Well, today I had my top-secret cupcake tasting, but wasn't able to meet up with Rachel, who was stuck doing her civic duty at jury duty. I'm sorry Rachel couln't make it because she would have loved this place and its food just as much as I did, of that I am sure.
Today's cupcakes (and lunch) were courtesy SpoonNYC and its restaurant, tbsp.
It was SO cold today! I think the high was 18 degrees out!
But it was very warm and welcoming inside!
I was met by Melissa Chmelar, owner of the storefront, restaurant, and catering company.
Melissa's a wonder. She's so kind, knowledgeable, patient, and you can tell she cares about her food, the Earth, and the people she feeds very much. The restaurant was filled with regulars and some new people (like me) who I'm sure felt immediately at home.
Look at all the food!
Drinks:
Options!
And, sweets. Ohh my, those sweets!
And, of course, cupcakes!
I'll get into my review of the food in a bit, but I have to say these carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and pecan toppers were the bomb. Seriously, I've eaten a lot of cupcakes and I can tell you these are scrumptious. Positively drool-worthy. Melissa doesn't make these every day though, so please check first.
When you first walk into tbls, there's an stockpile of branded goods (some available online, for the rest, please call Melissa herself at 646.230.7000 or 888.776.6604). The restaurant is only opened Monday through Friday (7:30 am until about 6:00 pm) now, but plans are in the works for extended hours and days soon.
Hard to belive the Website and storefront have only been up and open since September of 2008!
Anyway, here are some shots of the products that are available for take-home:
And oh my goodness, the crack-addiction-like lemon curd:
(Privately, and I know I can trust you guys, right? but I ate a whole jar in less than 48 hours. Don't tell.)
Then you wait in a cafeteria-like line to select your food and drink. I chose an onion tart and a tuna salad:
Everything about them was perfect. Do you know how hard it is to cook a perfect egg? Not easy. Also, my salad was perfect. Crunchy haricot vert, beautiful fresh lettuces, tuna with dill and capers, and a yummy dressing. I was pretty much in heaven.
It only got better with the cupcake platter Melissa fixed for me. I shared the cupcakes with the restaurant's friend, Paige (you'll see her hands holding the cupcake kit in a bit). She's as camera-shy as I am!
On to the cupcakes! Today's selections were:
Red velvet with cream cheese frosting.
Chocolate with cream cheese frosting and Valentine's Day decorations.
And my personal favorite:
The very nomable carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and pecan topper. I know I'm raving, but it's just that good. Better, even.
And, here's a scoop for you, our gentle readers, SpoonNYC is putting together a cupcake baking kit, in honor of and inspired by Cupcakes Take the Cake! It's not ready yet, and I've only been given a prototype (which I'll bake and review later this week or next), but it looks super already. And if the mixes are anything at all like the stuff I tasted today, you'll be as happy as I was. I promise.
Here's the charming, beautiful, and camera-shy Paige holding open the topper portion of the cupcake baking kit:
I think the kit will have either chocolate or vanilla cake-baking mix:
And a curd or some sort of filling, plus the adorable tin kit that Paige was holding. The sample I received had cupcake liners, 5 or 6 types of sugars, decorations or toppers, and a tiny scroll with directions on it! So adorable. And, in a reusable tin.
That brings me to some of the things I liked best about the place, its food, and ethos. This is a place for families, friends, breakfast, lunch, and afternoon tea and cupcakes. There's a serious recycling center, pretty artwork to look at, an open, airy feeling (amazing in cramped NYC, trust me), and products that are fresh, focusing on local and, where possible, organic ingredients.
There were some things I thought could be improved: The red velvet cupcakes were made, disappointingly, with red food coloring instead of beet powder or a natural substitute, the milks and creams were not organic (I noticed that when I was getting my coffee), and the chocolate cake was a smidge on the crumbly side (doesn't hold up well). These are mere trifles though, compared to all the things I loved about the place.
Some items of note: The cake mixes and cupcakes are made with olive oil and blended oils instead of butter (love!), and the frosting to cupcake ratio was perfect. Nothing was too sweet (I hate that!), and all flavor combos were delicious. If you live or work near SpoonNYC (17 West 20th Street (between 5th & 6th Avenues)), get yourself there posthaste.
Upcoming expansion plans include cooking classes (I'm signing up the moment they become available), Saturday and dinner hours, wifi (mandatory), and new flavors. Melissa and her staff (extra thanks to Meron, who served me, and Lornie, the storefront manager and a total sweetheart) work with what's local, seasonal, and available, so dishes change daily. Meron -- thanks for steering me away from what I thought were vegetarian dumplings, but were actually pork-filled!
Todays' specials were:
And a special Valentine's Day menu:
I'll keep y'all posted on my experiments with the cake mixes (for cupcake-baking, of course), and the CTTC cupcake kit, available soon.
