Sweet Potato Cupcake from Sweet T's Bakery in Philly's Reading Terminal Market

I had the pleasure of visiting Reading Terminal Market in Philly again recently. The last time I was there I got a cupcake from Flying Monkey Bakery. This time I purused around to see if there might be any other cupcake options. That's when I found Sweet T's Bakery and when I saw that they had a Sweet Potato Cupcake I was sold. 

Sweet Potato Cupcake from Sweet T's Bakery
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Thanksgiving being right around the corner sweeted the deal. What makes it even sweeter is that Sweet T's Bakery is the first black owned bakery in Reading Terminal. It's always so much better to support small and local businesses over major corporations, franchises and chains plus it doesn't get better than supporting a marginalized minory owned small business. 

The cucpake which fits in the palm of my hand cost a little over four dollars. It was packaged in a clam shell made perfectly for one cupcake, ensuring no smooshed frosting as I fordged on with my exploration of the surrounding area in Philly. 

Sweet Potato Cupcake from Sweet T's Bakery
photo by Nikki DeMartini

The small  Sweet Potato Cupcake from Sweet T's Bakery was just right as a not too late night treat: not too big, not too small and not too sweet.  It didn't taste like sweet potato but the constistency of the cake was not like other cakes. It's spongy and moist and bounces on your tongue. Though it lacked in flavor, I appreciated that it didn't taste like pumpkin which sweet potato flavored things have a tendency to do. There's enough pumpkin, spice and everything nice this time of year. 

Sweet Potato Cupcake from Sweet T's Bakery
photo by Nikki DeMartini

The frosting took the cake of this cupcake. It is one of, if not the thickest frosting I've ever had. It's sweet but not too sweet with a pleasing hint of cinnamon. What the cake lacks in flavor, the frosting makes up for it ten fold. 

Sweet T's does offer a version topped with pecans which I didn't see at the Reading Terminal Market location but I did see it on their website. 

Sweet Potato Cupcake from Sweet T's Bakery
photo by Nikki DeMartini

It came to my attention while writting this review that one of my favorite cupcakeries in the Bay Area is offering the same flavor this season. Berkeley's Cupcakin has a sweet potato cupcake with cream cheese frosting topped with a candied pecan called the Dirty South. Another thing these two cupcake places has in common is that they're black owned small businesses. 

By all accounts Sweet T's Bakery Sweet Potato Cupcakes seem to be offered year round while Cupcakin's Dirty South is their flavor of the month for November. It looks like both places are selling out of this flavor like hot potatoes so get your orders in quick!

Thankful to pass along my discovery of yummy small businesses to support and enjoy this Thankgiving to family and friends.
Happy gobbling. 

Keanu Reeves the Broadway Star

 Is there anything that Keanu Reeves doesn't do? From The Matrix to John Wick all the way back to Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure he proves he can hold his own as a star in some of the biggest block buster movies there is. Action, drama, comedy, Keanu is a well rounded movie star. He's also a rock star. Dogstar the lesser known stardom of his. He's been playing bass and singing back-up vocals in the band  since 1994. Dogstar still tours too. Most recently they played shows in the UK over the summer and they're slated to play Mad Cool Festival in Madrid Spain next Summer on July 9th. 

While in New York for one night last week, I made my way down the bustling streets from the public library on Fifth Ave to Times Square to meet a friend. The bright lights of Broadway play marquees and illuminated posters along the way kept catching my eye which was coincidental being that the friend I was meeting does lights for off-Broadway plays. One poster in particular made me do a double take, mainly for a face I thought I saw. My eyes weren't tricking me. There it was, Keanu Reeves on a poster for a Broadway play. His Broadway debut. 

Times Square 11/5/2025
Photo by Nikki DeMartini

Waiting for Godot opened at The Hudson Theater in September but I'm not a Broadway play person, let alone a play person (though I do enjoy them) so I had no idea. Keanu stars alongside his Bill and Ted co-star, Alex Winter, in Jamie Lloyd's production of Samuel Beckett's classic. It's a play about the absurdity of existence, the meaninglessness of life and the endurance of hope. Waiting for Godot is scheduled to run until January 4th, 2026 at The Hudson Theater on Broadway. 

