A break from cupcakes to talk about...

Chicago pizza.  Two words that will forever shake me to my core, and fill my arteries with shame.  Over the past few weeks, I have been working at the World's Most Delightful Temp Job (TM).  Yes, the work is boring, but, the lovely gentlemen around me have taken it upon themselves to educate me about what "real pizza" is.  Apparently, my beloved New Haven style pizza is unacceptable here.  We'll see.

Visiting with my mom a few weeks ago, we tried Lou Malnati's - famous for their butter crust!  I enjoyed this pizza, and in a personal size, it wasn't overwhelming.  I enjoyed the tomato chunks, but felt as though something was still missing. (My photo was ugly.  Go to their website, or one of their many Chicagoland locations for your own experience!)

My second day on the job, a slice of Giordano's was slung into my cubicle.  I'm not exaggerating when I say that this was the most intense pizza that I've ever had.  It was like eating an open face calzone - dripping cheese, perfectly cooked peppers, crispy crust, pockets of grease.  I would not be disappointed eating this pizza again, but felt the after-effects of it for hours.  My stomach ached, and I was so full that I couldn't eat dinner. Pizza is not supposed to be a "one and done situation" like so many Syracuse players (burn), but is supposed to provide multiple slices of joy! After much reflection, I'm not sure that I'm cut out for stuffed pizza.

Now.  Yesterday's slice.  Oh.  My.  Word.

Thinking that I don't intake enough meat and that I could "afford the extra calories," the accountants ordered the "Meaty Pie" from Rosati's Pizza.  Also, knowing that I like "thin crust", they chose this specific location to continue my pizza education.  Thin crust?  THIN CRUST?!

This was no thin crust pizza.

Because the toppings themselves were so ridiculous, I will even cut and paste: "Sausage, pepperoni, bacon, Candian bacon and ground beef." Yes, you read that correctly. I might like all of these delicious meats on their own, but on one pizza?

I'm not going to lie. It wasn't awful. In fact, it was pretty tasty. But I could actually feel years come off of my life as I ate it.  However, the fried ravioli, perched on the right of my plate?  I could eat those bad boys all day long.

It is hard to judge which of these locations may be my favorite so far, as the style and toppings have varied so greatly.  I supposed that I'll just have to keep eating...

www.loumalnatis.com
www.giordanos.com
www.rosatispizza.com

Cupcake Wars, you inspire me.

Watching Cupcake Wars, as one does, you learn about many new bakeries.  And how lovely when they just happen to be in your city!

This is an awesome story, and I just adore cupcake trucks, so I cannot wait to try these delightful treats!

http://cupcakesforcourage.com/

CUPCAKE ATM IN CHICAGO!

Omg.

Cupcake ATM here in Chicago?

I'm so there.

More? Maybe not...

On this, my last day of funemployment for a few weeks, I decided to check out another cupcakery in my new town.  Not knowing precisely which online reviews to believe, I just plan on eating my way through this delightful city in search of the perfect bakery.  If nothing else, I am learning my way around!

Today, I decided to check out more, in Gold Coast.  I was excited to check out these treats, as they seem to have a lot of interesting flavors.  However, I must say that overall, I was pretty disappointed.

Maybe I would enjoy their savory cupcakes, but I'm not sure that I will want to try again.

I will say, walking into the store is something special - the large glass display case is very attractive, and showcases their wares effectively.  Their boxes and overall branding is very attractive, as well, which was definitely appealing.  Also interesting is their "flights" of mini-cupcakes.  However, you cannot pick your own flavors, they are selected in boxes of six for you.  Kind of a bummer, but I was able to mostly get the flavors I wanted to try.

My flight today was comprised of Salted Caramel, Black and White, and their version of Red Velvet.  Also, because they have a signature cupcake, I had to try that!

As I wrote earlier, I was pretty disappointed in these cupcakes.  They all had redeeming qualities, but not enough to blow my mind.

The Salted Caramel was a nice sponge cake, with a delicious caramel filling.  The buttercream frosting had no distinguishable flavor (besides butter...), though was topped with lava salt for a nice decoration. Overall, I could've used more salt in the salted caramel - even a more savory cake would've helped.

The Black and White was my favorite of this flight.  The whole cupcake reminded me a bit of a chocolate chip cookie.  The cake itself was very moist and delicious, as was the delightful chocolate buttercream.  The decoration was delicious as well, made up of small shavings of both white and milk chocolate.

