Lunchtime Links for September 30th, 2010

• Serious Eats: Peanut butter-chocolate buckeyes candy.
• Rachel Zoe: Recap from NYMag.
• Bell'alimento: Chocolate cheesecake with Nutella mocha affogato.
• Tasty Kitchen: Spicy margarita shrimp recipe (Thanks S for the link).
• Cupcakes Take the Cake: Cakespy's holiday cards preview.

Taylor Gourmet Bethesda- Arancini

As much as I've already fallen in love with Taylor Gourmet's hoagies,  I figured their other menu items  were also worth a look, haha. 

One of their Fritto items, the Arancini, are pretty much risotto in breaded form- how can you go wrong with that, seriously?  Each order comes with five meatball-sized risotto balls, with a side of a slightly spicy marinara sauce.

  

As you can see from my oh-so-artistic "bite" shot, these are packed full of cheesy rice-y goodness.  The crispy breaded coating is a great contrast to the creamy innards.  I also liked the slightly spicy marinara sauce, a perfect pairing with the Arancini.  

It might be hard to tear me away from the numerous hoagie choices here, but if you're so inclined, check out the Arancini for a filling and satisfying non-hoagie option :o)

Lunchtime Links for September 29th, 2010

• Gossip Girl: Recap from NYMag.
• Serious Eats: Dan Dan noodles recipe.
• Top Chef Just Desserts: Recap from TVGasm.
• Bakerella: Behind the scenes of Betty Crocker.
• The Kitchn: Spotlight on kinako.

Peeled Snacks Prize from Whole Foods NYC

I recently won a prize pack from Peeled Snacks, courtesy of Whole Foods NYC's 30th birthday celebration contests.  I wasn't sure what to expect as my prize, but was excited to see that it was a big variety pack of some of Peeled Snacks' fruit offerings. 

The packaging is v. bright and super cute- I especially like the fun names for the fruit snacks, like Cherry-go-round, Much-ado-about-Mango, etc.  I think these would be appealing to kids just as much as adults.  I've tried the Apple-2-the-core and it's a tasty, sweet snack that is fun to munch on.  They're a good size for snacking during the day, depending on how much you love dried fruit I guess, haha.  "Thank you!" to Whole Foods NYC and Peeled Snacks for such a generous giveaway!

Lunchtime Links for September 28th, 2010

• Serious Eats: Bananarchy, haha.
• Mango & Tomato: Ginger fried rice with a fried egg.
• The Kitchn: Soup dumplings.
• metrocurean: Amsterdam Falafelshop will be franchising.
• Top Chef: Recap from Serious Eats.

Georgetown Cupcake - Fashion's Night Out Cupcake

Cupcakes + Fashion: Two of my favorite things!  This cupcake above was the special "Fashion's Night Out" cupcake from Georgetown Cupcake, and was given out for free all day to commemorate the annual event.  I opted for the chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream frosting, because I like their chocolate cake more than their vanilla cake (which was the other option).  I'm not a huge buttercream frosting fan in general but this one was sufficiently vanilla-y without tasting fake, as some vanilla frostings can be.  Also, who doesn't love a hot pink shoe-embossed topping? Super duper cute!

Lunchtime Links for September 27th, 2010

• metrocurean: Pumpkin whoopie pies.
• Momofuku for 2: Pastitsio recipe.
• Bakerella: Hi hat cupcakes.
• Pioneer Woman: Meatloaf recipe.
• Serious Eats: Cupcake stuffed cupcakes from Cakespy.

Bliss Spa Perfume

I love Bliss spas - I'm not really a "spa" kinda gal in general, but their products are great, smell awesome, and I loooooooove their Chocolate Pedicure at their spas.  So I was super excited to find out that they recently came out with a Bliss-brand perfume.  I expected it to smell v. fresh and light, just like how their spas do. 

