Crumb's Cupcakes

Listen, I'm woman enough to admit when I am wrong and I was wrong. I wrote about Magnolia bakery and I was too nice, I said the cupcakes were good and possibly the best in the city. I said it and I was wrong and for that I apologize. My friend Marcy told me that I obviously hadn't had Crumb's cupcakes yet, which I hadn't...until recently. 

I was wrong. I was really wrong. Seriously. Crumb's cupcakes are like cupcake nirvana. If I were to die and go to heaven, no doubt Crumb's cupcakes would be there. Anyways...we went to the NYU location on 8th and University Place and were greeted by the friendliest cupcake salesperson ever. He was sincerely interested in which flavors we liked and helped us narrow down our choices. There were so many

 different varieties from classics like vanilla with chocolate icing, to delicious grasshopper, which was a chocolate cupcake with peppermint frosting with a gooey, pudding (maybe?) center. You don't even know how good...

They are so moist, and soft and break apart easily, but yet are still sturdy enough to hold a mountain of icing. And oh, oh the icing. Sweet sugary goodness. The different between this icing and the icing on other cupcakes like Magnolia or Buttercup Bakery is that while all the icings are sugary, Crumb's is more creamy and not as...crunchy. You know what I mean? You know when icing has been sitting on a cupcake and you can break it off? No can do with Crumbs, its creamy like almost melted ice cream, where it still has its shape but you can swirl it around. 

Then the size. I mean these things are colossal. They're HUGE. Definitely big enough to split or I guess if  you really hungry you could take it all. Then again you can take my mom's approach and eat half that night and the other for breakfast...

I don't know if this was a fluke or if Crumb's is always this good, but my mom said it was one of the best cupcakes she had ever had, so hopefully Crumb's can continue to make the sweet BIG treats. 

Visit their website for locations: http://www.crumbs.com/ 

Cheap Eats in the New York City

So I know the name of the blog might be deceiving because I don't often write about things that are truly "frugal." The name of the blog means that I am frugal in every aspect of my life in order to make good food and eat at good restaurants. Get it? The frugal wait for it, foodie(s).

Anyways every now and again I do run across some truly great cheap eats in the city and with Spring Break and the current economic situation it seems like now is as good a time as any to share these.

So here are my top cheap eats (cheap meaning for one person you can get a meal for about $10-$12 or less):

• A Salt and Battery - I've written about this many times before and with good reason - it's delicious! Authentic fish and chips in the west village. I eat here at least once a month.


• Cherin Sushi - great for big groups and novice sushi lovers. BYOB helps make this place super cheap. Most all rolls are under $10.


• Caracas Arepas - traditional Venezuelan food, I once went twice in a day it's that good!


• Real Thai - Ok, I haven't talked about this one yet, but this is one of my favorite Thai places located on 59th street @ 1st avenue. You can get soup or salad with a delicious thai lunch entree for about $6.50. Great deal!


• Papaya Dog - I haven't written about this one either, but I can tell you from multiple experiences that this is one of the greatest hot dog places in the city. They offer the recession special (which ironically I think has gone up...) which is two hot dogs and a drink for about $4.50. Multiple locations throughout the city and perfect for a meal or snack!

All of these places are scattered throughout the city and cross over multiple genres. I like to give a little variety ya know? Either way they're all great and if you haven't been to them, then you should go!

Anyone else have any good cheap eats in the city?!

Geno's vs Pat's Cheesesteaks

So this past weekend I made my first appearance in Philadelphia and while there for other reasons, my main goal was this: to find and eat as many cheesesteaks as possible.

So you may remember this post that moved so many of you to comment on which place is the best for cheesesteaks. Wellllll I decided once I was there that I might as well just go to the two most tourist-y places first so I would have something to bench mark against.

We set out towards Geno's and Pat's (pictured above, Geno's left, Pat's right.) We found parking (no easy feat) and walked towards these two cheesesteak icons or "Steak Vegas" as Jef's friend Morgan referred to it as. If you have never been to Philly before here's a fun fact, Geno's and Pat's are across the street from each other. Literally. Across the street. And there is no way you would miss them. Genos is a little more ostentatious than Pat's and is lit up like the Las Vegas Strip. We get it, you sell cheesesteaks. Pat's is a little more subtle simply calling themselves the "King of Cheesesteaks..."


Ok so let's start. Morgan waited in the 20 minute line by himself while Jef and I waited in line at Geno's (which was wrapped around the block and then some...) Morgan got Pat's cheesesteaks and fries first so he brought them to us. Pat's - 1. Listen, skip the fries, there's really nothing special there. After 30 minutes in the Geno's line Jef and I finally placed our order that we had been practicing (didn't want to seem like a tourist at a tourist trap): 2 cheesesteaks whiz with onions and mushrooms. To our dismay they didn't have mushrooms. Pat's - 2, Geno's - 0


Finally we had our cheesesteaks, four to be exact. We secure a table and the showdown began...

Let me preface this by saying that Pat's had been sitting for about 10 minutes so I wasn't expecting it to be at its prime. However, it still won in my book. Yes, Pat you are the King of Cheesesteaks in tourist land.


The meat was chopped, the onions tender, the cheese whiz, well cheesy and processed but oh so good, and the mushrooms were perfect. I knew it had won by the fact that I kept coming back to it.