You can see more photos of SpoonNYC and tbsp here; all photos by Stacie Joy.
Today's cupcakes (and lunch) were courtesy SpoonNYC and its restaurant, tbsp.
It was SO cold today! I think the high was 18 degrees out!
But it was very warm and welcoming inside!
I was met by Melissa Chmelar, owner of the storefront, restaurant, and catering company.
Melissa's a wonder. She's so kind, knowledgeable, patient, and you can tell she cares about her food, the Earth, and the people she feeds very much. The restaurant was filled with regulars and some new people (like me) who I'm sure felt immediately at home.
Look at all the food!
Drinks:
Options!
And, sweets. Ohh my, those sweets!
And, of course, cupcakes!
I'll get into my review of the food in a bit, but I have to say these carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and pecan toppers were the bomb. Seriously, I've eaten a lot of cupcakes and I can tell you these are scrumptious. Positively drool-worthy. Melissa doesn't make these every day though, so please check first.
When you first walk into tbls, there's an stockpile of branded goods (some available online, for the rest, please call Melissa herself at 646.230.7000 or 888.776.6604). The restaurant is only opened Monday through Friday (7:30 am until about 6:00 pm) now, but plans are in the works for extended hours and days soon.
Hard to belive the Website and storefront have only been up and open since September of 2008!
Anyway, here are some shots of the products that are available for take-home:
And oh my goodness, the crack-addiction-like lemon curd:
(Privately, and I know I can trust you guys, right? but I ate a whole jar in less than 48 hours. Don't tell.)
Then you wait in a cafeteria-like line to select your food and drink. I chose an onion tart and a tuna salad:
Everything about them was perfect. Do you know how hard it is to cook a perfect egg? Not easy. Also, my salad was perfect. Crunchy haricot vert, beautiful fresh lettuces, tuna with dill and capers, and a yummy dressing. I was pretty much in heaven.
It only got better with the cupcake platter Melissa fixed for me. I shared the cupcakes with the restaurant's friend, Paige (you'll see her hands holding the cupcake kit in a bit). She's as camera-shy as I am!
On to the cupcakes! Today's selections were:
Red velvet with cream cheese frosting.
Chocolate with cream cheese frosting and Valentine's Day decorations.
And my personal favorite:
The very nomable carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and pecan topper. I know I'm raving, but it's just that good. Better, even.
And, here's a scoop for you, our gentle readers, SpoonNYC is putting together a cupcake baking kit, in honor of and inspired by Cupcakes Take the Cake! It's not ready yet, and I've only been given a prototype (which I'll bake and review later this week or next), but it looks super already. And if the mixes are anything at all like the stuff I tasted today, you'll be as happy as I was. I promise.
Here's the charming, beautiful, and camera-shy Paige holding open the topper portion of the cupcake baking kit:
I think the kit will have either chocolate or vanilla cake-baking mix:
And a curd or some sort of filling, plus the adorable tin kit that Paige was holding. The sample I received had cupcake liners, 5 or 6 types of sugars, decorations or toppers, and a tiny scroll with directions on it! So adorable. And, in a reusable tin.
That brings me to some of the things I liked best about the place, its food, and ethos. This is a place for families, friends, breakfast, lunch, and afternoon tea and cupcakes. There's a serious recycling center, pretty artwork to look at, an open, airy feeling (amazing in cramped NYC, trust me), and products that are fresh, focusing on local and, where possible, organic ingredients.
There were some things I thought could be improved: The red velvet cupcakes were made, disappointingly, with red food coloring instead of beet powder or a natural substitute, the milks and creams were not organic (I noticed that when I was getting my coffee), and the chocolate cake was a smidge on the crumbly side (doesn't hold up well). These are mere trifles though, compared to all the things I loved about the place.
Some items of note: The cake mixes and cupcakes are made with olive oil and blended oils instead of butter (love!), and the frosting to cupcake ratio was perfect. Nothing was too sweet (I hate that!), and all flavor combos were delicious. If you live or work near SpoonNYC (17 West 20th Street (between 5th & 6th Avenues)), get yourself there posthaste.
Upcoming expansion plans include cooking classes (I'm signing up the moment they become available), Saturday and dinner hours, wifi (mandatory), and new flavors. Melissa and her staff (extra thanks to Meron, who served me, and Lornie, the storefront manager and a total sweetheart) work with what's local, seasonal, and available, so dishes change daily. Meron -- thanks for steering me away from what I thought were vegetarian dumplings, but were actually pork-filled!
Todays' specials were:
And a special Valentine's Day menu:
I'll keep y'all posted on my experiments with the cake mixes (for cupcake-baking, of course), and the CTTC cupcake kit, available soon.
You can see more photos of SpoonNYC and tbsp here; all photos by Stacie Joy.
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