Sexy Feast

I love bakeries, as the shelves and showcases serve as the menu. Macrina bakes some fabulous bread, but I was in the mood for some cake or pastry. From a Sexy Feast perspective, there were all kinds of possibilities: Morning Glory muffins, Rocket muffins, Roly-Poly (Macrina’s spin on a cinnamon roll), or a poundcake. But then something savory caught my eye: plates of scones–specifically the dill scones. These pastries have fresh dill and some scallions on the inside, and little crusties of baked parmesan on top. Any sane person would yearn to have this inside him or her.

So what does Macrina Bakery’s dill scone teach us about sex?

It’s all about the inner joy that dill dough brings.

(Okay, cheesy, I know…which reminds me that Macrina also does a dill scone with cream cheese.)

I’m not sure there’s any definitive etymology about dildos, but it’s clear that these penis-shaped and penis-sized sexual devices have quite a history, probably going back to the Paleolithic era. After all, people have long enjoyed sex, and stone objects offer inevitable temptations.

Early dildos were crafted in stone, wood, and other natural materials before being made of rubber during the mid-twentieth century. Initially reinforced with steel, they eventually became filled with PVC to prevent injury from cracking. Today, silicone is in style, as this rubber-like compound holds heat well and is easy to clean. Some people also like steel and glass models, while new cyberskin dildos take on a most realistic appearance.

Dildos know no gender boundaries, as users enjoy them for both vaginal and anal penetration, as well as fetish play. Many think of the dildo as exclusively a woman’s toy, but anal penetration of a man by a woman wearing a strap-on dildo, an act known as “pegging,” is increasingly popular. In fact, for some time, workers at San Francisco-based adult toy store Good Vibrations told me that Bend Over Boyfriend was a best-selling video.

And if designer dildos are a budget-buster, look back to food for fun. Zucchini, bananas, cucumbers, and eggplants serve the same purpose, and make grocery shopping that much more exciting. Just think of the endless hours of thrills as you speculate about shoppers you see in your favorite store’s produce aisle. As for Macrina Bakery’s scone, even if you can find one that’s the right shape, it’ll probably crack and will lack a flared end, so let’s not go there–but you can certainly enjoy the sensual pleasure of stuffing one inside your mouth.

First published in Seattle Weekly’s Voracious on March 8, 2012.

Dish:

On the plate: The menu doesn’t offer any further description of the dish, but you’re getting rice noodles with beef, red and green bell peppers, onions, and fermented black bean sauce.

Supporting cast/What to do: Same as with most of these dishes: Ask for chili sauce if you want more spice, and otherwise just dig in. These slippery, flat noodles provide a test of your chopstick skills.

Noodling around: Chow means stir-fry and fun are rice noodles. I love wide noodles, which always draws me to this dish. At Regent, you can choose from several types of beef chow fun. For dry beef chow fun ($8.95), the noodles are stir-fried with a little soy sauce, but otherwise cooked “dry” to bring out the wok hei smokiness. Beef chow fun with sauce ($9.95) is wet-fried, so it comes with more of a gravy. A fan of fermented black beans, I went with the black bean sauce beef chow fun as it would offer the stronger flavor. (For a non-beef option, you can get spicy sauce shrimp and BBQ pork chow fun for $8.95.)

This noodle dish has pungent appeal from the black beans, the sauce coating the noodles in slippery fashion. They’re soft with the slightest chew, the bell peppers offering a contrast in textures. There’s a generous amount of beef on the plate, and I detected underlying flavors of garlic, ginger, and I’d guess sesame oil (traditional ingredients for chow fun).

As Regent is an American-style Chinese restaurant, you’ll find other “American” dishes in the noodle section of the menu (Singapore rice noodles and chow mein), as well as in the non-noodle sections (including, yes, General Tso’s chicken).

