A Tale of Two Cupcakes

For starters I have to admit, I hardly ever go out for cupcakes anymore. Why? Mostly because I have been so utterly disappointed with the dry/tasteless/sugary loads of crap most people consider good. I’ve had many of the NYC standards: Magnolia’s (the frosting is crap), Cupcake Cafe (the cake is dry), Crumbs (they are too big and are overloaded with too many ‘toppings’), Buttercup Bake Shop (too sweet and always slightly stale).  After awhile, I just stopped attempting to enjoy cupcakes made by other people…until last week.

Don’t ask me why but whilst Christmas shopping I had the urge to take another stab at cupcakes so I decided to hit up 2 spots: Butter Laneand Tribeca Treats. Why these places? They were close to my shopping destinations. Here’s my review on both establishments:

Butter Lane- I walked into their temporary Soho outpost and was immediately hopeful. The atmosphere was simple yet homey. Also the cupcakes didnt look covered in goop/sprinkles but still had interesting flavors like pumpkin and blueberry. I purchased a pumpkin frosting/chocolate cake  to go and began consuming as I walked out the door. I was pleasantly surprised. I mean, they werent mind blowing but they weren’t awful. The frosting was soft but was still substantial and the cake was moist. The drawback, I didnt taste pumpkin AT ALL. I dont know where the pumpkin was or how they tried to infuse the festive flavor into the frosting but it didnt work. Boo. It wasn’t a total loss but was certainly not a win. Onto the next cupcake…

Tribeca Treats- I had avoided this place for years because my sister had insisted that it was a horrible with gross

treats/bad service and I took her word for it. The atmosphere was typically bakery-esk: a few tables, chocolate pictures on the walls, window cases filled with chocolates and baked goods, etc. Maybe it was because I went about 40 minutes before closing, but they did not have too many cupcakes to chose from which started to worry me. I decided to go with the S’more cupcake because it had everything I would want: chocolate cake with marshmallow icing and topped with graham cracker crumbs. Once again, I started consuming as soon as I stepped out the door. After the 2nd bite I knew I had found it: the cupcake of my dreams. The frosting was soft, billowy, and sweet without being cloying. The cake was moist, delicous, and fresh. The graham cracker crumbs ontop of the frosting werent stale or hard, they were soft and buttery. Better yet? Everything tasted as advertised!!  It actually TASTED like a s’mores instead of just sugary glop. I immediately called my sister while she was at work to yell at her for giving me such bad advice.

In summation: if you’re in the Financial District or Tribeca and are looking for a sweet snack – stop on into Tribeca Treats and get yourself something…no matter what your sister may tell you.

Fika Coffee: The Perfect Drug

FIKA [fee:ka] = Swedish verb that roughly translates into “take a coffee break”

I love a good cup of coffee and in a world filled with Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts this can be hard to find. Now before I come off as a pretentious douche let me explain something: I go to Starbucks and DD all the time. I’m not above it. In fact, I use to drink about 3 cups of StarB’s addictive gruel a day when I worked at Morgan Stanley due to the insane work schedule (mental note: never work for an Investment Bank again). But just because I drink their coffee out of necessity, doesn’t mean I love it.

I decided to make my way over to Fika after sampling some of their fine chocolates at this months NYC Chocolate Show. The chocolate was so delicious, the coffee HAD to be at least a notch above mediocre. I walked into the somewhat small cafe and ordered myself a mocha.I had planned on ordering a sandwich but the lack of a bathroom in this cafe made me change my mind. With one sip I was sold. It was smooth, creamy, and hot without being scalding. Finally! A cup of java that doesn’t initially burn my tongue. The coffee needed no addition sweetness and had the most lovely layer of ‘crema’ ontop of it. Divine. The only thing that might turn someone away (besides the lack of a bathroom) is the price. A mocha is about $4.25 – which I’m sadly ok with given NYC prices for..uhh…anything. Think it’s too much money? Think of it this way: a Starbucks grande mocha is the same price.

Location #1
41w 58th st.
between 5th & 6th avenue
New York, NY 10019
Tel: +1 212.832.0022

Location #2
407 Park Avenue south
between 28th & 29th st.
New York, NY 10016