Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Yum. I don't know why so many people dislike carrot cake (I am unconvinced that they have even tried it), but it's one of my favorite desserts. So you can imagine how pleasantly surprised I was when the next cupcake recipe was carrot.

My tricks for this recipe were 1) using baby carrots and putting them in a food processor for a quick second instead of peeling and stuff, and 2) cutting the cream cheese frosting recipe in half (half is really enough to cover all the cupcakes, I think).

Martha gets an A for this one. These are very yummy and the cream cheese frosting is perfect. Really - perfect. I think the only thing that might make an interesting addition to the cupcake itself is a type of nut. I like a bit of crunch in my carrot cake.

Cupcake Challenge

The Book: Martha Stewart's Cupcakes: 175 Inspired Ideas for Everyone's Favorite Treat
The Mission: Bake every single cupcake recipe in this cookbook, in order, within a year's time
The Goal: To verify that Martha Stewart can do no wrong.

First up! Martha Stewart's chocolate chip cupcakes. How mine came out:



Deeeelicious. Simple, sweet, cupcake-like. I think an unfrosted version could easily become a breakfast item. The icing was incredibly light (which is a surprising result after you add the 4 1/2 sticks of butter). The frosting is also good on strawberries, which you should have on hand anyway for leftover melted semi sweet chocolate.

I'm not going to post Martha's recipes on AA, for fear that she may start ugly rumors about me via Twitter, but each cupcake will be fairly scrutinized and/or praised. Check back at least once a week!

West-Park Presbyterian Church Being Prepared For Demolition?

Workers have been removing pieces of this beautiful church's interior for the past couple of weeks, and at least one person at the site has confirmed that the building is being prepared for demolition. There are also rumors going around on conservator blogs that tons of red sandstone (see above picture!) are going to be up for grabs soon. This is bad.

West-Park Presbyterian Church is one of the most beautiful religious structures on the Upper West Side, and one of the only Richardsonian Revival-style churches left in Manhattan. It's been on the corner of 86th and Amsterdam Avenue for almost 120 years and it would be a tragedy to see this torn down (and most likely replaced with something horrible).

Please contact the Landmarks Preservation Commission and Gale Brewer, the council member for the area, and urge them to calendar West-Park Presbyterian for a public hearing. This structure hasn't even been given a chance to be landmarked, despite immense support for its designation from the community.

Hon. Robert B. Tierney, Chair
New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
1 Centre Street, 9th Floor
New York, New York 10007
Phone: 212-669-7888
Fax: 212-669-7955
Email: comments@lpc.nyc.gov

Hon. Gale A. Brewer
NYC Council Member
563 Columbus Avenue
New York, NY 10024
Phone: 212-873-0282
Fax: 212-873-0279
Email: brewer@council.nyc.ny.us

Landmarked Art Deco Theater Finally Sold

The Metro Theater, originally named Midtown Theater, is a lovely little Art Deco landmark located on Broadway between 99th and 100th Streets. Back in the day (umm...three years ago?), this was the only independent movie theater in the Upper Upper West Side neighborhood and it was cheap (comparatively) and cute (in a somewhat rundown kind of way). Unfortunately, even movie goers took this place for granted, no one ever went to see films there, and it was closed. Cue crying on the inside.

With its air rights now in ownership of the super-tall monstrosity known as the Ariel East to its left and its NYC landmark status guaranteeing a tough road to make any major changes to the exterior, it has been quite difficult for the owners to sell this piece of property. After a few months of lingering on the market, the theater was gutted. And after a few more months, absurd pictures of what kind retail designs stores could put up on the facade (designs that most likely would not actually be approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission - I hope) were plastered to the theater's glass doors and somehow ended up scattered around the Internet.

Well, the theater finally sold. And guess what it's going to be? A 15,000 square foot Urban Outfitters. Yeah, just let that one sink in for a while.

Recipe: Mama Wolf's Latkes

Happy Chanukah! A few months ago, one of my friends was generous to provide me with the perfect latke recipe (which I used for a German potluck), and so I will pass on the deliciousness as my Chanukah present to you all.