Sephora, which I believe is the exclusive seller of this perfume, describes this new perfume as: "This "in-spa-rational" fragrance captures the essence of Bliss spas: the best possible feeling in the world. It's a mood-boosting fragrance with a vibe that's fresh, hip, and modern. This scent is light enough to spritz every day for a signature fragrance—but exceptional enough to wear on special occasions. A fabulous French perfumer and longtime Bliss client formulated this beautiful blend with notes of vibrant citrus and dewy greens. Bright florals give way to lasting bergamot, cucumber, lily, ylang ylang, and violet."

I bought this perfume when it first came out, mainly to supplement my existing Sephora order so I could get free shipping.  I figured it would smell good based on the description and my love of Bliss products.  Turns out I was right, haha.  It's v. light and a little citrus-y, great for every day use.  I like the travel rollerball because it's, well, easy to travel with (go figure), plus it's a good way to try out a perfume without buying a full bottle.  If anyone's in the market for a new perfume to try out, and you generally like lighter scents, I'd definitely recommend giving this one a try!

Lunchtime Links for September 24th, 2010

• Pioneer Woman: I also love the cuffed boot trend, already have two pairs!
• Rachel Zoe: Recap from NYMag.
• The Kitchn: Avocado smoothies.
• Serious Eats: Fluffernutter S'mores.
• Momofuku for 2: Ad Hoc at Home brownie recipe.

Georgetown Cupcake: Chocolate Squared Cupcake

Here we have a slightly melted (from defrosting) but still tasty Chocolate Squared cupcake from Georgetown Cupcake. The Chocolate Squared cupcake is a "Valrhona chocolate cupcake with a whipped Callebaut chocolate frosting topped with a fondant flower".  Now this "fondant flower" is more like "fondant goo" but whatever, you get the idea, haha.  This is yet another cupcake from my prize :o)  

I have to say that I enjoy this cupcake, but I really really enjoy the cake portion more than the thick frosting portion.  Don't get me wrong, chocolate frosting will never really be BAD in my book, but the frosting is more like a thick fudge vs. their regular frosting, and is a little too thick to go with the spongy cake bottom.  You might think that this is due to me freezing the cupcake, but I've had this one before and it's generally pretty thick even at room temperature.  However, the good thing about the frosting is that it holds up well structurally, even under a little heat (vs. the lighter frostings). 

Lunchtime Links for September 23rd, 2010

• Pioneer Woman: Chocolate chip cookie sweet rolls recipe.
• French Twist DC: Gossip Girl recap.
• Top Chef: Recap from TVGasm. 
• The Kitchn: Keeping avocados fresh.
• Momofuku for 2: Bananas Foster waffle recipe.

Yum-Yum Bento Box Cookbook Prize

A big "Thank you!" to the Feisty Foodie blog for this great bento cookbook contest they had recently!  I've seen this book before, mainly because I read Crystal Watanabe (one of the authors)'s blog, Adventures in Bentomaking, and have always enjoyed the really cute and amazing things she does with her bentos.   

This one above, with "Three Little Pigs", is definitely one of my favorites in the book- how cute is that?!  A lot of these are definitely geared towards young kids, in hopes to get them to eat healthier lunches by making them look friggin' adorable.  However, as I read through this book more times, I see that there are helpful tips for my own lunches in there as well, like simple decorating tips and easy recipes.  It really is a fun book to read through- so many cute photos!

Lunchtime Links for September 22nd, 2010

• Gossip Girl: Recap from NYMag.
• Blondie & Brownie: Bon Appetit Cafe offerings for this year.
• Serious Eats: Cran-apple white chocolate popcorn recipe.
• Bakerella: Update on the engagement cake pops couple.
• The Kitchn: Carne asada fries, yum.

Japanarama Review: Saku-Saku Panda Caramel Milk Cookies

I'll be honest- I wasn't really sure what I was thinking when I picked up this box of Japanese cookies.  The pictures are totally bizarre, bordering on terrifying.  However, they're "caramel milk" flavored, and that was enough for me to give them a try.   

