The Spatula Queen

Taking a Snack Break

2010-09-26T22:47:00.006-04:00

Until my new website is complete, I will be taking a little cupcake break to focus on work, art, and life. See you all later! www.thespatulaqueen.com

4th Annual NYCAASC: Food in Motion Panel and More

2010-04-25T21:52:00.007-04:00

Saturday, April 17th, marked the culmination of months of extensive planning for the 4th Annual New York Asian American Student Conference (NYCAASC). In a nutshell, it is a full-day completely free, NYC student-organized event dedicated to raising awareness of Asian/Pacific/American (APA) issues, primarily to students, but it's open to anyone in the general public who is interested. The day

Thanks for the health boost, San Francisco!

2010-04-20T10:27:00.002-04:00

After a whirlwind self-guided gastronomic tour around San Francisco, I have to say, I don't think there's a better way to experience a city than by eating through it. A conversation I had on my last day there went something like this: "Is there anywhere else I should go on my last day?" "Where have you already been?" "Well, I've hit up most of the places I wanted to eat at." "What else have

The Sweet Side of San Francisco

2010-04-08T11:05:00.003-04:00

Sugar junkie that I am, most of my trip was spent finding as many sweets as I could in San Francisco. Some people visit the city to indulge their inner tech geek, some for the non-smog-filled air and scenic views, and others simply want to reap the benefits of fresh, organic vegetables with some locally caught fish. Good for them, but my trip - sans one Mission-style burrito - was solely

The Essential SF Meal: Burritos in The Mission

2010-04-01T14:05:00.000-04:00

When I asked for recommendations before, and during, my trip to San Francisco, one answer kept popping up: get a burrito in The Mission district. And apparently not just any burrito, but one from El Farolito. Now with that in mind, it seemed a crime against destiny not to go and try that signature food item of San Francisco. California has some well known names, such as In-N-Out, but burritos

Wine Overdose: Napa Valley and Beyond

2010-03-23T18:33:00.001-04:00

There's little debate that Napa Valley is a must-go destination for wine drinkers. It's a great place for beginners and connoisseurs alike to get a sense of what makes Napa county so special, and especially for locals who want to get a fuller understanding of where their wine comes from. The climate and geography are well suited for growing a variety of grapes, so there are an understandably high

Filling up on Filipino Food at Tito Rad's

2010-03-06T11:13:00.003-05:00

Show of hands, who knows much about Filipino food? Besides natives of the Philippines, I don't know how many of the rest of us seek out Filipino food on a regular basis, or even know exactly where to find it. A quick search reveals that are only a handful of restaurants in the greater NYC area, and even fewer make it onto the city guides' radars. For example, the Zagat 2010 NYC Restaurants guide

34 Tastes for a Cause: C-CAP 20th Anniversary Benefit

2010-02-27T11:24:00.004-05:00

What better way to celebrate twenty years of culinary advancement advocacy than with over thirty offerings from some of New York's top chefs and restaurants? Thirty-four, to be exact. There are times when I am convinced that I am secretly cut out to be a competitive eater, and the only thing holding me back is my collection of evening gowns. These periods of temptation come in

Celebrate with Cuteness

2010-02-18T02:57:00.007-05:00

Question: What do you think the above creature is? Of all the food-related drafts I have backed up, I find it amusing that I dug up my old artwork instead. It's an distant part of my life that has gotten shoved to the wayside in light of my recent food adventures. Because well, a girl needs to eat every day, but not draw. That's changed recently with the onslaught of holidays - Chinese New

My Not-So-Secret Obsession with French Macarons

2010-02-03T08:42:00.008-05:00

Most of the people who know me naturally associate me with cupcakes, because of my role with Cupcakes Take the Cake. But I have a little secret: cupcakes are not my personal favorite dessert. French macarons are*. I'm talking specifically about the French ones, not the mounds of coconut shreds that are so-called American macaroons. Precious, delicate, and frustratingly hard to bake without

Time for NYC Winter Restaurant Week

2010-01-26T00:11:00.000-05:00

I still remember the day I found out about Restaurant Week in New York. I think at the time, I could sum up my nativity with the words "Where's Union Square Cafe?"...why a Google search was beyond my abilities still baffles me. NYC Winter Restaurant Week fell neatly into the beginning of 2009 last year, just in time for my reluctant return to NYC and American dining. Anyone who's

Here's to a Sweet New Year!

2010-01-01T15:54:00.000-05:00

When I found out that the New Year's Eve party I was going to was BYO-Whatever, I knew I wanted to bake something to end 2009 on a sweet note. A quick look at my pantry revealed that I had somehow accumulated three tubs of cocoa powder, so brownies were the way to go. Not to mention my friend Emily had given me her homemade butterscotch sauce the day before, and I was itching to use it. I

News Flash: Home Cooked Food Tastes Good

2009-12-29T01:27:00.010-05:00

A typical meal in my household means 8 dishes for 3 people.I've never been particularly picky in my ethnic dining choices, especially since I love variety. But whenever someone asks if I have preferences, I usually say "no Chinese or Mexican". Mexican, because I'm from Texas and I embrace Tex-Mex, in spite of all the naysayers who crave "authentic" Mexican food. I've been unfazed by most of the

Happy National Cupcake Day!

