Cupcakes seemed a trend years ago but is still a beloved dessert. Austin has plenty of places to enjoy cupcakes, and I’ve listed locally-owned places (in alphabetical order below) to grab a cupcake. Some are specifically cupcake shops and some are bakeries. I’ve included recommended flavors, and you’ll see, my go-to is usually anything with strawberries!

Here are the 10 best cupcake places in Austin!

Cupprimo

Location: 8650 Spicewood Springs Rd #105, Austin, TX 78759

Details: Sweet cupcakery in Northwest Austin

Recommended Flavors: Blue Velvet (wedding cake), Oreo, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup

Hayley Cakes & Cookies

Locations:

• 1700 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704
• 10601 Ranch Rd 2222 Suite M, Austin, TX 78730
• 9001 Brodie Ln, Suite B-3, Austin, TX 78748

Details: Big, colorful cupcakes topped with decorated cookies

Recommended Flavor: Funfetti

Polkadots Bakery

Location: 944 E 51st, Austin, TX 78751

Details: Fresh flavors; light and fluffy cake and frosting

Recommended Flavor: Strawberry and Cream

Quack’s 43rd Street Bakery, Lady Quackenbush’s Cakery, and Captain Quackenbush’s Coffeehouse

Locations: 411 E 43rd St, Austin, TX 78751; 1900 Simond Ave #300, Austin, TX 78723; 5326 Manchaca Rd, Austin, TX 78745

Details: popular study/hang-out spot tucked away in Hyde Park; Mueller location’s cakery is a cute, pastel spot

Recommended Flavors: Cream-filled or Chocolate with Cream Cheese Frosting, Cherry Chocolate

Rocheli Patisserie

Location: 1212 Chicon St #102, Austin, TX 78702

Details: Eastside bakery with French pastry options

Recommended Flavor: honey lemon lavender

Sugar Mama’s Bakeshop

Location: 1905 S 1st St, Austin, TX 78704

Details: Lots of classic flavors here

Recommended Flavors: Southern Belle (red velvet), Jack’s Lemon, Strawberry Love (vanilla cake with strawberries, strawberry cream cheese frosting)

Zucchini Kill Bakery

Location: 701 E 53rd St, Austin, TX 78751

Details: Vegan and gluten-free bakery with punk-rock theme

Recommended Flavor: Golden Mylk

Honorable Mention Cupcakes

Slightly outside of Austin, Whipped ATX has great cupcakes in Leander. They’re opening a second bakery within Austin, off of Anderson Mill, soon!

These might be chain shops and franchises but they’re good options if you’re in the area and want a cupcake!

• Sprinkles Cupcakes: 3120 Palm Way #3.100, Austin, TX 78758
• Gigi’s Cupcakes: 3944 Ranch Rd 620 S #130, Bee Cave, TX 78738
• Nothing Bundt Cakes:
  • 2785 Bee Cave Rd Suite 333, Austin, TX 78746
  • 10225 Research Blvd #330, Austin, TX 78759
  • 9600 IH-35 South #S-140, Austin, TX 78748
• SusieCakes: 3267 Bee Caves Rd, Austin, TX 78746

If you’re looking for DIY decorating kits and virtual decorating classes, The Cupcake Bar has you covered!

Austin Cupcake Map

Find the cupcake nearest to you!

Are you a cupcake fan like me? Let me know your favorite flavor below!

This guide is part of the Austin Food Blogger Alliance’s 2025 City Guide. Check out more of the best eats in Austin, curated by Austin food bloggers, on the full list of guides.

P.S. Check out my other foodie posts:

• Best North Austin Restaurants
• Ultimate Austin Foodie Bucket List
• Best Desserts in Austin
• Best Pastries in Austin
• Favorite Restaurants in Austin

P.P.S. How far does my cupcake love go? Around the world! I made a map of the cupcakes I’ve eaten – ENJOY.

The post Best Cupcakes in Austin appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

All the Food in the Cayman Islands
I started the month getting my fill of jerk chicken and seafood in the Cayman Islands. Read all about the things I ate and drank here.

All the Food in Miami
We then hopped to Miami and there we ate all the Cuban food and so much more! We ended up going to three breweries. Read all about it here.

