maybe it is my new found fascination for cupcakes 

or

maybe it is my constant craving for my favorite red velvet cupcake...

lately, i found myself asking friends to accompany me to a new cupcake bakery that just opened a few months ago, sprinkles cupcakes. i was mighty excited that i found a friend who share the same love for cupcakes and decided to give it a try last weekend... couldn't wait! :)

sprinkles cupcakes is founded by candace nelson and the first of its bakery started in beverly hills in 2005, being the original cupcake bakery. i first heard of candace nelson more recently when i recognized her as one of the judges on food network's "cupcake wars". her cupcakes has been craved by many and she quickly distinguished herself as a prominent figure in the cupcake world. she has opened sprinkles cupcakes at several locations since then namely in washington dc, san francisco, san diego, dallas, houston, newport beach, new york, phoenix and chicago being the latest addition. candace's cupcakes have been featured on the food network's "unwrapped", "good morning america" and the "oprah winfrey show" to name a few.

with countless accolades under her belt, i wasn't the least bit surprised to see a line formed at the extrance when we approached sprinkles cupcakes on walton street in downtown chicago despite the heat. it is easy to find the store since it is just about one block west of north michigan avenue. i quickly recognized the petite store from afar with their signature decor on the front of the store, reminiscent of her cupcake designs :)

at first glance, the petite store is as elegant as her cupcakes. with modern contemporary but simple decor, i loved the atmosphere of the store which was oddly cozy. there is a bench outside by the glass window where ppl could enjoy their cupcakes. the space inside is modest, enough for a line of people to form in the store and there is about four high top chairs by the glass window for some people to savor the sweet treats at their peak of freshness.

taken from their website

as we entered the front door, we were greeted by a display of tempting cupcakes, which made my deciding on which cupcakes i wanted much more difficult.

with so many different flavors of cupcakes that are offered, it took a bit to first decide on how many of this decadent confection i should try. you could either take your time looking at the mighty fine cupcakes proudly displayed behind the glass window or you could see the flavors listed on the back wall.

finally, the lucky three that i chose were key lime, red velvet and milk chocolate cupcakes although i was also tempted to get their fluffy looking coconut cupcake where as my friend just got himself a red velvet. ($3.25 each or $36/dozen). key lime because i read somewhere that it was one of the best cupcakes around, red velvet because that's my most favorite dessert after tiramisu so it was a must and i read on yelp that it was awesome and the milk chocolate is because i wonder how good they can make classic cupcakes.

so to get your cupcake experience started, the friendly staff will take your order and your name and while you wait for it to be ready, you can pay at the counter.  they have cute wooden forks and knives by the counter you could use if fingers aren't your utensils of choice.

after about three to five minutes of waiting, i looked at my brown box of cupcakes lovingly as they handed it to me over the counter. i was extremely excited and i just wanted to dig into the yummy looking cupcakes but i wanted to wait and savor it back at my apartment (and i was still stuffed from lunch at xoco.. await my second post about xoco!).

  

sprinkles cupcakes also sells cupcake mixes if you are interested in making these yummy cupcakes at home. selling at $14 each, it includes enough mix for a dozen cupcakes, the frosting recipe as well as the trademark modern dot decoration so you could brag to your friends you made those awesome cupcakes. :)

when i got back to my apartment, i couldn't wait to try these delectable cupcakes.

key lime cupcake | tangy key lime cake with key lime - vanilla frosting flecked with zest

this is the seasonal cupcake that is available between may 28th to sept 6th. the moist cupcake had big vanilla flavor with a subtle key lime flavor but then occasionally smacked with the intense tangy-ness. this is contrasted by the sweetness of the frosting which on its own could be a lil too sweet but pairs well with the tartness of the cupcake. the amount of frosting was almost right, i thought it had just a tad bit too much. it was good and it's something different.

red velvet cupcake | southern style light chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting

red velvet is my most desired cupcake of all. i think ppl can bribe me for a favor with his lil confection of yumminess. it has a deep red color that i love and am familiar with (compared to the bright red ones from flirty cupcakes) that all i wanted to do was to eat it up!

