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I can’t beleive it’s been over a year since I blogged. Don’t worry… I have still been eating…
All the new Sprinkles flavors for 2014/2015 so far
See how they ranked
Happy 10 yr anniversary Sprinkles!
Filed under: Peninsula, Sprinkles (Palo Alto) | Tagged: sprinkles cupcakes | Leave a comment »
Better late than never…..Maple bacon (Sept 2013) & Lemon meringue (July 2013)
See how they rate
Filed under: Northern CA, Peninsula, PLACES TO EAT/DRINK, Sprinkles (Palo Alto) | Tagged: bacon cupcakes, baking, dessert, food, ratings, sprinkles | Leave a comment »
We were super excited to go to Baume because it is known for molecular gastronomy. Freeze dried strawberries…let’s just say I wasn’t impressed. Tasted and looked beautiful but not worth the $$$$.
Website: http://www.baumerestaurant.com/
Rating:
Filed under: Northern CA, Peninsula, PLACES TO EAT/DRINK | Tagged: baume, food, michelin star, molecular gastronomy, palo alto, restaurant, review | Leave a comment »
Just when I thought I had made my last trip to Sprinkles this year they released a new flavor… margarita! Sounds good right…wrong. Some things shouldn’t be messed with.
Also, following in the footsteps of In-N-Out, Sprinkles decided to introduce secret off the menu flavors. First on the list – Neapolitan: vanilla cake with strawberry frosting dipped in chocolate.
See how they ranked here
*these cupcakes are from May 2013…better late than never…
Filed under: Northern CA, Peninsula, PLACES TO EAT/DRINK, Sprinkles (Palo Alto) | Tagged: baking, cupcakes, dessert, margarita, neapolitan, secret menu, sprinkles | Leave a comment »
Last weekend we made a trip to Sprinkles to try the new Cuban coffee cupcake. While there I also picked up a vegan red velvet (this was recommended by a reader) and a triple cinnamon. I don’t know how this (triple cinnamon) slipped by me but it must be relatively new because they don’t list it on the menu posted on the wall in the store and it’s available 7 days a week!
Check out how they ranked here
*Cuban is gone April 28th,2013
Filed under: Northern CA, Peninsula, PLACES TO EAT/DRINK, Sprinkles (Palo Alto) | Tagged: baking, cuban coffee, food, new flavors, palo alto, sprinkles cupcakes, triple cinnamon, vegan red velvet | 1 Comment »
The man behind the Flip video camera has opened up a high-tech chain of grilled cheese fast food restaurants called The Melt all over the Bay area. Since we were at the Stanford Mall in Palo Alto to pick up the new S’more cupcake at Sprinkles we stopped in for lunch.
The menu was fairly simple composed of 6 grilled cheese sandwiches (called melts), 5 soups, 3 sweet melts and drinks. I was expecting some highly creative sando options but you basically just choose a cheese and bread. Mike ordered the special of the day… The Dirty combo (without jalapeños) – sharp cheddar, tomato, bacon, and BBQ chips on sourdough + Sweet Corn Tortilla Soup. I went with the Classic combo of sharp cheddar on potato bread w/bacon + Two Tomato Basil soup.
The Dirty
We took a seat and admired the cool order board that let’s you know when your food is ready. Since the menu was a bust I was hoping for a taste sensation. Unfortunately, that was also a disappointment. When biting into our sandwiches all we could taste was the cheese. The toppings were so sparse they disappeared completely. I was pumped that you could add bacon to anything for FREE (that should be a rule everywhere) but found you get what you pay for. It was razor thin, limp and flavorless.
The Classic
I can easily make better grilled cheese at home on my favorite panini grill. I will say we enjoyed the corn soup.
I guess if I was at the mall and wanted to grab a quick bite (we were in and out in 20 minutes) I might stop by again for some soup. If you are looking for grilled cheese done right, check out the American Grilled Cheese Kitchen in SF.
Note: if you don’t want to stand in line you can order in advance online.
Website: https://themelt.com/
Filed under: Northern CA, Peninsula, PLACES TO EAT/DRINK | Tagged: bay area, flip video camera, forkandtell, Grilled Cheese, palo alto, restaurant, review, soup, stanford mall, the melt, travel | 2 Comments »
S'more - Belgian dark chocolate cake filled with bittersweet chocolate ganache, topped with toasted marshmallow with a graham cracker crust
Although not photogenic, I had to show you the inside. The graham cracker bottom was genius!
