Blue Smoke and Hoboken

Cupcake Heaven

Ah, Nirvana in a little paper cup .. covered with a nice layer of frosting. Yep, I called ahead, listened to smoky jazz while on hold, as the reservation guy checked with the pastry chef to see if they'd make cupcakes for us the next day. Yep! So I booked a table for Gwen and I for lunch at noon. We arrived and they prepared to seat us making sure to press the little cupcake button twice. Yep, they have a 'secret' little button under the left side of the reservation counter that prints out the 'hold' tickers to reserve our cupcakes. For lunch I had my new favorite summer drink to go with BBQ - a whiskey smash. I had the pull pork sandwich, Gwen had the brisket sandwich. Flavorful jalapeño hush puppies and collard greens rounded out the main meal. But it was the cupcakes that were the real winner - room temperature, super soft but not undercooked chocolate pieces of heaven goodness. They were super moist and the perfect sweetness with simple dark chocolate icing. We tried to order two more but to no avail - they were out already. Better for the waistline ... or until the next visit, say Sunday with Dad?

The Other Side of the Hudson
Headed to Hoboken Pier to promote Environmental Defense for the movie crowd seeing An Inconvenient Truth. Took the PATH there. Damn, only $1.50 to Jersey! That's cheaper that the subway. But it is Jersey. Found the outdoor space but they didn't have the inflatable screen up yet. Only about one third of the people turned out compared to Bryant Park crowds. Not many folks were interested in the materials although I did meet a few interesting people - a gal promoting her green building products 9soon to open a store in Jersey), a young kid interested in chatting all-things-green, and a couple with a baby who own a eco-product store (they and their baby were wearing hemp clothing). There was one crazy blonde woman telling me "its know that a new ice age is coming" and challenged me to prove that the global temperature rise was not due to natural cycles. Ah, she was a fun one. She didn't even want to stay for the film! But I was able to handle things well even when she misused her knowledge on eutrophication. I think she was surprised that I knew what BOD was. Ah, Hoboken. Land of Sinatra, nice folks, and a nice view of the Manhattan skyline. Think I'll go back in a year - if it still only costs $3 round-trip.