2009-12-16T00:41:00.012-05:00

I'm honing down my ESP skills by having made these little mini Chocolate Marshmallow Candy Cane cupcakes yesterday, just in time for the U.S. National Cupcake Day today (Dec 15)!They were for my last final of the semester, as part of a little holiday party for my Drawing II studio class. I wanted to do something festive, and also honor my unofficial status as Cupcake Girl. Not

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-24T10:25:00.006-05:00

Turkey cupcake from Hello Cupcake's website.I'll take one of those adorable bird cupcakes over pie for Thanksgiving dinner any day. Because as much as I enjoy pie, there's just a cuteness and creativity level that cupcakes bring to the table. Then again, perhaps I'm just biased. ;)My flight home is later this afternoon, so I'll be MIA for a bit... although I generally tend to be anyways I suppose

Greek food and wine with Michael Psilakis

2009-11-10T21:37:00.009-05:00

I'm still recovering from the flu, so forgive me for the lapse in posts. Of course, I haven't been idle either, having nibbled on goodies from Cook.Eat.Drink.Live this past weekend, and The 12th Annual Chocolate Show the week before. With that in mind, I've chosen to focus on a food event I attended tonight that really encapsulates what food is meant to do: be accessible.What do I mean by that? I

Halloween Mystery

2009-11-02T00:31:00.003-05:00

A Page of Childhood Nostalgia

2009-10-06T02:07:00.006-04:00

I went to the Bay area last weekend, where old school diners still offer the often overlooked ameneties such as crayons and coloring pages. I've never really found this easy time-waster in NYC, though perhaps it's because they think I'm about triple the age of the usual requester. Ageism at its worst!It's true though. Twenty something odd years later, and I can still appreciate this simple joy.

Bye Bye, Summer

2009-09-29T22:51:00.004-04:00

Originally uploaded by Melissa Eats, Shoots, and Leaves One last Mister Softee cone as a salute to my first summer in NYC. The Mister Softee trucks don't play music in Manhattan, but I notice their gradual silent disappearance as the seasons shift. Until we meet again next year, funfetti!It's finally time to break out the scarves and other fall gear. But on the plus side, this marks the beginning

False Advertising: When "free" means $20

2009-09-27T21:26:00.006-04:00

Today, I headed to The Sunburnt Cow hoping to indulge in the enticing offer shown below. Ultimately, my most fruitful takeaway was an example of a food PR event went awry.Know your limits. How many places can really put out free food all day long? Sunburnt Cow, you overshot your limits this time. Most people probably approached this event with wary, afraid that it was too good to be true. And oh,

Cupcakes Take the Cake Bake Sale for Cancer Care

2009-09-27T02:20:00.008-04:00

Fact of the day: Did you know that indulging in cupcakes can benefit children?Last Saturday, September 19, was the Cupcakes Take the Cake annual bake sale at the Brooklyn Flea. All the proceeds go towards Cancer Care for Kids as part of their Cupcakes for a Cause campaign. You can read more about it at Cupcakes Take the Cake's post, and you can still help us reach our goal of $1000 by donating.I

Bake-a-thon

2009-09-13T00:33:00.003-04:00

My day went something like this:[ 11 a.m. ] fall out of bed, literally.[ 12 p.m. ] polish off leftover Honey Yogurt Pancake batter and a Peach Muffin/Cupcake.[ 2 p.m. ] bake Apple Crisp in mini pie tins.[ 3 p.m. ] battle the lines at Manhattan's lone Trader Joe's. Leggo my butter![ 5 p.m. ] bake three batches of Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies.[ 7:30 p.m. ] bake a pan full of rich Double

Chocolate Brownie Cups Recipe

2009-09-07T19:22:00.004-04:00

I don't get in the mood for brownies very often. I'm a person who likes chocolate, but would rather have it play a supporting role, not be the entire show, if you catch my drift. Cupcakes appeal to me because they're individually sized portions of a dessert that can be as simple or complex as you want them to be. Mix-ins in brownies, on the other hand, enhance the brownies but don't substantially

Momofuku Bo Ssam

2009-09-07T03:08:00.013-04:00

Last night, I completed my sojourn to the whole Momofuku empire by indulging in the Bo Ssam. Let's break that down into an equation:Bo Ssam [n/v*]: An entire pork butt + dozen oysters + Kimchi/scallions/dipping sauces + bowl of rice + bibb lettuce = $200 totalThe glorious moment can only be summed up by a single photo:See the entire set at my Flickr here.We were only a party of 4, though it's