Ok- I don't care if I'm not 5 years old, these pandas are pretty creepy looking!!!   They remind me of the "Scream" mask, especially how the eyes are sorta oval-shaped and tilted down.  Gahhh! Ok anyway, enough about that... you might not be able to tell from the photo, but each cookie has a biscuit side (left) and a chocolate side (right).  So it's sort of an interesting take on a layered cookie, pretty intricate-looking compared to some other mass-produced cookies out there, I'd say.  Taste-wise, these cookies had a v. pleasant smell and taste- the caramel flavor was clearly present throughout.  I also liked the textural contrast between the soft chocolate "face" and the crisp biscuit "face".  I'd probably buy these again, obviously forgetting how creepy they look until I'm about to eat them for the second time, heh.   

Side note: Japan loves putting in random extras, or "omake", especially in kids-oriented products.  This particular box had a little plastic pouch with the scary panda mascot all over it.  Not really sure what I can use this for, maybe jewelry or small stuff when traveling?  Oh well, it's free, haha!

Lunchtime Links for September 21st, 2010

• The Kitchn: How to make gnocchi.
• metrocurean: Weekday breakfast spots.
• MTV: Notes from after the VMAs on September 12th.
• Serious Eats: Sugar truck in Philly.
• Jersey Shore: Recap from TVGasm.

Treet Shop Goodies!!

Not too long ago, Treet Shop had a "Name Our Brownie" contest, where they were looking for name submissions to rename their "Treet formerly known as a Brownie + PB". I was super excited to find out that my entry, "Nut N' Better", qualified, and eventually WON as the new name of their delicious brownie!

Aside from having the name that I came up with on the product, Treet also gave me enough goodies for a party for 10 as part of winning!  I knew I'd love anything they sent me, but I wasn't fully prepared for just HOW MUCH they'd be giving me.  So thank you Treet Shop, you guys are fab!  Check out the goods below:

Cute packaging/color scheme

THE Nut N' Better brownies!

Three different Whoopie Pies

Beautiful Arnie P (Green tea + lemon) and Southern Bell (Red velvet) mini cupcakes

The Treet formerly known as a Brownie (these freeze REALLY well, by the way)

If anyone's looking for cute, delicious baked goods to send either yourself or as a gift to someone, definitely give Treet Shop a try.  They are friendly, helpful, and make FANTASTIC goodies!!

Lunchtime Links for September 20th, 2010

• Jersey Shore: Recap from TVGasm.
• The Kitchn: Uncooked tomato sauce recipe.
• The Arugula Files: Review of Elephant Jumps restaurant.
• metrocurean: A look inside the new Casa Nonna.
• Serious Eats: TMT (Tomato, Mayo, Toast).

Recent Bloomingdale's Haul

Just a quick post on two items I recently picked up during a trip to Bloomingdale's! :o)

This Chanel color isn't new, but it struck me as such a pretty, fun-looking color that I had to get it.  It's a v. light, creamy lilac shade that looks great on short nails- I may also use it for a pedicure soon. 

I also took advantage of the Bloomingdale's sale/coupon during this trip, and picked up this cute little studded crossbody bag from BCBGeneration.  I love the metal + fabric chain (feels more sturdy than just a thin chain on its own), and the bag is small but roomy enough for all my going-out needs.  Super cute, and I got it for less than $25!

Lunchtime Links for September 17th, 2010

A special Atlanta edition of Lunchtime Links for you all today, as by the time you're reading this, I'll be in the ATL visiting my lovely friend A for the weekend! 

• Serious Eats: Review of Farm Burger.
• Creative Loafing Atlanta: Review of Flip Burger.
• Blondie & Brownie: A trip to the Varsity.
• Bakerella: SugarComa event from earlier this year.
• Serious Eats: Review of Fritti's Neopolitan-style pizza.

Fall = PUMPKIN!

As much as I despise cold weather, one really exciting thing about the start of fall is the onset of everything PUMPKIN! 

 My friend S brought me back this bag of pumpkin pie malt balls from a recent trip to Maine - such a fantastic way to welcome in the season!

