The Anthony Bourdain thread

Laurel, you've been having the wrong cupcakes, I need to bake you some and fax them over.

also the last few weddings i've been at have had cupcakes instead of a cake.

Yeah, this is a thing now.

My problem with cupcakes is that I don't like buttercream frosting.

I need to bake you some and fax them over.

YSI plz!

for those who deny that the cupcake trend has gone too far:

http://www.seriouseats.com/2008/12/meatloaf-bakery-chicago-illinois.html

The hipster cupcake proliferation is kinda redic but I’ve had some damn good ones.

But, last week we finally entered the big time with Lakeview’s Meatloaf Bakery. While it sounds like the drug fueled dream of a character in some big ticket Hollywood movie, it’s the real deal here in Chicago—a storefront emporium that sells no less than eight types of gourmet meatloaf in appetizer form (aka "loafies"), full loaves, and, yes, the meat cupcake, aka "meatloaf baked in cupcake forms and piped with mashed potato frosting."

To me, the idea seemed an absurdity on every level. Why would I pay for something I could ask my mom to do for free?

"Mommmmm! I need you to whip up some meaty cakes for me!"

do you ever feel like some people are fronting with this OMG I LOVE BACON CUPCAKES shit nowadays

I was at a stand-up comedy show about a year ago, and one of the performers got a huge laugh just by saying, "So I decided to open up a hip new bakery."

David Chang serves complete garbage imo. Been to 3 of his restaurants (1 has since closed), mediocre ameri-asian fusion.

Bourdain's personality/writing >>>>>>>>> cooking based on my 2 samples of LH back when he was in the kitchen.

which of his restaurants closed?

Hating cupcakes is lame.

I like Bourdain but he has these little eccentricities that I hate, like his weird obsession with tiki shit.

And aging rockers.

Bourdain and Chang are two guys who don't seem to be particularly into dessert, so hating cupcakes is not very surprising even beyond the root hatred of culinary fad cycles.

i like a good cupcake! place down the street from my gf's house makes rad ones:

http://www.kickasscupcakes.com

i mean, i'm not big into sweets at all, but if someone makes a good cupcake you can be damn sure i'll eat it.

I like aging rockers and do not partic like dessert, so I'm okay with all this cranky-ass fuckers.

Bourdain's personality/writing >>>>>>>>> cooking based on my 2 samples of LH back when he was in the kitchen.

i don’t think he every really hyped himself up as anything more then a serviceable chef.

Being away from austin for 4 years, I've noticed cupcakes everywhere. I don't really understand it, are there that many people that are craving just cupcakes? There are trailers that only sell cupcakes. I don't think I'm ever just wanting a cupcake.

this profile makes david chang sound like an awful and sad human being

I don't really understand it, are there that many people that are craving just cupcakes?

It's part of the same trend that has bars serving tater tots and restaurants doing "gourmet" macaroni and cheese. In other words, capitalizing on childhood nostalgia with "comfort foods."

people need to stop frontin, cupcakes are delicious. And you can eat them without a fork, which is v. difficult to do with other cake products i.e. regular cake.

You know who else doesn't like to eat things with forks? Small children.

sometimes a man needs to eat cake on the go, and for that cupcakes are a godsend.

this profile makes david chang sound like an awful and sad human being

Yeah, isn't he great?

Disappointed that Shasta didn't like his food. I wanted to check it out some day.

i just want to clarify that as far as i can tell, laurel is the only person who has come out as anti-cupcake on this thread.

i mean i can see if you're not into cake in general but why would you ever hate on cupcakes specifically. like what, you want a whole cake that you can cut into slices? i'm one guy--wtf am i going to do with a whole cake?

Cut it into pieces apparently?

well yeah and then i've got leftover cake or i need to find people to share it with or something. if i get a cupcake i can eat it and not think about cake again for however long i want.

This summer. He's one guy. With a whole cake.

NOTE: THIS IS NOT CALL ALL DESTROYER PICTURED HERE

http://rantendrant.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/fat_lady_eating_cake-3755.jpg

i really liked chang's food when i had it but i guess it's not v 'authentic'

lol fantastic thing to open @ work! thanking u.

why would you ever hate on cupcakes specifically. like what, you want a whole cake that you can cut into slices?

they're basically all exterior from a baking standpoint and are nearly impossible to keep from drying out.

Already answered your question.

sorry

don't worry polyp, i don't like lots of rests/chefs that people love...

and don't want to say that i'm the Alfred Soto of food opinions or anything, I just think the Momofuku chain is defnitely not my style.

I actually do like cake and I prob wouldn't turn a good cupcake down, but then again if they're not really very good I might just say "no thanks!" at the office party or whatev because I don't like frosting and I like cake to be moist.

Have had Cupcake Cafe or some other fancy West Vill NYC hipster bakery cupcakes and was really not happy w them.

also, something else that bugs: naming your chain after the inventor of instant noodles is pretty corny and low-concept.

someone should start a chain named after/inspired by Hungry Man TV dinners.

hahah it's ok mr. que more just the shock + quick minimize than anything actually bad.

they're basically all exterior from a baking standpoint and are nearly impossible to keep from drying out.

uhhh i have had some moist cupcakes so not sure abt this.

people need to stop frontin, cupcakes are delicious. And you can eat them without a fork, which is v. difficult to do with other cake products i.e. regular cake.

just wanted to point out that the current gourmet cupcake craze has almost made eating them without a fork impossible unless you are totes okay with having frosting smeared all over your face like a neanderthal

That cupcake drying thing is crazy nonsense.

yeah there's this new cupcake place near our house and they smear so much damn frosting on the things that I can barely eat one without unhinging my jaw. i love cupcakes and they are delicious, but it seems like overkill

xxp only if they're proportioned wrong or are going insane with frosting towers or something. but i would not eat a cupcake that had those problems.

too much frosting is a mortal sin imo

haha wait didn't you just namecheck Kick-Ass Cupcakes??????

xp I like that it keeps the top of the cupcake moist but I peel off frosting before eating.

lol yeah i just brought cupcakes from there to my parents house when they had us for dinner! i thought they were well-proportioned.

ftr CAD is saying that this is not too much frosting on a cupcake:

http://www.thehightea.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Cupcakes-Kickass-Cupcakes.JPG

now don't get me wrong, I totally fuck with these, but never would it cross my mind to hold these things up as an example of how one should really frost a cupcake

shocking that these two very well balanced and reasonable dudes are so negative about something frivolous, nostalgic, girly, baby-stroller-y, goop-dot-commy etc

hahahahahhah i can't believe you are just busting out photo evidence like that!