Best New York Cupcakes from Serious Eats

Serious Eats recently compiled a list of NY's best cupcakes. And I never tire of "Best of" lists, so I just have to share! Click here for the slideshow.

Perfectly iced cupcakes from Tribeca Treats

Although I can't say I tried any of the cupcakes in the Top 12, I'm inclined to trust their judgment, or at least respect the list, because Serious Eats employed various judges, drew from a large indiscriminate pool of bakeries, lists their criteria, and admits to keeping track of everything in an excel sheet.  (This makes New York Magazine's list from last year, judged by the pastry chef of Gramercy Tavern, seem highly subjective in comparison.)

I think I just found my New Year's resolution for 2011 - a cupcake for every month!

New Book: What I Eat: Around the World in 80 Diets

Need a new coffee table book? Here you go. Photographer Peter Menzel and writer Faith D'Aluisio, a husband-wife duo that's apparently made some really great life decisions, have a new, very interesting-sounding book that debuted yesterday: What I Eat: Around the World in 80 Diets, a photographic collection featuring portraits of 80 people from 30 countries and the food they eat in one day.

"Courtesy" of Amazon.com

From the product description:

In this fascinating study of people and their diets, 80 profiles are organized by the total number of calories each person puts away in a day. Featuring a Japanese sumo wrestler, a Massai herdswoman, world-renowned Spanish chef Ferran Adria, an American competitive eater, and more, these compulsively readable personal stories also include demographic particulars, including age, activity level, height, and weight. Essays from Harvard primatologist Richard Wrangham, journalist Michael Pollan, and others discuss the implications of our modern diets for our health and for the planet.

Camel broker from Egypt, 3,200 calories/day

Indeed, D'Aluisio tells NPR she hopes the book gets people to compare and contrast their own diets with others around the world; Menzel hopes it helps people to understand their diets better and make better food choices. 

The NPR article offers a taste of some of the books insights. For instance, though a Brazilian fisherman and an American truck driver consume roughly the same number of calories a day (5,200-5,400...in other words, a lot), one is healthy and fit while the other is not (take a wild guess which is which).  Yes, the fisherman leads an active lifestyle and gets lots of fiber through foods like fish and beans, while the truck driver...well...drives all day and eats fast food hamburgers.  Maybe this doesn't seem that surprising on the surface, but it certainly underscores the importance of what constitutes our food, and not necessarily how many calories our food constitutes--something that, in this calorie-obsessive age of Lean Cuisine and mandated calorie-postings, we in the U.S. can easily forget.

Buddhist Monk, 4,900 calories/day

Other interesting tidbits include a Buddhist monk who gets a staggering number of calories through butter tea (that's water, butter, salt...and I suppose a few tea leaves), a woman in India who drinks her own pee as a cleansing ritual, and a woman in the U.K. who binges on 12,300 calories A DAY. (Ok, this is someone who could maybe benefit from some calorie-counting.)

Latvian music teacher, 3,600 calories a day

The couple also covered eating habits in their 2005 book Hungry Planet, in which they photographed 30 families in 24 countries surrounded by their typical week's worth of groceries.  (Also noteworthy is Menzel's Material World, in which he and 16 of the world's leading photographers captured an "average family" from 30 different countries, surrounded by their material goods arranged outside of their dwellings. I remember looking through this book as a kid--when you assume everyone else lives like you--and thinking it was the most eye-opening thing; I'm so happy to be reminded of it now.)

Photos from NPR.com (C) Peter Menzel

Pop-Tarts Overtaking Times Square

Photo from Gothamist

Passed by this dizzying advertising feat this past weekend; which I just found out is cause for the grand opening of "Pop-Tarts World," a 3,000 square foot homage to the processed (dare I say it) breakfast "pastry."

Gothamist tells us that among other things, attractions include "an hourly light show that simulates the look of frosting" (um, what?) "a create-your-own-variety-pack vending machine, and Pop-Tarts Sushi, which consists of three kinds of Pop-Tarts minced and then wrapped in a fruit roll-up."

Pop-Tarts "sushi," (they even look utterly disgusting)

As far as food offerings go, the Times reports that:

The menu includes the Fluffer Butter, marshmallow spread sandwiched between two Pop-Tarts frosted fudge pastries; the Sticky Cinna Munchies, cinnamon rolls topped with cream-cheese icing and chunks of Pop-Tarts cinnamon-roll variety; and Ants on a Log?, which is celery, peanut butter and chunks of the Wild Grape version.