Complimentary Bites at Bento Picnic
I joined my friend Caitlin at Bento Picnic’s media preview before their grand opening. This shop is so cute and their food is great! I love their concept of Japanese-inspired bites, focusing on customized bento boxes or grab-and-go options. They also do family-style portions for dinner and catering.

Craft Beer at Oddwood Ales
This new brewery on the east side is a place I definitely want to return to! Wolf Shirt, their pale ale, and Atonal, one of the saisons, are both beers I want to drink again. Be sure to come here for lunch or dinner because their pizza looked and smelled delicious. I also love their rustic, southwestern, and wild interior design.

Homemade from the Grill
Did I tell you Boyfriend bought a grill? It’s been put to good use for beef and lamb steaks, Portobello mushrooms, beets, and asparagus. This grilled shrimp was so good! He made a spicy pineapple mango dipping sauce that went perfectly with it.

Cupcake from Luciole Bakery
This just might be the prettiest cupcake I’ve ever eaten. The Persian Love flavor features rosewater and pistachio, and yes, that is edible gold foil. I saw Luciole Bakery at the Crafther Market and it was a must-have!

Dinner at Guild
The restaurant, food, drinks, and even their bathrooms are beautiful. The staff is great. The oysters and the gnocchi and shrimp dish were tasty. But it all seemed overpriced to me, and I’m not sure the value is there. I think if I’m looking for a seafood-centric restaurant in Austin, I would go to Mongers, Alcomar, or Salt Traders Coastal Cooking.

Dinner at Hopfields
Have y’all tried the burger at Hopfields? It is pretty amazing. I love Hopfields because it’s a solid choice that doesn’t disappoint. They’re like the boy you’ve been best friends with and finally realize he’s the one you’re in love with. He’s been there all along. On this occasion, we had the burger and fries (highly recommend) but I’ve never been disappointed by their mussels and fries. We finished dinner off with the bananas foster crepe, which was fantastic, though next time, I might tell them to hold the lavender.

Fresh Strawberries and Blueberries
I love summer berries! When you eat organic berries, you can’t go back. They have so much more juice and flavor!

Dinner at Il Brutto
Ah, the Italian restaurants continue to open in Austin. After a first visit, I’m a big fan of Il Brutto. They have the burrata dish of my dreams and I will probably order it every time I visit. I indulged Boyfriend by agreeing to the anchovy pizza, and though it wasn’t my favorite, I think I would like their other pizzas that don’t have anchovies. We also liked the sautéed mussels and clams. Their pici pasta dish was fabulous and I was sad I had to share it. It’s creamy and cheesy with mushrooms.

We made it to dessert at Il Brutto! We got the chocolate caprese torte that comes with blood orange and fior di latte gelato and the ricotta semifreddo, which was my favorite of the two. Isn’t that chocolate torte dish beautiful?

Dinner at Loro
New Austin restaurant Loro combines the talents of Tyson Cole (Uchi) and Aaron Franklin (Franklin Barbecue), and after our first visit, I’m sure we’ll be back. For drinks, they have a handful of batch cocktails, including vodka lychee Arnold Palmer, peach margarita, ginger old-fashioned, and lemongrass daiquiri. The vodka lychee Arnold Palmer was my favorite.

For food, we had the Kale and Asian pear salad, oak smoked salmon with the amazing coconut rice, smoked brisket, and the chicken karaage. All fantastic, though I’ll be sure to order the oak smoked salmon again next time.

Cookies from Teddy V. Patisserie
I finally tasted these cookies everyone has been raving about. Elisia makes these huge, soft chocolate chip cookies (with or without walnuts). I love the texture with walnuts. What’s your favorite cookie?

Homemade Ramen
What do you do with a chicken carcass? That was the start of what became ramen night. We (ok, boyfriend and housemate) had made beer can chicken earlier in the week and we saved the bones to make broth. We added mushrooms and leftover chicken, made ajitama, and topped with laver (seaweed sheets). The fresh ramen noodles from H-Mart were fantastic. We’ve got some improvements to make, like perfecting the ajitama and giving the broth a fuller flavor, but making ramen at home is definitely something I want to try again!