MAMA WOLF'S LATKES [slightly adapted by Sarah] (c) Architectural Appetite 2008

3 cups grated baking potatoes, peeled (about 3 medium-small potatoes)

1 egg

2 tablespoons flour

1 small onion

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Grate potatoes and onions together. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix together. Heat up the oil, and make sure it's hot but not so hot that it flies around all over the place. Spoon some latke batter into the oil and then wait until the center is stiff before flipping. Fry until brown and then drain on a paper towel.

These are delicious. Serve with apple sauce or sour cream or whatever weird condiment you were brought up with.

Holiday Recipe: Gingerbread Cakelettes

OK, so going through with this recipe may require you to go out to Williams Sonoma and buy a $20 cakelette pan, but hey! Maybe you can adapt this one to a cupcake recipe or something and then find your own way of making adorable treats.

INGREDIENTS
1 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4th stick of butta
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten (I may have not actually bothered to beat the egg before putting it in)
3/4 cup molasses
3/4 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour the cakelette pan (but don't OVERflour - I learned this the hard way [first batch went to the trash - that almost rhymed]).

Sift together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cloves, cinnamon and salt. If you are feeling too lazy to sift (this may have happened to me - I may be confessing too much as I explain this recipe), just put them together and stir a little. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer (or in a large bowl), beat the butter on medium speed until creamy. Add the brown sugar and continue mixing until it becomes something like light brown butter, as opposed to butter with sugar on top of it. Add the egg, mix it in, add the molasses, mix it in.

Reduce the speed to medium-low and then add the flour in 3 parts, alternating with the milk (i.e., flour --> milk --> flour --> milk --> flour). Continue beating until it's all combined.

Spoon the batter into each cakelette pan, spreading it into the arms and legs. Make sure it's about half full (if it's more than that, they will have deformed backs and become the hunchbacks of Notre Gingerbread - I am so clever). Bake until baked - about 12-15 minutes.

When they're done/pass the toothpick test, take them out and let the pan cool for five minutes. After the five minutes is up, turn the pan upside down and let the little guys fall out (preferably on the counter and not on the floor). Wait for them to cool completely before personalizing them with your choice of icing (I used cream cheese frosting). The batter will make about twenty-one cakes, so make sure to rinse and repeat after the first batch is done.

Sarah's creations:


So maybe I am not an artist. Or a baker.

Astroland is Being DISMANTLED!

photo from Curbed

So I guess this part of Coney Island isn't being saved? Curbed reports that the rides are being packed into shipping containers, and there are rumors that the rides are going to some amusement park in Australia. It's a sad day for Coney Island.

Photo Post: Grant's Mosaic Benches Restored

I have always loved these mosaic benches that sit around Grant's Tomb at 122nd Street and Riverside Drive. Now they're even prettier (and safer!) thanks to a restoration done by CITYarts, a public art-loving non-profit organization based in New York City. I stopped by there today to take some pictures to encourage you all to take a stroll over and have a cup of hot cocoa on these beautiful and surprisingly comfortable benches. Plus, Grant's Tomb is delightfully neo-Classical, so you should check that out, too.

Pretty Building Appreciation Photo

Corner of Grant Street & Elizabeth Street
photo taken on November 16, 2008

"Restaurant" Review: The Brooklyn "Diner"

During my Architectural Appetite hiatus, I went to the Brooklyn Diner for the first time. It's been a few weeks, but it seems the resentment I hold towards this establishment has not waned.

The Brooklyn Diner, as my father once described it, is the "Disney World" of diners. It has two locations in Manhattan, one being situated right near Carnegie Hall and then other in Times Square (relatively new). So yes, the locations suggest that this place really is for tourists -- specifically out-of-towners who have never been to a diner before and are intrigued by that nostalgia connected to 1950's diners that were popular in Brooklyn. Thus, the Brooklyn Diner.

