NYC DESSERT EXTRAVAGANZA

While in NYC, we sampled three of the trendiest dessert spots in town to see if the collective hype is warranted. And so we waited 30+ minutes for cupcakes, sampled a healthy ice-cream substitute, and paid top-dollar for rice pudding. Here is what we decided…

MAGNOLIA BAKERY

She says:
This was my second visit to Magnolia, the cupcake shop made famous by “Sex and the City” and the SNL rap skit “Lazy Sunday,” so I already knew it was worth the half-hour wait. The chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting ($2.00) are the best store-made cupcakes I’ve ever tasted. The chocolate cake is super moist and fluffy, and the chocolate frosting is densely rich and chocolaty. It’s what all chocolate cake should aspire to be.

He says:
As a native New Yorker and cupcake lover, I’ve been to Magnolia several times and I concur that it sells the best store-bought cupcakes around. I ordered the vanilla and the “special” red velvet cupcakes. Uptown Girl thought the vanilla cupcakes lacked the moist fluffiness of the chocolate ones, and I have to agree. We also agreed that the red velvet cupcakes are overly sweet and flavorless, and at the “special” price of $2.50 I strongly recommend passing on them.

I do wish that Magnolia would manage the crowds better, though. The line to get in always winds around the corner and moves at a snail’s pace, and once you’re in the tiny shop you have to press your way to the cupcake tray and then to the cash register.

Ah, the price we pay for great cupcakes!

We say:



Magnolia Bakery
401 Bleecker Street, New York, NY 10014
http://www.magnoliacupcakes.com/

PINKBERRY

He says:
If you watch MTV’s “The Hills,” then you might remember a scene in Season 2 when Lauren and one of her fab friends go to Pinkberry and have the following conversation:

Lauren: Oh. My. God. This is so good!
Friend: So good!
Lauren: I know. So good!
Friend: So good!

This inanity goes on for another 20 seconds, but you get the point. Pinkberry is SO good. In fact, it’s so good that one of my best friends in LA told me that there are traffic jams and parking problems wherever Pinkberry shops are located.

What is Pinkberry, you may ask? It’s all-natural frozen yogurt made without preservatives or excess sugar, served with healthy toppings like fresh raspberries, pomegranate seeds, granola, shredded coconut, etc. At Pinkberry, fat is out; thin is in.

And the verdict? I like it. The frozen yogurt actually tastes like yogurt... that is, slightly tart and light, instead of those ultra-rich, ultra-sweet yogurts you find in cafeteria dispensers. The yogurt acts as a blank canvas to emphasize the quality of their toppings, in my case delicious pomegranate seeds and white chocolate chips. I still prefer high quality gelato to Pinkberry, but I’ll take this healthy yogurt over Ben & Jerry’s any day.

She says:
Not me. I found the cup of tart, barely sweet frozen yogurt piled high with raspberries seriously out of place. This was not the decadent (and fattening) dessert that I was hoping to end my evening with. In fact, even though I had chosen to add the least healthy topping, Oreo cookie crumbles, this “dessert” tasted like it was sucking calories OUT of me. I like the idea of it – the healthiness, the focus on fresh, organic ingredients – but where Pinkberry belongs is on the breakfast table, or maybe at an LA Fitness snack bar. To me it’s not a dessert. I apologize to all the Pinkberry fans out there, but the healthy dessert thing just isn't my style.

We say:



Pinkberry
41 Spring Street, New York, NY 10012 (and several other locations)
www.pinkberry.com

RICE TO RICHES

She says:
If you like rice pudding, Rice to Riches is the place for you. It may be a passing trend, but it’s certainly innovative. There are about 20 different flavors of rice pudding to choose from, and catchy flavors at that. How could you resist a bowl full of “Secret Life of Pumpkin,” “Sex, Drugs and Rocky Road,” or “Fluent in French Toast” rice pudding? On top of that (literally) comes a slew of toppings… toasted coconut, mixed nuts, even jelly! It’s all up to you.

(photo from www.liketocook.com)

He says:
We shared the “Stubborn Banana,” which came accented with a bit of coconut. Very “banana-ey” and very rich. What I don’t like about this place is the lack of recycling. Rice to Riches serves its rice pudding on funky plastic dishes that look like colored flying saucers, but they don’t offer a bin to recycle them. In fact, I don’t think the plastic is even recyclable. I can imagine with the number of customers coming every minute that the shop generates hundreds of pounds of unnecessary garbage a day. Definitely not cool.

We say:



Rice to Riches
37 Spring Street, New York, NY 10012
www.ricetoriches.com