Brunch at Sway
For my friend Kathy’s birthday, we had brunch at Sway. Since we were a big group, we reserved the tasting menu ahead of time. We tried the spinach and chive dumpling, Thai basil chicken and waffle, mapow biscuits and gravy, and the brioche French toast. The Thai basil chicken and waffle was my favorite followed by the brioche French toast. It was my first visit for brunch but I think I’ll be coming back here for dinner instead. My dinner experiences have always been stand-out! (Psst, the new Sway location at the Domain is now open, so all you Northies should go for dinner!)

Other Food Things

• Soup Empanadas? Yes, please.
• My friend Jessica posted this Chunky Monkey Pull-Apart Bread recipe and it looks amazing!
• Have you ever made kimchi pancakes?
• Sobriety changes the way Chef Sean Brock cooks.
• Looking for food books that aren’t cookbooks? Here are some recommendations!

What’s one thing (food/restaurant) I should try this month?

P.S. Want to see the best foodie events in Austin? Check out this list.

Keep up with my food adventures! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Bloglovin’. You can also subscribe to the exclusive email list.

The post Flavors of the Month: April 2018 appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

 

 

The post Visiting Magnolia Market Silos and Silos Baking Co. in Waco, TX appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

Whenever I told people I was heading to Thailand, they more than likely commented about the great food I’d enjoy. Of course, the food was one of the reasons why we went to Thailand. The variety of flavors and the authenticity were what I most looked forward to on our trip. The food we tried did not disappoint! Read on to see what dishes we tried and what you should expect when you visit.

A couple of notes:
-None of the food was overwhelming in spice, which says a lot since my palate can’t handle very spicy food. Even when we would tell the waiter “spicy,” it was still very manageable. We think that most places gave us a tourist level of spice because Thai spice is notoriously intense and we rarely felt the heat. Some restaurants do include spices on the table if you want to make it spicier yourself.
-Most of the restaurants we went to had menus with English translations and photos so we never had an issue ordering.
-Reflecting on what we ate on our trip, I wish we had more time and stomach space to try more! I missed trying one of my favorite Thai dishes – Khao Soi – in Chiang Mai (the origin) and had trouble finding it elsewhere.

Breakfast
When I asked one of our tour guides what Thai people ate for breakfast, he chuckled and explained that they usually make one big batch of food in the morning and eat the same thing for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. With the rise of tourism and Western influences, breakfast menus may feature familiar dishes like pancakes and scrambled eggs. They also serve boiled rice soup, which is similar to congee of Chinese culture. Many of our breakfasts were included in our hotel stays, and all except one had buffets. We saw everything from croissants and fresh fruit to fried rice and omelets. We also saw a lot of chicken sausages (hot dogs) for breakfast.

Lunch/Dinner

Pad Thai
While this is probably the most familiar Thai dish for Americans, it is with good reason because it is plentiful in Thailand. We went to one of the oldest and most well-known restaurants for pad thai in Bangkok and the pad thai was incredible! One version was traditional with dried prawns and the other version was baked inside an egg crepe like an omelet. As I learned, traditional pad thai always comes with prawns, not chicken or beef.

Fried Rice
Fried rice is always a safe Asian dish. It’s also hearty and delish. I grew up on fried rice. We saw a lot of pineapple fried rice in Thailand.

Tom Kha Gai – Thai Chicken Coconut Soup
Tom Kha Gai was a dream in Thailand and a perfect representation of the flavors in Thai food. Spicy and sour, this hot soup tingled our senses and always seemed to have the perfect amount of each flavor profile.

Kuay Teow Kua Gai – Fried Noodle with Runny Egg
This local Bangkok dish is hands down one of the best things I ate in Thailand and probably in my life. It’s known as a Thai carbonara. Wide rice noodles are fried in pork fat with marinated boneless chicken. Then a runny egg is placed on top. After topping it with chili flakes and pickled chilies, everything is mixed together. The noodles are crispy, the dish is smoky with a reminisce of the strong wok power, and the runny egg pulls it all together. AMAZING.

Stir-Fried Chicken with Basil / Chicken Satay
This is another “safe” and easy dish to order in Thailand. It usually comes with white rice. I had it on several occasions and it was always satisfying.