Here's a few pumpkin-tastic things I've seen/heard about lately that I thought I'd share with you all:

• Woodchuck Cider has come out with a Pumpkin Cider!
• Dunkin Donuts is back with its Fall lineup: pumpkin lattes, muffins, and donuts.
• Starbucks offers pumpkin spice lattes in both hot and iced versions.
• My friend T informed me that a Pumpkin Pie Cream Ice is available at Rita's.  

I'm sure that as it really gets into fall, more and more places will be offering pumpkin items.  Any around you that you've seen/liked?  Feel free to share in the Comments!

Lunchtime Links for September 16th, 2010

• The Kitchn: Freezing cupcake batter.
• Mango & Tomato: Panas empanadas in DC.
• I Eat Cupcakes for Breakfast: S'mmer S'mores bar recipe.
• Sephora: Finding the right face mask for you.
• metrocurean: Fancy hand soaps.

Cooking Corn on the Cob for One

Although summer corn season is coming to a close, I thought this handy tip was really good and worth sharing with you all.  One of my main issues with eating corn on the cob at home was how long it took to boil them, especially if all I wanted was one corn on the cob for myself.  My mom told me about something she saw on a Japanese TV show recently, and said that it's worked really well for her, so I decided to give it a try.  I took photos of pretty much each of the simple steps below:

 

1) Obtain an ear of corn.

2) Shuck the ear of corn and get all the stringy parts off of it.

3) Cut the ear of corn into two pieces, and wrap each piece with parchment paper like they're giant pieces of candy.  Roll the parchment paper to cover the corn, and then twist the ends tightly. 

4) Put the wrapped corn on a plate and microwave for 2-4 minutes.  I did mine for 2 minutes and then added another minute after pushing the cob to check for doneness. 

Now, by no means am I saying that this "cooking" method is some sort of groundbreaking process; but if you're like me, and likely to only eat one ear of corn at a time, it's an easy, quick way of cooking the corn.  Also, since they're wrapped in parchment paper, it also keeps butter/cheese/whatever else you put on your corn inside the parchment paper packet and not all over the place, which is nice.  If anyone tries this out, let me know what you think!  

Lunchtime Links for September 15th, 2010

• Serious Eats: Fleur de sel cupcake at Sweet Revenge in NYC.
• Top Chef: Recap from TVGasm.
• metrocurean: Burgers are taking over Connecticut Avenue.
• Pioneer Woman: Brownie bites.
• Momofuku for 2: Kogi BBQ truck.

Top Chef: Just Desserts Premiere Tonight!

In case you don't watch Bravo allllllllll the time like I do, a friendly reminder that Top Chef: Just Desserts will begin tonight at 11pm, following the Top Chef: DC finale!  I can't wait to see what kind of challenges the chefs will have to endure, especially since DC's own Heather Chittum (Hook, Tackle Box) is competing!

Lunchtime Links for September 14th, 2010

• Cute Overload: Evil otters, haha.
• Serious Eats: Lunch deal at Momofuku Noodle Bar. 
• Top Chef: Recap from Serious Eats.
• Midtown Lunch: Buttermilk food truck in LA.
• Real Housewives of NJ: Recap from NYMag.

Tomato Pie in PA

So, during the fun-filled wedding bridal shower/bachelorette weekend up in Pennsylvania, I discovered the pleasures of a real-deal Tomato Pie.  At first, when I was told we were having Tomato Pie for lunch while prepping for the shower, I thought it was going to be more like a tart or quiche-esque meal.  But no, turns out a Tomato Pie in this instance is a Sicilian-type pizza crust with a thick tomato sauce and a smattering of cheese on top, which was served cold.  It sorta looked like a regular Sicilian slice with the melted cheese peeled off, haha.  Honestly though, I was hooked from the first bite.  It's so simple but so so so so so good!  Of course I have a special fondness for thick Sicilian pizzas since I was little- I was always the "difficult" one in my family that would as for my own separate Sicilians while everyone else split a regular pie, haha.  Anyone else out there familiar with this tasty regional treat?     

Lunchtime Links for September 13th, 2010

• The Kitchn: How to make Greek-style yogurt.
• Bakerella: At the Emmys!
• The Budget Babe: Lauren Conrad for Kohl's looks.
• The Arugula Files: Bahn Mi in DC.
• Serious Eats: Greek pasta with sausage and cheese.