If you want more: There are predictable appetizers like crispy spring rolls (three for $4.95) and Chinese potstickers (six for $5.95), as well as a selection of meat or vegetable skewers ($1.75 each), but why not take advantage of being in a bakery? Select from a wide variety of cake slices, like the luscious chestnut ($3.85). It’s spongy with layers of light cream and chestnut, and not nearly as heavy as many Western desserts.

Be aware/beware: Regent Bakery and Cafe just opened its Seattle location (there’s also one in Redmond) on Wednesday, and was already drawing good crowds over the weekend. If you don’t want a full meal, you can come for a slice of cake (or a whole cake!) with coffee or tea (including bubble tea), or perhaps a pick of Chinese pastries–which are also great to go. Look for hot dog buns, pineapple buns, a variety of croissants, and much more. While you order your cake at the counter, the pastries are self-service. Grab tongs and a tray to collect what you want, then proceed to the cashier.

It’s not that A la Mode Pies is new. They’ve been producing pies and selling them online since 2009, receiving accolades from Seattle Weekly readers in 2011’s “Best Desserts” category. Today is special because A la Mode Pies debuts its flagship café in Phinney Ridge, which will be open seven days a week from 7:00 to 7:00.

Look for a menu board of 9-10 pies, plus a seasonal special or two, available in petite (serving two) and whole (serving eight) sizes. Chef/owner Chris Porter acknowledges that the pies are a bit pricey ($25 for a whole), explaining that he uses locally grown organic fruit and strives for high quality with “layers of flavors.”

If you can’t wait to get your pie home, sit in the store (there are a couple of tables, as well as a few seats at a counter), get some Caffe Umbira coffee, and order a slice.  Definitely heed the café’s name and get your pie “a la mode,” as the ice cream comes from Bluebird. The creamy vanilla ice cream is a fine match for most flavors, while snickerdoodle add a cinnamon burst to the apple-based pies.

Below are some of the pies I sampled, and a few other photos. Much to my surprise, my favorite was the signature Blue Hawaiian pie (picture above), with a streusel topping and blueberries that burst with flavor, working well with pineapple and coconut. If you like the pie, note that Bluebird is perfecting a Blue Hawaiian ice cream to match, to be available only from A la Mode Pies. With innovative flavors and quality products, anytime’s a good time to be in the mood for A la Mode.

Mexican chocolate mousse slice

French apple, with a scoop of snickerdoodle

A look at the key lime pie

The very rich chocolate caramel pecan tart

Star-spangled sour cherry, which was just tart enough

Lemon macaroon tart, which had a cheesecake-like texture

The menu board, full of choices

A la Mode Pie’s interior

Cute LolliPies

A glimpse inside the showcase, so tempting…

This translates into happiness…

As a food writer and sex educator, I’m sharing hedonistic ideas (from nibbles to “naughtiness”) for couples visiting Seattle-area neighborhoods and more distant destinations in this new Passport to Pleasure feature.

Wallingford has had a reputation as a neighborhood for families. Whether you have children or not, here are some ideas of how you and your loved one can spend a day heating things up in the Wallyhood.

EAT UP THE EROTIC BAKERY

Your first stop has to be the Erotic Bakery. No need to feel embarrassed. This place has been open 25 years because it’s fun—in a folksy sexy sort of way. Definitely check out the cakes turning in the glass display, but since you’re going for a “quickie,” cash in on the cupcake craze and grab your choice of penis and vulva cupcakes. There are also cookies sculpted with body parts. Ah, the magic of marzipan.

As you shop the store, note that you can purchase pans to make provocative cakes in your own kitchen. (The breast-shaped pans look quite ample.) Or how about some blue ball ice cube trays to make good times explode at your next party? And it’s not just food-related wares at the Erotic Bakery. Before you leave, you can also replenish your stock of lubricants, games, and other adult novelties for your sex play.

GO BUY A KITE…

You’ll now go from an adult toy store to a kid toy store—though this is for kids from 5 to 105. It’s time for your inner child to come out and fly a kite, this time with support from a partner.

