A Simple Obsession...

"If I had to give up cheese or chocolate, I'd give up chocolate in a heartbeat." ~ Amanda Peet

AMEN SISTER!!

Diets are so difficult when A: you're a lover of all things food, B: You're friends and boyfriend support this fat habit, C: You write a food blog =)

I enjoyed this wonderful beautiful Sunday in NYC with mi amor Don Pepe. We enjoyed a nice brunch in the East Village at Hot Devil Grill (Will be spotlighted on Spotlight Friday) and took a little stroll to walk off the calories! Of course ;-)

But a trip to the village on a beautiful Sunday afternoon would not be complete without a stop at S'Mac! Our favorite Mac n Cheese place. You can read my review Here.

Don Pepe choose the Cajun Mac n Cheese. Cheddar & Pepper Jack cheeses, andouille sausage, green pepper, onions, celery, garlic and cajun seasoning, he obviously was still in New Orleans mode!

Yummmmmm Fest!!!!!!

I chose the 4 cheese Mac n Cheese. Cheddar, Muenster, Gruyere and Pecorino. CHEESE FEST!!! I'm a fatty so I ate if before I could take a pic. Oops!!

Perfect Sunday!

I'll just spend an extra hour at the gym and it will all be worth it =)



My Last Meal 2...

These past 2 days I have truly enjoyed my last meals! Cupcakes, sangria, pizza, a Wendy's frosty, McDonald's fries, Eggplant Parmesan, snickers, and of course last night as my VERY last meal, I chose Taco Bell! 2 Chalupas, a soft taco supreme and a mexi-melt. If you know me very well, then you are not surprised by this choice. If my body let me, I can eat Taco Bell everyday. Please don't judge me!

My most memorable last meal was definitely my hot date with Ms. B BAD herself from Style_Me_Bad.

Side note: Please check her blog out! If you are a (B)eautiful (A)uthentic (D)etermined woman, then you will truly enjoy her. She brings you fashion, relationship, work and everyday life advice! Truly a B.A.D girl!

We headed down to the West Village to Sweet Revenge. It's basically a cupcake bar! Obviously, I was in bliss!

Sweet Revenge is a tiny place, we actually kind of had a hard time finding it at first. I called it our "date" because it was so romantic in there. Dimly lit lights and rustic decor set the mood HA HA!

All day I couldn't stop thinking about what I could possibly order. I knew I definitely wanted some sangria so of course I ordered that right away. Along with a Raspberry Red Velvet cake with Cream Cheese frosting and a raspberry sauce drizzle on top!

I literally died and went to heaven after first bite!!

Not only can you order whatever you want as I did, but they also give pairing advice. Such as which kind of wine or beer you should have with which cupcake. My lovely friend opted for this selection and got their Signature Sweet Revenge cupcake and an Argentinian Malbec wine.

Doesn't it look so delicious??? It was a peanut butter cupcake with a chocolate ganache filling and peanut butter fudge frosting!!!!! I'm pretty sure she literally died and went to heaven too! There was a short moment of silence when we dug into our treats...It was THAT good!!

Overall the experience was great. It's definitely a great date spot for an after dinner dessert, or a before dinner dessert, or really for any time. I mean let's be serious, there's never a bad time for a cupcake and good company :-)

My Last Meal...

So I have ANOTHER wedding in about 2 1/2 weeks!! Yes, another one! This time it is in Las Vegas!!!!! I'm super excited to be heading out of New York, I need a break! For real for real. Also, I am a bridesmaid, once again. However, this time, the dress actually fits me...HOORAY!! I do not look like a sausage in its casing nor do I need to spend a crazy amount of money getting it re-done to fit me. It's actually a little big.

BUT, I haven't seen my Vegas peeps in about 4 years. The last time they saw me I was about 20lbs lighter so I have this ridiculous idea that I should really lose the weight beforehand. Call me crazy, but I feel the need to impress. Whatever!

Therefore Thursday I will begin what is known as the lemonade diet. You basically drink 60ounces a day of this fresh squeezed lemon juice, maple syrup, cayenne pepper concoction, for 2 weeks and watch the pounds slip away! My aunt has done it and she lost like 20lbs, so she is my motivation right now.

If you read my blog regularly, I'm pretty sure you have figured out that I am a lover of everything FOOD! Which includes mostly fatty, sweet, buttery, "bad for you" dishes, with a few healthy ones in between. So you can only imagine how difficult these next 2 weeks are going to be! I will be documenting my 14 day journey everyday! How I'm feeling, how I'm coping, is it working?, how much weight I have lost, etc. etc.