Mad Hungry Prize Pack

Mad Hungry prize pack!

I recently won a v. fun prize pack from the Mad Hungry blog, which included the cookbook, a t-shirt, and what I thought was a magnet (the small white thing in the bottom of the photo).  Turns out that "magnet" is a handy-dandy pan scraper, to be used for scraping up bits of food from pan-searing or general cooking in pans.  So useful!  I've looked through the cookbook a little bit, but haven't had a chance to really read through it unfortunately.  The basis of the cookbook (from what I could find online) is Chef Lucinda Scala Quinn's solutions for her real-life cooking dilemma- feeding the hungry men in her life.  While I can't say that I fall into that specific lifestyle/demographic, I do appreciate the straightforward recipes that are approachable and sound tasty.  Thank you, Mad Hungry, for the great prize pack!    

Lunchtime Links for September 10th, 2010

• The Kitchn: 20 lunchbox-friendly cookie recipes.
• The Budget Babe: Fall trends at Bloomingdales.
• metrocurean: Guide to the new site.
• Cakespy: Birthday cake French toast recipe.
• Rachel Zoe: Recap from NYMag.

Georgetown Cupcake - Vanilla Squared Cupcake

Lopsided Vanilla Squared

Ok, so it's not the prettiest cupcake photo by any means, but hey, it happens sometimes.  This cupcake was one of the "injured" ones from the free dozen that I won from Georgetown Cupcake a while back.  The Vanilla Squared cupcake is a: Classic madagascar bourbon vanilla cupcake with a vanilla frosting topped with a fondant flower.  This falls into the "Keep It Simple, Stupid" category of cupcake flavors for me- Vanilla on Vanilla, not much more to it, haha.  However, the simple flavors don't make this a boring cupcake by any means.  You can tell that really good vanilla (as Ina Garten would say, haha) is used here, and it's sweet without tasting artificial.  No wonder my good friend T is a HUGE fan (seriously, I think she's only ever bought this flavor, haha!).  In conclusion, I wouldn't seek out this flavor every time, but I'd definitely include it if you were ordering a bunch for a party :o)  

Lunchtime Links for September 9th, 2010

Happy birthday to my friend D, who finds himself a participant on many of our cupcake/restaurant adventures and doesn't complain too much about it...usually...haha.

• The Kitchn: Lasagna cupcakes.
• Lady Gaga: Will be immortalized in wax form, haha. 
• Budget Babe: A look at Forever 21's Love 21 collection. 
• One Bite At A Time: Albondigas recipe.
• Prince of Petworth: Yola (yogurt bar) coming to Dupont.

"The Icing on the Cupcake" Book Giveaway Winner

Thank you to everyone for entering my book giveaway last week!  Random.org took care of picking out a winner for me...

Comment #9, Shop N' Chomp, who said her favorite cupcake flavor is Red Velvet!

Congratulations, Shop N' Chomp, hope you enjoy the book!  And thank you again to everyone else that entered with all of your yummy cupcake flavor favorites!

Lunchtime Links for September 8th, 2010

• Serious Eats: Mexican sundae, yum.
• The Kitchn: 11 dishes that freeze well.
• A Passion For Food: Lunch at Eleven Madison Park. 
• Rachel Zoe: Recap from NYMag.
• Jersey Shore: Recap from NYMag.

Taylor Gourmet - Bethesda

I've been eagerly awaiting the opening of Taylor Gourmet's Bethesda location- their other two locations weren't totally out of the way for me, but far away enough that it wasn't really somewhere I could go "on the way" to somewhere, either.  Finally, finally, finally, the Bethesda location opened up in the beginning of September, woohoo!  Believe me, you'd be excited too if you grew up in the Tri-State area and then found yourself completely hoagie-less after moving to the DC metro area.  There's just nothing like a really good, well-crafted Italian hoagie, seriously.