Movie star, rockstar, Broadway starring actor and as humble and under the radar as can be. Keanu even dates someone his own age, which is 61 if you can believe it. 

 He is living up to his name which means cool breeze over the mountains in Hawaiian. Everything points to him being a cool, chill dude.
Keanu rules.

Salted Caramel Cupcake from Cupcake Royale

It had been a few years since I had a cupcake from Cupcake Royale in Seattle, Washington so the last time I was in town I made it a point to try another one. 

The closest Cupcake Royale location was about a half hour walk from where I was staying and by the time I got going it was later on the afternoon than I had hoped. Side tracked by the mesmorizing Seattle Public Library en route put a little more pep in my step being that I had to be back within an hour for a dinner date with a dear ex-festie. I wish I had gotten out earlier but a las, all the more reason to visit again soon as each time I do, I leave liking Seattle a little more.

Salted Caramel cupcake from Cupcake Royale 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Getting closer and closer to the Cupcake Royale location I wished more and more that I had broken free of the work email vortex I had been sucked into because the neighborhood I found myself in was so cute. Where was I? The streets were alive with an arts district vibe, cute small business store fronts, murals, sticker covered street signs and rainbow crosswalks. Turns out I wound up in the Capitol Hill area and subsequently, unintentionally found the gayborhood. No wonder I serendipitously felt calmer even though I was rushed. 

Stickers at Cupcake Royale in Capitol Hill 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Cupcake Royale in Capitol Hill 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

The neon light sign outside conjured memories of the last time, my first time, I visited Cupcake Royale but as soon as I walked in I knew it wasn't the same location. This one was so much smaller and it was so gay. Taking in all of the cute pride and Halloween decor, including sassy stickers by the register I quickly realized that I had indeed gotten there late because the cupcake pickings were slim. 

One of the few flavors left was their Salted Carmel: a chocolate based cupcake with a salted carmel frosting. Though I am not one who usually goes for chocolate cake unless it's flourless (the most chocolatey of chocolate cakes go). I'm also not partial to salted carmel flavored things outside of salted carmels themselves. However, salted caramel carries a certain cozy vibe especially this time of year, doesn't it? I thought so, so I went for it. 

Salted Caramel cupcake from Cupcake Royale 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

It was no surprise to me therefore I wasn't disapointed that the chocolate cake wasn't that chocolatey. I will say that it was better than most chocolate based cupcakes I've had. 

As soon as I licked the frosting my mouth salavated for more. That salted caramel flavor hit the sweet and salty spot of my tastebuds and wow. It is one of the most flavorful frostings I have ever had. It's such a comforting flavor, perfect for a cozy Autumn day/evening/night. Just thinking about it makes me crave it. 

If the chocolate cake would have been more chocolatey it might have taken away from the salted caramel and been way too much. The dark chocolate shavings on top of the frosting gave the cupcake an extra touch of chocolatey-ness that was just right. I couldn't have been happier that I decided to take a leap of faith and try a flavor I might not have tried if there was more to choose from. It is a salted caramel in cupcake form. 

Turns out this very Capital Hill location has a Halloween version of the Salted Caramel which features candy corn curls in place of the dark chocolate shavings. Candy corn might get a bad rap but I'm a fan of this Halloween confection. What a treat this halloween time cupcake is! If you're in the area this Halloween you gotta try it for me!

Be safe out there ghouls & goblins. 

The Fest & The Gainesville Music Scene

This Summer I got the chance to work Beyond at The Gorge in Washington State. For those who don't know Beyond is one of many festivals put on by Insomniac, the same promoter behind EDC Vegas, EDC Orlando and so many others. These days such festivals are widely considered as raves however, raves are traditionally underground and far from mainstream. Insomniac events have essentially become the epitome of mainstream so here's to calling these shows what they are.

I had wanted to work this one for years and was excited to get to cross this one off of my work bucket list simply because of the beautiful location. I was also excited to be working with a skelton crew of my boss and my co-worker who's been working with our boss since the begining. They're both pros at what they do and I consider myself very lucky to get to work with them and therefore learn from them. 

Out of the three of us working this EDM festival none of us are fans of EDM.  

