Cupcakes and Cafeteria in NYC

This past weekend, I took Maddy for her first train trip into NYC to visit her Great Aunt. It was a day trip with my siblings that was long overdue. The main goal was to a) check out some cute baby shops and b) savor a NYC cupcake. Mission accomplished.

I've put together a map of the 3 stops we made. Simply click on the map and it'll give you all of the details with name, location and website.



First Stop: Lucky Wangs- Adorable Asian inspired clothing like Kimono dresses and tops, dresses, bottoms, booties and toys. Reasonable prices and available for online shopping.

Lunch Break: Cafeteria- An upscale eatery open 24-7 that is favored by celebrities. We got seated after only a 20-minute wait and had quick service. Started with the Mac 'n' Cheese Spring Rolls with Gouda Dipping Sauce. Since I'm a Weight Watcher (and was saving my calories for the cupcake), I only took a bite, but boy was it yummy! It tasted kind of what you would expect a spring roll with cheese inside would. The best styled mac 'n' cheese ever! The 4 of us ordered either salad or sandwich, all of which were under $15 and provided plenty of food (sometimes the upscale lunch dining in NY=a dot of food on a plate):

1. My brother got the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich complete with an Avocado Blue Cheese Sour Cream.
2. My sister got the Veggie Burger which was 100% Vegan. Unlike veggie burgers that are a thin patty, this had a consistency of a thick potato pancake. A true 'from scratch' burger. Served with hummus and sprouts.
3. My Aunt got a very large Cobb Salad complete with avocado, blue cheese, bacon, egg and grilled chicken for an extra $3.
4. My salad was so amazing. It was the Autumn Greens Salad. What sold me was the butternut squash. How often does a salad come with that topping? I threw on chicken for an extra $6. It was such a great, fresh salad.

Keep up with the latest Cafeteria news at their site or follow them on Twitter!

The Finale: Cupcake Cafe & Books of Wonder-We didn't have to walk far for our dessert finale. Cucpake Cafe is the pastry side of the nearly 30 year old Books of Wonder children's book store (where my Aunt bought all of our picture/story books when we were little). The glass front cupcake counter was like a confection gallery. Chocolate, vanilla or maple walnut cake with chocolate, vanilla or mocha frosting donned with a variety of floral designs. From small to large, there was cupcake for all appetites. And these weren't your from-the-box cupcakes. They were moist without falling apart in your hands. The icing was fresh and light and not a sugar-high waiting to happen. Of course we had to take pictures to preserve the detail in the design. High-Five Cupcake Cafe! While we ate, we could easily peruse the shelves of books from Classics like Wizard of Oz and Peter Rabbit to modern picture books like Fancy Nancy, the Miss Nelson series and off-beat titles like Bad Baby by Ross McDonald. Since B-o-W hosts numerous book signing events, plenty of autographed titles were available. Random Trivia: Books of Wonder was the inspiration for Meg Ryan's bookstore in You've Got Mail.

Time flew so fast; it was difficult to say goodbye. But now we know an area of NY where we can grab lunch and dessert, browse fun books and enjoy a few hours in the city.