Bugs and Frogs
We had a feeling we would encounter edible bugs in Thailand. It happened on our food tour at a street vendor stand and the bugs/frogs were so well fried that they only tasted like a fried thing. The “only” thing we needed to get over was the shape of the thing. I tried frog, cricket, and ant eggs. Boyfriend also tried mealworm, which was the only thing that wasn’t fried all the way and in fact gooey in the middle. And that’s all I need to say about that. It was mostly a bucket list thing!

Traditional Khantoke Dinner
We went to a dinner and a show event where they served traditional Lanna (Northern Thailand) food. The meal was on a traditional tray and the dishes included cabbage, fried chicken, fried pork skin, braised pork, fried onions, and fresh vegetables.

Grilled Prawns
They love their prawns in Thailand. We had them on many occasion, with noodles or rice and on their own.

Spicy Fried Fish
I believe this dish was served tourist-friendly. I was expecting a whole fried fish but it came out as fried fish nuggets. It still tasted incredible and was the perfect amount of spice for me.

Massaman Curry
The massaman curry won me over! This complicated curry has a number of spices, peanuts, coconut milk, and chunks of potato.

Panang Curry
Close behind the massaman curry is the yummy panang curry!

Rotisserie Chicken with Spicy Dipping Sauce
This was a simple yet tasty meal. The chicken was served with rice and spicy sauce.

Som Tum – Green Papaya Salad
Hello, spicy! This was one of the most consistently spicy dishes we ate in Thailand. It’s made with shredded, unripe papaya, dried shrimp, and lots of chili peppers!

Tom Yum Soup
This spicy soup was one of my favorites. It’s made with lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, fresh Thai chilies, and fresh lime juice.

Dessert/Sweets

Sticky Rice with Mango
The most well-known Thai dessert was plentiful and for that I was pleased! The fresh mangoes were heavenly. This dessert is made with sticky rice, coconut milk and fresh mangoes. Sometimes the rice is dyed with natural dye from food to make it colorful.

Coconut Rice Dumplings
These coconut and rice flour bites are best eaten piping hot! They are slightly gooey inside with corn.

Crepes
We saw many crepes in Thailand, whether made by street vendors or in restaurants. We tried one that we saw a lot – with Nutella and bananas!

Kanom Sai Sai – Coconut Cream in Banana Leaves
Move over sticky rice with mango! I hadn’t tried this dessert until in Thailand and one bite made me obsessed! It is rice flour in the consistency of gelatin with shredded coconut in the middle. Some people noted that they didn’t like the texture but I was in love with the sweetness!

Sweets at the Mall
We visited two malls in Bangkok and was amazed by the number of food options they had! Desserts galore! The dessert seemed more international with a Thai flair, like a Thai tea cupcake. These were some of the sweets I ogled.

Kanom Buang – Thai Taco Dessert
This classic Thai dessert has a thin, crispy outside and is filled with shredded coconut and egg yolk. You can usually find them for very cheap at street vendors.

Drinks

Smoothies/Juices
Since the heat can be intense in Thailand, fresh fruit smoothies and juices are a good option. We had mango and watermelon.

Green Tea Thai Tea
The green tea is legit in Thailand and the flavor is very strong! I enjoyed this refreshing green tea Thai tea.

Fresh Coconut Juice
Straight from the source!

Beer
The most distributed beers you’ll find are Singha, Chang, and LEO. These are your typical, easy-to-drink beers. I had Chang and LEO and couldn’t tell the difference between them.

Craft Beer
With some searching and luck, we also found craft beers in Thailand! Full Moon Brewworks (out of Phuket) and Chiang Mai Brewing Company distribute in their respective cities. We tried the Cha Tri IPA from Full Moon Brewworks (a collaboration with Australia’s Stockade Brew Co) and Red Truck IPA and Chiang Mai Weizen from Chiang Mai Brewing Company. These were a welcome change from the usual Thai beers! Full Moon Brewworks also has the Chalawan Pale Ale.

We also splurged on dinner at Nahm, one of the world’s 50 best restaurants. See the full experience here.

As you can imagine, this is a small taste of the plethora of dishes you can enjoy in Thailand! I’ve been missing Thai food off and on since returning from our trip. Thankfully, there are lots of options of Thai food in Austin!