I decided to post this after going twice, which (not surprisingly) happened within the span of one weekend, haha.  C'mon, I was excited to eat hoagies! 

My first visit, I ordered a Spruce Street: Taylor Home Roasted Turkey, Prosciutto, Roasted Red Peppers, Sharp Provolone, Lettuce, and Onion.  All of their bread comes from Sarcone's Bakery in Philly, and all hoagies are dressed with olive oil, red wine vinegar, and Italian seasoning. 

Hoagie Innards

Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.  This was super delicious and I ate it really really really quickly.  Although, now that I think about it- there were a few changes in this hoagie, based on their online menu.  First of all, there were no roasted red peppers in here- kinda disappointing, since I'm sure if would've added a extra bit of flavor in there.  Also, there's tomatoes - not that I mind since I like tomatoes, but it isn't listed on their online menu.  Oh, and somewhat related- if you don't want something in your sub, be sure to specify it when you order, or else they pretty much put everything in there.   

Race Street Hoagie

For my second trip there, I ordered the Race Street: Taylor Home Roasted Turkey, Prosciutto, Pesto, Fresh Mozzarella, Lettuce, Tomato, and Onion.  The addition of pesto was really nice, as was the squishyness of the soft mozzarella.  As you might have noticed, I ordered two hoagies with their roasted turkey- moist, really delicious, I'd definitely recommend it! 

Overall, I'm super excited to have a Taylor Gourmet shop near my apartment- as is everyone else in the area, apparently, based on the huge lines this past Sunday, haha.  It can get a little hectic there at times, with wait times up to 15 minutes or so, but I'm willing to wait for a delicious meal!  I will definitely be back, Taylor Gourmet!

Taylor Gourmet- Bethesda

7280 Woodmont Avenue

Bethesda, MD 20814

301.951.9001

Lunchtime Links for September 7th, 2010

• Serious Eats: Japanese sauces.
• The Kitchn: Eco-lunchboxes.
• Sephora: Bliss Spa's new perfume.
• Pioneer Woman: Cinnamon bread recipe.
• Bell'alimento: Fried mozzarella sandwiches.

Ga-Ga-Ooh-La-La

Today is officially LADY GAGA IN DC DAY, woooooooooooooooo!!  I cannot wait to see her tonight and see if she does anything different from the NYC show that I saw back in July.  Although, let's be honest, even if the show is exactly the same, it will still be AMAZING, haha! 

I'll be playing Lady Gaga songs all day to prepare for the show tonight, and I encourage you all to do the same :o)  Feel free to leave a comment with your favorite Lady Gaga song, it'd be fun to see what song(s) are the most popular.  Personally, my top of the top (cus they're all good, let's be honest) are: Poker Face, Bad Romance, and Beautiful Dirty Rich. 

Lunchtime Links for September 6th, 2010

• The Kitchn: Avocado dressing recipe.
• Serious Eats: Tomato-basil marmalade recipe.
• Pioneer Woman: Curried chicken pasta salad recipe.
• Jersey Shore: Recap from TVGasm.
• Mango & Tomato: Adobo buttermilk chicken with onions.

Japanarama Review: Milk Coffee Kit Kat

I haven't done a Kit Kat review in a while, huh?  Well if you were consumed by the horrifying thought of going another day without one- it's your lucky day!!!

 

Milk Coffee Kit Kats

I picked up this Milk Coffee Kit Kat box at a Japanese grocery store by me, so chances are it should be available in a Japanese/Asian supermarket by you also (at least, compared to the ones I get in Japan, haha).  I liked the idea of a milk coffee flavor because I figured it'd have a hint of coffee with a mostly sugar-based scent/taste.   

Uh.... yeah

Just wanted to point out here that this is what happens when you leave the Kit Kats in a warmer area of your apartment for a prolonged period of time...hopefully you guys won't make the same mistake I did, haha. But no matter- these Kit Kats smelled and tasted delicious!  A nice blend of milk and a hint of coffee, not too overpowering in smell or taste.  It's a white chocolate base, in case any of you aren't fans of that, but I liked this one a lot.  I would absolutely buy these again - fingers crossed they weren't a one-time only limited edition flavor, and they'll bring this back again!      

