SUGAR SWEET SUNSHINE

He says:
Let the cupcake wars begin! Magnolia threw down the gauntlet 12 years ago with its delicious $2 cupcakes, setting off a craze that has swept across the country and even infiltrated Atlanta in recent years. Few of Magnolia’s imitators have come close to the original, though. Too often their cupcakes are dry or airy, and the icing just not distinctive enough to justify their high prices.

But with Sugar Sweet Sunshine, we have a contender.

Unlike Magnolia, there is no half-hour line that wraps around the block. We walked right into SSS on a Monday afternoon and ordered our cupcakes and coffee, which is a good thing. Also unlike Magnolia, there are more than three flavors of cupcake. Actually, there are more like ten, and they look amazing. What to choose? The Sunshine, a yellow cupcake with vanilla buttercream? Or the Carrot Cake with cream cheese frosting? Perhaps the Lemon Yummy, a lemon cake with lemon buttercream? It’s hard to decide because they all look and smell delicious.

From the first bite, it’s clear that SSS’s frosting is lighter than Magnolia’s and the cake less dense. I actually prefer this to the “heaviness” that accompanies Magnolia’s cupcakes. However, the flavored cupcakes are where Sugar Sweet Sunshine really takes flight. The pistachio cupcake was wonderful, the cake simultaneously rich yet not too sweet, with a pistachio current running through every bite. The vanilla frosting was sprinkled with crushed pistachio nuts for enhanced texture and flavor. Awesome. The strawberry cupcake was nearly as good, with fresh strawberry slices baked right into the moist cake.

She says:
Ok, step back. I may be incredibly biased, but the only valid way to assess a cupcake shop is through its chocolate cupcakes, or – to be generous – at the very least its chocolate-frosted vanilla cupcakes. Because what is a cupcake if it does not contain chocolate?

And so I sampled the Ooey Gooey, a chocolate cupcake with chocolate-almond buttercream frosting. My first complaint – the cupcake itself. It was barely chocolate. I don’t even think something that subtle should be allowed to call itself chocolate. Not to mention that the cake was lighter and drier than cake should be. And then there was the frosting, which was way more almond-y than chocolaty, and for a buttercream, it was certainly lacking in richness. Overall, there was nothing ooey or gooey about this “cupcake.”

After the disappointment of my cupcake, I did try a bite of Downtown Boy’s strawberry and pistachio cupcakes to see what he was raving about. My impression? Muffins. That’s right, these imposter cupcakes taste exactly like what they should be – muffins. Last time I checked, a muffin is not a cupcake.

He says:
For their range and expertise in cupcake flavors, I’m going to give the nod to Sugar Sweet Sunshine in this latest round of the cupcake wars.




She says:
Magnolia may only have 3 flavors, but they do cupcakes right – rich, moist, and chocolaty. Unlike Sugar Sweet Sunshine, where any true cupcake essence has been lost in the quest to diversify.




Sugar Sweet Sunshine
126 Rivington Street, New York, NY 10002
http://www.sugarsweetsunshine.com/

PARK 75 CHOCOLATE BUFFET

He says:
When I first heard about the secretive, limited-time only “Chocolate Buffet” at the Four Seasons Hotel restaurant, Park 75, I knew I had to take Uptown Girl there for Valentine’s Day. Unfortunately the buffet isn’t actually inside the restaurant as I was informed, which is a shame since Park 75 was named the best old school restaurant by Creative Loafing. Instead it occupies the space just outside the restaurant’s entrance, overlooking the hotel’s bland, airy lobby. And while Uptown Girl and I were dressed to the nines, some of the other folk were clearly hotel guests who decided to plop down in their pajamas and flannel shirts for a midnight snack. So much for my attempts at romance! <heavy sigh>

She says:
Wow, Downtown Boy makes it sound like we were slumming it on our V-day date. That hardly gives credit to the fact that we spent the evening at a chocolate *buffet* (as in eat-as-much-dessert-as-you-can) concocted by the Four Seasons’ pastry chef. It wasn’t exactly the Cheesecake Factory.

Each of the 15 or so desserts were portioned into bite-size samples, so we were able to try everything without going overboard, and then get seconds on our favorites. The sweets ranged from smores (lavish graham cracker base with a layer of decadent milk chocolate and a slightly crunchy marshmallow topping) to traditional chocolate mousse and bites of chocolate-chunk brownies. We agreed that our favorites were a gooey chocolate bonbon filled with a crunchy hazelnut filling and a chocolate cake that was flavored with chili and other mouth-tingling spices. I also enjoyed the cardamom cheesecake; Downtown Boy compared it favorably to the Indian dessert, burfi. As if so many scrumptious desserts weren’t enough, they also had a chocolate fountain, an endless cascade in which we dipped strawberries, pineapple, angel food cake, fried dough, and rice krispie treats!