The Red Velvet.  I'm not exaggerating when I say that this might have been the worst red velvet of my life.  The overall product was quite bland, but on its own, the cake actually had too much chocolate in the mix.  The frosting wasn't cream cheese - it was again, a super buttery buttercream with no true flavor.

But!  But!  If you thought that I hated this shop entirely, you would be incorrect!  Their namesake cupcake, the "more" cupcake, is their fancier version of a Hostess Cupcake.  Now, THIS was something that I would try again.  The chocolate cake was reminiscent of my childhood, as I spent many an afternoon eating devil's food cake, and the ganache was spectacular.  The balance of cake and filling and frosting was perfect, and I was disappointed when I finished my piece.

I will probably end up trying some different flavors, but was so sad to feel disenchanted by these treats! Alas, you can't always win.

www.morecupcakes.com

I never want this cupcake to end.

Having been in Chicago for a few days now, it was decided that I should try my first cupcake in my new city.  After a rather hilarious and stressful morning, it seemed like a great idea!

My wonderful (and pregnant!) friend Jonel has generously volunteered to be my companion as I start eating my way through Chicago cupcakeries, so, on her suggestion, we meandered our way through downtown to Sugar Bliss Cake Boutique.  With so many flavors changing daily, I will most assuredly find my way back here and keep tasting.  I mean... they have "Breakfast Cupcakes."  Really?  I love this place.

Among the flavors tasted were their traditional Red Velvet, Lemon Drop, and Pistachio.  The red velvet was fine - good, but nothing to write home about, especially since I have been very spoiled in the past.  The Lemon Drop was wonderfully flavored - not overpowering in either the cake or the frosting with lemon, and deliciously moist.

But the Pistachio.  Their seasonal flavor (until Sunday.)  Holy.  Crap.

I am not kidding when I say that I will remember this cupcake for the rest of my life.  If you live in Chicago, YOU MUST GET THERE BEFORE SUNDAY AND EAT THIS CUPCAKE.  I am planning on going back tomorrow to stock up and stockpile.  Seriously.

A huge pistachio fan anyway, I cannot even begin to describe what joy this cupcake brought to me.  The cake was fluffy and had the delicious pistachio flavor, and the pistachio buttercream frosting (topped with chopped pistachios!) may be my favorite frosting of all time.

Each cupcake is decorated with their "signature Sugar Bliss bloom design," and it really is something to behold.  I can't wait to keep eating these cupcakes!  Besides being delicious and beautiful, they are also very reasonably priced.

Can't.  Wait.  For.  More.

www.sugarblisscakes.com

As promised, big news.

OKAY.  So, I moved to Chicago.

Long story short, I made the plunge to try something new, and here I am!  New city, new cupcakeries, new adventures.

Bring it on, Chi-town.

Georgetown Cupcakes: Boston Edition

Many big and exciting things happened this summer, leaving me unable to post with the frequency which I would have liked, but it is time to remedy that!  (For more deets, see next post.)

I was lucky enough to spend a humid August evening with my dear friend Korland, with whom I have shared cupcakes in the past!  Korland knows his red velvet and doesn't mess around with sweet treats, so when he told me that a Georgetown Cupcake had opened up in Boston, it was mandatory for us to find our way there - as quickly as possible.

I often try to taste the most adventurous flavors that I can find, but when we walked into this delightful shop, I was drawn to the Vanilla2.  I know, you must be thinking to yourself, "Really, Kim?  Vanilla cupcake and vanilla frosting?"  With Korland's encouragement, I stepped up to the counter and ordered, and I was definitely not disappointed by my selection.

Even at the end of the day, this madagascar bourbon vanilla cake was moist and fluffy, and the vanilla cream cheese frosting had a creaminess and sweetness that wasn't overpowering.  As you can see in the photo to the right, there was no lack of frosting on this cupcake, which pleased me greatly - especially since it was just so delightful.

Korland enjoyed the Chocolate2, a Valrhona chocolate cupcake with a whipped Callebaut chocolate frosting.  If I had the stomach for that much chocolate, I would have gladly shoved my face into it.  Suffice to say, neither of our cupcakes lasted very long.

In short, I can't recommend Georgetown Cupcakes enough!  Had I more time, I would have tried even more flavors, but that's a story for another post...

www.georgetowncupcake.com