Cupcake Craze

I try my best to resist sweets/dessert after a meal, but I can’t help myself! My ultimate favorites are chocolate, cake, and cupcakes. I’m not afraid to try new flavors, so I can’t say I have a specific favorite at this time. Cupcakes are truly the perfect dessert because it’s the PERFECT size to satisfy the palette for something sweet and is suitable for any occasion.

Those who know me know that I love the city of San Francisco and the Bay Area itself. I was born and raised in San Jose until the age of 9, so I have a lot of memories and it’s where my Dad’s side of the family resides. I always make it a point to visit my family every year and have been doing so since I was in the eighth grade. I love it when my family takes me to a new or favorite eatery, or when we discover a new place to try during shopping trips.

Last summer a friend and I took a trip to San Francisco since she has never been there. One of our many visits included Ghiradelli Square. It’s a major tourist attraction filled with boutiques and the famous Ghiradelli Ice Cream and Chocolate Shop, walking distance from the Cable Car and Fisherman’s Wharf. My friend and I noticed a cupcake shop called Kara’s Cupcakes. Most of their ingredients are organic and locally grown. We were hesitant to try anything because we satisfied our sweet tooths earlier in the day with blueberry filled chocolate and chocolate pretzels. But all their cupcakes looked so beautiful and delicious that I ended up ordering the Rasberry Dazzle (my profile picture is from Kara’s Cupcake). The frosting wasn’t overly sweet and the cake was moist enough that it didn’t break into crumbs when you cut into it. If you don’t want to wait in line to order dessert at Ghiradelli, walk over to Kara’s Cupcakes (www.karascupcakes.com).

I love the Bay Area so much that some of my blogs will be about my favorite eateries in the area.

Living the dream...kind of..

What's your dream job? And hopefully i've inspired you to contemplate on this question if you haven't thought about it. I love food because it brings people together and for the most part, it keeps people happy and evokes excitement. I also think the best conversations come from a table with food, whether you're having a family dinner or dessert with friends. I would love to be a food critic. I wouldn't just want to write about what is or isn't good, but i'd want to share the entire experience. I've read that a "good critic is a story teller, not just a knowlegeable diner." I'm not sure if i'm good at either one but I will definitely give it a try, which is the reason for this blog. My motivation and inspiration have come from my friends and probably my sweet tooth:)


Tonight I went to Chianti Grill with my closest friends Ann, Richelle, and Ryan (Richelle's husband). The restaurant is tucked in the suburb of Burnsville. The inside is spacious with its tall ceiling and large seating area, but the ambience was intimate with the dark-wood trim and dimmed lighting.



Dinner started with an order of calamari. It's not anything to rave about, but the calamari was cooked just right. My entree was the Seafood Cannelloni with scallops, shrimp, and crab covered with a sherry cream sauce. It was tasty, but the sherry cream sauce was a little overpowering. All the entrees include salad with your choice of dressing and bread. Although the bread wasn't warm, I liked it because it was soft and the bread didn't overpower the entire meal. For example, Olive Garden has their amazing garlic breadsticks and salad, and for those who love them both, we like to have as much of it as we can that we forget about the entree. The bread and salad at Chianti Grill was just enough that I still looked forward to my main meal. Below is a picture of the New York Strip with garlic mashed potatoes, Chicken Parmigiana with fettucine alfredo, the Seafood Linguine with scallops, shrimp, clamps, and artichokes, and Seafood Cannelonni.





The best part of any meal is dessert! We ordered a 3 layer chocolate cake and a molten chocolate cake with a side of ice cream. All I have is one word for both desserts: delicious!



I love when my friends and I close a restaurant. Now that I think about it, I think we do that a lot. We get caught up in conversation that we forget about the time. Good food and great friends = happiness.