Sugar Sweet Sunshine in New York, NY

0

Located on the Lower East Side, Sugar Sweet Sunshine is a bakery that two friends, Peg and Deb, opened end of 2003. They succeeded two give to the place the 70's / 80's feel they wanted to create, adding to the flower power, the power of sweets. 

Their signature pastries are cupcakes, but they also have different versions of pudding, as well as layer cakes or pies. 

Jodi was torn between the coconut cream pie and the coconut cupcake. She chose the latter.

Well, that might have been a bad choice: she did not like it and me neither. The yellow cake was good, perfectly moist, but the buttercream icing did not taste good. If you add on top the unbalanced proportion icing / cake and the fact that there were not enough coconut shavings, it was a disappointing cupcake.

On my side, I decided to try some of their pudding. What is great is that you can get different sized, going from small (a shot) to large. 

I decided to try too:

A shot of banana pudding:

And a shot of chocolate Bomb pudding:

It was made of chocolate cake, chocolate pudding and chocolate whipped cream. 

The chocolate pudding was just ok for me, missing some taste and being mostly some cake that was a bit dry; but I loved the banana pudding that was fantastic! Not too sweet, there were lots of banana slices and Nilla wafers in it. I was glad that we got to get at least one item we liked!

Would I go back to Sugar Sweet Sunshine? Well, I admit that I was a bit disappointed and the only reason I would go back would be for the banana pudding. For cupcakes, I would pass and go to Butter Lane or Two Little Red Hens.

Enjoy (the banana pudding)!

If you like this post or the photos, feel free to share it using the toolbar below or to write a comment! 

And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Continue Reading »

Treat House in New York, NY

0

In Europe, we do not know Rice Krispies treats; we know the Kellogg's cereals, but it stopped there. I tried them for the first time when Jodi made them for me and loved it, although very sweet and sticky to the fingers and teeth. But I guess it is what is fun about these treats!

So, we saw The Treat House in an episode of Serious Sweets and decided to add it to our wish list. Few months later, here we are, on the Upper West Side, in front of the store, ready to indulge with these decadent cubes. The size of it is perfect so you can try several.

The owners, Chris and Jennifer Russel, Wendy Israel (Pastry Chef), and Michael Trenk, decided to partner with The Food Bank of New York, giving 10 cents from each treat sale and a dollar from each T-shirt sale. So you indulge and give back to the community at the same time.

We decided to get our treats and eat them there, in the small area in the back of the store. We chose four treats:

Caramel and sea salt:

Pina colada:

Chocolate Hazelnut:

S'mores:

These treats were delicious: gooey, delightfully sweet, dense and packed in flavor.

My favorite was the pina colada that had this delicious pineapple and coconut taste, then the salty caramel and the S'mores. I was a bit disappointed with the chocolate hazelnut one, probably because I thought I would find the same taste as Nutella. But overall, these treats are the perfect guilty pleasure for adults and children. Good job Treat House!

Enjoy (I did)!

If you like this post or the photos, feel free to share it using the toolbar below or to write a comment! 

And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Continue Reading »

Sprinkles Cupcakes in New York, NY

0

If you are a fan of the TV show Cupcake Wars, you have probably heard about Sprinkles Cupcakes: one of Judges, Candace Nelson, is with her husband Charles, the owner. 

It all started in 2005 with the first store that opened in Beverly Hills: they got sold out the first day in three hours and then sold more than 2,000 cupcakes the first week, starting a success story that continues today, with more than 10 locations in the US and projects to open in London and Tokyo.  

Sprinkles Cupcakes is also known for the first cupcake ATM in the world, introduced in 2012, where cupcakes are available 24/7. We did not try the ATM and went straight to the store. It was a week day, the week ends being crazy there.

An allusion to the stars on Hollywood Boulevard

As soon as you enter the place, your senses are overwhelmed by an incredible baking smell that make you want to live there. It is a colorful place for sure...

What I like about such a place is that they propose cupcakes in two sizes: regular or small, the latter being perfect for a tasting. But, know that not all cupcakes are available in the small size. So, here is what we tried:

Jodi, of course, got the coconut cupcake:

They did not have it in small size, but, after the first bite, no regrets. Even me, who is not a huge fan of coconut, liked it. One thing that I always look for in a cupcake is the ratio frosting / cake, and this one was perfect.

The cake was moist and the frosting not too sweet.

On my side, I decided to try two mini-cupcakes:

Red velvet:

Banana with chocolate frosting:

Same comment there on the ratio frosting / cake: perfect. I was definitely curious to try the red velvet as it is like The Test: like when you go to a French restaurant and they do not know how to make escargots (I have names...). This one was delicious and my comments are valid for all the cupcakes: moist cake and not overly sweet frosting, allowing you to eat many. The banana one was fantastic and the combination banana and chocolate works perfectly.

Sprinkles Cupcakes is, with Butter Lane and Sweet in Hoboken, one of my favorite cupcake places. I am looking forward to going back there or to try their ice cream and cookie store located right next to it. And, by the way, if your dog also loves cupcakes, they have some for her/him that I did not try...yet!

Enjoy (I did)!

If you like this post or the photos, feel free to share it using the toolbar below or to write a comment! 

And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Sprinkles Cupcakes

Continue Reading »

Chikalicious Dessert Bar in the East Village, NYC, NY

0

So, after a first tentative to go to ChikaLicious Dessert Bar and ending up in their Dessert Club, we finally made it. We showed up couple of minutes after they opened, allowing us to get a table, but also to take photos comfortably.

Minutes later, the place was packed! Know that his is small and that they only accept reservations for large groups.

This location is totally different from the other one: a more refined decor as well as a different menu. Here, no cupcake or dossant (a fusion of a croissant and a donut, competitor to the Cronut from Dominique Ansel). At ChikaLicious Dessert Bar, you get a prix-fixe for $16 that includes an amuse-Bouche, a dessert and some petits fours.

The desserts can be paired with a dessert wine for an additional $8 that we did not consider, Jodi preferring a tea:

And myself an espresso:

Both served in a nice china. 

That day, the amuse-bouche was Cara Cara orange (sort of navel orange) with a rosemary ice cream. 

This was a surpising start, the rosemary ice cream being very original, with only a slight taste of rosemary that worked perfectly with the orange.

Then we got our desserts of choice. Know that, as dessert choices change on a regular basis, you may not be able to order what we ate. Jodi ordered the mango-pineapple tartare on crispy kataifi with coconut sorbet and white rum purée.

On my side, I ordered the warm chocolate tart with pink peppercorn ice cream and red wine sauce, that looked like a smiley.

I admit that when the dishes came, I was a bit surprised by the small size of the desserts. Still, the presentation was beautiful and I really liked them, especially the warm chocolate tart whose center was completely liquid, similar to a chocolate soufflé. I admit however that I did not really like the red wine sauce that was served with it. 

We then got some petits fours:

Coconut marshmallow:

Bacardi rum chocolate cookies:

Earl grey tea cakes:

All were good, especially the chocolate cookies (probably because of the rum...). 

The desserts at ChikaLicious are quite good and elegant, with a fantastic presentation, the Chef showcasing a lot of creativity. However, for $16 without a coffee or tea, I find it slightly overpriced. 

Enjoy (I did)!

If you like this post or the photos, feel free to share it using the toolbar below or to write a comment! 

And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!

ChikaLicious Dessert Bar

Continue Reading »