Our drive to and from site every day was at least 45 minutes with the same commute time to look forward to in the wee hours of the morning after a long work day. My coworker drove so by default he was the DJ (no pun intended) and took full advantage of listening to something very different from the noise we were subjected to for hours onsite. 

He likes rock. Rock n roll. Punk rock. Hard rock and everything in between. Along with learning tricks of the trade on-site from him as I do at every show we work together and have for years, this time I also learned about a specific genre of music I have since deemed Gainesville Rock. 

Gainesville is in Florida and my co-worker is from Florida, not Gainesville but close enough.  If I hadn't worked Beyond Gorge with him I don't think I would have ever known about the Gainseville Music Scene and all of the bands that have come out of it. 

One of his favorite bands, Hot Water Music, happens to be from Ganiesville and that's who we listened to the most on our drives to and from work.  Music blaring, he'd feed me information about the band, album or song that was playing much in the same way my Dad has always schools me on music while listening to it. Both instances are first hand encounters of the power of music: grown ass men fully enthraled by the influence of this art form and spreading the love of it. 

Aganist Me! and Less Than Jake, both of whom I'm more familiar with than the latter, came in the rotation a couple of times and I was surprised to learn that they too are from Gainesville, FL. There were a slew of others he'd play a song or two from, they're sounds ranging from punk to hard to harder and thrashier. So many bands have come out of and are still popping up from the Gainesville music scene. A scene that's seemingly underground if you're not already in the know, as underground happenings go.

Radon

Draft

As Friends Rust

Spoke

Roach Motel

Mutely Chix

Fried Christ

Asshole Parade 

Tired From Now On 

Along with a thriving underground music scene, Gainesville Florida is also home to a more underground music festival than most. Simply named, The Fest this homegrown three day fest is entering it's twenty-third year this year. It's layout is similiar to that of SXSW, taking over multiple venues in a certain area every show day and every show night. With the layout of The Fest being how it is, it's almost as if attendees trick-or-treat their way around from show to show at the festival. 

It takes place close to Halloween every year which got me thinking, what happened to the New Orleans Halloween rock fest, Voodoo Fest? That was one I always wanted to go to long before I started working music festivals but never got a chance to go. 

 

There's no shoartage of Spooky Season EDM festivals Boo! in Seattle, Escape in San Bernardino, Hulaween in Live Oak, Florida and probably others that aren't on my radar but a rock filled Halloween music festival seems to be a real treat to come by now a days. 

With middle fingers flying at "the man", this year's The Fest was announced weekend two of Coachella.  Along with the multiple venues and long list of acts, there's also been quite a few changes to the bill making it hard to keep up with who's playing at The Fest. One band in particular stood out to me and that's Tsunami Bomb straight outta Petaluma, CA. Back in my local punk show attending hayday I'd seen Tsunami Bomb around The Bay and was tickeled to see them on the bill all these years later.  

"Technically" show day one is this Friday, October 24th but like any good music festival now a days there's a soft launch of the madness that is The Fest tomorrow, Thursday October 23rd. Even punks got make an extra buck when they can. 

Kansas City Cupcake

 Is there a dessert flavor more Summertime appropriate than Key Lime? 

Before Summer slips too far away being that today is techinally the first day of Autumn, here's a review of a Key Lime Cupcake I found in Kansas City. 

Key Lime Cupcake from Mildred's on Kansas City, Missouri 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

First of all, can we talk about how confusing it is that Kansas City is in the state of Missouri and not the state of Kansas? On second thought, there's not much more to say about that. 

Upon rolling into town I researched breakfast sandwich shops and Mildred's popped up. It wasn't too far so off I went. I spotted Key Lime Cupcakes in the display case while waiting and just couldn't help myself when it was my turn to order. In the midst of trying to cut back on sweets, this impomptu cupcake purchase was a fail yet a win at the same time because though I may want to lose some recently gained weight, I also don't want to restrict myself from living my best life. That means enjoying life and all it has to offer because we only have this one life to live. The cupcakes were wrapped in emerald green paper and I got my to-go in a box that perfectly fit one. 

Key Lime Cupcake from Mildred's on Kansas City, Missouri 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

I've been doing this thing where I save treats: cupcakes, cookies, what have you, until the following day or night. Not this time though. I had the Key Lime Cupcake from Mildred's the night I got it and I am so happy that I did. 