The Gasworks Park Kite Stop sells both single line and dual line kites. You can’t help but forget the worries of the world from the moment you enter the store, as you’ll be captivated by all the bright colors and interesting shapes and designs. Choosing one or two will likely be as challenging as learning to fly what you buy. (If you do need flying lessons, the friendly folks at the store will gladly give you tips.) Perhaps a simple orange butterfly kite, or maybe a classic box kite in rainbow colors to start? Pick up other toys like bouncing balls and yo-yos as back-up if you fear kite-flying failure.

…AND GO FLY A KITE

Gas Works Park is not just for the Fourth of July. It’s actually a lot more relaxing the other 364 days of the year. The 19+ acre parcel of land, cleared in 1906 to build a plant to manufacture gas from coal, became a public park in 1975. Parts of the plant remain, seemingly built into the park, and the hilly terrain makes for a perfect place to picnic while taking in views of Lake Union, the city, and all the surrounding activity on and around the lake.

Sit back and watch the seaplanes land and take off while enjoying your anatomically correct (or not) cupcakes. Then it’s time to climb the hill, take out those kites, and laugh as you both try to let them sail into the sky. Work together to get one going, communicating and negotiating and deploying all the skills that are useful in other aspects of your relationship. Worst-case scenario: fall flat in your efforts and roll down the hill—together. Nothing should keep you from have fun in this park.

THE JOULE OF THE EVENING

Stay at Gas Works as long as you like, as you’re building your appetite for dinner. Tonight, you’re dining at Joule, appropriately named for the spark and energy of its food. Chefs Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi have received numerous accolades, including an appearance on Iron Chef America and semifinal status for a James Beard Award for Best Chef Northwest. Also, Joule was named one of the top 50 best new restaurants by Travel + Leisure in May 2009.

Yang and Chirchi recently birthed a baby and opened a second restaurant, Revel (in Fremont), so you’re no longer likely to see them in the kitchen together. (Too bad, as watching them work together teaches us a lot about relationships, as I described in my “Perfect Partners” article in Edible Seattle last year.) But regardless of who’s cooking in the kitchen, the food is imaginative and full of fabulous flavor.

Joule’s menu contains a limited number of items under the “Abroad” and “Native” flavor categories, as well as a 7-course “Collected” flavor menu for $35 per person (served family style for the entire table). It’s east meets west as you jump about the menu, and sharing small plates is the way to go. Expect a symphony of bold flavors, starting with any soup (I’ve long loved the spicy beef soup, but recently enjoyed corn vichyssoise with lime cream, cotija, and chili) and moving on to one of the fresh salads, such as bok choy with grilled corn. The Joule chefs are great with the grill, which you’ll notice in their preparations of beef tongue to octopus to fingerling potatoes. It’s always great to get a little glass jar of kimchi or pickles, and if you find whole fish on the menu (the current menu features whole mackerel with sherry glaze and cumin pickled carrots), grab it and pick through the bones with your partner. Joule is a contemporary little restaurant with dark wood and Asian accents, but your focus will be on the food—and then each other after eating one of the most intriguing and delicious meals possible in Seattle.

For the debut of Passport to Pleasure, I start in my own neighborhood: Upper Queen Anne. What’s the appeal of this area? It’s the highest part of the city, with romantic walks offering turns that reveal stunning views of water and mountains.

PASSIONATE FOR PASTRIES

Your first stop should be Café de Lion on Queen Anne Avenue. Daisuke and Tomoyo Miura named it after their now 4-year-old son (whose name you pronounce like “Leon”). There are just a few tables in this cozy cafe, but what you want are two seats at the counter in front of Daisuke. His coffee station looks like a chemistry lab, and Daisuke delights in playing mad scientist, pairing a cup to your choice of cake. (By the way, the water-dripped iced coffee is the best I’ve ever had.)