Lunchtime Links for September 3rd, 2010

• Sephora: How to wear false lashes.
• The Kitchn: Iced coffee info.
• Serious Eats: The new SunChips bag is crazy loud, haha.
• Budget Babe: Five trends to keep from last fall.
• The Arugula Files: A look at We, The Pizza.

Buzz Bakery Cupcakes

S and I recently ventured out to Old Town Alexandria, VA for bridesmaidrial duties, but stopped in Buzz Bakery on our way back.  The cafe is super cute, with lots of treats and gift items to look at.  The whole space had a v. neighborhood-y, comfortable feel to it. 

We each got a cupcake to eat there so we could sit and enjoy the cafe a little bit.  Also, I was excited to try out another one of their cupcake offerings - I've only tried their Buzz Cupcake from the Bethesda farmers' market before. 

 

Red Velvet cupcake

I decided to go with my "baseline" cupcake flavor, the Red Velvet.  It was a good size, with a nice cupcake/frosting ratio for me.  I loved the little chocolate curls on top, which gave the cupcake a little bit of texture and upped the cute factor for me.  Overall this was a solid cupcake with great flavor, and I'd definitely get it again.   

Gluten-free Chocolate and Almond

S got the gluten-free chocolate and almond cupcake pictured above.  I thought it looked cute, but quite a lot of almonds for a not-that-big cupcake, haha.  S had this to say about the cupcake: The frosting was definitely the best part of the cupcake! It was creamy and light, perfect for a hot summer day. The cake portion of the cupcake was a tad dry, and very crumbly, which as I'm starting to learn is very common for GF cupcakes. Overall, an average cupcake - but the atmosphere at Buzz totally made up for it.

Overall, we loved the cafe itself and were happy to be able to try the place out ourselves.  If I lived in one of the apartments nearby I would totally be in there every day, haha. Such a cute little spot!

Buzz Bakery

901 Slaters Lane
Alexandria, VA 22314
703.600.2899

Lunchtime Links for September 2nd, 2010

Happy birthday to P, a fun and fabulous J.Crew-obsessed friend! :o)

• The Kitchn: Puzzleboards, cute.
• Top Chef: Recap from TVGasm.
• Serious Eats: Grilled corn with chili-lime butter.
• Budget Babe: Isabel Toledo for Payless.
• Momofuku for 2: End of the cookbook blog.

Tabard Inn Brunch

My friend E and I capped off a fun weekend with a stroll through the Dupont farmers' market, followed by Sunday brunch at the Tabard Inn.  You might recall my last visit there where I wouldn't shut up about the donuts.  Well, this time around I actually took photos of the other (real) food that I ate, haha.  Also, since I was the only one that wanted a donut,  I refrained from getting a full order and got just one - a perfect way to start the day!

 

Freshly fried donut with cinnamon sugar and vanilla whipped cream

Burrata Cheese, Pickled Beets, and Beet Greens with sourdough toast, lemon oil

We kept reviewing the menu to see what jumped out at us- but to be honest, I think neither of us were super hungry for heavy, really BRUNCH-esque food.  I eventually went with this interesting salad above: Burrata cheese, pickled beets, and beet greens with sourdough toast and lemon oil.  I ordered this mainly because I am obsessed with Burrata cheese and naturally gravitate towards that on any menu.  I'm actually not much of a beet fan but figured I'd try it out.  I'm glad I did- the combo of the pickled beets with the creamy cheese was delicious!  I really liked the combination of everything together in this salad- lots of different flavors and textures that worked well together. 

Tomato and bread soup

I also got an order of cold tomato and bread soup - sorry, it's not on the online menu so I don't know its "official" menu name.  But yes, you read that correctly- there was bread in the soup, making it much heartier and with more texture than a regular blended tomato soup.  I really enjoyed this soup and would absolutely order it again.  There was tons of flavor in it, considering I was expecting sort of a plain tomato soup. 