Do you like Thai food? What is your favorite dish?

See all my Thailand posts here.

Keep up with me elsewhere! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin’, or Snapchat (@wanderlustanita). You can also subscribe to the exclusive email list.

The post Best Things to Eat and Drink in Thailand appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

Dinner at Thai Kun (Domain Rock Rose location)
I started May off with a bang! It was a spicy one. I liked the brick-and-mortar look of Thai Kun and the service was top-notch. So far, Thai Kun has been one of the more impressive eateries at the new Rock Rose neighborhood. This oyster mushroom dish was my favorite.

Fried Green Beans and Burger at Contigo
I can’t remember where I went wrong. Did I have the fried green beans before and was not impressed or have I not and no one ever told me about them?! Well, I’m telling you now. Go to Contigo and get the fried green beans. It’s a hearty appetizer meant for sharing though I would have been perfectly happy with them as my entire meal. My actual dinner was the burger and fries, which is always fantastic!

Juice To-Go at Juice Society
This is my first time having Juice Society, even though they’ve been around before their new, shiny brick-and-mortar opened up. This place is doing BIG things, so go try their juices. They also have fresh smoothies and snacks. I enjoyed the Activated Lemonade (it has activated charcoal in it that’s good for detoxifying), Root Down (beets) and OmGreens (kale).

Assorted Macarons at La Patisserie
Macarons are one dessert that doesn’t make me feel guilty after eating. They’re so light and flavorful without an abundance of sugar. You can walk in and get macarons and a variety of pastries at La Patisserie in South Austin.

Bites at Official Drink of Austin
Austin Food & Wine Alliance events are some of my favorite culinary events in Austin. There’s an abundance of food and drink to try, the events are well-organized, and there are all-around good vibes! Congrats to Geraldine’s for winning the ‘Official Drink of Austin’ title with the ‘Far From the Tree,’ which has Treaty Oak Rum, fresh pressed apple juice, pecan orgeat, Paula’s Texas Orange and lemon juice. I enjoyed many of the bites, including Apis Restaurant’s beef tartare with egg yolk.

Dinner at Kin & Comfort
I wrote about Kin & Comfort this month and I also gave it a visit! The Shrimp and Grits is my go-to dish.

Strawberry Limeade Paleta at Stephen F Frostin
After the Camille Styles #gethealthygettogether work-out event, we were treated to goodies, including refreshing paletas from Stephen F Frostin. This very cute ice cream truck is by South Congress Hotel and you can find it there serving every Sunday.

Full Tea at Bundrick’s Traveling Tea Parlor
My friends Kathy and MJ and I knocked ‘enjoy a full tea’ off our to-do lists. What’s better than catching up, drinking great tea and snacking on these delicate bites at this cute tea trailer? The bites included three different kinds of tea sandwiches, tarts, macarons, and scones. The English version of scones is not hard like American scones! They are more like American biscuits, and layered with clotted cream and jam, they were my favorite snack. (And ‘biscuits’ in England means cookies!) The full tea is by reservation and $25 per person but you can also order a la carte without a reservation.

Hash Bowl and Orange Juice at Paperboy
I’ve been eyeing this trailer for a while because I have an affinity for sweet potato hash. Well, add in pork belly and a poached egg and you’ve got a tasty mix of breakfast. I also recommend the fresh-squeezed orange juice.

New Frozen Pizzas from Austin’s Pizza
I had the chance to try Austin’s Pizza’s new frozen pizzas, now in grocery stores in Central Texas. You can read all about it here AND win some coupons to try them for yourself.

Chai at Mañana Coffee
I set up shop at South Congress Hotel’s coffee shop Mañana one morning to get some work done. The blue tile is heart eyes and the iced chai I had was tasty. They had a healthy flow of people, so it’s not the best place to work on a weekend but a nice place for a quick meet-up.

Chicken Tinga Nachos at Cover 3 (Round Rock)
This is one BIG plate of nachos. You could easily share this between two people for dinner. The chips are loaded with black beans, chicken, cheese and avocado. Yum!