The first thing I noticed was how heavy this standard sized cupcake was. The next thing I noticed was the tiny lime rind shavings sprinkled on top of the white frosting. There was no tag describing this cupcake at Mildred's so I didn't know what kind of frosting it was. Vanilla? Vanilla with a hint of lime? Cream Cheese? Cream Cheese with a hint of lime? It was impossible to know and only one way to find out. 

Unwrapping it's green paper led to a gleeful surprise. The paper was soiled  through and through where it had clung to the base of the cupcake. That was a sure sign that not only was this cupcake moist but it was buttery and it's heaviness meant it was dense. Dense, buttery cake is usually a recipe for delicious. 

Key Lime Cupcake from Mildred's on Kansas City, Missouri 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

The first bite proved me right, delicious. The cake was so buttery and moist it was like eating a pound cake spritzed with lime. I could barely detect the lime in the cake and if it also flavored the frosting I couldn't tell. The frosting was a thick cream cheese frosting. Thick on the thickness, light on the cream cheesiness. It wasn't too sweet either. You'd think the thickness and heaviness of a cream cheese frosting on top of a heavy, butter pound cake would be too much but somehow it wasn't. It was delightfully delectable. It wouldn't have been as fresh, buttery, moist and delicious if I had waited to eat it until the next day. 

To be quite honest, I was a little skeptical about a Key Lime Cupcake since Key Lime is a flavor reserved for pie. All the more reason to try it though, right? Can a Key Lime Cupcake live up to Key Lime Pie? In this case no, there wasn't enough lime and I couldn't have been more pleased about it. After all, Key Lime is a type of lime that grows in the Florida Keys. It's not necessary a flavor that's suppose to be in overabundance that makes your the back of your ears twinge and lips perk, unless it's a good Key Lime Pie of course. 

Key Lime Cupcake from Mildred's on Kansas City, Missouri 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

I don't think Mildred's has cupcakes daily but if and when they do, do yourself a favor and try one.  

God Save Thee Parkside

In the outskirts of SF lays Thee Parkside, a punk establishment that's in essence "underground".  In fact, the bright red building on 17th Street in the Potero Hill District has been home to the bar that doubles as a music venue for the last 25 years. The cash only establishment gives Zeitgeist vibes, another locally loved SF bar that serves beer, booze and food with the ocassional event. 

Along with offering booze and live music, Thee Parkside also hosts cult classic movie nights. Although I've only been a couple times years ago, it was still sad to find out that it might be closing soon. 

After the longtime owner of the building passed away earlier this year, Spaynol who's run Thee Parkside since 2007, fought to keep the spirit of it alive and thriving. At first Spanyol was successful, finding someone in the resturant industry willing to step in and front a $1.3 million bid, only to be denied by the relator for a $1.33 million dollar bid from un-known buyer. 

This could be yet another gentrification consumuption of a local favorite that hosts sometimes local, sometimes not, live music. 

During the pandemic the much loved music venue Slim's, opened by Boz Scaggs in 1988, closed it's doors for good only to become a YOLO nightclub which didn't last long at all. The peanut shelled covered floors of the Hemlock Tavern that had live events and an indoor smoking room, also got converted into a nightclub, the two story Xex. 

In 2018 SF lost The Elbo Room in the heart of the Mission District. It was brought back to life as The Valencia Room with new lighting and a new sound system but it wasn't the same as the 30 year running, multi-floor, multi-generational dive bar/music venue that locals grew up going to. 

When I read about Thee Parkside's possible upcoming closure memoires of covering a show there came rushing back. In 2012, when I first started reveiwing shows for this blog of mine,  I was approved to cover Young Empires at Thee Parkside. It was my first time there. It was dark and dank like any good punk, dive bar should be. I arrived early in order to secure a spot to get good photos and because of that I was able to catch the opening band, Humans. Like the headliner, it was a band I had never heard of before therefore wasn't familiar with their music. The electro band is made up of two two dudes from Canada. To this day I remember them setting up what little equipement they had on measly looking 4 foot tables, one of which (if I remember correctly) was drapped with a zebra stripped table cloth. While they played, I remember thinking that the tables looked like they were about to collapse. I also remember thinking I really dug what these dudes were doing. They were playing at a punk place but their music wasn't punk rock, which is pretty punk in and of itself. They're an electronic band, with full on lyrics, something more and more un-common in the EDM craze of these days, at least as far as I've seen. They were different and a whole lot of fun! Oozing enthusiasm and bursting with personality, they rocked. I was sold. You can't tell by my review of the show that night since I was there to cover the headliner but Humans stole the show. 

