Out of Control Cupcakes!!!

Today was our office manager's birthday, and you know what that means? Mandatory birthday cake. I was given the charge of finding birthday cupcakes in under two hours. I turned to a bakery I've been hearing lots of buzz about, Lulu's Bake Shoppe. Lulu's is probably the North End's no-canoli establishment. Instead they serve outstanding cupcakes. Chocolate and vanilla cake and butter cream frosting may sound boring, but when executed well are pretty darn amazing! Most of the office people couldn't believe something so tasty wasn't homemade.

The frosting doesn't look like "regular" frosting. It has a translucent quality that's no where near as opaque as regular stuff. I suspect this is because the frosting uses only butter and absolutely no shortening!!! The taste is surprisingly great, but that's what you'd expect of pure butter. It's rich and sweet, but is still very enjoyable. The absence of shortening makes it easier to consume frosting, although not having a very strong sweet tooth, I ended up "wiping off" most of my frosting. I'd recommend trying a chocolate cupcake.

I'll definitely go back. Why? The S'more Cupcake...

Bottom line. Lulu's makes a super addition to my list of under 2 dollar treats, but I'm not leaving Beard Papa's chocolate fondant anytime soon.

Rodan - Bar serving Asian and/or South American food

Brian took me to Rodan when I visited him in Chicago. The most outstanding display of taters I've had in two years was a plate of wasabi tempura battered fries served with spicy peanut and honey wasabi sauces. I don't normally enjoy anything wasabi but these made a pleasant exception in my book.

COLOR - Fine Korean Cuisine

Way too tasty Korean food in Allston on Harvard Ave., one block north of the Harvard Ave. stop on the B-Line.

A plate of the sweet, spicy, deep-fried signature dish - the Chef's Special Chicken - is worth a trip by itself. One thing that stands out as truly Korean is the bottomless roasted corn tea (hot, but you can request cold) served at every table. Other things that stand out are the little girl bedroom decor, dum dums with your check, and the closed-on-Sundays policy.

Thai restaurant fulfills smoothie craving

Went to Montien's Inman Square location (www.montiencambridge.com) last night with Drea. It's a new second location for the highly-rated Boston Thai joint. I really like their curries, so it was a little dissapointing when the food wasn't as spicy as it was when we ordered takeout, but all in all it was pretty good. Though perhaps a little lack luster.

Great things.
Pineapple Smoothie - taller than a pilsner glass of what is almost a pineapple lassi
Decor is full of rich reds and dark hardwood

Good things.
Thai Calamari served with sesame- ginger soy sauce (though it could not compete in portion size to anything an North End restaurant might serve)
Honey Banana - reminded me of mini-turon

Not so great things.
The Pla Kra Pow(Fried Fish Filet Basil) tasted fishy
The Pad Thai (chicken n shrimp) tasted fishy
The ice water had a strange lemon/metallic/minerally finish

How to pronounce "Zagat"

Okay. So I am a nut, I admit it. Before moving to Boston I pronounced Zagat as in Zagat Survey, as ZA-git (rhymes with maggot). After hanging around Stephen and his pals, I got into the habit of accepting the pronounciation, za-GHAT (the gat rhyming with not).

But to settle things once and for all I have just visited zagat.com to find the key to pronouncing the silly name.

za-GAT' - rhymes with "the cat"

buffet woes

thank goodness summer is here. the uncontrolable urge to eat passed last Wednesday only to have been trampled by the mandatory going away outing to Minado, a Japanese buffet out in the burbs. Seriously, I ate my first raw and cooked oysters. they were okay. Overall it wasn't even as good as West Coast chain buffet, Todai, but it wasn't as bad as I feared I could have been.

Oh the best little Japanese cookies EVER!

Okay, so Emily, a friend from church, just came back from a "vay-cay" up to Japan and Taiwan. She didn't find the slouchy socks I wanted, but she did bring back some super tasty cookies =) made by Yoku Moku. Simple, all-natural butter cookies with smattering of nuts and milk chocolate. State-side we can find them at high-end department stores.

even the Nieman Marcus web-site.