Blake Lively of “Gossip Girl” teamed up with Sprinkles to create a cupcake for charity. 100% of the proceeds from the SUPER FABULOUS S’more cupcake will go to Oxfam.
Hurry up and go get one because it’s a top 5 flavor!
xoxo…Bay Area Foodie
Note: Only available January 6 to February 2, 2012
See how it ranks
Filed under: Northern CA, Peninsula, PLACES TO EAT/DRINK, Sprinkles (Palo Alto) | Tagged: blake lively, Candace Nelson, charity, cupcake, gossip girl, new flavor, oxfam, smore, sprinkles | 2 Comments »
The Naked Lobster Roll
I gotta get this out before we leave for Boston tomorrow.
Hi, My name is Nicole and I’m a lobstaholic. I can’t believe I’ve lived in the Bay for over 24 years and never heard of the Lobster Shack until late last year.
We finally made the trek to the Redwood City Shack in December 2010.
I didn’t write this post earlier because they are supposed to open a location in Cupertino which is very close to my home so I was going to complete the review after I had tried more of their offerings but as of today it’s still not open (tear)…
When we arrived I was amazed to see a long line outside to get in. Really…at 6pm? Is it that good? After standing for 30 minutes in the cold we placed our order and were seated in a mini picnic table for two. The decor is a classic New England motif filled with fishing gear. You will feel like you have been transported to a fish market on a East Coast pier. We had come for one thing…the lobster rolls. I ordered the naked lobster roll (comes with a side of drawn butter) and Mike the Maine lobster roll (mayo, green onions, salt & pepper). Along with the roll you receive salty crispy fries, slaw and some wicked awesome sweet pickles. The lobster was cooked perfectly and as you can see they give you a generous amount. I only wish the roll was buttered a bit more…luckily I had the side of butter : )
The Maine Lobster Roll
Everything was well worth the wait. I can’t wait to try the steamers and the fried clams!
WARNING TO THE OWNERS: you will see a lot of me when you open your Cupertino location! Please open soon…
Rating:
Website: http://www.oplobster.com/index.htm
Note: they also have a food truck now so you’ll find them rollin’ around the Bay. Their Facebook/Twitter pages have the best updates on its location.
Filed under: Northern CA, Peninsula, PLACES TO EAT/DRINK | Tagged: bay area, clams, food truck, lobster rolls, maine, Old Port Lobster Shack, redwood city, restaurant, review, travel | 4 Comments »
Happy Valentine’s Day! What’s better than a cupcake on this holiday …or any day really? This is the last new Sprinkles flavor I’m aware of for this year. See how it ranks
Filed under: Northern CA, Peninsula, PLACES TO EAT/DRINK, Sprinkles (Palo Alto) | Tagged: Raspberry Chocolate Chip, sprinkles cupcakes | 3 Comments »
Three years down… So this little blog that could keeps chuggin’ along.
What to look for in 2011 from Bay Area Foodie: Maui madness in March, a 5 year wedding anniversary French Laundry dinner in July (if I can get a reservation), 4th of July in Carmel and a Boston Bonanza in August. Plus, we’re trying to lose weight by exercising more (Goal =5k in October) and eating right (when not on vacation :cool:) so I’m subscribing to Cooking Light Magazine. Get ready for some healthy recipes.
I’m gonna leave you with my favorite photo of this month. Edison in much anticipation of eating his first “new and improved” Sprinkles doggie cupcake. The cakes are just like the real deal – soft and smell of vanilla. The old kind was solid as a rock. I know for sure they are made in-house now not sure if the previous version was outsourced or they just overhauled the recipe…either way Ed loves them!
Filed under: Sprinkles (Palo Alto), TREATS FOR DOGS, VERY RANDOM THOUGHTS | Tagged: 3 year blogaversary, 3 year blogging anniversary, sprinkles doggie cupcakes | 7 Comments »
After a long drought Sprinkles is pumping out the new flavors…late January brought German Chocolate. See how it ranks.
Filed under: Northern CA, Peninsula, PLACES TO EAT/DRINK, Sprinkles (Palo Alto) | Tagged: german chocolate, sprinkles cupcakes | Leave a comment »
I’m all shook up….finally a new flavor from Sprinkles! “The King” – a mixture of peanut butter and banana honored Elvis’ 76th birthday and was only available for 3 days (Jan 7-9,2011). Now I wish his birthday was all year long. See how it ranked.
Sprinkles has a string of new flavors coming within the next 2 months!