Tomoyo occasionally emerges from the kitchen with a small platter of pastries to stock the front showcase. Healthy and seasonal, these French-style sweets (though not too sweet, which is part of the Japanese influence) are made with care and fine ingredients—like sugar that’s a mix of Okinawan black sugar and sugar cane. Look for green tea “rare” cheesecake, molten chocolate cake with red wine fig wine compote, colorful berry tarts, and the like. The staff posts the ever-changing selections to Facebook each morning; since they can be reserved, they sometimes sell out quickly. (Café de Lion has a strong Japanese following, drawing customers from Seattle and the Eastside.) Daisuke describes the café as a boutique, calling the desserts “limited editions.”

To get a jump on your Queen Anne adventure, come to the café early for the “croque” sandwiches. And with urban hiking ahead of you, why not get something to go? You’ll find bags of golden madeleines, a rainbow array of macarons (the matcha macarons are especially delicious), fruit phyllos, and cute jars of homemade jams that you can spread on bread for your picnic.

STROLLING THE STAIRS

Carbo-loaded, you’re ready for an afternoon of walking. In Queen Anne, that’s likely to mean some stair-climbing, as there are more than 100 stairs in the neighborhood. Stop in at Queen Anne Books, just two blocks north of Café de Lion, to pick up the “Map of the (oft) Pedestrian Public Stairs of Queen Anne Hill.” Thomas Horton authored this helpful resource with help from the Queen Anne Historical Society, which sells the map online. (Or visit the Queen Anne Stairs website for maps, tours, historical information, and more.)

A suggested route: From the bookstore or Café de Lion, cross Queen Anne Avenue and continue to 1^st Avenue North, making a right and walking southbound until the street becomes more like an alley (at Galer). Continue to the cul-de-sac (past Lee), then walk the path and you’ll reach the Comstock Grande Dame. Perhaps the highest point of any public stair in Seattle, it was built in 1905 and has 85 steps. The shape makes it unique—and romantic. According to Horton, “(w)ith its sinuous turns (twisty, serpentine) and the great canopy of trees above it, the Comstock Grande Dame is a great place to steal a kiss.”

The stair drops you back on Queen Anne Avenue. From here, walk one block south. Cross the street and walk west on Highland, where you’ll see Kerry Park and then the magnificent mansions. Approaching 7^th Avenue West, peek into Parsons Garden. You might witness a wedding or an informal croquet match, or you might get lucky and have the place to yourself. Floral and peaceful, this is a perfect place to picnic, or to simply relax together on the grass.

When ready, stroll across the street to the Betty Bowen Viewpoint. Here you’ll enjoy a spectacular southwestern view of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains, as well as some interesting art installations. Beyond the Betty Bowen sign is the Wilcox (retaining) Wall with its built-in stair, well worth exploring, but from the view area try walking one block south to the stair at 7^th Avenue West and West Prospect. A shorter stair with just 33 steps, it was built in 1918 and features a resting bench at the top landing. The house along the stair, atypical in not facing a street, is quite intriguing. From here, with map or not, meander the neighborhood at your leisure.

MOUTH IS ALIVE WITH JUICES LIKE WINE

Appetite restored, make your way back to Queen Anne Ave for dinner at How to Cook a Wolf. Named after the M.F.K. Fisher classic, this quaint Ethan Stowell joint is popular, so go early to indulge in quieter moments, and to enjoy the energy as the space fills.

If you don’t get in right away, two doors down is Queen Anne Dispatch, which offers double the chance for romance. Here you can send your partner a pre-prepared love letter. (After all, wouldn’t it be a great surprise to receive one via old-fashioned, regular mail?) As a bonus, the store is informally known as Undies and Outies, and you can communicate your love with a purchase of lingerie, massage oil, and even paintable chocolate.

Wolf will call when your seats are ready. You might get the back table (actually designed for four), which offers the most seclusion. Counter seating is a great option, as you can banter with the bartender and your neighboring diners. Summer means warm weather, with tables spilling out onto the sidewalk, and romantic dining al fresco.

