What is the truth about high fructose corn syrup, anyway?

Corn syrup: My nutritionist says avoid it like the plague but the American Medical Institute says it doesn't contribute to diseases any more than other sweetener. Who's right?

Now, someone else is reporting that it's laced with Mercury.

The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy released a frightening report about their findings on good old high fructose corn syrup. You can read the report and list of contaminated products and then, draw your own conclusion.

If you haven't see any of the ads (tv, newspaper, magazines, online) claiming that HFCS isn't bad for you, check out this sweet surprise sponsored by the Corn Refiner's Association.

I'm curious to hear what you have to say about corn syrup. Good? Bad? Poison? Delicious? Comment away, please. I have my own thoughts but I want to hear yours.

Magnolia is so 2003

My friend treated me to a Miette cupcake for my birthday last Fall and while enjoying dark chocolate bliss, I told her that I thought "muffins are the new cupcake." I explained that I thought cupcake mania was being overdone because there are so many so-so cupcakes, cupcake franchises, and self-proclaimed cupcake experts around in recent years and, it's all getting a little old.

Before the lynching starts let me say that I still really like cupcakes but I am pickier about cupcake quality these days and I would rather support an independent baker than a franchise. I've got criteria and standards that used to be set according to my once beloved Magnolia. Yes, I say "once beloved" because my experience at Magnolia last month was less than exciting and, 75% of the cupcakes I bought from there for our family went to the garbage can.




Magnolia's Vanilla cake and Vanilla Butter Cream frosting











The new Magnolia Bakery at Rockefeller Center is bigger than the original down on Bleeker Street or location number two Uptown on Columbus Avenue. The new shop is also in a more high-traffic and overly touristed area of New York so I can see why the owner might have chosen that site. The staff there is less charming as well - they treated people more like airline passengers lining up at TSA for security screening than bakery customers searching for a whimsical looking sugar fix. The staff did ask me, "What can I get you" and someone also said, "That will be $34." I was in one door and out the other but at least I had my cupcakes. When I got back to my in-laws with my bounty and we enjoyed the first cakes, I was disappointed at best.

The cakes were heavy, overly-dense, dry lumps of unflavored... something. They were truly terrible. It makes me sad too because the cupcakes there are so pretty and I considered them among the best, world wide. I don't think I will go back for a very long time.

But, on the brighter things...

A friend that lives on the Lower East Side recommended that I try Buttercup Bake Shop, claiming that they had cupcakes "a thousand times better than Magnolia". The owner is a former co-owner at Magnolia so I was skeptical that I would find anything better or different from Magnolia cupcakes. All I can say is, the cupcakes aren't a thousand better but definitely a few hundred. I really enjoyed their devil's food cake (was that mocha in there?) with marshmallow cream frosting. The staff was young and charming and the shop was a nice place to warm up for a while. My same friend also recommended Sugar Sweet Sunshine but I've not been there yet. A girl needs to pace herself!





Buttercup Bake Shop's Devil's Food Cake with Marshmallow Cream frosting
















The cup or all cups for me on this cold NY cakewalk day was found at Eleni's in Chelsea Market. The cake is moist, flavorful, and (drum roll please) stuffed! At Eleni's, cupcakes that are decorated with treats like Oreo cookies or Reese's Peanut Butter Cups have HALF of the treat on top of the frosting and the other half is stuffed into the cake! I think they must stuff them after baking because in the case of the Reeses, the candy is still in-tact. Each cupcake flavor is named after a different street, avenue etc. in Manhattan




"George" cupcake named after George Street, formerly Market Street. Brownie cake with marshmallow and cookie, vanilla butter cream topped with Oreo














Eleni's is reason enough to visit Chelsea Market, the Chelsea neighborhood, or NYC in general. I can't WAIT to go back there! The Maritime Hotel is right across the street, in case you need swanky a place to stay.



Manhattan Cake Walk
















Top Left: Eleni's George, Eleni's Rivington
Middle: Magnolia Chocolate/Chocolate, Magnolia Chocolate/Vanilla, Buttercup Red Velvet/Cream Cheese
Bottom: Magnolia Vanilla/Vanilla, Magnolia Vanilla/Chocolate, Buttercup Devil's Food/Marshmallow

I changed my mind... stuffed cupcakes are the new cupcake!

Return of the Housewife

I've been away for a loooong time - I know. Thank you for your nice email messages... it feels good to be missed!

The Christmas holiday was hectic and I was out of town through the New Year, hanging out in New York, New Jersey, and a few fun places in between.

Here are a few things that I learned while tooling around NY and NJ:

White Manna is tons better than White Castle. Sorry Harold and Kumar.

Magnolia cupcakes are no longer my favorite. But, more about that in a later post.

Chelsea Market is beautiful.

It is worth every moment to wait two hours for a table at The Spotted Pig.

Martha Stewart's farm is gorgeous (I will not comment on how I know this).

Hoboken ain't so bad. Actually, it's pretty darn cool.

Dylan Thomas had good taste in pubs.

Dunkin Donuts coffee is really good. The donuts didn't impress me but then again, donuts don't impress me generally.

The Bronx has so much more to offer than Jenny from the block.

Gray's Papaya recession special (72nd and Broadway) is the best $2 spent on the upper West side.

Carrie and Big did the right thing by having their wedding reception at Buddakan. Those tuna spring rolls... oh my.

Little Italy is delicious entertainment. On a cold December night there's nothing better than Italian butter cookies, espresso, and Jorge singing Dominick the Donkey.

The pizza place at on Lexington between 54th and 55th that seems to have no actual address, three names, and no particular following but has been there for at least 5 years (first time I tried it) has the best ricotta slice in the city.