But until then, I am making sure to indulge in anything I want for these next two days! Starting today, I am enjoying some eggplant parmesan for lunch, for dinner I will be having a BLT from Stokos at Columbus Circle and later tonight I will be in the Village at Sweet Revenge with my good friend Nikki, enjoying cupcakes and wine! I still have to plan tomorrow's last meal menu, but I'm sure it will be just as good! And of course I have to get Taco Bell in there somewhere =)

WISH ME LUCK!!!!!

Has anyone else tried the Lemonade Diet? Do you have any tips? Was it worth it?

End of Summer Blues!

It's the last day of summer =( I hope everyone enjoyed this great season, through heat waves, tornadoes and all!

How have you enjoyed your summer? I spent most of mine enjoying some new restaurants, NYC restaurant week, trips to the Dominican Republic and Washington DC. Watching my godson grow, Yankee Games, parties, weddings, BBQs, beach, sitting poolside, and lounging! It really was a great summer!

This last weekend of summer was great! Friday spent time with my aunt for our monthly wine and cheese night. Saturday hit up Harlem and Brooklyn with my love Don Pepe. I pretty much think Brooklyn is my new love! We had dinner with friends at Apartment 138 and then walked down the street for some drinks at Camp. They were both amazing!! I will do a double feature Spotlight Friday on these 2 Brooklyn spots. But for just a glimpse into my review, imagine breakfast for dinner and possibly the best mac and cheese you ever tasted, finishing it off with do it yourself S'mores and a game of Buck Hunter. It really doesn't get any better. On Sunday, it was a day full of relaxing! Spent some time with family and Don Pepe, then caught up with an old friend Nikki, over some rum & cokes and pool.

But now it's on to enjoying the many adventures and events that Fall and Winter brings. Time to put away the bikinis and bring out the Northface jackets and boots!

**Spotlight Friday's**

“Leave the gun. Take the cannolis.” - Clemenza, The Godfather

This quote really doesn't have much significance to today's post, except that it is one of my favorite lines from this Classic movie, and one of my coworkers said it today, I cracked up, and so I decided to share =)

"Food is our common ground, a universal experience." - James Beard 

I swear, for some reason I have the most influential, engaging conversations, during a meal. Any meal! Theres something about gathering around food that gets people communicating, and I love it! Some of the most memorable conversations with Don Pepe have of course been over a meal or while sitting on the couch having a glass of wine.

Recently, during NYC Restaurant Week, we visited:

City Lobster & Steak

121 West 49th Street

New York, NY 10020

Courtesy of NYCGo.com

It was over our 3 course dinner here that I figured out the exact direction I wanted to take my career, and it was liberating. (I stress about that alot).

The food was delish! And for $35 it was even more delish!

Don Pepe enjoyed the calamari, 2Lb lobster and Red, White & Blue Shortcake for dessert and a couple of Pinot Grigio's. I tasted his lobster and who knows what seasoning they used but it was amazing! Kind of spicy and sweet, it was pretty much indescribable.

I got a Caesar salad (which by the way was THE best I have ever tasted thus far, i was tempted to lick my bowl =/ but we were in public ha ha), the Petit Filet Mignon with Crab meat, and Profiteroles Arabica for dessert which is basically coffee ice cream between two fluffy pastries drizzled in Chocolate Espresso sauce a.k.a the most delicious decadent dessert in the world.

Overall it was a great meal, not only because of the food, but for the company and the excellent conversation!

I do recommend City Lobster & Steak for a nice night out on the town and definitely during Restaurant week! It receives the Official Cupcakes & Caviar Stamp of Approval!!

Whopper What?!

“I love that whole princess mentality, but I also like throwing my hair in a ponytail and just wearing jeans, going on a hike and then eating a big chili-cheeseburger.” ~ Jennifer Love Hewitt

YESSS!!

Ladies, don't be afraid to go all out with your food every now and then. Having a juicy succulent chili- cheeseburger every once in awhile is not going to hurt your waistline. Plus, men might not always admit it, but they love a woman who isn't afraid to eat! We work too hard, spend so much money and effort keeping ourselves looking good and continuing to be the "classy lady" society expects us to be, that sometimes its actually healthy and beneficial to our sanity to let our hair down, let loose, get messy and pig out!

Courtesy of Marie Claire

Speaking of pigging out and Cheeseburgers =)

Burger King now has a specialty restaurant called the Whopper Bar! With only 4 locations across the U.S. (Miami, NYC, Memphis and Orlando) they are serving up there signature whoppers, but this time, you can create them ANY way you like! Pick the sauce, pick the toppings, pick the cheese!

Oh Em Gee!!

Or, you can pick one of their creations including the NY Pizza Burger: Four Whopper patties, slices of pepperoni and mozzarella cheese with marinara and Tuscan sauce on a sesame seed bun.