Don't get me wrong, Geno's was good. The meat was sliced thin, the onions sauteed nicely and the whiz is again whiz. Maybe if they would have had mushrooms they would have won, but I doubt it. It just didn't have the same flavor as Pat's and honestly I liked the chopped meat better.


Listen, overall this was a fun thing to do on a Saturday afternoon. It was crowded and you can definitely tell there were only a few locals, but whatever it was fun and the cheesesteaks were good. It wasn't like eating at Bubba Gumps in Times Square.


Next time I got to Philly I will definitely have to check out the steak shops that are off the map,
but I am glad I will always have Steak Vegas to benchmark by.


Thanks again to our wonderful tour guide Morgan, who literally showed us every part of Philly and really showed us some great places to eat (The Belgian Cafe being one of them!)

I'm still full.

As I write this I am recovering from one of the greatest meals of my life (seriously, no hyperbole here) - Babbo. It was one of those experiences that when you're having it you don't even realize the impression it is going to have on you...

Most everything was perfect (there were a few lulls and things that made me mad.) We did the tasting menu and it was 100% worth it.

I don't want to spoil anything but I will be writing about it this week. Expect posts on Cheesesteaks, Bar Americain, and Baboo!

No Reservations - Vietnam

Once again what looks like another great foodie episode. This week Tony travels to Vietnam to sample some of the local cuisine. I have never had Vietnamese food (as I write this posts, I realize that I say that a lot...) but from the preview of this episode, looks pretty good!

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. I am still detoxing from all the wonderful food that I ate, going to Babbo tonight and couldn't be more excited!!!

Philly Cheesesteaks

This weekend I am headed to Philly and once there I obviously want to indulge in the local cuisine, that being cheesesteaks.

I need to know the good places to go, not some tourist trap. If you send me to the Times Square of Cheesesteaks you will be banished from the Frugal Foodies forever and you don't even want to know what that's like.

So if you have any ideas, leave a comment or email thefrugalfoodies@gmail.com

Katz's Deli

Well I finally did it. I went to Katz's. As you may remember this famous Delicatessen appeared on an episode of No Reservations and I wrote about my sudden urge to eat there. Nothing like the threat of scarcity to get me moving.

So this past Saturday we packed up the crew and headed to the lower east side establishment, ready for a big ole sandwich. We honestly had no clue what was in store.

All I can say is Holy Cluster. There were about 30 people standing immediately at the front door waiting for a person to hand them a ticket with the reminder "DO NOT LOSE YOUR TICKET" (imagine a thick New York accent.) I would say 20% of people knew what was going on, the other 80% of us were lost puppies looking for someone to feed us. The menu lined the top portion on the wall and salami's hung in the windows. I felt like I was in a vegetarian hell.

The group quickly dissembled and I was left alone with my ticket. I must have looked pathetic because someone ushered me into a line and there I stood. What they don't tell you is that each "butcher" (?) "sandwich-maker" (?) has their own line. That would have been nice to know...

Anyways once I got to the front, I panicked and ordered a pastrami on rye. Ok. Let me tell you why this was weird. 1) I have never in my life, ever, ordered a pastrami on rye 2) I didn't know what pastrami was.

So this "butcher" hands me a plate with a piece of meat on it. I immediate eat it and realize, hey I like pastrami (which I later learned is meat - brisket - that is heavily seasoned and served steaming hot), this is going to be ok. Next he places my tray in front of me with the biggest pile

of meat and bread that I have ever seen. This is like the Mt. Olympus of meat (pictured right is Leah's Ruben - and her photography skills - but you can see a pastrami and rye sandwich in the background.)

So after I get my sandwich, I start on my next task: French Fries. I am seeing people with them everywhere, but I don't know where they got them from. These are not the kind of employees that you want to ask fairly obvious questions to, so I just kept walking, hoping that there would be a huge sign that said "FATTY, FRENCH FRIES ARE HERE." Unfortunately this sign did not exist and I broke down and asked someone and they were fairly nice in pointing me to the right station. So I got my fries and diet pepsi and was ready for my next challenge: Finding a table.

Ugh, since I was a baller and the first one to get through each station quickly, I was delegated with the task of finding a table. After a lot of stalking I found one.

Everyone joins me and we sit down and enjoy this truly historic New York landmark. The sandwiches were great, the fries were crispy, the drinks were cool and overall, I would definitely come back, however, there are some things that I feel EVERYONE should know before they even think about going to Katz's. Some things I've discussed others I haven't but they are in this neat list for you to keep up with:

1. Do not, and I repeat DO NOT go hungover. This will be a death sentence. Trust me.
2. Be alert, watch the lines.
3. Don't go with more than 5 people. You will not get table.
4. Don't lose your ticket. This didn't happen, but I don't want to know what would happen if you did.
5. Be prepared for left-overs.
6. This will not be a cheap meal, but you will get more than one meal out of it.

Other than that Katz's is a great institution and the walls are lined with it's history, even a sign hanging from the ceiling dedicated to the famous scene in When Harry Met Sally, the "I'll have what she's having" scene...

Katz's Delicatessen
205 E Houston St.

New York, NY 10002

(212) 254-2246