Chef Matt Fortner occasionally makes an appearance to deliver a dish, but is otherwise tucked away in the tiny kitchen, visible when you first enter the restaurant. This is a place where you’ll share Italian-inspired plates both large and small. Preparations are rustic with a focus on fresh ingredients, so items jump on and off the menu. Fortner blisters Padron peppers (said to be an aphrodisiac) in olive oil and sprinkles them will sea salt, perhaps spicing up your sex life in the process. Morel mushrooms (with cauliflower and brown butter) add earthiness to a pair of sweet, succulent scallops. And pastas at Wolf are perfect; a plate of ribbony tagliarini with geoduck and basil pesto exemplifies what you can expect.

SEDUCTIVE SUNSET IN SEATTLE

Time your evening right and you’ll be leaving close to sunset, which means returning to Highland Avenue. You can saunter back to Betty Bowen again and, with luck, land seats on one of the benches to snuggle up and take in the pink skies over the water and mountains. But if you don’t mind small crowds, go to Kerry Park for the quintessential view of Seattle. If it’s clear, you’ll see the city and the Space Needle with Mount Rainier hovering in the background. As the sun sets, its rays brighten up the Seattle skyline one last time, and then you can enjoy the city lights that emerge with nightfall. It’s a perfect ending to a perfect day in Queen Anne, and a reminder of Seattle’s romantic potential.

And the neighborhood smells great.

You’ve been able to get some of these pies at Fuel Coffee and other cafes, but now Dani Cone has opened a dedicated 2,100-square-foot bakery and café to sell her Flipsides, Cutie Pies, Piejars, Piepops, and other handmade treats right at the baking source.

There’s some counter seating with lookout to Union and Madison, but we perched at the handcrafted pie-shaped butcher block table–now if the table was also a lazy Susan, that would have been extra cool!–to sample some sweet and savory pies.

My favorite: the caramel pecan petit-5 ($1.50), which is a bite-sized delight. It offers a perfect marriage of crust and filling, whereas the Mile Wide pie ($90, estimated to serve 40 or more people) was heavy on the filling (albeit enjoyable, as it was not too sweet, and not at all syrupy). Added bonus: the option to heat your pie in a convection oven and/or have it a la mode.

Look carefully beyond the sweet petit-5s in the photo above, and you’ll see another favorite: the li’l smoky roll-ups. With hot dog, cream cheese and bacon action, they’re also known as “squealers,” and they’re a very recent addition to the menu.

Fellow Sunbreaker Audrey enjoyed the sweet pies (obvs), but liked the savory ones just as much. A handful of broccoli mushroom cheddar and potato dill cheddar veggie petit-5s could easily act as a meal. There’s also the authentic-made Frito pie (the baking manager is Texan), as well as a new ham and gruyere. And the breakfast pies (egg and cheese, et cetera) sound VERY tempting.

Cone talked about pie as a “memory trigger” and said she wants to provide a place where people can “come together and share that.” Her pies promise to be creative and seasonal (we like the sound of the apple/cheddar/rosemary, for example) and sometimes silly (there was a Fruit Loops cream pie in the showcase).

With cupcakes, pie, and ice cream all available in close proximity, there’s ample opportunity for a sugar rush in Capitol Hill at virtually all hours of the day. Can jello and pudding shops be far behind?

First published on TheSunbreak.com on January 22, 2011.

She knew she wanted to be a baker at a young age, back when she was living in Osaka. “At age 5 or 6, I would make a mess in the kitchen,” Setsuko Tanaka tells me. “I wanted to see how things mixed together, and what happened when you heated things up.”

So while she sometimes helped her mom, she started doing things on her own, not wanting instruction. She never wanted to follow recipes, preferring instead to experiment on her own. One of Setsuko’s earliest inventions: a biscuit sandwich of sorts, with a marshmallow dusted with Ramune powder and stuffed between two biscuits—then microwaved. She admits it was weird, liking it more for the process than for the taste.

Even now, Setsuko’s not a dessert eater. “I prefer pickles or senbei,” she tells me, adding, “I’ll take salt and sake over something sweet.”