the cupcake was light and just slightly moist (not as moist as the key lime) but in all fairness, i ate this cupcake the day after so it wasn't as fresh as it could have been. it had a light chocolate flavor and i love that the cream cheese frosting which was had the right balance of sweetness and distinct taste of the cream cheese makes this cupcake fantastic. definitely rivals my favorite red velvet cupcake from barnes&noble. my friend who had this cupcake (and he is somewhat a cupcake connoisseur) says that it's comparable to the cupcakes from his most favorite cupcake bakery, kara's cupcakes. although he thought this cupcake was good, the best red velvet cupcake in his book is from the bleeding heart bakery.

milk chocolate |  belgian dark chocolate cake with fudgy milk chocolate cream cheese frosting

the dark chocolate cupcake was a good choice to pair with the sweet frosting because the combination of both just has a good amount of sweetness. i would refrain from commenting on the texture of the cupcake because it's been two days since i bought it and it would be an inaccurate evaluation of the cupcake. in terms of flavor, it has a distinct chocolate flavor (as it should be). fudgy milk chocolate cream cheese frosting = love! the chocolate frosting is delish and has a very subtle cream cheese flavor. this is a good classic cupcake with a twist that can satisfy your chocolate cravings but it isn't extraordinary.

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others

how can i fix past mistakes when i don't get the chance to make amends?

what are the right words to use?

friendships are fragile things, aren't they?

yeah i am currently not in the best of moods.

 can you tell?

i'm feeling a lil lonely.

omg i am finally done with moving in to my new place in downtown chicago. yay!
i dislike moving...... a lot. all the packing...the hauling of boxes....the unpacking.... but nonetheless the new place is really nice and good news is i don't have to commute to work anymore! which means more sleep.

anywho, i have been on the hunt for some specific cupcakes that has been making headlines around the chicago area. finally after a month plus, i finally caught up with them for their popular cupcakes on wheels: flirty cupcakes. i first heard about them on tv on chicago's best and was intrigued by the concept. recently, they were featured on redeye as one of the ten things to do in the summer in chicago.

inspired by her childhood memories of running after the ice cream truck during hot summer days, the founders of flirty cupcakes (tiffany and chris) came up with the idea of selling cupcakes from a van . flirty cupcakes is only about three months old but they are quickly making a name for themselves. they have accumulated more than 3,000 followers (and counting) on twitter (@flirtycupcakes) which is one of the ways for sweet tooth lovers to find out their next stop or to send requests to stop by their area.

i've missed them several times when they were only like few blocks from my work place but i managed to finally find them at the museum of contemporary art farmer's market this last tuesday. i was uber excited and spotting their sky blue van parked at the corner of pearson and mies van der rohe way was quite easy. 

as you walk up to the van, there is a menu of seven different types of cupcakes on the left of the window and a display of colorful cupcakes on tiers at the counter. occasionally, they have a weekly special on top of their usual seven flavors but considering i was the only one trying all of them out, i passed on the special. the person behind the counter (think it's jessica) was really friendly and patient as i was trying to decide what i was going to purchase. if you are wondering if you can pay by credit card, yes u can or by cash. my boss who went with me commented on the exhaust that was on top of the van was quite a annoying since the exhaust fumes were blowing directly into his face as he was waiting for his turn but it didn't bother me much since i am much shorter so i didn't even notice it.. lol

i bought the sampler of four mini's which is priced at $5.25 and whichever that wasn't in the sampler pack, i bought the regular cupcakes ($3.25 each). each cupcake is packed nicely and snugly in their boxes to prevent them from moving too much during transport.

each cupcake look almost too good to eat but at the same time i couldn't wait to take a bite off each one.
as described| refers to the description you can find on their website
imo| what i think about the cupcakes.


the curious george | banana chocolate cupcake with a light, salted caramel italian buttercream frosting

as described | you’ll go bananas when you bite into this delectable banana cupcake topped with an oh-so-subtle salted caramel buttercream frosting… it’s bananas I tell you – bananas!



imo | the cupcake is moist with a burst of banana flavor which i love. the frosting is smooth and creamy with a hint of caramel topped with the crunch of the salt sprinkled on the top. what i love about it is that the frosting compliments the cake very well: the delicate balance of sweet and salty makes the cupcake awesome. i had to stop myself from eating too much frosting since it was so good. one thing i didn't like was the fact that it had too much frosting for such a the size of the cupcake - almost felt like the amount of frosting equaled the amount of cake. but that is really personal preference since i am more of a cake kind of girl. i thought this looked the most beautiful because this cupcake reminded me of a beautiful rose kissed by the morning dew. 