Not to knock on pop-tarts fans or anything, (if you were one of those kids growing up, well, hopefully you've branched out to other breakfast offerings...but I can see how this would be exciting in a nostalgic way); but let's face it, this is targeting kids--one out of every three of which are now overweight or obese in this country.  I can deal with the Hersheys and M&Ms stores in Times Square, but this is where I draw the line.

The Best Dr. appointment I ever had

I did it. After months of speculation, research, and anticipation, I reached what just may be the pinnacle of all gastronomic experiences: I got a lobster roll from Dr. Claw!

I will try to recreate the event here as it unfolded...or, more accurately, as it will be remembered and retold many generations from now.

 The street

Gus and I headed to Brooklyn this past Saturday night.  We had already mapped out the location of the infamous "red wall" where customers are instructed to stand and pass inspection - Dr. Claw wants to make sure you're not a city official (he can apparently see you from this location; but you, of course, can't see him).  After a 15-minute walk we arrive at the wall, centered on a deserted block of sleepy townhouses.  The street was so quiet it felt like it was all a joke, like it would never really happen.  Still, I text our order, "Hi Dr. Claw. Two rolls please."

 The Red Wall

Amidst whispers of doubts, four beeps sound and "New Text Msg! Dr. Claw" pops up on my cell phone screen.  My heart starts thumping.  It was real. It was really happening.  To us!  He gives us our wait time: 20 min.  Like a couple of middle-school-aged girls, Gus and I circle the block in giddy excitement.  "Did he really see us?" "Do you have the money ready?" "Should I walk in front of you so he knows who to hand-off to?"

About 10 minutes pass and we get another text with the second location.  The palpitations really start kicking in.  We start to approach the address and I spot a fedora headed figure sitting on the front steps of the second address behind a gated lawn, head down.  The lamppost overhead creates a spotlight effect on the mysterious form, accentuating his muscled arms and glinting ringed fingers. This must be him. But the throne-like set-up throws a cinch in my expectations.  From the video, I was expecting a quick exchange in the street. But the ball seemed to be in my court, not his. Should I wait at the gate?  Should I enter? Should I form my hand into a claw and wave? 

He looks up and we solidify our customer-dealer relationship with a fleeting glance. I fumble with the gate and Gus comes to the rescue, though not without a clumsy trip.  We probably looked way too nervous for a couple of  lobster rolls.  I approach and he asks "Who's going to be the keeper of the bag?"  This was my cue.  I say "I will" and grab it.  Step one accomplished.  I extend my other hand with the folded bills in between my pointer and middle fingers.  In a desperate attempt to fill the air, I say "So good to see you!" as I go in for the handshake.  So, so awkward.  He smiles and says "yeah...let me know!"  We back away, not sure whether to make chit chat or turn around and run.  As we close the gate he says "Yeah, those should be pretty tasty."

After about two minutes of walking in utter silence, Gus and I break out the hot tin-foiled rolls for a picture:

Obviously, once they were opened, we couldn't wait to eat them, so we dove right in.  The Pepperidge Farm rolls (or something very similar) were stuffed with pieces of lump, juicy, tender lobster meat.  The rolls themselves were so moist with butter they were nearly breaking in our hands.  While I normally like rolls crispy on the outside, the soft texture really complimented the lobster meat.  And let's face it, there's no such thing as too much butter.  (I'd so much prefer a buttery lobster roll than one made with mayo.) The flavors of roll, butter, and lobster all held their own. And every bite was even better than the last.  We finished our meal on a bench in McCarren Park.  And all was right in the world.

I was a little afraid that Dr. Claw was getting too much exposure to retain his underground status.  But I was thankfully wrong.  The whole experience was so fun and exciting, like playing a real-life board game, or participating in a scavenger hunt you actually care about.  There were instructions. The element of surprise.  The pressure to not mess anything up.  And of course, the reward.  When you order a roll from Dr. Claw, you're not just paying $14 for a lobster roll.  You're paying for the experience--one that you really can't get any other way.  That being said, the roll was amazing.  I texted Dr. Claw so and he replied " : ) -Dr. C"  Amazing.

Grilled Gruyère-and-Zucchini Sandwiches with Smoky Pesto Recipe - Marcia Kiesel | Food & Wine

Mmmm, definitely want to try this!

© Kana Okada from FoodandWine.com