*Frack the cleanse… I needed this…
Filed under: Northern CA, Peninsula, PLACES TO EAT/DRINK, Sprinkles (Palo Alto) | Tagged: elvis, new flavor, sprinkles cupcakes, the king | Leave a comment »
It’s baaaaaaaaack! A new flavor brought me back to my old stomping grounds. See how it ranks
Filed under: REVIEWS OF PRODUCTS, Sprinkles (Palo Alto) | Tagged: salty caramel, sprinkles cupcakes | Leave a comment »
12 months, 14 visits, 40 cupcakes digested! I did it! The final rankings can be found here
Filed under: Peninsula, PLACES TO EAT/DRINK, REVIEWS OF PRODUCTS, Sprinkles (Palo Alto) | Tagged: 40, best flavors, food, rankings, sprinkles challange, sprinkles cupcakes | Leave a comment »
I’m on the final leg of my Sprinkles mission. After these two cakes, I only have 1 to go and I will have tried all 40 flavors! The end is near…
Filed under: Sprinkles (Palo Alto) | Tagged: almond dark chocolate, orange, rankings, sprinkles cupcakes | Leave a comment »
Just when I think I’m close to done they add some more! I guess someone thought a raspberry cupcake was needed — after trying cherry I wasn’t so sure. Rankings updated here
Filed under: Sprinkles (Palo Alto) | Tagged: raspberry, sprinkels cupcakes | Leave a comment »
Cherry cupcakes… Good idea or bad? See here
Filed under: Sprinkles (Palo Alto) | Tagged: baking, food, rankings, sprinkles cupcakes, summer cherry | Leave a comment »
We decided to try a bfast joint in Palo Alto on our way to IKEA. I looked on Yelp for a highly rated place. When we arrived at Joanie’s there was a line. When we left, there was a line. I guess there were a lot of 4+ person parties because we were seated immediately. The cafe is cute and clean. I ordered the benedict and Mike the bacon, tomato, spinach, & feta omelettte. My benedict was just ok. The sauce was not very flavorful. I couldn’t taste it when I had a mouthful of egg and ham along with it. Disappointing because it looked so good and the potatoes were some of the best I’ve had (lots of peppers and onions). Mike really enjoyed his eggs and fruit but I don’t think we will go out of our way to return (it is 25 minutes from our home).
Website: http://www.joaniescafepaloalto.com/
The current standings of the benedicts of the Bay: Continue reading
Filed under: Peninsula, PLACES TO EAT/DRINK | Tagged: Best Benedicts of the Bay, breakfast, eggs benedict, Joanie's Cafe, restaurant, review | Leave a comment »
Happy 4th everyone! Another one bites the dust…rankings updated here
round 10: lemon blueberry
Tip: For those of you who are on facebook and twitter be sure to check out Sprinkles daily tweets b4 you go to the shop. They usually have a secret word of the day which gets you FREE cupcakes. The cupcake pictured above cost me $0.00!!!
Filed under: Sprinkles (Palo Alto) | Tagged: free cupcakes, lemon blueberry, rankings, sprinkles cupcakes | Leave a comment »
Only 4 more Sprinkles cupcakes to go! I can’t believe it!
Anyone try the Key Lime? I did…see my thoughts here
Filed under: Sprinkles (Palo Alto) | Tagged: sprinkles key lime cupcake | 3 Comments »
It’s that time again! My thoughts…. here.
Filed under: Sprinkles (Palo Alto) | Tagged: baking, Cinco de Mayo, food, sprinkles cupcakes | Leave a comment »
These are the best holiday cupcakes thus far see my thoughts here
Round 7: brown sugar praline, flourless chocolate
Filed under: Sprinkles (Palo Alto) | Tagged: easter, passover, sprinkles cupcakes | Leave a comment »
Sprinkles (left) vs. Kara's (right)
View from the Top
Check out that cake to frosting ratio
The biggest cupcake rivalry that exists in Silicon Valley is Kara’s vs. Sprinkles!
As mentioned in the past I work in walking distance to Santana row. Kara’s cupcakes opened in October. I was actually kinda excited because I currently have to travel 25 minutes to get my cupcake fix from Sprinkles. When I arrived I was surprised to find a shop the size of a bread box. There is a counter and the door. You can fit maybe two people inside comfortably. I was all jazzed to try their java and banana cakes but the employee working told me that since the store is minuscule they can only make 1/2 of the flavors you will find at other locations. I guess they don’t get the concept of making different flavors each day. I had to settle for lemon, vanilla (pictured above), coconut, fleur de sel and peanut butter.