We say:
If Park 75 could bring the buffet inside, they would have an unabashed winner on their hands. Fortunately, between the waterfall of never-ending chocolate and the platters of creative and opulent desserts, you’ll forget everything else soon enough.



Chocolate Buffet at Park 75
9pm-12am, Friday & Saturdays through March, $20
75 Fourteenth Street, Atlanta GA 30309
http://www.fourseasons.com/atlanta/dining.html

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

THE CHOCOLATE BAR

She says:
The Chocolate Bar is a welcome addition to Atlanta’s dessert scene, a landscape typified by large, ultra-sweet cheesecakes and candy-topped slices of cake from places like Intermezzo Café and Apres Diem. With a refreshing focus on intense flavors and innovative creations, the Chocolate Bar is a place for the gourmand, not the glutton. Located in downtown Decatur, this sleek café boasts a handsome décor and an eager staff. It’s an ideal place for a first date or girls’ night out (which would probably categorize about 95% of the clientele the evening we visited).

The menu contains some appealing non-dessert items, like curried popcorn and a nice selection of cheeses. However, I had come to a place called “the Chocolate Bar” for one reason and one reason only… chocolate. That said, in terms of the dessert selection, the menu was surprisingly devoid of chocolate. Downtown Boy and I tried the two chocolate items on the menu that night, neither of which provided the decadent, orgasm-inducing experience I was looking for. But, to be fair, we did not sample from the intriguing variety of truffles and chocolates that populate the display counter.

He says:
Unlike Uptown Girl I wasn’t seeking an orgasm, per se, but I was looking forward to a fun and creative dessert. The Oreos and milk fit the bill. Two soft chocolate soufflés freckled with kosher salt sandwiched a white chocolate ganache to make up the “Oreo.” Alongside, an egg-shaped scoop of milk sorbet made up the “milk.” I found the ganache a bit much for my taste unless directly paired with the sorbet to temper its radical sweetness. Perhaps the soufflés should have used more dark chocolate to subdue the ganache? Or maybe more salt could have been sprinkled over the Oreo to hone the dessert’s complexity? The iced mocha I ordered was okay but not as robust as those found in Atlanta’s better coffee shops.

She says:
I sprung for the caramel ganache and chocolate sorbet, since Creative Loafing’s review had pronounced it most suitable for the “rabid chocoholic.” The caramel ganache was excellent… the caramel flavor of the very thick, creamy, goo (for lack of a better word) was intense – sort of like the intensity of a cup of strong, good, black coffee. But sweet. And vaguely chocolatey.

I also tried a sip of a friend’s chocolate martini, which was as rich and chocolately as I could hope for, with a strong alcoholic zing. That’s what I’m getting next time.

She says:
Welcome to Atlanta, Chocolate Bar!



He says:
A little less sucrose, Chocolate Bar!



The Chocolate Bar
201 W Ponce de Leon Ave, Suite C, Decatur, GA 30030
http://www.thechocolatebardecatur.com/index.html

FINALE

She says:
Every city has its up-scale, ultimate-date-spot dessert restaurant. For Boston, this is Finale. After a long day of walking around the city, Downtown Boy and I stopped at their Coolidge Corner branch (there are two other locations at Harvard and Park Plaza). The first floor was filled with smartly-dressed Bostonians, but we were quickly ushered upstairs to sit among the other sneaker-wearing tourists. Hmph.

The place reminded me of a 1970’s lounge, complete with plush red bench seats and carpet to match. And the waitress didn’t help to put us at ease with her strict rules about what we could and could not order (no ordering from the display case downstairs).

Fortunately, Finale’s desserts were fantastic: they were delicious, complex, and gorgeously presented. I ordered the Manjari Mousse, a rich bittersweet chocolate mousse layered with chocolate buttermilk cake. Yum. It was served with a napoleon of blackberry cabernet sorbet and strudel dough, and to top it off, a delicate stick of crystallized sugar. The waitress assured me that the sugar stick is completely edible, but as you can see in the photo, it’s just really pretty.


I think that Downtown Boy was also thoroughly enjoying his cheesecake, but I was too deep in my chocolate bliss to pay much attention.

Did I mention that I ate the leftover mousse for breakfast the next morning? Not only is Finale a delicious way to end the day … it’s a pretty good start to the day as well.




Finale
1306 Beacon Street, Brookline, MA 02446
http://www.finaledesserts.com/