cupcakeparade's Profile
Espresso 77 in Jackson Heights
i tried this for the first time on sunday. the space is cute and cozy though i agree, dimmer lighting and a few more tables would be nice. i can't speak to the coffee because i don't drink it (had tea instead), but i tried a mozzarella and tomato panini. it was disappointing, and i told the owner so. the tomatoes were very underripe and they made the bread watery and soggy (they left about two tablespoons worth of water at the bottom of my dish). i had to pull out some because they were just unappetizing. i suggested sundried tomatoes instead. also, it needs some flavor--maybe with pesto or balsamic vinaigrette.
they gave out free samples of the lemon-ginger scone and pumpkin muffin, however, and both were very good. maybe i'll just stick to the baked goods next time, but it would be nice if they offered great panini as well. right now i wouldn't order it again if it stayed the same.
Top five for $25
don't know if i can come up with 5, but
1. palacinka, in soho (great crepes)
2. hummus place (great hummus)
ran out of places but more may come to mind.
Grom cometh
i don't understand the line halfway down the block. i walked by twice, once at 7:30pm and on another day at 10pm and the line was that long. the second time i decided to cave in and give it a try. i was very disappointed. i got the luna rossa, which tasted like a pretty bland version of haagen dazs' raspberries and cream froyo, and the straciatella, which also tasted pretty bland. the texture was nice and smooth but the flavors were too subtle and unpronounced. i much prefer il lab or cones, as well. have yet to try capogiro since it's usually $10 for a small container at garden of eden or whole foods...
Best Cupcakes in NYC?
oh my god, i can't believe no one has mentioned tonnie's minis yet. i just fell upon the place today and was more than pleasantly surprised. i had a golden surprise cupcake with yellow cake outside and red velvet inside and cream cheese frosting, it was seriously orgasmic. the cake is SO moist and the frosting is delicious. prior to this, my holy grail was two little red hens--liked both their carrot cupcake and their black and white (not sure if this is same as the blackout, but it had chocolate and vanilla frosting swirled together on top). but seriously, i'm almost afraid to mention tonnie's b/c it seems to be flying off the radar. the cupcakes are on the small side but are only $1.75. ALSO, why has no one mentioned the cupcakes at bouley bakery? they only have them in late morning/early afternoon, but they're cheap (at last check $1.50) and delicious. i'm appalled that anyone likes magnolia or even worse, cupcake cafe. bleeeeggggh, in my opinion,
