. The line for Gelato is always long so be prepared to wait, but trust me it will be worth your while. Better than 'Little Italy' in a way!

Seafood in Boston

Union Oyster House

Located on the Freedom Trail in the heart of Boston at 41 Union Street, its walking distance from the nostalgic Quincy Market, which happens to be a food court haven. The decor of this restaurant varies with one room dimly lit having mystery and drama, to another flooded with daylight, oil paintings and old fashioned light fixtures. I enjoyed this atmospheric diversity as one can choose the setting of their meal based on their state of mind. Since I was there for lunch and feeling airy i chose to sit in the sunlit room. With the reputation of being the oldest seafood restaurant in the country, est. in 1826, this place had a lot to live up to in terms of quality. I was disappointed by the corn bread and butter served before the meal. The bread was fresh but lacked flavor. However the main dish was to die for. The seafood was cooked to perfection, especially the scallops were just divine. The sauce was rich and creamy, one could easily tell the chef didn't hold back on butter and cream, because the feeling of being full comes after just a few bites. After such a heavy lunch green tea becomes almost a necessity. Overall i would give this place seven out of ten for food and six out of ten for atmosphere, which means i will definitely be coming back.

Thai food to Junior's

Pad Thai, anyone?

Pad Thai epitomizes Thai Cuisine... but most people will argue that there is much more to Thai food than that. I agree! but with experience i can say (with a lot of conviction) that if a Thai restaurant fails to serve a decent Pad Thai, then the rest of their food ain't worth trying.. Period! With this in mind i put every Thai restaurant to the "Pad Thai Test". Only those that clear this test can earn my patronage. A recent casualty was Taan Thai, located at E. 31st street between Madison and Fifth Avenue. The words "no flavor... no soul" almost never come to mind when describing Thai food... but that is exactly what i thought about the Pad Thai at Taan. What a disappointment!

Cheesecake! saves the day...   

I never let the taste of a culinary mishap have the last word! Almost instantly my mind comes up with a sure shot winner. So after Taan i caught the train to Times Square and made my way to Junior's, located at 1515 Broadway. Junior's is one of my father's favorite restaurants, and i love their Cheesecake. Thai food and cheesecake don't go well together but i just had to please my palette with the best dessert. The original New York style Cheesecake at Juniors is simple, creamy and oh so delicious.