cbff | chocolate cupcake with a nutella ganache
as described | if you consider chocolate your bff, you are going to be pinky swear this is the best chocolate cupcake ever!


imo | the first thing i noticed was the smell of nutella. as it was with the other cupcakes, this was moist and it wasn't too sweet. i thought in general it was light in flavor...maybe too light and it could use a lot more chocolate flavor. i like the ganache though it was chocolate-y with a subtle hint of nutella. i love the difference in textures with the crunchiness of the chopped nuts (possibly hazelnut) .

 
pb&c | peanut butter & chocolate
as described | adios jelly...hello chocolate. this fluffy chocolate cupcake is topped with a peanut butter ganache, so good you'll never have jelly on your peanut butter again


imo | i guess this is kinda an ode to the reese's in the form of a cupcake. i tasted the ganache and got the peanut butter flavor off the bat. every bite (with the ganache of course) ended with a subtle flavor of peanut butter which is delightful because it wasn't overpowering the other flavors whatsoever. i am not a huge fan of reese's but i like this quite a bit more.  there is also a peanut butter surprise in the middle of the cupcake.




devil in disguise | red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting
as described | this sinfully good, moist red velvet cupcake is haloed with heavenly cream cheese cake frosting...to the hell with it, have two



imo | it immediately caught my attention with its bright red color. surprisingly, i love the strong flavor of the cream cheese frosting and the ratio of cupake and frosting is just right. i was most excited for this cupcake since red velvet is my most favorite cake after tiramisu. overall, i thought the cupcake was alright and i still prefer the one i usually get from starbucks cafe in barnes & noble in evanston for my red velvet cupcake fix.




no plain jane | vanilla cupcake with an italian vanilla buttercream frosting
as described | this ain't your average everyday vanilla cupcake! moist and refreshing, a scrumptious italian vanilla buttercream frosting makes you realize sometimes it's great to be vanilla!


imo | this is the classic cupcake that everyone are familiar with. it has a subtle vanilla presence (i'd prefer just a lil more vanilla flavor) and it was not too sweet. the frosting tasted good and creamy but there was again too much frosting. i personally would still enjoy the cake itself with or without the frosting since the cake itself was delish.




coconut...nuts! | vanilla coconut cupcake with a toasted coconut frosting
as described | who knew coconut could be so good? you'll love this subtle coconut cupcake...even if you don't like coconut, this will have you going coconut...nuts!




imo |  as it was described on their website, their coconut cupcake had a very subtle coconut flavor in the cake itself. i was trying to find the coconut flavor but was less than successful. but what makes this cupcake was the frosting  (although it was a lil too much of it) and the toasted coconut flakes. it gives a combined coconut-y and nutty flavor paired with the slight vanilla flavor in the cupcake and at the same time contributes to the difference in texture in each bite. if you asked me which part was my favorite it was definitely the toasted coconut topping.


the mcdreamy | chocolate cupcake with a cream cheese & chocolate filling
as described | you'll think you're dreaming when you bite into this super moist cupcake with a cream cheese & chocolate morsel filling...a dream come true!


imo | this cake packs a mean chocolate punch and quickly reminded me of a brownie. the sweetness of the chocolate cupcake is greeted by the slight tartness of the cream cheese frosting with the occasional surprise of the crunch of chocolate morsels inside. it has a filling of a lil bit of cream cheese in the inside of the cupcake. my boss tried this one and said it reminded him of a chocolate cheese cake and thought it was too cheesy for a cake. it could be the fault of the frosting which could have been balanced a little better with the amount of cupcake there was. but the flavors of this cupcake is very promising and i liked it.





the mini cupcakes comes in set of four which are the devil in disguise, no plain jane, the curious george and cbff. they are about half the size of the regular cupcakes and is awesome when you want variety but at the same time you want to watch your waist line.


amazing? no. good? yes.

one thing for sure you will get from these cupcakes: instant gratification, a happy tummy and a clean plate. :) 


disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others

i am currently m.i.a. since i have to do a ton of things before moving to my new apartment this weekend. there has been a few things going on this past few weeks so a quick update

