Midtown Lunch

Cupcake haters best start scrolling now because there’s serious cupcake action happening in midtown today. Sprinkles, the LA cupcakery that’s about to invade NYC is planning on giving away cupcakes in Times Square (yeah, good luck with that). Follow them @sprinklesmobile for details on when/where the giveaway is going down. Yesterday, they ran out of 1000 cupcakes in under an hour. Elsewhere in midtown Robicelli’s has their once- a-year Mint Julep cupcakes (hello, bourbon-mint cake & buttercream with hand candied mint leaf). You can snag some for Derby day at Schnitzel & Things (3rd Ave. btw. 45+46th). Lastly, Magnolia is currently offering “the Japan cupcake,” (chocolate cake, vanilla frosting with a raspberry “to signify the ‘rising sun’ symbol known as the Nisshoki.”) These cupcakes are $3 and $1 goes to the Japan Society’s earthquake fund (regular cupcakes are $2.75). Available at both the Rock Center and Grand Central locations.

Thanks (?) to lunch’er hightemp, we were tipped off to the opening of yet another cupcakery. Sprinkles, a California based chain with nine locations around the country, is adding a tenth store on Lexington between 60th and 61st. The original Beverly Hills location has been hailed as the “first cupcake bakery” by Food Network and is owned by Candace Nelson, who is a judge on the aforementioned network’s Cupcake Wars. According to their website, they will be open for business on May 13 and will tout such flavors as Chocolate Marshmallow, Cinnamon Sugar, and the requisite Red Velvet, in addition to vegan and gluten-free options.

I walked by yesterday and caught some guys putting up colored dots on the facade that seem to represent all their different flavors. I take this as a literal sign that like it or not, the cupcake trend is here to stay.