Baba Booey's Peanutastic Cupcake

I am a long time fan of The Howard Stern Show. Yes I, sophisticated Manhattan chick, love Howard & crew, ok? Fart jokes, sex jokes, and all. (Except Sal & Richard...sorry guys). And while commuting by definition is miserable, I do miss getting my daily Sirius-streamed dose. After my fantastic sushi dinner last weekend, hubby and I decided to check out the brandy new Hoboken Crumbs, and imagine my surprise and excitement at the addition of a Baba Booey-inspired cupcake.

Yes, as I and any self-respecting Howard fan knows, Artie started the designer trend by creating his namesake cupcake years ago. Since Crumbs currently ranks atop my "Favorite Cupcake Place" list, I have viewed this glass-cased confection many times, if only to pass over it. Unfortunately Artie, this cupcake is a little too 'fat kid' for me - chocolate buttercream-filled vanilla cake with even more chocolate buttercream and fondant on top. Anyhow, back to Baba Booey. So I am a simple Manhattan chick with simple taste buds, and therefore tend to stick to my standard chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream and sprinkles. But when the sweet gal behind the counter told me that the Baba Booey was made of chocolate and peanut butter, it was though it was designed after my own heart.

The Baba Booey Cupcake

Peanut butter cream-filled chocolate cake

Half peanut butter, half chocolate buttercream frosting
Chocolate sprinkles on top
Peanut butter chips on top

Ok Artie, perhaps this one is a little 'fat kid' too. You still have my love, but I'm just a peanut butter kind of girl at heart. While I made it through 3/4 of the cupcake before my stomach just said 'no', it was a delicious cupcake that I will definitely be enjoying again...especially at the new super convenient Hoboken locale. Baba Booey, I applaud you and your taste buds.

*Crumbs in Hoboken is conveniently located at 409 Washington Street
*Fans can you can join their Crumbs Bake Shop group on Facebook

It's a Manhattan Barbeque Block Party

Meat lovers rejoice! Remember this article? Scratch it (for now). Forget the restaurants for the weekend, and hit up some genuine, outdoor expert grilling. On June 13-14, award-winning pitmasters across the nation unite (including NYC's own Blue Smoke & Dinosaur Bar-B-Que) as Madison Square Park is transformed into an all out feast at the Snapple Big Apple Barbeque Block Party.
Ok, so this two-day event won't feature fireworks and stick ball. But it will feature food, drink, cooking demonstrations, live music...for very limited $$. While the event itself, musical performances, cooking demonstrations, and seminars are free, you'll have to shell out a little cash for food, drink, and souvenirs.

General Food Breakdown
Plate o'BBQ (including, but not limited to ribs, brisket, pulled pork, sausage, beans, and slaw): $8
Desserts (not sure what this entails, but you can bet I'm going to find out): $4
Beverages (Snapple, Coke, beer & wine): $2-6

In my opinion, the only way to do summer is to include grilled meat, and what better opportunity to get outdoors and enjoy summer food? In Manhattan, this is about as good as it gets. Bonus: Proceeds go to support the Madison Square Park Conservancy, the organization dedicated to preserving the park. I'll be there on Sunday, June 14th, so check back for photos, videos and reviews! And if you want to join me, post in comments!
For complete event info, hit up the official site.
You can also visit their Facebook page and Become a Fan (like me!).

*Madison Square Park is located in the Flatiron District, between Fifth and Madison Avenues and 23rd and 26th Streets

Freebies: HOLY GUACAMOLE!

I don't know about you, but I woke up today thinking it had to be Friday since this week has seemingly gone on for much longer than 2 days. If you are looking for a bit of happy hour to get you over the hump and make the next 2 days less painful, I suggest hitting up Rosa Mexicano for the debut of Guac on Tap.

What is Guac on Tap, you ask? Head into any Rosa location around the city (I recommend Union Square) between 5 and 6pm tonight, spend at least $10 and get some free guacamole! And really, have you ever had better guacamole than Rosa's? This Manhattan chick has not. Choose from their extensive drink menu, which includes margaritas, sangria, wine, and if it's been a really rough day, some tequila flights. I recommend their deliciously famed pomegranate margarita.
The promise of yummy drinks and out-of-this-world free guac? That's enough to get me through hump day.