Sticky Rice with Mango at Sap’s Thai
I did eat dinner before dessert but I must comment about dessert because it was the main reason I ate here. Ha! Dishes at Thai restaurants are always very large so I never have room for dessert but I made sure to save room. (And thus, I also had leftovers for about 2 or 3 more meals.)

Acai Bowl at Daily Juice
I discovered acai/smoothie bowls this month, and they are so delicious! I tried the Berry Crunch Blast Acai Bowl at Daily Juice. It’s got blended acai, peaches, strawberries, banana, and apple juice on the bottom and toppings of blueberries, peaches, strawberries, chia seeds, banana, and granola. I loved the cold blend with the crunch of the toppings and fresh fruit.

Cupcakes and Brownies from Casa de Glaze Bakeshop
After a recommendation from my friend Jessica of The Dishtance, I hunted down the very cute cupcake bicycle of Casa de Glaze. While they mostly do catering, owner Jenny takes her bicycle cart out in her free time, so follow their social accounts to find out where. I tried the Dulce de Leche cupcake, Carrot Cake Cupcake and brownie – all perfect!

What/where have you been dining lately? Any recommendations for me?

Keep up with me elsewhere! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin’, or Snapchat (@wanderlustanita). You can also subscribe to the exclusive email list.

The post Flavors of the Month: May 2016 appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

All the cake at Cake Party
There were so many sweet and savory things at the cake potluck I threw at the beginning of the month.

Customized Pizza at Mod Pizza
This pizza chain is similar to Subway or Freebirds where you pick all the toppings on your pizza or you can use their recommended combos. My little and I loaded up our pizzas with our favorite toppings and really enjoyed the end result!

Cookies from Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap
I received three tasty packages of cookies from three other participating bloggers. Click for the recipes: Brown Butter Eggnog Cookies by Cooking and Beer, Chewy Gingerbread Cookies by The Blond Cook, and Oatmeal Raisin White Chocolate Bars by D Grubs.

Lunch at Swift’s Attic
To celebrate my birthday, my co-workers and I enjoyed a 5-star lunch at Swift’s Attic. I enjoyed the blistered shishitos, devils on horseback (cheese and fig wrapped in bacon), squid fries, extra juicy burger, and popcorn and a movie dessert.

Donuts at Voodoo Doughnut
The doughnut craze continues! Voodoo Doughnut, a Portland original, has made it to Texas with the opening of this Austin location. The Captain my Captain doughnut and sprinkle doughnut are sweet and colorful.

Kettle Corn Ice Cream at SPUN Ice Cream
After I tried SPUN Ice Cream’s liquid nitrogen creation at SXSW, I had a feeling that this interesting concept would be a fun addition to the Austin culinary scene. It is finally open on east 7th. I enjoyed the kettle corn ice cream with a salted chocolate shell. Go check it out and see the process in person.

Carrot cupcake and Strawberry cupcake at Smallcakes (Dallas)
I enjoyed so many good eats in Dallas, including cupcakes from Smallcakes. Located in the Mockingbird shopping center, Smallcakes is a good snack mid-shopping. And with locations all over the U.S., even you can try it wherever you live!

Vanilla Cupcake at Reverie Bakeshop (Dallas)
This vegan and gluten-free bakery is a gem in my hometown of Richardson. Their menu includes cupcakes and a variety of pastries and desserts such as donuts, kolaches, cookies, and ice cream. I tried the vanilla cupcake with vanilla icing and while I could tell that it was vegan and gluten-free because of it’s density and flavors, I thought it tasted good. I can’t wait to make regular visits whenever I’m in Dallas!

NYE Dinner at Bullfight
Yep, back at Bullfight after the November visit. It was similar experience taste-wise, good but not spectacular. The Roasted Mushrooms dish was again the favorite dish of the night. We also enjoyed the Jamon Iberico 24 months, Veal Sweetbreads, Seafood Paella, Grilled Prawns, Urchin Roe, and Tomato Gazpacho. While our foodie group had high expectations, it was still a great time with great friends with LOTS to celebrate!

What flavors have you been enjoying?

