May 13, 2010

brunch in philly and a moral refutation on red velvet cupcakes

the next morning we woke up pretty late (although I suppose in cali time, it was same ol) and went to get some brunch at honey's, a place that seemed to emphasize using local produce. the place was packed, so we put our names down and walked around a bit.

Spring was a bloomin, and my allergies were a raygin
as the wild things (of all shapes, colors, and creeds for discrimination was unheard for these wildebeests), high off banana peels and cough syrup, danced without inhibition along the walls.
we ended up at a cupcake shop called brown betty, run by a woman who used to be a lawyer. This was my first time going to one of those fancy 3 bucks + for a cupcake joints. The "dessert boutique" was very small, and behind their display, you could see everyone hard at work in their small kitchen area. What was nice was that were were several free samples, and I really liked their strawberry. What we ended up getting though was the Red Velvet and Sweet Potato Pie.
*short rant here, feel free to skip* I hate the name "red velvet" and the way some people sigh and swoon when hearing the name as if they were recalling a summer in France. Actually, i didn't know what a rv cupcake was until relatively recently (hate on me hata) and was dismayed to learn that it was just a godd*** chocolate cupcake with red food coloring. Upon further research, I learned that the red color used to come from a chemical reaction that occurred when mixing buttermilk with unprocessed cocoa, but I'm not sure if that's a common practice now. Do I like red velvet cupcakes? Sure, but the illusions that I had of royalty and magic associated with the name were harshly stripped away to reveal the emaciated tweaker and liar it really is and always has been. don't mind me though. i'm just a bitter angry man. but it's just a bunch of baloney man! End rant*
An overview shot of the potato cupcake. I liked it although the tater taste wasn't that strong. I had my reservations about these joints as I find the price a little steep for just a cupcake (although I'm sure you could raise an eyebrow or four at what I've paid for other things to eat), but I suppose everyone has something they're willing to splurge on even if the price is a bit inflated. And in case you were wondering, the red velvet was unremarkable, and due to my strong objection to and religious conviction against the offensive cupcake (or more so its name), no photo was taken.
We arrived back at Honey's, and after about 20-30 more minutes cuz the place was crakalackin, we were seated outside. I don't really get the chance to eat out for breakfast often, so I was looking forward to the brunch (it was around 1 Pm at this point haha).
I got the enfrijoladas: 2 flour tortillas filled with scrambled eggs and beans, topped with salsa verde, black bean puree, sour cream, queso fresco, red onions, radishes and mixed microgreens with added chorizo. I didn't like the sausage too much, but otherwise, I loved this.
My sister got the epilepsy inducing buttermilk pancakes with seasonal berries.
Cousin Blueberry got an omelet with toast and a potato cheese and onion latke.
And we all shared a delicious bowl of brussels sprouts, cooked with white wine, cream, garlic, and slivered almonds. I forgot the name of the coffee they offer, but it was good. I knew it was good stuff when I started to feel the caffeine behind my eyes after a few sips...needless to say, we all drank too much and ended up being wired and having stomach aches for the next few hours.
Don't go into Mr. McGregor's garden, Peter Rabbit!

2 rah rah rahs:

Carol said...

Okay, here's my little rant on RV cake. It's NOT a chocolate cake and should never taste like a real chocolate cake. If it did, then it would be called a chocolate cake. It at most uses 2 tbsp of cocoa powder. Also, the cake texture has to be soft, moist with a light crumb. Dry RV is just a crime! Well, any dry cupcake is a crime. There are a lot of bad RV cakes out there, I've had many. End of rant.

Personlly, I believe that anyone who doesn't like RV cake probably haven't had a good one, with a really good frosting.

For a long time, I didn't like RV until I made my own, with really good frosting. It's the family favorite now. What can I say except thanks for letting me rant. :-)

When you're down in SD again, I'll bake you a special RV cupcake just for you. Not to say you'll like mine any better than what you've tried, haha!

imjustatree said...

looks like i learned a thing or two about red velvets. i guess with that, i can't justify hating red velvets anymore since i know what they really are now. =p i've only had a few of them, so i look forward to trying yours! =)

"personally i believe that anyone who doesn't like RV cake probably haven't had a good one, with a really good frosting.
wow...now that's some strong faith in the power of the red velvet! =D

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