The only question I have is, Why didn't they think of this sooner???

Check out their entire menu and find their locations HERE

**Spotlight Friday's**

S'Mac

345 East 12th Street

New York, NY 10003-7238

Courtesy of MentalFloss

Remember my last post when I gave a recipe for Baked Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese? Well I was lucky enough to discover this amazing spot in the East Village of NYC that strictly serves nothing but Baked Macaroni & Cheese!!!!!
 

Oh Em Gee!!

 
And you know what they had on their menu??? Buffalo Chicken Macaroni & Cheese!
 
 

 

It was just as amazing as it sounded!

 
The place is really small but super cute with yellow and orange accents. Prices are definitely reasonable considering the area as well. I got a "Mega Munch" size for $10 and I couldn't even finish it! Of course i took it home though and had it for lunch the next day =) Anytime you can get 2 meals out of one, it's money well spent.
 
Don't go here expecting anything fancy or exceptional waiter/waitress service. Go here to simply indulge in one of their 12 cheesy masterpieces!! Mmmmmm I can't wait to go back!!
 
More info can be found on their website here.

R.I.P

This week the New York Times reported a sad sad day for snack lovers across the country! The inventor of our beloved cheesy crunchy snack, Cheez Doodles, Morrie Yohai, passed away peacefully at the wonderful age of 90 on July 27th at his home in Kings Point, Long Island.

Photo Courtesy of  Bill Davis/Newsday

Let's all go out and eat a bag in remembrance of him! Don't even worry about the calories, they're irrelevant today!

To read the full article on Mr. Yohai click HERE

That Wasn't Chicken =/

LMAO!!!!!!!!!

This picture really made me think, has anyone ever eaten something, whether out of pure hunger or just greed lol, that you KNEW was either:

1.  The worst possible thing you could eat (but hey its probably the most delicious too)
2. Covered in nasty bacterias (our bodies are strong though so we believe it can fight the germs off)
3. Definately wasn't what it was being advertised to be (see pic above for reference haha)

I know I defiantely have!! Oops =/

I mean my fellow New Yorkers, what about the dirty water dogs from the carts you can find all over NYC? I mean if you think about it, how long has that water been sitting in there? Where do they clean it? Do they dump it out throughout the day and refill or is it sitting there from morning to night? How many of these guys do you see wear gloves when they are making your hotdog?? I ask myself these questions all the time....especially when I'm about to walk up and get one!!! I mean the thought may be gross, but the truth is when I'm hungry, I'm hungry and those hot dogs are SLAMMIN!!!!!

And remember the E-Coli outbreak at Taco Bell? Where all of a sudden Taco Bells across the nation were "no mans land" and they even had to close down for awhile? Guess who was still eating there even after the outbreak and before they closed? Guess who was at the drive - thru THE DAY it opened back up? Yup, it was me! Taco Bell is La Bomba and no one is keeping me away!

Don't Judge Me!

And what about the picture above?? Like I've said in one of my previous posts, NY has the BEST Chinese restaurants! Period! Don't try and debate me on this one cause i don't care, you will lose! However, some of NY chinese restaurants have been in the news for lets say, not using the correct "edible meat" in their dishes. Have these accusations stopped anyone from eating here though? NOPE!! I will continue to order Chicken and Broccoli for the rest of my life!!!

Has anyone else had similar nasty eating experiences? Or am i the only nasty fat ass??

HA!

National Cheesecake Day!!

OK, im back! To say this week has been so stressful and busy would be an understatement! I know i slacked on my Wendesday ~Eat Up, Drink Up or Shut Up~ post so i promise next week i will double the recipe goodness!!!

OK! Moving on!

HAPPY NATIONAL CHEESECAKE DAY!!!!!!

I'm going to admit that I am not the biggest fan of cheesecake, however, for some reason Oreo Cookie Cheesecake really really gets my tastebuds jumping!!! So today, I will take part in this beautiful holiday and have a slice =)

For anyone else that would like to take part in the festivities today the

will be serving up slices of ANY cheesecake on their menu for half price all day, all night! I believe they have over 20 different types, so just go and run wild!!!!

For all of you New Yorkers, our most famous cheesecake establishment

located right in Brooklyn will be celebrating their 60th Anniversary and National Cheesecake Day by serving up free slices of ANY cheesecake with a purchase of a lunch or dinner entree OR serving ANY cheesecake slice for 60 cents!!! Their slices usually go for about $6!!!!!

