Oh Martha, how I have maligned you so…
Well, not really. If you read that review, I explicitly state that I only had one cupcake, and you can’t judge an entire bakery based on one cupcake. Even if, as soon as you walk in, all you see are trays upon trays of cupcakes. Who are the people buying these terrible things? Is it just the Red Velvet that is dry and crappy? Whatever the case, I finally went back.
Twice.
First, a month or so ago, after my usual prodding of the BF on a lazy weekend to make the short walk over to Austin Street for a movie, dinner, or whatever, we wandered by and BF stopped, peered into the window and asked to go in. I all but sneered, “Sure, but don’t get their cupcakes, they suck,” and in we went. BF ordered 3 chocolate covered strawberries, but was immediately drawn to…
this. A blackberry and raspberry fruit tart, glorious in its beauty, and simple to boot. The strawberries, he declared, were alright, edible and good enough that he ate them all, but this tart… For him, the not-quite-custard part really made the whole tart; the fresh berries were just “icing”, so to speak.
Let’s just put it this way: the perpetual “ice cream cake for my birthday” boy… has requested this for his next birthday cake.
Yummy. (Sorry, I’m allergic to raspberries, so I didn’t really try much of it.) Also, of note: the above photos are from the second time we went back, this past weekend, as we walked around after catching a movie, and I said “Do you want to stop at Martha’s and get dessert?” and he said no. So I said, “Umm… that’s Martha’s,” and pointed, so he looked. Then he said “Oh THAT place, yeah hell yea I want a tart.” And off we went.
As for me? Remember my pining for a cookie as big as my face? I didn’t take the comparative photo that would determine that, but …
Chocolate chocolate chunk cookie.
The first one I had was super soft, almost falling apart… too soft, really. So I left it in its bag for a few days, and it turned into a lovely, chewy and soft cookie. Just the right texture I like, and chocolatey enough yet – despite its name – not cloyingly sweet. Just right. But the second time – maybe the cookie was already old? – the cookie was just right, chewy without being hard, soft without falling apart, and delicious. Again, not overly sweet, just perfect for someone like me, who likes a bit of a sweet treat after a meal, but doesn’t want it to be another entire meal. (I ate only a few pieces of the cookie at a time.)
Martha, I am so sorry for having judged you so quickly and so harshly previously. Will you forgive me? And stick to cookies and tarts?
Yvo says: I want to go back and try their cheesecake, despite my low lactose tolerance threshhold, and the other cakes and mousses… everything else they have besides the cupcakes. The cupcakes do take up the first two cases entirely, but if you look further back… there are a ton of lovely looking treats that I am sure are quite delicious.
recommended (except the cupcakes)
Blondie says
Martha’s seriously needs to realize their cupcakes are crap, and move the focus to their other items. I lived down the block from the one in Astoria and gave up on it because i kept trying the cuppycakes.
Rochelle says
🙂 I am totally falling in love with your blog.
Funny, too, the other day I said these exact words:
“I want a cookie as big as my face.”
To be honest, I have been so unimpressed with cupcakes that have been hailed as ambrosial. I remember hearing once that Katie Holmes was addicted to cupcakes from Citarella. I tried one (the one I’m eating in my picture, actually), and it was so dry that I swore I was eating a mattress. Maybe it’s just that cookies and fruits are easier to get right – but I still don’t think that’s much of an excuse.
As per your comment on my most recent post; little else would make me happier than eating with you! We should definitely do it. Together we’d totally tear any restaurant to shreds.
soopling says
It’s been a few years since I had it, but I remember the cheesecake just being alright. Though I suppose it depends on your taste; Martha’s isn’t the dense, firm kind that I tend to like but instead more mousse-like.