But for someone who’s not inclined to eat sweets, she sure knows how to make them.

Setsuko went to culinary school in Japan, where the curriculum required students to learn Western/French style, wagashi, and bread. She worked at a cake shop and after having a child started teaching home baking classes to other women who wanted to cook healthier and more simply after pregnancy.

After coming to Seattle, Setsuko worked at the now-defunct Saiko Bakery, where the owner was melon-pan fanatic. And now she works out of the kitchen at Issian Stone Grill.

Challenges for her include working with American flour, which is heavier than Japanese flour. (She adds cornstarch or potato starch to all-purpose flour to reduce the gluten and make her products lighter.) Also, the matcha here is too dark (she thinks it’s too old or exposed to too much light), so she imports 2 kg bags from Kyoto.

Setsuko’s goal is to make as much from scratch as possible, and to make it healthy. And her desire is to continually expand beyond her Asian clientele, introducing more Westerners to Japanese sweets. She says that Americans claim to be “adventurous” in eating, but while they say they’re looking for something new, they’re timid to actually do so. “They want to know new things, but in reality, are eating hot dogs and hamburgers,” she asserts. When she worked at Floating Leaves Tea, she noticed that Asians would be anxious to enter (“Japanese people are used to small doors in Kyoto”), whereas Americans would be afraid.

A positive attitude goes far for Setsuko. “Eat one time, and I’m sure you’ll like it,” she tells new customers. Her rare cheesecake is popular, and she offers it in flavors like mango, red bean, green tea, and tofu. (I explained that when I first saw the word “rare” used in Japan, I was excited to have stumbled upon a most unusual cheesecake, and was a bit saddened to learn that “rare” simply meant uncooked.)

Also popular, pictured, is her green tea roll cake. “The Seattle population likes green tea, as they know it’s healthy.” It contains whipped cream (we talked about the art of making it just right) and homemade red bean paste.

This particular plating includes her mochi with whipped cream and red bean paste, and an experimental truffle she wanted to try out on me, made with tofu. Always the experimenter!

The roll cake was exquisite, with nice hints of ever-so-slightly bitter green tea coming through the slightly sweetened whipped cream. After all, when the Japanese eat dessert, you’re likely to hear, “That’s good; it’s not too sweet.” Quite the contrast to our overly sweet American-style desserts.

You can find Setsuko’s pastries at places like Issian Stone Grill, Kozue, and the Panama Tea House, to name a few. Or contact her directly at Setsuko Pastry to place a custom order.

Now I’m staring at kare pan (kare is the Japanese word for curry, and pan is bread) at the newly opened Fuji Bakery in Seattle. (They offer even more goodies in the Bellevue location.) I think about many of the themes of the Worlds of Flavor event: seasonality, umami, aroma, and more, trying to figure out how kare pan is a fit for Sexy Feast.

Suddenly, I get it.

Ruth Reichl, former editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine, was a speaker at the conference, and she predicted that texture will be the next point of appreciation to make its way from Japan to America. In addition to being quick, easy, and convenient, so many Japanese people love kare pan because of its textural differences. The panko-crusted exterior is crispy, while the curry filling is soft.

Since starting Sexy Feast on the Voracious blog, I’ve also incorporated it into the sex speeches I give on the college lecture circuit. As part of the Q&A, I invite audience members to yell out their favorite dishes, and I must think on my feet to quickly figure out how each dish relates to sex.

Kare pan reminds me of some of the most common queries I get, such as fried chicken, burritos, tacos, and corndogs. These dishes all feature meat in some sort of casing or shell or covering–all varying in texture. What they teach us about sex is that you can still enjoy meaty pleasure, even after putting a wrapper on it. And some, actually, are even better with a little bit of lubricating liquid inside or outside of that protective wrapper.

Fuji Bakery’s kare pan doesn’t need any such lubricant liquid; its savory filling is moist and meaty–and the pastry wrapper is good, too. There were many other tempting treats in the showcase, with fillings that ranged from mushroom to mentaiko (pollock roe), and from chocolate to custard cream. Safe to eat ‘em all, I’d say.