From the exterior, it genuinely looks like a diner. But don't be fooled! The first thing that was an immediate warning sign when I walked in was the tablecloths. White tablecloths. No diner in their right mind would put white tablecloths under their greasy food and overflowing beverages. Then when I got the menu, there were no breakfast items listed. What? Really? Is there any point to me being here? And to top it off, pretty much everything on the menu is over $15 and most of the items are even over $20. And is it worth it? NO! They don't even have those little white after-dinner mints at the door when you're done with your meal.

In conclusion, I revoke this restaurant's right to call itself a diner. I also revoke its right to associate itself with the borough of Brooklyn. So for now, they will have to change their signage to "Untitled" until someone comes up with a better name to describe this deceitful, overpriced eatery.

I.M. Pei's Silver Towers Complex Landmarked

The first post-war urban renewal superblock development in New York City to be landmarked! OK, so personally I find this complex to be a bit of an eyesore, even though it looks very angelic and glow-y with the light shining on it the way it does in the above picture (taken from www.nyc-architecture.com). However! Landmarking is not only about aesthetics, and this group of buildings represents a historic time in New York City and the US's history. Plus, the architect (I.M. Pei) is superfamous and a "master" of high modernist architecture. Perhaps his most familiar work is the Louvre Pyramid.

Part of designating the complex also included landmarking this enormous Picasso sculpture (picture also taken from www.nyc-architecture.com):



NYU, who owns the area, had been hoping to build a 40-story tower in the open space of the complex. Hopefully the language used in the landmark designation report (which will talk about the importance of open space) will make this construction very unlikely (haha, NYU!).

More Coney Island Stuff (Am I Obsessed? Maybe.)

The Municipal Art Society put together a group of professionals/visionaries to brainstorm ideas for the future of Coney Island. They met last week and presented its ideas to the public last night at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. One of the images released from their plans is this:


Apparently robots are going to take over Coney Island. Robots and scary things that kind of look like half-aliens/half-elephant/half-what-is-that-thing-coming-out-of-its-side-and-is-that-a-yellow-eyeball?

The tall, twisty rides on the left side of the image look horrifying. Anyone who is afraid of clowns isn't going to come within two miles of Coney and anyone who isn't afraid of clowns will become so after visiting this place.

I did like this image of a new N train:


I am most excited about the idea for an EXPRESS train to Coney Island (perhaps from Times Square?). With this being the closest beach for New Yorkers by way of public transportation, there needs to be a faster and less patience-trying way of getting there. More Coney updates to come soon, I'm sure. Oh, and I'll try to pick other topics to talk about, as well.

Coney Island Visions

Center for an Urban Future came out with this 22-page document that interviews all types of creative New Yorkers about the future of Coney Island. Almost every interviewee offers innovative ideas on how to improve the area. It's a lot of fun to read and will certainly spark your imagination for everything that Coney could be. Hopefully some ideas will actually take shape in the future.

I realize I've been on a bit of an Architectural Appetite hiatus, but hopefully things will calm down soon and I'll get back to complaining, swooning, eating, and drinking copious amounts of coffee soon.

Good Hole-In-The-Wall Sushi

Small storefront, unappealing signage, only four two-person tables - Kyoto Sushi fits the ticket for a hole in the wall. But that's no reason to overlook this small establishment on Lexington Avenue, between 83rd and 84th Streets. The sushi here is quite good. And while good sushi isn't so hard to come by in New York City, other things at sushi restaurants are:

Cheap prices. It is easy to get a very affordable meal here, which I'm sure is music to everybody's ears during these tough financial times. They even have a lunch special where you get two sushi rolls, soup, and salad for under $10. Hm, maybe I'll have that today.

Friendly service. The people who work here are really nice. Always smiling, always willing to oblige. Which contributes to the...



Overall good feel to the restaurant. The four tables make it a very cozy environment for a lunch break from work.

Fast service. Almost everything I have ordered from here has taken less than five-six minutes to prepare. Good for if you're in a rush or just really, really hungry.

Coffee Pick of the Month: The Muffins Cafe

This coffee is really good. So good that I once walked 30 blocks, passing who-knows-how-many other coffee shops, just to have Muffins Cafe's coffee. Now that I've written that down, it does seem a little excessive.