Unfortunately, I won't be in the area today to enjoy a Juniors Oreo Cheesecake since it is the BEST in NY!!!!! But I will be enjoying one at the Cheesecake Factory =)

For more information and to find a Cheesecake Factory by you, visit their website Here

To drool over Juniors delicious Cheesecakes and for more information about one of New Yorks most famous establishments visit their website Right Here

**Spotlight Friday's**

Nero D'Avola

46 Gansevoort St

New York NY10014

Close your eyes...imagine you're at Brunch...you order an entree and a mimosa. You finish eating your meal and drinking your mimosa and suddenly the waitress comes over and refills your mimosa. She continues to do this over and over and over again without you even requesting it! 3 hours and 30 mimosas later you get the bill and realize you were never charged for the 30 mimosas. Now open your eyes...cause this is EXACTLY what you would get during brunch at Nero D'Avola.

My wonderful friend and I (let's call her La Fashionista) go here for our monthly drunken brunches. Seriously, for $24.95 you get an entree and UNLIMITED Champagne, Mimosas, Bellinis, Bloody Marys and Screwdrivers for 3 hours!!!!!! They never rush you out or water down the drinks. They're nice and strong, just how i like it! And let me repeat...for 3 hours!!!! There's really nothing like walking around lower Manhattan tipsy in the middle of the afternoon. It's really something everyone should at least try once...or twice...three times...you get it.

Now, not only do you get a meal and UNLIMITED drinks for a poor college student (like myself) friendly price, oh no, the fun doesnt stop there, you also get a live DJ spinning all your favorite Let's-get-on-the-tables-and-dance music! Oh yes, every Sat & Sun from 12-4pm, you can get an UNLIMITED drink and DJ Brunch!

This is my FAVORITE NYC Brunch Spot!

If you're visiting NYC you cannot leave without experiencing a Nero D'Avola Brunch. I recommend the Eggs Benedict and Mimosa.

Nero D'Avola get the Official Cupcakes & Caviar Stamp of Approval for its Dancing Drunken Brunch!

For directions and to see their menu please visit their website: Nero D'Avola

TADA! II

I've decided I'm going to start another weekly posting in addition to my Wednesday's "~Eat Up, Drink Up, or Shut Up~ post.

Every Friday I will spotlight a different restaurant I have been to and have fallen in love with. I will give my review, my favorite dish, and where they can be located. These restaurants will have the official "Cupcakes & Caviar" stamp of approval.

Let's call it.....

**Spotlight Friday's**

4th of July Festivities

One of my favorite holidays is fast approaching! I'm beyond excited for all the food I will have at my reach and all the beers I will surely drink. This day is always usually very simple for me. Beach in the morning and a backyard BBQ with hella good food and lots of beers to go around, capping the night with an amateur Firework display! That's pretty much a perfect 4th of July in my eyes.

However, maybe some of you don't have that option, or maybe your looking for something more extravagant and exciting. Or maybe your living on Long Island and your annual tradition was watching the Jones Beach Fireworks Show, and since its cancellation you have no idea what will replace it, well do I have some ideas for you!

NYC

Hudson Terrace:
         This is for the glamorous. The ones who want to party like its 1999. For the ladies who want an excuse to buy a new dress (me) and the fellas who want to break out the Pradas. Hudson Terrace will be hosting an exclusive Macy's Fireworks Display party on July 4th from 6pm to 4am. Ticket includes 4 hr open bar and All-You-Can-Eat BBQ food. Let me repeat this...ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT BBQ FOOD!!! A DJ will be playing tunes all night for your dancing pleasure. You can visit their website for more info at www.hudsonterracenyc.com

Marco Polo Cruises
        Enjoy Cruises? Dinner and Dancing under the stars? Better yet, under a Firework display? Then hop onto the Lucille Cruise boat for a night on the Hudson River, Full Buffet, 3 hr open bar and DJ spinning all night, from 6pm to 11pm. Tickets are selling fast. This is pretty much the best seat in the house for the Macy's Firework Display. Click Here for more event details and to purchase tickets.


QUEENS

Water Taxi Beach
          Celebrate our Independence on a man made beach in Long Island City. (Long Islanders this is the closest your going to get to your beloved Jones Beach show). Perfect views of the fireworks display, food and drinks for purchase and music to keep your body moving all night long. Very casual, very relaxed, perfect destination if you're not into the extravagant party scene and want a little something more than your average back yard BBQ.


LONG ISLAND

Jones Beach
        Although there will be no fireworks here this year ( =( ) Jones Beach will still be hosting there famous "Latin Night" on July 4th, featuring special guest, recording artist Kat Deluna and many others. Dance the night away and who knows, maybe you will still catch a glimpse of the millions of amateur fireworks going off throughout the night.


Whatever you choose, I hope you have a safe and enjoyable 4th of July! Party like its 1776!!!!