Well, actually, they’re so last century. Or maybe even the century before that. Cupcakes aren’t new, but the phenomenon is, spurred on by the quality and creativity going into making them. And in the midst of our Sugar Revolution (hello, frozen treat shops), the number of cupcakeries in this city is skyrocketing.

As is the number of people writing about them. Go ahead: Google “cupcakes,” and note the proliferation of cupcake-related websites. Fans debate cupcake quality (I saw a rating scale based on moistness, flavor, sweetness, eat-ability, attractiveness, frosting-to-cake ratio, etc.), how to eat them (I like the minis, which I can take in one bite), and even their history (often referencing Sex and the City, which seems appropriate, as disrobing a cupcake from its pleated “skirt” is part of the foreplay of eating it).

So what’s the draw? “People have a nostalgic place in their hearts for cupcakes,” said Jody Hall, owner of Cupcake Royale, adding, “But while Betty Crocker dumbed down our taste buds, we’re doing cupcakes right—surprising people who’ve never had them made from scratch.” Hall sources flour and butter locally, then searches afar for the best quality vanilla, chocolate, and sugar.

Cupcake Royale plays up female appeal with its pastel splashes, but Hall says boys also love the cupcakes and the environment. Big boys, too. She’s amazed how many construction workers come in and order a “Dance Party with Holly Hobbie” (vanilla buttercake with pink vanilla buttercream and rainbow confetti sprinkles) to go with a short cappuccino. The cupcakes are on the sweet side, she says, “As we want them so that little kids and grandmothers recognize them,” with emphasis on “higher frosting ratios, so that everyone gets that good corner piece.”

No wonder their slogan is “Legalize Frostitution.” (The sex educator in me loves this!) At Royale, the cupcakes are hand-frosted with a tell-tale swirl. I gave this a try at their cupcake camp, but failed. But I was good at adding sprinkles. And good-looking or not, stack enough cupcakes together, the colors and shapes are compelling. I can see why people are spellbound at display cases.

I went to stores to watch people order, and even interviewed a few. Six-year-old Lucy loved lavender, not for the alliteration, but because “the colors are pretty.” Meanwhile, Josh, an eager eight-year-old, told me that “anything chocolate is the best.” Despite the vast variety of offerings, vanilla and chocolate combinations were very popular. And seemingly everyone at every location coveting the red velvet cupcake.

Adults bought cupcakes for various events, including pot-lucks, office parties, baby showers, and birthday parties. But most didn’t need any excuse beyond self-indulgence. A young couple tag-teamed in telling me about the allure of the cupcake: “It’s all mine. I can pick the one I like. I don’t have to share it. And I can eat the whole thing without feeling guilty.”

Call it the cult of the cupcake. It’s a bit out of control, don’t you think? And it doesn’t just stop with edible sweets. I recently saw that Metropolitan Market was selling meatloaf cupcakes, while at Neiman Marcus you can buy a $25,000 cupcake car. But for three bucks or so, in these tough economic times, the more basic cupcake is the perfect combination of comfort and luxury.

I asked Michael Hein, owner of Yellow Leaf Cupcake Company (a shop with male appeal that features some of the more savory flavors, including their signature Tomato Soup cupcake), the inevitable question of whether cupcakes are a passing fad. His quick reply was that “Americans love to hate”—pointing out the irony that our success-driven society is full of people who like to see ideas fail. Hein reminded me that the cupcake rage is a coastal phenomenon that has yet to hit middle America, let alone spread to Europe.

But he did issue a warning. “Sure, the bubble will burst with the hipsters first, but the real death of cupcakes will be when there’s a Sprinkles-type chain on every corner doing mass-produced cupcakes.” Still, Hein said, the cream will rise to the top, and the best cupcake places will succeed. “Yellow Leaf offers something you can’t easily make at home,” he explained, “And at the end of the day, everyone loves good quality cupcakes, just as they like babies and puppies.”