Anyway, Muffins Cafe is located on 70th Street and Columbus Avenue. This is perfect weather for grabbing a cup and then walking two blocks east to the park to enjoy the crisp air and perfectly brewed coffee.

And no, I have never tried their muffins. Funny how that works, no?

The "What's That Architectural Detail?" Game

I have been busy/uninspired, and that seems to have led to neglecting Architectural Appetite - poor thing. And to think I would do so right before Open House New York, which is sort of New York City's Architecture Appreciation Day(s). Well, sorry not to remind you of that until now - maybe next year?

Anyway, the Museum of the City of New York recently announced that the first phase of their $97 million dollar renovation is complete! The project is being taken on by Polshek, and the completed phase includes a 3,000 square foot glass pavilion, and an expansion underground. Probably safe to build below instead of above, considering the original MCNY building is a landmark and undermining its original structure is mean. (Does anyone ever notice the landmark that's under the Hearst Tower? Are you asking yourself "what landmark?" Exactly.)

In reading about the renovation, I came across this image:


I have been racking my brain trying to figure out what that thing coming down from the ceiling could be. It's kind of in the shape of a vacuum cleaner, no? Or a foot? Maybe it's a desk that has the ability to shoot files up to the second floor? Or maybe a display case? If anyone knows or can figure this out, please let me know so I will be able to sleep tonight.

Recipe: Strawberry-Filled Lemon-Ginger Cupcakes With Cardamom Cream Cheese Icing

I was introduced to these cupcakes a few years ago by a couple of my friends who baked them and brought them along to a picnic. They were incredible. So recently I demanded that they provide me with the recipe, and they directed me to this LiveJournal entry. Today I went ahead and made them and despite my poor baking skills, they were still incredible. Sure, I could just link you to the recipe and be done with it, but 1) if you're as lazy as I am, you will never click that link and 2) what would one of Architectural Appetite's recipes be without Sarah's fun tips and notes?

STRAWBERRY FILLING

Ingredients

12-14 strawberries

2 tablespoons sugar

Splash of orange juice

Instructions

Chop the strawberries into itty bitty pieces, to the point where you would feel comfortable calling them "filling." Add the sugar and orange juice, then set aside. That was easy.

LEMON-GINGER CAKE

Ingredients

1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter

1¾ cups sugar

2 large eggs

½ teaspoon salt

2½ teaspoons baking powder

3 cups flour

1 cup milk

1/3 cup lemon juice, from 3 lemons

1 tbsp grated raw ginger

zest of two medium lemons

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Put the butter into a large bowl and mash it until it's creamy. Add the sugar and beat the combination until it's light and fluffy (it should end up looking like really white couscous). Add one egg, beat for 30 seconds, add the other egg, and then continue beating until it's all mixed together.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add this to the main mixing bowl (with all the butter and eggs and stuff) and mix it together. Then mix in the milk, ginger, lemon juice, and lemon zest.

Fill the cupcake papers or pan or whatever you use half way, add a little bit of strawberry filling, and then put another layer of cake batter on top. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick (or in my case, a fondue stick) comes out clean.

CARDAMOM CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Ingredients

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons ground cardamom

Instructions

In a large bowl, mix together the cream cheese and butter until it becomes one creamy substance (I needed a machine to do this). Add the vanilla and then gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar and cardamom (I just did one tablespoon at a time for the cardamom). Make sure to taste it when it's all mixed together, so you can add a little more sugar or cardamom to adjust to your taste preferences.

Nicolai Ourousoff Totally Reads Architectural Appetite

As you may recall from my August 22, 2008 post, I called on Nicolai Ouroussoff to review the new 2 Columbus Circle. And on September 26, 2008, he did. It was everything I could ever hope for.

And today, Nicolai went a step further - to my delight - by listing the new 2 Columbus Circle as one of the seven buildings he feels should be demolished. I commend him for limiting his list to seven, as if I were to make a list of my own of buildings that should be demolished (future blog entry?), I would have extraordinary difficulty narrowing it down to 100, let alone to a number under 10.