Overall, the Tabard Inn is a fantastic place for brunch- whether you're looking for the usual eggs and carbs fare, or something on the lighter side like I got (minus the donut, obviously, haha).  I hope I get a chance to head back soon!

The Restaurant at the Tabard Inn

1739 N Street NW

Washington, DC 20036

202.331.8528

Lunchtime Links for September 1st, 2010

Happy September, everyone!

• Sephora: Daily Candy's picks for the best mascaras.
• The Kitchn: Japanese recipes.
• Serious Eats: Steakhouse-style blue cheese pasta salad. 
• Yum Sugar: How to shell a cooked crab.
• Metrocurean: RJ Cooper to open Rogue 24.

Book Review and GIVEAWAY!: "The Icing on the Cupcake" by Jennifer Ross

After such a fun giveaway with Georgia's Kitchen, I was really excited to have another opportunity to review/give away another book courtesy of BookSparks PR.  This book is definitely fits right into my blog, that's for sure: it's called The Icing on the Cupcake, by Jennifer Ross :o)

First, a little blurb about the book, from BookSparks PR:
"In this delectable novel—complete with recipes—Jennifer Ross frosts a sweet story of a young woman fulfilling her dreams, one delicious cupcake at a time.


In Ansley Waller’s world of Southern belles and gentlemen, getting a diamond ring isn’t just important—it’s the ultimate goal. So when her fiancé, Parish, unceremoniously kicks her to the curb and cancels their upcoming wedding, Ansley is so ashamed that she decides to leave Dallas and make a fresh start. In a surprise move, she heads to New York City to live with her recently widowed grandmother, Vivian, whom she’s never met. In turn, Vivian gives Ansley a no-nonsense ultimatum: Rather than wallow in misery, either get a job or go home.


The Waller women have a tradition of baking their way out of sorrow. So Ansley mixes batch after batch of creative cupcakes—Black Bottom Heartache, Moving Blues Banana Caramel, Tres Leches Made Small. Before long, she’s opening up her own cupcake shop and even trying her hand at dating. But the ways of Manhattan’s eligible bachelors are altogether different from their Southern counterparts, and Ansley’s nearly fail-safe tactics fall flat. And worse, someone’s got a half-baked scheme to sabotage Ansley’s new life. It’ll take a cup of courage and a dash of Southern charm, plus a few secret ingredients, if Ansley hopes to pull off her recipe for success."


This book is about cupcakes- how could I not love it???  Seriously though, it was a light-hearted and cute book overall, perfect for the pool or a plane ride.  And while I will never really understand the ways of growing up in the South like Ansley did, I could appreciate the whole feeling of "now what?" when you're faced with uncertainties about where your life is headed.  I will warn you though- do not read this when you are hungry- the cupcake recipes alone will make you crave sweets v. quickly!  Plot-wise, there were a few points towards the end where I went "Wait...what?", because the storyline seemed to go in a weird direction out of nowhere- but overall it's a fun, easy read, which is exactly how you should approach the book when you start reading it, haha.  Because there are so many cupcake recipes included, I also think this book would be a cute book club option- how fun would it be if each person brought in cupcakes made from one of the recipes in the book, so you can eat them as you discuss the book?

And now, onto the fun part- SparkBooks PR has a second copy of this book for one of you, my lovely readers! 

Here are the rules:

• Enter to win one (1) new copy of The Icing on the Cupcake by commenting to this post and telling me your favorite cupcake flavor.  Feel free to include any related recipe links or specific store/bakery names!  I've rarely met a cupcake that I didn't like, but my clear favorite is the Red Velvet Cupcake from Georgetown Cupcake (surprised? haha). 
• Giveaway will run from 10:00AM September 1st - 5:00PM September 7th (Eastern Standard Time).
• Winner will be chosen at random and notified via e-mail (so please make sure there is a valid e-mail address attached to your entry, haha). The winner's name will be announced on my blog later that week (pending winner verification).
• One entry per person, please.
• This giveaway is valid to residents of the US and Canada only.

I look forward to reading all of your comments- Good luck everyone!