Review: Sprinkles Cupcakes

Sprinkles Cupcakes
393 Stanford Shopping Center
Palo Alto, CA 94304
(650) 323-9300

After a killer biochem exam early last week, I took a “personal” vacation from school and spent the rest of the week at home. Fairygodmother came and rescued me from my Berkeley-hell, and together we went in search of some yuum cupcakes. And what better than to drive from Berkeley to Stanford right? My schoolmates would be disgusted.

Believe me when I say, I’ve had quite a few cupcakes in my time. East Coast to West Coast – I feel like I am single-handedly supporting the cupcake industry. And it was high-time I met up with the infamous Sprinkles for a little tête-à-tête.

Upon entering, I am drawn by the very simplistic nature of the store’s decor – clean, uncluttered and modern with the cupcake window taking center stage as you walk in the door. The long stretch of counter ends in the cash register and pick-up booth. Opposite the counter, the huge windows let in gorgeous naturally filtered soft light, and the whole place is awash in this glow. No need to over-decorate when the sunlight itself adorns the store.

Fairygodmother and I order 3 cupcakes – Carrot Cupcake, Strawberry Cupcake and (again my fav) Red Velvet Cupcake. Now, Fairygodmother has the appetite of a mouse – she will nibble on a bit of food and declare that she is full – essentially, I ended up eating more than wonted. Oops. Here is my critique of the overly-raved-about cupcakery:

Strawberry Cupcake: Ridiculously sweet frosting, resulted in tooth decay; frosting tasted artificially even though I know they use real strawberries (I saw it on Martha Stewart); cake was moist, but the flavor left much to be desired; thumbs down.

Carrot Cupcake: Delicious cake with standout pieces of carrot which I really appreciated; well spiced and strong flavors throughout the cake; Frosting did NOT overpower the cake, which I can also appreciate as so many other cupcakeries mess this upRed Velvet Cupcake: Amazing, though I am having a hard time discerning differences in the many Red Velvets out there; strong cocoa flavor, which is good, but not typical of Red Velvet as it usually has a bit more of a twang from the vinegar; still delicious

The final verdict? Decent. NOT the best, but certainly NOT bad. Worth the drive? ONLY if you happen to be in the area, but certainly not worth an arm and leg of gas to get there… I want to go back at some point to try the other flavors so I can do a more comprehensive review. Or maybe I should do a side by side comparison with another cupcakery to be fair – afterall, Kara’s is right down the street…

Fluffy frosting dreams,
AnhD

Review: House of Chicken and Waffles

House of Chicken and Waffles
Homepage
Jack London Square
444 Embarcadero West
Oakland, CA 94607-3706

What an absolutely foreign concept to me! What a novelty! You would think that since I am close friends with Nicole that I would have caught the chicken and waffles bug a loong time ago, but noooo – I am a chicken and waffles virgin until Nicole proceeded to pop that cherry. And boy, what an experience!

Yes, it was awkward the first time. Yes, it did hurt. Yes, I am still reeling from the experience. To be more specific, the menu is quite awkward. How do I reconcile a (typically sweet) waffle paired with a savory, juice-running-down-my-jawline piece of fried chicken? The concept just does not mesh well, and frankly, I thought it was bizarre and awkward at first. But after I finished the meal, I realized that the first time hurt – and I proceeded to unbutton my jeans as the my tummy was unhappy from the over-indulgence, despite how thrilled my mouth was. After all, I sank my teeth into the thighs, left deep impressions on the breast, and even splashed syrup over and licked it clean -

Okay, so bad innuendos aside, the House of Chicken and Waffles serves up great savory waffles with amazing chicken. The waffles are fluffy inside while still retaining that amazing crispness to them. And though you can douse them with syrup and jam, these are slightly more savory than what you would normally expect at your breakfast joint. It is a great complement to your choice of chicken – liver, giblets, fried wings/thighs/breasts/etc. Now, Nicole is a beast – she ordered Lord BJ’s, which consists of 4 pieces of (dark meat) fried chicken paired with 2 huge waffles and drenched in a delicious gravy. Only Nicole can afford to eat that much and still fit into her size-23 designer denim jeans.

Lord BJ’s serves up 4 pieces of chicken & 2 waffles

I literally had half her portion, Angie’s Delight, and that was 1 piece of chicken, 1 waffle and a small cup of grits. First off, I now know I don’t like grits – reminds me too much of polenta (which I detest unless it is baked or fried until crispy). Second, it was delicious!!! Who knew you could have the best of the breakfast world with dinner? The flavors actually DO go well together! A bite of succulent chicken and a bite of fluffy waffle – heaven on a fork. Delicious.

If you are also a chicken and waffles virgin, then I HIGHLY suggest you get yourself to the nearest chicken and waffles house. In SoCal, the best place would probably be Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles (closely affiliated with the Oakland one), which has several locations in Pasadena, the Greater LA, Long Beach, etc. Here in Berkeley, 900 Grayson is a good place as well.

Enjoy!
AnhD

Review: Louie Linguini’s

This is a much delayed post, but enjoy anyway!

Louie Linguini’s
660 Cannery Row
Monterey, CA 93940

So after a few glorious hours at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, someoneiknow and I stepped out to grab a bite. After perusing several menus along Cannery Row, we decided on Louie Linguini’s – the prices seemed fair and the long seafood and pasta menu was mouth watering enough. We were seated outside on the balcony, and warm, crusty sourdough bread and butter followed soon after we were seated. As we happily munched on bread spread with new butter and just took in the views – all from the vantage point of Louie’s balcony.

Deliciously crunchy sourdough.

Not being particularly hungry, we split a few plates. To start, we had the crispy Clam Strips, which were chopped and drenched in a light and flaky batter served alongside house cocktail sauce. Amazing alternative if you are bored (as I am – someoneiknow orders it ALL the time) of Calamari.

Golden brown and super flaky Clam Strips.

Second, we split a large plate of fresh Mixed Greens Salad – a combination of organic greens topped with sweet and crunchy candied walnuts, pungent sliced red onions, and crumbly gorgonzola cheese drenched in a deliciously tangy homemade balsamic vinaigrette. The salad is light and refreshing, and just perfect for a warm day when all you want is something light.

Refreshing Mixed Greens w/ Gorgonzola and Candied Walnuts

Our last entrée a Grilled Salmon Fettucine tossed in a (overly) creamy parmesan sauce with tart sun-dried tomatoes. As a rule, I do not like cream based pasta sauces, so I was already not a fan. The only saving element to the dish were the pieces of sun-dried tomatoes that intermittently broke up the monotonous parmesan richness. I don’t care much for this particular dish, and the salmon wasn’t spectacularly grilled – or if it was, then the overpowering parmesan sauce killed any of the salmon flavoring. But I am being unfair in my review, so try for yourself.

The remnants of our Grilled Salmon Fettucine

Louie boasts the best seafood restaurant on Cannery Row, and for the price – I wouldn’t disagree. The Clam Strips and my (non-seafood) Salad were delicious, and though the Salmon Fettucine was not my cup of tea, someoneiknow enjoyed it well enough. And as the prices are the fairest on all of Cannery Row, I do recommend Louie if you want a nice quiet meal that comes with a great price tag and even better ocean view.

Steinbeck sends his regards,
AnhD