Something I never really thought of that Nicolai brings up in his article today is the idea of tearing down Madison Square Garden and creating a contemporary design for Penn Station, rather than moving the train tracks to the Post Office across the street. While I am quite excited to have back a Beaux-Arts Penn Station (that's not to say that I'm old enough to remember the old Penn Station that used to sit where MSG does now), I think a light, contemporary design for the LIRR and Amtrak is actually quite compelling. Imagine being able to see SUNLIGHT upon arriving in New York City? That sounds quite lovely.

Sarah's Favorite Buildings: Learning To Speak Positively About Architecture

I think, perhaps, I've focused too much on sucky new designs in this blog thus far. Time to write something positive, no? From now on, I will try to maintain a "Sarah's Favorite Buildings" entry at least once a month to limit my bad-architecture venting.

Astoria. If you know me at all, you probably know about my affection for this little Greek enclave of Queens. After two walking tours of the area in the summer of 2006, I was hooked. I think this crush, if you will, officially started when our class stood in front of a little, rundown 3-storey building situated on a thin, triangular block and our professor pointed to it and called it "the Flatiron of Astoria." Those with any sense of humor laughed for a good two minutes afterwards, despite the professor being completely serious. And while that building isn't the pick for this month (it really should be), it still maintains a place in my heart as an introduction to the endearing-ness/charm of Astoria.

Removed from the Astoria nightlife and the restaurants and the - well, everything but factories - is this house:

The Steinway House
Images from The New York Times

Oh hey there, enormous 1858 granite building that overlooks the East River and has its own lawn. You don't exactly look like you belong in Astoria, do you?

Why I Like This Building: It's enormous and grandiose and intimidating and beautiful, all at the same time. Sure, I would prefer it without the white paint in the front (oh wait, I'm supposed to be positive - white paint is great!), but it's really gorgeous overall. Secondly, William Steinway used to live in it (this is why people refer to it as the "Steinway House"). Thirdly, it is a really scary place to visit. This house is literally in the middle of nowhere, and the only sound is the quiet humming of a ConEd plant that's a few blocks away. Fourthly - and this one kind of ties into my third reason - it is quite the trek to get there. The 30-40 minute walk from the subway will make you appreciate being so close to history even more once you reach the top of the hill.

This post has managed to reveal more about my quirks than information on the building, but I hope your interest has been piqued enough to go on an adventure to Astoria.

Restaurant Review: Wait, What Kind Of Food Do They Serve?

Turkish Cuisine. Both the name of the restaurant and the type of food they serve. Crazy! Unfortunately, it does not seem like the straightforward technique works for this little establishment on 44th Street and 9th Avenue. The few times I've visited or passed by, only two or three tables had actual people seated at them. And maybe that's why the wait staff seems to be sort of nonexistent most of the time. Really, the place is so tiny that I have absolutely no idea where they go to, but the waiters apparently do not like hanging around their 4-10 customers. Sadface.

Uncreative name and somewhat bad service aside, Turkish Cuisine does have a few things going for it. First off, the interior is designed and ornamented beautifully.

Every decoration is Turkish-ified on some level and the colors are extremely vibrant and lovely. Motifs are carried throughout, including on the furniture and napkins, showing that a lot of thought was put into the design (as opposed to the restaurant's name).

There is a wide variety of dishes, albeit all Turkish dishes, on the menu. I decided to go for the Spinach Plate, because I love spinach and was enticed by the tomato sauce/yogurt combination. I think my main problem with the food was the rice, which resembled the rice that comes out of those bags of frozen rice and vegetables. Too thick, too shiny, too white, and has corn kernels interspersed throughout. The spinach dish itself was not bad, but not amazing. I will say that the combination of spinach, tomato, and yogurt (which is really more of a tzatziki sauce) is a very good mix of flavors, and their tomato sauce had just the right amount of spice in it.

Some additional observations: their pita is delicious and put on your table fresh out of the oven, their hummus is quite good, and their Turkish iced tea kind of tastes like non-carbonated apple soda.

Overall: good atmosphere, semi-bad service, decent food, somewhat reasonably priced. B/B+