May 21, 2009 |
Short Order
G.G. Merkel Eats New York
Red Velvet and Peanut Butter and Jelly were my obvious flavor picks. Too bad they didn't deliver. Photo: G.G. Merkel
My excuse for cupcakes last Wednesday was a 'buy one get one free' cupcake coupon from Buttercup Bake Shop, Magnolias' rival. I think the hyped-up fascination with Magnolia's is overrated, but I had never tried their adversary to make a distinction between the two. I was overly excited to use a coupon, because free stuff, especially food, is so fabulous! Their flavors are ordinary enough, except for the Peanut Butter and Jelly cupcake, which I immediately chose as my first flavor. Always in search for a perfect red velvet (for now Pinisi has won my stomach), I opted for one as my free second option.
The batch of Red Velvets had been sitting out for a while and the icing had hardened. The cake was dry and congealed in my mouth as I swallowed, not exactly appetizing. The cream cheese is sweeter than my taste and I ended up cracking through to softer icing, only nibbling, not hungrily consuming.
I worked myself up for the peanut butter cupcake, a piece of nostalgia embodied in a baked good. What a great idea! Sadly, the icing had also hardened and I could not coax a fresher replacement from the baker behind the counter. I dealt with it. Instead of using a knife, I bit right into the side. Yes, it did bring back memories of afternoon PB&J, but the type of sandwich that had been lounging in a plastic Ziploc for a few hours.
Left: Red Velvet not so velvety; right: stale bread doesn't get finished by me! Photo: Merkel
The type of stale bread with room temperature jelly that would only cause me to eat half of the sandwich and sadly half of this cupcake. The peanut butter icing was not as intense as I had hoped, although it had a nice texture with peanut nibs. I did like the jam on the inside; underneath the top icing and piped into the middle. The Smuckers-asting jam was okay, nothing special, with no wow factor.
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| Banana pudding was good if not perfect. Photo: Merkel |
Unsatisfied, I was back at the counter, scouting for more desserts. A very friendly baker told me his favorites and gave me a sample of the Banana Pudding.
The banana flavor was intense, the vanilla pudding an afterthought. He mentioned that this is one of the most popular items and I can taste why, although it is denser and not as perfect as Sugar Sweet Sunshine's. But it's what Upper West Siders can get easily, enjoy, and satisfy banana creamy richness for a small $5.
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Chocolate trifle pudding. Photo: Merkel
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I also sampled their Chocolate Trifle Pudding. The flavor was very commercial, almost processed. I blame the reminiscent taste of store bought JELL-O chocolate pudding, with whipped cream.
I guess, the attractive thing about this spoonful would be the fluffy texture of the whip, but it had an empty flavor, and I didn't even finish my little spoon sample.
The shiny Devil Dog: delicious on the outside, disappointing on the inside. Photo: G.G. Merkel
Grr....I boldly went ahead and bought one last cupcake attempt - The Devil Dog. It's shiny, enticing meringue top was very smooth, puffy, marshmallowy sweetness and pretty darn good.
Unfortunately, the cake was not. The cake didn't taste much like anything, just brown and dry. I think I would have rather had a Hostess devil dog, which would have been moister. I finished the top instantly and left the cake behind.
I will give them the benefit of the doubt. It could have been the blame of a bad recipe or just an off day, but I was not happy with my coupon's gifts. Sadly, I am glad I didn't pay for those two cupcakes. Maybe I will need to go back to find evidence of the raves of many people. Maybe, I will go back....maybe not as soon as they would hope, but one day.
Cupcakes were the first meal of my day, but I was soon craving real food. I had my bike and to rid myself of bad cupcake calories, I rode along the Riverside bike bath to 14th Street for lunch.
Heather, the woman who I lunched with at Blue Ribbon Bakery and Cafe had sent me many long texts of eats in the Union Square Area. I missed the banh-mi craze NY Mag had done once, and the Times had many articles on the sandwich, and so I decided to try one of my own.
Raves of Num Pang have always left me longing to sample Vietnamese flavors. So I set my bike on the inside of the parking lot, next to the closet-sized kitchen and cashier of Num Pang.
I went for their classic pork sandwich, which I mistakenly called a 'pork banh-mi.' I was given a disdainful look by the cashier, who said, "We don't make banh-mi's here," and I realized I had stepped into "DO NOT DISCUSS FURTHER" territory. Quickly, I ordered a Corn and Pork Sandwich. I think the upstairs is adorable! I sat at the low counter and table overlooking stand and dug in.
Too much bread didn't ruin this deliciously spicy Pork "Sandwich." Photo: G.G. Merkel
A first bite right into the thick of the pork shreds was heavenly. The bread was satisfyingly crispy and the carrot/cucumber combo adds a refreshing crunch to the tender, shreds of roasted pork. The cilantro adds a slight spice that, along with a large squirt of hot sauce, adds an addicting heat. Probably not the neatest sandwich to eat, but I was loving the juice and sauce running on my chin and getting on my hands.
There was too much bread. So I took the crispy top slice and ate it like an open sandwich. Many napkins were sacrificed for the sake of my appearance to not look like a pig; I was licking my fingers, bypassing the bread and picking up the meat, only to slather on more hot sauce and lean back on my stool, suck in air to fight off the spice, and of course lean back in for more.
The corn was the highlight of my meal. Photo: G.G. Merkel
The corn was even more amazing. The chili mayo was terrific along with the sweet flakes of coconut. My hands were scooping the mayo from the wrapper, corn spurted with each bite and it was gone within seconds. I must have been a sight, but after biking and having those mediocre cupcakes this was the ultimate reward.
I wanted a dessert to salvage my morning sweet meal. So I biked around along Waverly and Jane Street and ended up riding east along Bleecker. I saw L'Arte Del Gelato. There is a lot of food I have read about and never tried and L'Arte Del Gelato was one of them. I sped before cars to satisfy my urge for gelato!
Nutty and rich cream are a good combination at L'Arte de Gelato. Photo: G.G. Merkel
There were so many flavors! The creamy smooth of my two-scoop indulgence is definately reason to try all the flavors, a bajillion times over. I was in a pistachio mood and got a Panna Cotta and Pistachio combo on one of their homemade waffle cones. The cone had no distinct flavor but the gelato...oh, the gelato!....I did an initial lick around, which slid along creamy vanilla panna cotta, melding with an intense but subtle pistachio flavor whose nutty flavor continued as I swallowed. Ah, I need to go again soon.
This day started badly but ended foodtastic!! Yay for interminable meals.
WAIT!! And then there was free ice cream from Häagen-Dazs!!! I had a Dulce De Leche. YAY! FREE FOOD!
Buttercup Bake Shop, 141 W. 72nd Street, 212 787 3800; Num Pang Sandwich Shop, 21 E. 12th Street, 212 255 3271; L'Arte Del Gelato, 75 Ninth Avenue, 212 366 0570.
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