So how did they measure up to my beloved Sprinkles? There really was no comparison between the two. Sprinkles trounced Kara’s in flavor, variety and size. Kara’s cupcakes tasted like they were straight out of a grocery store bakery (and that’s not a good thing). The cake was dry, almost flavorless and the frosting tasted like a GIANT glob of shortening. The best of the bunch was the coconut.
I really wanted the tiny cakes to be good so I could fulfill my cravings on a more regular basis but I just can’t stomach them. So sad…
Note: An in-depth Sprinkles review can be found here
Filed under: Peninsula, REVIEWS OF PRODUCTS, San Jose, Silicon Valley (all cities) | Tagged: baking, cooking, food, kara's cupcakes, san jose, santana row, sprinkles cupcakes | 8 Comments »
The cupcakes have gone green…check it out here
Round 6: Irish chocolate
Filed under: Sprinkles (Palo Alto) | Tagged: Saint Patrick's Day, sprinkles cupcakes | 1 Comment »
Happy Valentine’s Week! Get that special someone a cupcake but which one? Check out my thoughts here. Only 11 more cupcakes to go!
Round 5: red hot velvet, cinnamon sugar, ginger lemon,dark choc
Filed under: Sprinkles (Palo Alto) | Tagged: sprinkles cupcakes | Leave a comment »
You’ve heard me discuss my Sprinkles obsession in the past. Now I’m taking it to a whole new level. There are 23 regularly featured Sprinkles cupcakes plus 17 seasonal and I am on a mission to try them all! My plan is to go once a month to the Palo Alto store and buy no more than 6 flavors at a time. By my calculation it will take me 12 months to accomplish the task of eating all 40. Are you up for the challenge? Join me! MISSION COMPLETED SEPT 2009 but when new flavors are introduced I add them to the list.
I adore these cupcakes but all are not created equal. Here is how I rank them…
*seasonal/ limited edition flavors / secret menu
How about you? Which flavors make you drool? Leave a comment or two…
Continue reading
Filed under: Peninsula, PLACES TO EAT/DRINK, REVIEWS OF PRODUCTS, Sprinkles (Palo Alto) | Tagged: baking, best, cakes, challenge, cupcakes, flavors, food, Peninsula, rankings, sprinkles cupcakes, the original cupcake bakery, top | 16 Comments »
It’s been exactly 2 years and 7 months since I had my first Sprinkles cupcake in Beverly Hills. The event was life changing. Ever since I have been waiting for a store to open in the Bay Area. That day has come. On October 4th I woke Mike up at the crack of dawn and we made the trek to the new Palo Alto store. It had been open for 2 weeks and I was hoping the novelty would have worn off for the newbies. We rolled into the parking lot at 9am just as the doors were opening and there were already 20 people in line (by the way it was cold and drizzling). 
My reasoning for going this early was to avoid the 45 minute wait that had been reported on Yelp the past few days, and to make sure my cupcakes were fresh and in-stock. The cakes are made daily and when they are gone, they’re gone. The store layout is similar to LA. Although this is larger they still only allow ~ 6 people inside at once to order, the rest are kicked to the curb (at least they have a bench here). So it’s pretty much a guarantee that there will be people waiting outside when you arrive –pretty good marketing scheme. We were in and out in 20 minutes. We picked out 6 cupcakes ($3.25 each) and 2 dog cupcakes ($2.50 each). They have certain cupcake flavors each day so check the schedule before you go to make sure they have what you are craving. Well, was it worth the wait? You Betcha! I’m not going to go into any details on how things tasted here because in an upcoming ongoing post I will rate all the cupcakes in order of my preference. I invite you to give your opinions on the subject. 6 down 31 to go — I am determined to try them all!
I will leave you with this Warning: Do not attempt to eat the dots on top of the cupcakes. THEY ARE DECORATION and solid as a rock so if you don’t want to break a tooth…lick them and then dispose.
See you in line…
Hours: M-Sat 9-7pm, Sun 10-6pm
Address: 393 Stanford Shopping Center
Filed under: Peninsula | Tagged: baking, dessert, food, grand opening, sprinkles cupcakes | Leave a comment »
My prayers have been answered…THIS summer Sprinkles Cupcakes is opening up in Palo Alto. It’s not my backyard but it’s closer than LA. I’m truly excited. It will be at the Stanford shopping center. Start your diets now!
Filed under: Peninsula, VERY RANDOM THOUGHTS | Tagged: california, cupcakes, new store, Peninsula, sprinkles cupcakes | Leave a comment »
Bay Area Foodie 