to move up and down
Flavors: Friday, June 23rd
Well it’s official………all you jerks on Twitter who have been complaining about getting sick during the summer have given me your sinus mumbo jumbo, and I want to die. GYYYAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!
Fortunately, I didn’t have to bake tonight- Matt and the apprentices covered it perfectly. So I did the only logical thing one can do when it feels like your eyeballs are about to explode out of your face and rattle around the room like a couple of ping pong balls filled with killer bees on methamphetamines- I scheduled as many meetings as I possibly could and ran around the city all day.
I finally got to pop my head into our new location downtown- Battery Place Market- and holy crap is it nice in there! (how’s that for an endorsement, huh?) Delicious Stumptown iced coffee, free wi-fi…..AND I learned that not only do they deliver breakfast lunch and dinner downtown, but they will also deliver cupcakes! Take note of THAT next time you’re ordering lunch, Financial District!
Then in the early evening I was invited to Google headquarters to hear more about their new service Google Places. I was really stoked about this, because we never get invited to ANYTHING fun where we don’t have to work a teensy bit, nor are we ever given appetizers or complimentary pens, which are pretty much our two favorite things ever. However, right when I got there was when my sinuses blew up, and then during the important part of the presentation I got a phone call I really had to take, so I’m still not entirely sure what went on. Important part, however, is I got to chill with Danny Macaroons, who’s one of our favorite people in the whole world and destined to become our BFF whether he likes it or not.
Now that I’m home I’m popping some Mucinex and going to spend an hour or two poking around Google Places to find out what’s up. So if for some reason when you get to work all of Google has mysteriously crashed, it’s probably because of me. Apologies in advance, Google. But thank you for the lovely tote bag!
Time for cupcakes! TWO flavors returning from the vault from last year- working on ways to make them year round flavors if they take off. If you like them, let us know what you think!
Clockwise from front: Dom DeLuise, Chocolate Cheerwine, Apricot Chardonnay, The North Fork
FLAVORS:
The North Fork: Chocolate cabernet cake, blackberry cabernet buttercream and compote, cabernet reduction
Apricot Chardonnay: Apricot chardonnay cake & buttercream, chardonnay simmered Turkish apricot
Chocolate Cheerwine:
Chocolate Cheerwine cake, chocolate buttercream, chocolate Cheerwine ganache and Cheerwine simmered cherries
Dom DeLuise: Pistachio cake, ricotta buttercream, roasted pistachios, candied citron, miniature chocolate chips
Available at:
CAFE AT SAM’S BAKERY- 94th Street off 3rd Ave, Bay Ridge
NEW! BAGEL SCHMAGEL: Third Avenue btwn Bay Ridge Pkway & 76th Street, Bay Ridge
THE CUPCAKE STAND: Fifth Avenue between 60th and 61st, Sunset Park
CRESPELLA CREPE & ESPRESSO BAR- 321 7th Avenue at 9th Street, Park Slope
TAZZA CAFES- Henry off Atlantic and Clark off Henry, Brooklyn Heights
RADISH- Bedford Ave off N8th, Williamsburg
EASTERN DISTRICT- Manhattan Ave off Eagle St, Greenpoint
BROOKLYN STANDARD: Nassau Ave & Jewel St, Greenpoint
RED HOOK LOBSTER POUND: 284 Van Brunt Street, Red Hook and Roving Food Truck *Whoopie Pies only*
CAKESHOP- Ludlow btwn Stanton & Rivington, Lower East Side
BATTERY PLACE MARKET: 77 Battery Place, Battery Park City
JOE: COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY- W. 120th btwn Broadway & Amsterdam Avenue
Flavors: Wednesday, June 22nd
We are now THREE AND A HALF WEEKS from the opening of our store at DeKalb Market- if you think we’re stressed out, that’s a TOTAL understatement. Here’s what I can update you on so far:
- Yesterday, we had a meeting with woodworker extraordinaire Jeremy Pickett of Brooklyn’s own Pickett Furniture regarding the design for the store. Matt and I are longtime admirers of his work not just for the aesthetic value, but also because of his ethics and exceptional craftsmanship (you can read more about his philosophy here). He’s going to be making all of our wood pieces, including custom cabinets and mirrors, out of reclaimed materials that would otherwise be destined for the landfill. I am astounded that we managed to snag someone as talented as Jeremy for this project, but as I’ve said a thousand times, we are blessed in that we have the greatest fans and friends in the world. He’s been a cheerleader of ours for a long, long time, and as a dad and one half of another husband and wife entreprenuer team, he’s sympathetic to what we go through (his wife is the owner of Lunacy Design, who make my absolute favorite kids t-shirts ever. ROBOTS!). When you’re mind explodes from walking into the shop and seeing how super freaking awesome it looks, you can thank Mr. Pickett and his supernatural woodworking powers. And if you’re an architect, designer, or looking for any kind of custom woodwork, you should probably give him a call and introduce yourself. He’s one of the coolest people ever, plus his office has the best view in all of NYC (you’ll have to go there to see it, but trust me, it’s perfect).
