urbanfoodie

*20-something, filipina american urbanite
(Minneapolis via NYC, SF, & the Chicagoland area)
*creator, consumer, and all-around enthusiast of food
Nov 6
L’obsession. (via Paris vs New York)

L’obsession. (via Paris vs New York)

macarons | cupcakes | trends | paris | new york | Comments (View)
Sep 8

Who Put the Whiskey in My Milkshake? // NYTimes.com

Not sure that I’d say this is a new trend because I’ve been enjoying Town Talk Diner’s adult malts and floats for the last three years I’ve lived in Minneapolis. Tip: Get the Johnny Cold Train (Bailey’s, Frangelico, Kahlua, Chocolate - WHAT?!)


boozy | trends | Twin Cities | Comments (View)
Apr 15

How Food Trucks Went From Hip to Over in 12 Steps : From Hot to Not : Eater NY

Minneapolis may have just passed the ordinance to allow street food vending, but other parts of the country are all but ready to leave the trucks in the dust. Granted, the conditions for the nascent street food scene in MSP are different from those in other cities. Minneapolis is not NYC. St. Paul is not LA. (And I’m guessing they don’t want to be either). But the Twin Cities may have something to learn from the rise and projected-fall of street food and its culture in other metro areas. Based on Eater’s observations, the danger seems to be in becoming too trendy and the tenuous relationship between traditional Brick-and-Mortar models and this mobile movement. Given the pragmatic, agreeable, and creative folks that we are in Minnesota, I’m hopeful that street food here can take its own shape and foster its own sustainable culture.


street food | trends | Minneapolis | St. Paul | MSP | national | Comments (View)
Mar 2

Macarons: The heir to the cupcake craze | Salon.com

Tell me something new. *Yawn.*


macarons | trends | Comments (View)
“Pierre Hermé, France’s pre-eminent macaron chef, says he’s neither for nor against macarons’ newfound popularity but says he hasn’t tried the McDonald’s version. “There’s macaron, and then there’s macaron.” [Macarons’ New Popularity Worries Fans - WSJ.com]

macarons | McDonald's | trends | Comments (View)
Dec 7
(image via Serious Eats) When I recently declared that macarons were the new cupcake, I thought I was some kind of trendcasting genius. Token indulgences like this are bound to explode in these difficult economic times, much like lipstick sales skyrocket when times get tough. I even went and did a little Google Trends analysis of searches for “macaron” in the U.S., learning that interest in macarons has gone up dramatically from practically nil in the last two years: Then I did a little more research and found that the Foodista blog beat me to this trend report by less than a month (goes to show…don’t neglect your blogging). They even included a little Google Trend screen cap (note that most searchers were within France). Then there was the macaron cookbook review featured on Eat Me Daily. Serious Eats has featured many a macaron post since 2007, most recently breaking some news that Starbucks is going to start selling macarons imported from France. That’s OK, this little blogger may not be the most forward food trendcaster, but I will continue to extol the virtues of this most sophisticated cookie (and don’t confuse it with the macaroon). Pour moi, the X-Factor of a macaron is in the breakthrough of the delicate crust to a soft, airy cookie texture. The closest I have ever come to experiencing macaron perfection is Miette Patisserie. Bouchon Bakery comes a close second: Here in the Twin Cities, Sweets Bakeshop in St. Paul brings a respectable offering to the meringue gods. But I do find myself wanting in the texture department with the Sweets macarons, which have more of a dense, somewhat pasty interior. Perhaps the recipe will evolve, as Sweets is relatively new. I do have to say, the flavor of the salted caramel filling is outstanding. Below are a couple of macarons, one pistachio/chocolate and the other some other flavor that was not very memorable. One of my friends suggested that macarons are too difficult to make to ever achieve the popularity of cupcakes. I am going to put that to the test with my own attempt next weekend. Stay tuned. Project *Macaron will return soon enough with the next effort at making this pastry take over the world. EDITING NOTE: *I mistakenly added a second “o” the first time I posted this, totally proving that….well, I guess it’s pretty easy to mix up the macaron and the macaroon (hey, at least I know the difference), and I need a copyeditor. Oops!

(image via Serious Eats)

When I recently declared that macarons were the new cupcake, I thought I was some kind of trendcasting genius. Token indulgences like this are bound to explode in these difficult economic times, much like lipstick sales skyrocket when times get tough. I even went and did a little Google Trends analysis of searches for “macaron” in the U.S., learning that interest in macarons has gone up dramatically from practically nil in the last two years:

macaron_google

Then I did a little more research and found that the Foodista blog beat me to this trend report by less than a month (goes to show…don’t neglect your blogging). They even included a little Google Trend screen cap (note that most searchers were within France). Then there was the macaron cookbook review featured on Eat Me Daily. Serious Eats has featured many a macaron post since 2007, most recently breaking some news that Starbucks is going to start selling macarons imported from France. That’s OK, this little blogger may not be the most forward food trendcaster, but I will continue to extol the virtues of this most sophisticated cookie (and don’t confuse it with the macaroon).

Pour moi, the X-Factor of a macaron is in the breakthrough of the delicate crust to a soft, airy cookie texture. The closest I have ever come to experiencing macaron perfection is Miette Patisserie.

miette macarons

Bouchon Bakery comes a close second:

Blueberry macaron

Here in the Twin Cities, Sweets Bakeshop in St. Paul brings a respectable offering to the meringue gods. But I do find myself wanting in the texture department with the Sweets macarons, which have more of a dense, somewhat pasty interior. Perhaps the recipe will evolve, as Sweets is relatively new. I do have to say, the flavor of the salted caramel filling is outstanding. Below are a couple of macarons, one pistachio/chocolate and the other some other flavor that was not very memorable.

sweets bakeshop macarons

One of my friends suggested that macarons are too difficult to make to ever achieve the popularity of cupcakes. I am going to put that to the test with my own attempt next weekend. Stay tuned. Project *Macaron will return soon enough with the next effort at making this pastry take over the world.

EDITING NOTE: *I mistakenly added a second “o” the first time I posted this, totally proving that….well, I guess it’s pretty easy to mix up the macaron and the macaroon (hey, at least I know the difference), and I need a copyeditor. Oops!

macarons | trends | french | st. paul | Comments (View)
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