Bryce:
Playlist
from August 28, 2009
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I never miscue a record. I am punctual, well-prepared, and dislike clutter. Outgoing and helpful, I'm always appropriately dressed. I do not behave erratically and have excellent penmanship. My CD's never skip, and I am in good health. I like all the notes, in any order.
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Listener comments!
annie:
volunteer mike:
flandrew:
Carmichael:
volunteer stingy d:
bryce:
bryce:
Hugo:
BSI:
north guinea hills:
carmichael:
marshall:
Jed:
Cecile:
Carmichael:
dc pat:
jus kiddin...hy bryce
bryce:
ngh, deal is.....comically over-ambitious hand-made sleeves mixed with compound life trainwreck. but THEY *ARE* COMING!!
bryce:
marshall, i don't believe it's me....
jed, i don't believe it's you.
BSI:
Ike:
perrin:
Jed:
bryce:
farmer jed, a bacon-n-bleu roastburger awaits at the other end of a st. vitus lapdance.
dc pat:
jus kiddin....or AM I?...
north guinea hills:
Carmichael:
dc pat:
perrin:
your grandma:
Cecile:
Perrin, once you get up to a certain age, a day w/o a blockage is a good one indeed.
Sister Hairy Hymen:
doug in DC:
Chris:
BSI:
stingy d:
Cecile:
stingy d:
BSI:
Carmichael:
doug in DC:
Ike:
Cecile:
Where's budgie?
BSI:
...or hell, I won't, anyway.
stingy d:
dc pat:
3.1415926535897932384626433832795:
dc pat:
stingy d:
Chris:
Believe it or not, the blackbery pie at Clyde's is a religious experience. Go while it's still on the menu. Though the derby pie sounds strong.
stingy d:
Bettie Page:
stingy d:
still b/p:
dc pat:
bryce:
See, at the party, I'm going to buy cupcakes from about 8-10 of the 'best' places in the city. Then, I'm going to place them on numbered plates (and only I'll know what number corresponds to which bakery). Everyone will taste them, fill out a sheet, vote, and we'll see who comes out victorious!
dc pat:
doug in DC:
Chris:
I was thinking Tower Oaks Lodge in Rockville, but I think they have the same menu? You could in theory check on line.
dc pat:
Cecile:
stingy pie:
bryce:
I've been waiting and waiting for the results of Stingy's taste test party, and got to the point that I just had to do my own test this past week. (And yes, I do need some Prozac! ; ) )
I made most trips late in the afternoon/early evening (in case the time of day affects the dryness factor). I always tried yellow cake with vanilla icing/frosting, when available, but also tried various other flavors at each place (but no chocolate). I should also point out that I prefer very sweet cake and frosting (never could understand how a cupcake could be described as "too sweet"!), and I generally don't like buttercream frosting.
The results:
(1) Buttercup Bake Shop (UES) vs Sugar Sweet Sunshine Cafe (LES)
- my top rated places in this brief survey
- both had moist (one of the most important factors), tasty cupcakes
- loved the cream cheese-flavored frostings on the spice and pumpkin cupcakes; also liked SSS's pistachio (would have preferred a stronger pistachio flavor though) and Buttercup's red velvet (which I usually don't like at most places)
- carryout service was fine at both (the clerks' advice to keep the cupcakes out of the refrigerator at Buttercup Cafe was charming, well at least on the first visit)
- Buttercup has enough staff working that I never had to wait to be served more than just a minute
- Buttercup's place seemed a little brighter and cleaner and is not too far from my neighborhood, so would probably head there if I had a hankering for cupcakes
(2) Little Pie Company (W 43rd St)
- in the past I've never been able to understand why this place attracted so many rave reviews - always very disappointed by the pies and cake in the past, so I really wasn't expecting much
- turned out the yellow cake with vanilla icing and vanilla cream filling was surprisingly good (but wouldn't send me out of my way for a second take)
(3) Amy's Bread (Hell's Kitchen)
- a little dry; acceptable taste; not particularly memorable flavor; staff very friendly; would visit again if in the neighborhood
- they get extra points for the most inventive approach to packing cupcakes: they pack them in upside down paper cups; on the other hand, this is arguably not the most eco-friendly way to pack food that will in most cases be eaten not too long after the purchase, especially given that there's a plastic lid top for the cupcake to sit on, so the extra wasted resources cancel out the positive convenience factor : (
(4) Crumbs (UES)
- rather dry cupcakes; acceptable but not particularly memorable flavor otherwise
(5) Two Little Red Hens (UES)
- very pretty cakes, lots of icing (maybe too much?); but the cakes were much too dry and the icing very dense and too buttercreamy for my taste
- in particular, didn't care for the lemon cupcake - a bit too tart (not sweet enough to overcome the grimace) for me
- friendly staff
(6) Billy's (Chelsea)
- these cupcakes were very dry and had a rather odd taste that I don't know how to put into words
- I could eat another one if it was given to me, but wouldn't buy one
- the place is bright and seems pretty clean
- staff seemed helpful, but the line was too long; these are just cupcakes - you shouldn't have to wait 5 minutes on line to be served or to even be able to see what's in the display case!
(7) Cupcake Cafe (W 40th St/Port Authority area)
- the most beautiful cupcakes by far that I can ever remember seeing
- but WAAAY too dry - blech! this was such a disappointment (fortunately, I had been somewhat prepared by having read other FMUers' posts describing this)
- and this place is really dark and nasty; unfinished-looking floors, it just looks unclean; I even bumped into and knocked over a rod that was lying up against a wall just outside the door as I was walking in (is some kind of remodeling underway or something?)
(8) Babycakes (LES)
- ah, maybe not quite fair to include this one because I didn't actually taste any
- but I was not about to pay for a single cupcake what I had just paid for 2 very tasty cupcakes from Sugar Sweet Sunshine, which is a 2-minute walk a few blocks over
- I'd be willing to give them a few bonus points for serving gluten-free cupcakes along with their other cupcakes though, assuming that they are edible
- a very small, and not the cleanest looking place I'm afraid, although they do beat Cupcake Cafe in that regard
(9) Magnolia's
- ok, I admit I didn't include this one in this particular roundup; I tried their cupcakes years back and was underwhelmed (esp given the prices and the lines)
One of the reasons I generally ignore cupcakes in bake shops is that I just cannot bring myself to pay so much money (typically in the ballpark of $2-3) for a single tiny cupcake, when for the cost of two of them, I could make a couple dozen cupcakes myself
... or, better still, head over to La Bergamote (are they still open?), Payard's, or (sigh) Fauchon for some really good and pretty pastries ... there's no way I could just whip up a Fauchon cake slice in a couple of hours. Besides, some of the cupcakes served at the places listed above tasted suspiciously similar to cupcakes I have had that I knew were from cakemix packages from the local supermarket (some of which I made myself).
stingy pie:
yo man:
stingy d:
Ike:
Damn, those David Dunn and Rod Summers pieces were fine.
Chris:
stingy d:
Cecile:
Wilde Roast makes some of the best ones, and they put them out as little tarts so you. can. eat. a. whole. one. by. yourself! and not feel horrible.
bryce:
http://bit.ly/yVGwv
bryce:
stingy d:
Cecile:
Ike:
Echo! YES! MORE ECHO! WOOOOOO!