- Atticus and Toby have selected a color for the walls, and it’s “Buzz Lightyear Blue”.
- I am 85% done with the IndieGoGo thank you notes and coupons, which will be in the mail this week. The last time I wrote so many notes was after my wedding, and if I remember correctly by the end of those things started to get a little sloppy. So if you get one with a few spelling errors, handwriting so bad you can’t read it, or it’s just a large “X” written in my blood, my apologies. The sentiment is there, I swear to God.
- Matt and I have both officially started having recurring nightmares about the shop. The good news is they involve lots of nudity, so maybe you guys will get lucky one day!
Aaaannnndddd in my stress I forgot to take pictures, so here’s a picture of two kittens eating ice cream!
AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
FLAVORS:
Chocolate Cheerwine: Chocolate Cheerwine cake, chocolate buttercream, chocolate Cheerwine ganache and Cheerwine simmered cherries
Dom DeLuise: Pistachio cake, ricotta buttercream, roasted pistachios, candied citron, miniature chocolate chips
Romeo y Juliet: Guava cake, cream cheese buttercream, guava puree
Wild Maine Blueberry Cobbler: Vanilla cake, blueberry syrup, vanilla buttercream, wild Maine blueberry compote, streusel crumbs
Available at:
CAFE AT SAM’S BAKERY- 94th Street off 3rd Ave, Bay Ridge
NEW! BAGEL SCHMAGEL: Third Avenue btwn Bay Ridge Pkway & 76th Street, Bay Ridge
HOM- Third Avenue and 88th Street, Bay Ridge
BLUE APRON FOODS- Union Street off 7th Avenue, Park Slope
COURT STREET GROCERS: 485 Court Street, Carroll Gardens
RED HOOK LOBSTER POUND: 284 Van Brunt Street, Red Hook and Roving Food Truck *Whoopie Pies only*
NEW!!! BATTERY PLACE MARKET: 77 Battery Place, Battery Park City
Flavors: Monday, May 22nd
Thanks to everyone who came down to Craftacular this past Saturday, and welcome to all our new followers! We had a fantastic time putting faces to avatars, meeting new friends like Seamus from Brooklyn Brine (one of the coolest people you’ll ever meet), and Gabrielle Hamilton (of Prune), who was one of the nicest, most down to earth chefs I’ve encountered in a long time. Definitely a day I’ll always remember.
Also, thanks to everyone who helped my latest Nona Brooklyn column go viral, including The New York Times and San Francisco Weekly! Now I’m stressed out about writing this weeks installment. If you have suggestions on topics, post to our Facebook page, because so far all I’ve got is six sentences on why I think panda bears look like they’d be delicious even though they’re super cute, which I know isn’t going to go over well.
Now I’d like to turn your attention to a new location we quietly started last week…..a secret Starbucks (who doesn’t like secrets?). How, you ask, can a Starbucks be a secret in a town where there’s about a million of them? Well, this one is in a hotel in Tribeca, and it’s not branded a Starbucks- it’s called the Link Cafe at the Sheraton Tribeca.
Link, or Super Secret Starbucks, is still regulated and inspected by the Starbucks corporation, offers almost all the same drinks, but the food is chosen by the hotel. Meaning that we have managed to finagle ourselves into Starbucks! (BOOYAH!) And as a plus- this one isn’t ridiculously crowded like all the others, meaning no lines and places to sit. But remember, its a secret……..
Clockwise from front: Chocolate Cheerwine, Funky Monkey, Coconut Custard, Chocolate Caramel Pretzel
CHOCOLATE CHEERWINE: Chocolate Cheerwine cake, chocolate buttercream, chocolate Cheerwine ganache, Cheerwine simmered cherry
FUNKY MONKEY: Banana chocolate chip cake, peanut butter buttercream, banana chip, chocolate ganache
COCONUT CUSTARD: Coconut cake, pastry cream buttercream, roasted coconut
CHOCOLATE CARAMEL PRETZEL: Chocolate cake, salted caramel buttercream, crushed pretzels, ganache & caramel drizzle
Available at:
CAFE AT SAM’S BAKERY- 94th Street off 3rd Ave, Bay Ridge
THE CUPCAKE STAND: Fifth Avenue between 60th and 61st, Sunset Park
CRESPELLA CREPE & ESPRESSO BAR- 321 7th Avenue at 9th Street, Park Slope
QATHRA: 1112 Cortelyou Road, Ditmas Park
TAZZA CAFES- Henry off Atlantic and Clark off Henry, Brooklyn Heights
RADISH- Bedford Ave off N8th, Williamsburg
CAKESHOP- Ludlow btwn Stanton & Rivington, Lower East Side
LINK CAFE @ THE SHERATON TRIBECA: 307 Canal Street, Tribeca
SCHNITZEL AND THINGS: Third Avenue between 44th and 45th, Midtown
JOE: COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY- W. 120th btwn Broadway & Amsterdam Avenue
*Note: Not all locations receive all flavors. The flavors recieved are determined by each store’s management, not by us. If there’s something in the upcoming rotation you want to see, let them know directly
Flavors- April Fool’s Day
You know what I love most about the Bronx Zoo Cobra? That she was able to create a nationwide hysteria by doing absolutely nothing more than taking a nap in the corner for 6 days. I bust my ass every day- no hysteria. Evidently I am doing something wrong.