So, for the sake of science (well, at least for this article), I went out and sampled a couple. Okay, a few. Make that a half dozen. Or actually more like a dozen. It was a long day of discovery. Among my favorites: Yellow Leaf’s Ultimate Chocolate (made with Belgian Callebaut), Trophy Cupcake’s Snowball (Valrhona chocolate cake with coconut buttercream and pink shaved coconut), Wink Cupcake’s vanilla bean cake with Madagascar bourbon vanilla buttercream, and Cupcake Royale’s Salted Caramel (chocolate cake topped with housemade caramel buttercream, Fleur de Sel, and dark chocolate curls).

In the end, what can I say? I get it. A cupcake is a package of pure joy.

Now, excuse me while I go and eat the remains of the day. I have the carnage of about a dozen different cupcakes calling out to me (including, would you believe, a Dance Party), begging me to eat them. And maybe write more about them. On one of my many blogs.

Note: This article first appeared in the Seattle Dining newsletter.

Ivar’s is a Seattle institution. No doubt about that. And that institution was in the news this year, with stories about its underwater billboards. For me, the story is whether its food warrants a stop or not. This past year, I had chances to try the fish and chips, clam chowder, clam strips, and the like. It is what it is. Fairly fast food that’s fun for those who like their fish fried. For me, nothing special, though the chowder isn’t bad on a cold, wintery day.

If you’re on 15th in Ballard, as I was one trip to Ivar’s, I recommend driving a little further north and turning right on 70th, where you’ll find Honore Artisan Bakery. That’s a sweet plate of sweets, eh? I stared at the showcase, and couldn’t decide what would be best for my coffee break, so I decided to try three goodies: (clockwise from the top) a canelé, a coconut/salted caramel macaron, and a kouign amman. All were delicious, especially with that coffee. And note the caramel theme in the confectionery trio. I liked the macaron best, which means that next time, the challenge will be choosing from the ten or so flavors that Honoré offers.

Speaking of sweets, I find it sweet that 2009 was the year that food carts/trucks took off in Seattle. Perhaps sweetest of them all is Parfait, where Adria Shimada dishes out ice cream made with the finest, most local and organic ingredients – with no corn syrup, no added stabilizers, and no preservatives. Look for Parfait’s return in the spring, and while it’s hard to choose from the many tempting flavors (that are always subject to change), I’d highly recommend the fresh mint stracciatella made from mint leaves that give it a natural, refreshing taste.

Hallava Falafel is another food truck, but one that’s parked in a permanent position down in Georgetown. You’ve basically got two choices: the falafel sandwich, and the shawarma. (Hallava spells it “shwarma.”) Both are healthy-sized sandwiches, and both are adorned with beets and other goodies. Both are worth trying, though I think the shawarma edges out the falafel, which was just a little dry. Good deals at $6.50 each!

But the best food truck now roaming the streets of Seattle (and about the only mobile truck operating through the winter) is Marination Mobile. Take the wonderful forms of Mexican food, and amp up the flavor with Korean and Hawaiian influences, and it’s a whole new ball game. Tacos are just two dollars, and they’re available in four varieties–trust me when I say kalbi beef is the best.

What impresses me most, though, was the Kalua kimchi quesadilla. Oh, I enjoy the fermented veggies in the kimchi fried rice bowl ($5), with a fried egg adding its usual magic. But in the quesadilla, kimchi elevates what I usually see as a throwaway dish to something spectacular. The kimchi has more zing than in the fried rice, playing nicely with the Kalua pork, and a smattering of slaw and jalapeno slices on top finished the dish in fine fashion.

And in case you’re wondering, the spam sliders are surprisingly delicious.

Marination Mobile is proof that curb cuisine is catching kimchi-like fire in Seattle. How hot are the Marination mavens? They recently won Good Morning America Weekend’s national Best Food Cart Challenge. Great job, Marination! And here’s hoping 2010 brings us even more great street food…