cupcake tour {week five} eleni's

This past weekend, I took a little trip over to the Chelsea Market for brunch. Aside from the fact that I absolutely fell in love with everything about this unique space, which was full of amazing foods and adorable shops, I knew I had to pick up some cupcakes when I walked by the window at Eleni's New York.

Their shop was full of precious little confections, especially in the cookie department. I'm on a cupcake mission though, so I skipped out on the cookies and went for a few of the minis they had on display instead.

Not the best cupcake I've had in New York, I will admit, but they definitely hit the spot after stuffing myself with an amazing omelet over at Friedman's Lunch.

I was obsessed with their adorable cookies though, which seem to be their specialty. From New York themed treats to thank you cookies in different languages, the cookies just looked too pretty to eat.

cupcake tour {week four} sweet revenge

As if I'm not already a sucker for clever names, I knew I had to make a trip to Sweet Revenge when I found out that they not only make amazing cupcakes but that they also have wine and beer pairings for each of their treats! Yes, seriously. This exists.

 

Seeing as it was only 1 in the afternoon, I decided to forgo the drinks on this first visit. Rest assured though, I'll be back for a glass of wine with my next cupcake.

Each day, Sweet Revenge features the classics along with a few of their artisan flavors. Just my luck, today's artisan flavor was a Fleur de Sel so of course I went for it.

I love the rustic parchment wrappers and the fact that they serve you your cupcake with a fork. They just know you're gonna need it.
The cupcake itself was decadent, moist and oh-so-good.

working girl

As relaxed as a work environment can be in the advertising industry, I still like to step it up from time to time. Dark jeans and flowy silk blouses typically make up my work-week wardrobe, but pieces like this make me want to go the extra mile. I scored this beautiful olive dress at Macy's right before I came to New York and love how easily it transitions from a work look into a happy hour look.

{Dress: Rachel Roy; Bag: BCBG MaxAzria; Shoes: Michael Kors, Watch: Kate Spade; Ring: David Yurman; Earrings: Sole Mate}
For every day, I'm usually toting an enormous bag to work to fit all of my essentials, but just swapping it for a clutch takes the look from day to night.

cupcake tour {week three} butter lane

When I arrived at Butter Lane in the East Village, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it isn't your typical cupcake shop. In fact, they only feature 3 cupcake flavors, but they hook you with the frostings. With over a dozen varieties to choose from, it's all about the toppers on these fabulous cupcakes. So much so that you can even buy a frosting shot, sans cupcake!

Seeing as I'm a total sucker for the sweet and savory combo, I went for a chocolate cupcake with a sea salt chocolate frosting on top and WOAH was it good!

I also had a taste of the Cinnamon Honey frosting shot that Christina got, which honestly tasted exactly like a Cinnabon. Yet again, just too good.

Butter Lane is a bit out of the way but it was well worth the walk. Trust me.

cupcake tour {week two} kumquat cupcakery and a visit to the smorgasburg

Sorry for the delay on this cupcake post but my poor computer had to spend the night at the Apple store this week. So sad, I know but thankfully it's back and all better. Now back to cupcakes.

Last weekend I ventured into Williamsburg for a visit to Smorgasburg, a food truck meets farmer's market kinda deal featuring over 100 vendors and far too much food to choose from. While I picked up some amazing barbeque, some delicious Serrano ham croquettas and a few other things, we're here to talk about cupcakes. Most importantly, finally getting my hands on a Maple Bacon Cupcake.
Yes, I said bacon. If you know me at all, you know it's one of my favorite things. I'll eat practically anything if it has bacon in it and a cupcake is no exception. This little treat was the perfect combination of sweet and savory, definitely my favorite cupcake from the bunch.
Kumquat Cupcakery doesn't currently have a store-front but this little maple bacon cupcake was well worth a trip to Williamsburg.

Here are some of the other amazing things I picked up. I'll definitely be back for another visit soon. There were so many other treats I was dying to try. We sat down to enjoy all of our finds at the park right around the corner.

 

{view of the city from the park next to Smorgasburg}

wanted: in the trenches

If there's one wardrobe staple every New Yorker seems to own, it's a trench coat. Since bikinis are more of a necessity back home though, I never felt the need to get one. Cue my arrival in the city a few weeks ago to a slew of New Yorkers, including all of the men, wearing fabulous coats.

The classic shape and timeless style definitely make this an investment piece I'm not skimping on. To narrow my search, I decided that whatever trench I was going to buy had to fit the following criteria:

1. Beige or Tan in Color

2. Double-Breasted Buttons

3. A Belt to Cinch it at the Waist

 After some searching and falling in love with one too many Burberry coats, I narrowed my choices down to these three.

Thoughts?

 {Club Monaco $230}

{Brooks Brothers $178}

{Laundry by Shelli Segal $137}

And just for fun, here are a few of the gorgeous Burberry's I stumbled on. With price tags well over $1,000 they're way out of my price range but they're still so nice to look at.
Someday, though. Someday.

blue on the bridge

No matter how many times I've done it, I never get sick of walking the Brooklyn Bridge. I've worn out the majority of New York's tourist attractions but for some odd reason, this never feels touristy to me (no matter how crowded it is).
I walked it this past Sunday with a few friends. It was hotter out than it has been these last few weeks so I opted for white jeans and a breezy navy top. After the bridge, we walked around downtown for a bit before heading back. It was the perfect way to end a hectic first week in the city.

 {Top: The Dressing Room; Jeans: BDG; Sandals: Pelle Moda; Bag: Michael Kors; Sunglasses: Ray-Ban (similar pair here)}

cupcake tour {week one} baked by melissa

Now that I'm back in New York, I couldn't be more excited to start my cupcake tour of the city. With countless bakeries to try I'm starting things off with my personal favorite, Baked by Melissa. Yes, I love it because my name is in the title but they also have the greatest minis I've ever tasted.

We stopped by their Soho location (on Spring street just off of Broadway) yesterday after some exploring in the neighborhood. Their amazing selection makes narrowing down which ones to buy pretty difficult but the fact that they're all minis makes it perfectly acceptable to buy a bunch.

 {from top left: red velvet, tie-dye (just a pretty vanilla), wedding (their mini of the month), cookie dough, cookies n' cream and cinnamon}

 {wall of cupcakes}

Our cupcake list is definitely far from finalized so leave me some suggestions and stay tuned for next week's bakery!

view from the top

This first weekend back in New York has been a complete whirlwind. Between events to attend, meeting new people and general settling in, I haven't really had much of a chance to breathe. As if I wasn't already lacking some oxygen, I arrive to my first day of work on Madison Avenue today and see this breathtaking view from my office. Yes, that is the Empire State Building. No, I can't believe it either.

Greetings from the Big Apple! More soon :)