But of course, we needed to make one of our very special cupcakes just for the cobra. Partially because it’s April Fools and we’re feeling a bit silly, and partially because the Bronx freaking zoo lost a freaking cobra. I just don’t even think I could make something like that up. Our cobra cupcake is an homage to her homeland of Egypt, with lots of cardamom, orange flower essence, and Egyptian rice pudding buttercream. Yes, that’s right, we mixed rice pudding with our buttercream. It’s unbelievable- you have to taste it.
Another new flavor today: Chocolate Cheerwine! For those of you who don’t know what Cheerwine is, it’s a cherry soda from the south that’s one of the best I’ve ever tasted (I’m a shameless soda junkie). It’s nearly impossible to find in New York except if you go to……
…….COURT STREET GROCERS, OUR BRAND SPANKING NEW LOCATION!!! Not only are they bringing the cupcake magic back to Carroll Gardens, but they are also our Cheerwine supplier. See, there’s no distributor of the stuff up here in NY- in fact, the closest warehouse is all the way down in Virginia. So a few times a month, the Court Street Grocers drive halfway down the side of the country, load their van up with Cheerwine, and bring it back up here. They’re making another run this weekend, so make sure you get there next week before they sell out- they only make a few trips each month. (Also make sure you get their egg and cheese sandwich- Matt had one a few days ago and won’t shut up about it)
And if you’re excited about us having one brand new location, how about TWO BRAND SPANKING NEW LOCATIONS!!!! I bet you’re all like “DUDE!”, and we’re like “DUDE, YAH!”, and you’re like “Oh, DUUUUUDE!”. We get that all the time, don’t worry.
After a few weeks in limbo, we have found our way straight back into Ditmas Park, courtesy of Qathra on Cortelyou Road. We need to thank you guys for this spot- after we left Market we got lots of tweets and emails from upset fans who didn’t want us leaving the neighborhood, and you pretty much unanimously told us to check this place out. So thank you for pointing us in the right direction- Ditmas Park has been supporting us since the very beginning, and we wouldn’t have felt right just up and leaving you guys.
Now onto flavors!
Clockwise from front: Egyptian Cobra, Chocolate Cheerwine, The Liddabit, Southern Belle
NEW! LIMITED EDITION!!!
The Bronx Zoo Egyptian Cobra: Orange cardamom cake, Egyptian rice pudding buttercream, brown butter spiced rice crispies
NEW! NOT LIMITED EDITION, BUT STILL SPECIAL IN IT’S OWN WAY!
Chocolate Cheerwine: Chocolate Cheerwine cake, chocolate buttercream, Cheerwine ganche, Cheerwine simmered dried cherries
The Liddabit: Chocolate cake, nougat-salted caramel buttercream, peanuts, salted caramel & ganache drizzles
Southern Belle: Banana bourbon cake, vanilla buttercream, brown butter and bourbon glazed pecans
Available at:
THIS SATURDAY ONLY: THE BROOKLYN FLEA AS PART OF THE BAKE SALE FOR JAPAN! Lafayette Ave & Vanderbilt- Fort Greene
CAFE AT SAM’S BAKERY- 94th Street off 3rd Ave, Bay Ridge
CRESPELLA CREPE & ESPRESSO BAR- 321 7th Avenue at 9th Street, Park Slope
BLUE APRON FOODS: Union St. off 7th Ave, Park Slope
TAZZA CAFES- Henry off Atlantic and Clark off Henry, Brooklyn Heights
COURT STREET GROCERS: 485 Court Street, Carroll Gardens
QATHRA: 1112 Cortelyou Road, Ditmas Park
RADISH- Bedford Ave off N8th, Williamsburg
RED HOOK LOBSTER POUND: 284 Van Brunt Street, Red Hook *Wild Maine Blueberry Cobbler cupcakes only*
EASTERN DISTRICT- Manhattan Ave off Eagle St, Greenpoint
BROOKLYN STANDARD: Nassau Ave & Jewel St, Greenpoint
CAKESHOP- Ludlow btwn Stanton & Rivington, Lower East Side
THE BROOKLYNEER: 220 W. Houston Street, West Village
JOE: COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY- W. 120th btwn Broadway & Amsterdam Avenue
JOE: GRAND CENTRAL STATION- 44 Grand Central Terminal, Near the Greybar Passage
*Note: Not all locations receive all flavors. The flavors recieved are determined by each store’s management, not by us. If there’s something in the upcoming rotation you want to see, let them know directly.