01| ryan got a job in california. he's gonna be moving out there after this weekend :(

02| i'm moving this weekend to downtown chicago. packing time! (and realizing i have a lot of stuff. like A LOT)

03| celebrated my birthday two weekends ago.. uber-tastic. :)

04| went to xoco last weekend to satisfy some of ryan's cravings :p await for the entry about my second visit there :)

05| almost obsessing about flirty cupcakes and trying to figure out when i will finally catch up with them.

so while i am away, entertain yourself with a few pretty funny strips from the oatmeal until i get back for an update! here's just a small taste of it..

taken from their website.. so go check it out! :)

till i recover from my exhaustion of packing and moving and unpacking, have a great week!

it was a good day with the sun shining ever so brightly.. oo and i get to meet some of their parents too :)

that evening, francesca invited me to spend the evening with her parents and friends in celebration of her graduation at fogo de chao, an authentic brazillian steakhouse located in downtown chicago.  

from the outside, the place looks cozy and as you walk towards the entrance, there is a display of meats being grilled by a fire at the front of the restaurant which looks very appetizing. it seemed like the whole of northwestern somehow decided to come here and the reservations were running a lil behind. inside, it was cozily lit, with a wine rack lining one of the walls, a gorgeous water feature on another and paintings that reflected what it seems like their history and culture.

how a brazillian steakhouse works is you get seated at the table, the waiter would usually explain how the dining experience goes. on the table, there is a card with two colors on each side, green and red. essentially before starting with the meat fest, one can visit the wide array of varieties of cheeses, salads/vege, side dishes and cured meats at the salad bar. they also bring some side dishes at your table that includes strips of fried polenta topped with cheese, caramelized plaintains (love love love!) and mashed potatoes. oh and not to forget their every wonderful, yummy, buttery bread puffs- which oddly reminds me of puffs without cream but much more buttery. that thing is dangerous cos it's so addictive!

i was too busy enjoying the vast amounts of meat that came to the table that i didn't even visit the salad bar. according to ryan though, they had quite a few selections of things and i asked him to grab me a ton of asparagus. it was a nice compliment to the meatiness of the whole meal. ryan also came back with fresh mozzerella balls, sundried tomatoes and smoked salmon. he was rather disappointed that there was no goat cheese that usually is so awesome when you have it with steak. for drinks, they ordered the house favorite, brazilian caipirinha, a brazil cocktail made from cachaça, sugar and lime. i took a sip and it was delish :) 

fogo offers 15 choices of meat cuts and styles, all of which you can try:

01| picanha (top sirloin): two ways - just with sea salt or flavored with garlic. i tried this both, medium rare. it was flavorful and seasoned just right, tasted tender and juicy.

02| filet mignon: ryan got one cos by the time this came along i was pretty much stuffed. medium rare- melts in your mouth goodness. there was also the one wrapped in bacon which i had and i thought it might have been overcooked just a tad but bacon anything kinda makes up for it.

03| alcatra (top sirloin): i don't remember if i had this.

04| fraldinha (bottom sirloin): this was very good medium rare. ryan and another friend of mine wanted seconds of this. tender and succulent.

05| beef ancho (rib eye): i think i might have passed on this one

06| cordeiro (fresh lamb): it was served both ways: cuts from the leg of lamb and lamb chops. the leg of lamb itself to me was slightly dry but the lamb chops were excellent - full of flavor.

07| lombo (pork loin): passed on this too

08| costela de porco (pork chops): i thought this was one of the best meats i had all night. it was full of flavor and off the bone tender

09| frango (chicken): made two ways: chicken breast wrapped in bacon and marinated chicken leg. the one wrapped in bacon was too dry for me and i wouldn't go for seconds but the marinated chicken leg surprised me. it was yummy.

10| linguica (sausage): this was really good too.  smoky, pepper-y and tons of flavor. yum!

fran's parents were so generous and treated us to this wonderful dinner (thanks!). ryan was very happy cos he is such a meat lover. the food overall was scrumptious, paired with the cozy atmosphere of the restaurant. the waiters were very efficient, attentive and quick to return with new plates of side dishes and yummy bread puffs (cos we gobbled all of them so quickly). at the end of the night, we all left with full, happy bellies, cravings satisfied :)