Lunchtime Links for September 7th, 2011

• The Kitchn: Trader Joe's middle eastern flatbread.
• The Budget Babe: Penny loafer pumps. 
• Kirbie's Cravings: Pancake French toast with Nutella. 
• Real Housewives of NJ: Recap from TVGasm.
• A Passion For Food: Laduree in NYC.

East Coast/West Coast Tote

How cute is this tote bag??  The lovely bride-to-be S gifted all of us in the bridal party with these cute totes, among other fun gifts.  She picked it because she grew up in CA and currently lives in VA, so it's a great representation of her life.  I love the cute little drawings that display parts of the country.  Thanks S for the cute tote bag and everything else!

Lunchtime Links for September 6th, 2011

• The Feisty Foodie: Num Pang sandwich shop in NYC.
• Serious Eats: Eastern Market eats.
• Dwell: Taylor Gourmet's apartment.
• Jersey Shore: Recap from TVGasm.
• Big Girls Small Kitchen: Cobb salad.

Seattle: Cupcakes at Cupcake Royale + Trophy Cupcakes

One of my first cupcake stops during my trip to Seattle was Cupcake Royale - I have to wonder if this place used to be some sort of giant German restaurant or something, because this place was huge!  It was easily the largest cupcakery I've been to, haha.

I liked that they sold regular and mini cupcakes so you can try out a few different flavors.  From left to right we have a mini vanilla with chocolate frosting, mini vanilla with vanilla frosting, and a mini Strawberry (seasonal) cupcake. 

I also picked up a regular-sized salted caramel cupcake.  Overall I enjoyed the cupcakes, but they probably weren't my favorites of the ones I tried on this trip.  However, I did really enjoy the frosting on the salted caramel cupcake.  With several locations and a lot of flavor options, I can see why it's one of the larger cupcake businesses in the area. 

Another cupcakery that we tried out is Trophy Cupcakes - the location we went to is located inside a fancy-schmancy shopping/residential center called The Shops at the Bravern.  This store was pretty small but packed with lots to look at.  In addition to the cupcakes (above), there were lots of little party gifts, decorations, and cute little things available for purchase. 

I went with the seasonal strawberry cheesecake cupcake (above), which unfortunately started melting on our way home.  So, trust me when I say it did NOT look like that in the store haha.   The cake was very light and moist, and I have to say I enjoyed the cake portion more than the incredibly sweet frosting.  I loved the light pink color though, and the overall feel of the store itself. 

Not to worry, there's still one more post about cupcakes in Seattle coming soon :o)


Cupcake Royale

21 Bellevue Way NE

Bellevue, WA 98004

Get directions

Trophy Cupcakes
The Bravern
700 110th Avenue NE
Bellevue, WA 98004

Happy Labor Day!

I hope everyone is (off work and) relaxing and enjoying the tail end of their Labor Day weekend!

Labor marks the unofficial end of summer for most of us, and while I love summer, I'm definitely looking forward to new clothes, new shoes, and new foods for Fall, haha!

Lunchtime Links for September 2nd, 2011

• Serious Eats: Pasta with green meatballs and herb sauce.
• Georgetown Cupcake: Katherine's bridal shower.
• The Pioneer Woman: Uses for pesto.
• Bakerella: Chocolate chunk muffins.
• Kirbie's Cravings: Nigella chocolate pudding.

September Bites n' Sips

So it's not technically Fall yet, but I can always appreciate this time of year when some of my favorite places start rolling out their Fall flavors:

- Georgetown Cupcake: September-only flavors include Apple Cinnamon and Caramel Apple.
- Dunkin' Donuts: Pumpkin coffee, pumpkin lattes, and I'm assuming (although I haven't seen them yet in person) pumpkin donuts.
- Starbucks: Pumpkin spice latte, woooooooooooo.

Anyone have other Fall favorites they'd like to share?