A Day at Brighton Beach

2009-09-05T00:48:00.008-04:00

There's no better way to round off the end of summer than to take one last visit to the beach. In this instance, we forsook the flashy lights and semi-dilapidated rides of Coney Island for a small exploration around the Russian community at Brighton Beach.I tagged along as part of a larger group, casually spurred by an interest in the area and guided by our trusty iphones/blackberries. We stopped

My cupcake interview with Amys Bread

2009-08-28T22:43:00.003-04:00

I did this interview last week. For those that got to nibble on these cupcakes, I encourage you to go to any of their locations and get one for yourself to enjoy them in their freshly baked glory.And take me with you. :')Click here to see the post at Cupcakes Take the Cake

Happy Birthday to Me

2009-08-27T00:59:00.003-04:00

I feel very loved, and am so grateful for the life I lead right now.Thanks, everyone. <3(psst, it's actually August 26)

Sunday is for good eating

2009-08-17T01:21:00.007-04:00

As is every day!I had one of those mornings where you just drift comfortably out of Dreamland instead of being rudely wakened by(in my case, seven) alarm clocks. Breakfast was one of the sweet corn with honey frosting cupcakes that I baked yesterday before the Yelp beach party. A short stroll later brought me to Third Rail Coffee, where I had coffee with a friend while attempting to keep myself

Momofuku Ko

2009-08-15T02:33:00.001-04:00

A few things to cross off my list of things to do before I die:Eat Foie GrasEat CaviarLove a dish so much I forget cucumber is in itMy full review is here.

Weekend Re-cap, Take III

2009-08-13T01:43:00.004-04:00

I'm too tired to make an entire post to play catch-up, so I will just throw links out. Told you I like cupcakes, but this is how much. Friday I had Momofuku's Fried Chicken Dinner at 11:30pm. The photos will do all the talking for me: Saturday I made Honey Yogurt Pancakes, which I'll post pictures and the recipe for here soon. Sunday was mostly devoted to the Cupcakes and Delicious Sandwich

Triple Food Fail

2009-08-07T01:31:00.002-04:00

Tuesdays are my Long Days. You know how everyone has those days that are just a little more jam-packed than others? Mine's Tuesday. I work a half day at one internship, then move onto another one until 8pm. I enjoy both, but I'm a little dead to the world when I get home. But sometimes, all I want is (surprise, surprise) good food to pick me up. This particular Tuesday, I had been looking forward

Return from Sugar Land

2009-08-03T22:53:00.002-04:00

Every once in awhile, we could all use a break from the norm. For me, that was coming to NYC in the first place. I wanted something new and different, and boy did I get that and more. But about once or twice a year, I go home to Houston (Sugar Land), TX for some much needed R&R. I saw familiar faces. I slept more than I have in weeks, months, who knows how long. And of course, I ate. Oh, how I

Cupcakes: The new cure to Hump Day

2009-07-23T01:26:00.001-04:00

It's our little secret, okay? :)Mini Hummingbird Cupcake courtesy of Cupcake Truck and Yelp. You can't go wrong by setting up foodies at happy hour with free cupcakes. Also, a friendly wave out to Cupcakes Take the Cake. It's been a good cupcake-filled day.

Park Sketches

2009-07-21T20:41:00.002-04:00

Black ballpoint pen: Bryant Park and Central Park

Summer weather in NYC

2009-07-21T01:12:00.001-04:00

You don't need to mess with dinky man-made sprinklers when the skies decide to bless you with free never ending ones!

Weekend Re-cap, Take II

2009-07-20T01:18:00.002-04:00

I shouldn't really call it a weekend re-cap since it incorporates weekdays. But alas, I am a creature of habit. Some highlights were... + Tapas on Tuesday and Thursday. + Harry Potter and all the unnecessary romance shoved in there. + Dim Sum in Chinatown at Golden Palace. All your normal dim sum stuff, mixed in with good 'ole NYC snarkiness to start off your morning! Hello, sunshine. + dessert

Weekend Re-cap, Take I

2009-07-13T10:34:00.001-04:00

Friday J'10I got a surprise half day when the office shut down around 3pm, just in time to meet up with an old internet friend. We sat and chatted at the City Bakery, home of the Pretzel Croissant. My rule of thumb is that a food has gotta be good if it has its own web page full of devoted followers.I wish it looked this good IRL. Then we headed to White Castle, a place I've been wanting to try

Happy Fourth of July

2009-07-05T02:38:00.000-04:00

What a day to start off this blog-thinger on. Today I woke up at 11am and decided to finish baking the tarts I started last night. I adapted an old recipe from USDA to make it for a sweet pastry shell. 1 c u p flour1 /2 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons water1/4 cup vegetable oil1/4 cup sugar1 egg yolkBaked at 425 for around 10 minutes. I used a cupcake pan, filled halfway. I really had no idea

Hello E-World!

2009-06-15T13:52:00.000-04:00

I'm new. :)