Reading about possible fate of Thee Parkside made me remember Humans and their stand out song "Avec mes mecs" which I've listened to repeatedly since. It's so catchy, fun, relatable and gets me dancing everytime. It's a good time. This is the type of dance music that use to get the party started. If it wasn't for Thee Parkside hosting that show, I wouldn't have discovered Humans and their highly enjoyable song. 

SF is not what it used to be, it hasn't been for years as it continues to get further away from how it once was. Long standing establishements acan't afford to face the economical changes since the city by the Bay is a destination spot for transplants from all over, even though they complain about the place they moved to. A place Bay Area locals call home. A place who's heart breaks with every new closure as new, unaffordable developements pop up all over. Places like the Thee Parkside are gems, holes in the wall that you either have to know about or be told about and they're disapearing right before our eyes. 

 Not all is lost, though. SF still has Bottom of the Hill, The El Rio and the newer kid to the block, Brick and Mortor. More up and coming bands can still be found in bars that line Mission Street too, including Kilowatt and The Make Out Room. 

It would be neat if the un-known buyer gave Thee Parkside a little re-vamp and let it continue on in all of it's glory. Only time will tell. Until then you can still catch a show and or a movie, a drink and a bite to eat there. 

Lavender Lemon Cupcake from Cupcake Heaven in Virginia

The first stop when I hit the at the end of July was in the quiet little town of Haymarket, Virginia. The hotel was across the street from a collection of cute shops and bussinesses all situated in colonial style white house looking buildings with black trim and matching louvered shutters.

Outside Cupcake Heaven, Haymarket Virginia
photo by Nikki DeMartini

I wasn't looking for a cupcake place but when I searched for coffee nearby, a cupcake place across the street popped up. It's been a little bit since my last traditional cupcake review so I indulged. 

Outside Cupcake Heaven, Haymarket Virginia
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Cupcake Heaven is in one of those colonial style white house looking buildings serving drip coffee, esspresso beverages and cupcakes. To be honest, I was impressed with the dozen different cupcakes this small place offered. While most of the flavors were pretty standard; variations of chocolate, vanilla and classic red velvet, there were three that stood out. Those three were, Lavender Lemon, Pina Colada and Vanilla Almond Raspberry. 

I went the Lavender Lemon route. The flavor combonation made me think of a perfectly warm and sunny, relaxing Summer day. A feeling we all long for when life gets busy and since I wouldn't be having a relaxing day as the end of Summer approached, why not enjoy a treat that induced the same feeling. 

Cupcake Heaven, Haymarket Virginia
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Lavender Lemon Cupcake Heaven, Haymarket Virginia
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Along with the cupcake which came in an box big enough for one, I also got a cup coffee. Traces of a soft lavender scent escaped upon opening the box. There were a few flecks of real lavender on the pastel colored lavender frosting which sat on top of the golden hued cake. The frosting was the first thing I tasted and the trace of lavender that danced on my tastebuds was the same as the one I smelled, light yet fragrent. The perfect touch of lavender which can be overpowering if not used with caution. 

The texture was nice and creamy and not too thick but thick enough. The lemon of the lemon cake was like the lavender frosting, light. Lemon cakes have a tendency to go overboard with the lemon flavor but not the Lavender Lemon cupcake from Cupcake Heaven. The cake was spongey and fresh and buttery but not too buttery. The amount of frosting outweighed the cake, a ratio I for one am never mad about when it comes to cupcakes or cakes. 

Lavender Lemon Cupcake Heaven, Haymarket Virginia
photo by Nikki DeMartini

I polished off this cupcake pretty quick and was left very pleased by it. It's unclear of this is a seasonal flavor but if you find yourself in Haymarket, Virginia in need of a cupcake on the light side, I recommend the Lavender Lemon.