The post Flavors of the Month: December 2015 appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

Birthday
My birthday was a week-long celebration and as “low-key” as it was compared to years past, it was perfect. It included lots of time with friends; dinners at Monkey King Noodle Company, Olamaie, Jacoby’s and Licha’s; brunch at South Congress Café; donuts at Glazed; and cupcakes from Cupcaking Desire. My birthday timing is growing on me. It’s in-between Thanksgiving and Christmas and a timely reminder to give thanks.

12 Days of Love Letter Writing
More Love Letter’s holiday campaign is in full swing! From December 8-19, a new request will be added to the list every day and you have until December 19 to put your letters in the mail. Pull out your stationary and spread some cheer this season!

Austin Food and Wine Alliance 2014 Culinary Grant Winners
I had the honor of being at the Austin Food and Wine Alliance’s 2014 Culinary Grant event last week where the year’s hard work and fundraising showed its true worth. Five organizations received grants to bring new and life-changing opportunities to the Austin culinary community, and I look forward to supporting them. Read all about the winners here.

Holiday Gifts
Speaking of the holidays, are you preparing gifts? In the past few years, I’ve loved giving a mix of different gifts and this year I think I’m going to focus on local Austin makers and homemade gifts. I think it’s fun to gift something thoughtful to celebrate the memories of this year and look forward to the next. If you’re looking for unique gifts, check out this post about gifts that give back.

What have you been captivated by lately?

The post Captivations v.6 appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

Brunch at Josephine House
Have you ever had brunch at Josephine House? It’s delightful. A laidback patio, cute interior and lots of tasty pastries.

Peanut Butter Cup(cake) at Sugar Mama’s BakeShop Eastside
It’s been a while since I’ve been to Sugar Mama’s but my friend Rochelle and I popped over to their new eastside shop on a rainy Saturday. This cupcake is SO good. A very moist chocolate cake topped with a creamy peanut butter buttercream – it was perfect.

Leftover Friendsgiving Pies
When we split pie leftovers from Friendsgiving, I ended up with a whole pie. Pie-five for leftover pie!

Spiced Pumpkin Cupcake with Maple Bourbon Bacon Icing from The Carillon at Wine and Swine
One of my favorite things at Wine and Swine, this cupcake was savory and sweet and a hit with me.

Mini Creme Brulee, Mini Bourbon Eggnog and Bourbon Vanilla Glazed Donuts at Glazed Donut Works (Dallas)
I dig late night donuts. Especially when you get the bright idea of buying extra to save for the next morning. Because of course they will still taste good and it is very acceptable to immediately take a bite out of each one to try them.

Persimmons from my family’s tree
Persimmons are a popular fruit in Asia and my family has had a tree in the backyard for as long as I can remember. It’s delicious when it’s eaten like an apple – peeled and sliced.

Short Rib Hash, Mimosa and Carrot Cake French Toast at South Congress Café
Winner winner birthday brunch! Yes, birthdays are a G-R-E-A-T excuse for multiple meals to celebrate. I hadn’t been back here in a few years but when I think South Congress Café, there is only one thought in my mind: carrot cake French toast. So yes, short rib hash and a mimosa to start and then finished it off with a slice of the amazingness.

Other things I ate but don’t have photographic evidence of:

Many, many good things on a cold night at Contigo
Two of manfriend’s best friends came into town one weekend so we took them somewhere out of the ordinary for them. Some of the dishes may have been a little strange but we loved it. I especially loved the burger.

Pepperoni Pizza at House Pizzeria
I finally made it. I know. What kind of pizza lover am I if I haven’t been to one of Austin’s favorites? Well, it is checked off now and I can’t wait to go back. If you like thin crust, come here.

Soto
This visit to Soto taught me many things. My manfriend was not as enthused as I about the FIRE salmon, I am DEFINITELY NOT a fan of fatty tuna, and madai continues to be one of my favorite fishes.

Cru
If you ever go to a restaurant at The Domain and they give you a very long wait time and you just can’t, hop over to Cru. I like taste-testing and the wine flight was enough wine to do that. The food was good too.

Olamaie
Winner winner birthday dinner! We tried to go here spontaneously the weekend before but failed so the manfriend made surprise reservations. I was a fan of the roasted cauliflower.

What great things did you eat/drink this month?

The post Flavors of the Month: November 2014 appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

We enjoyed so many memorable dishes, drinks and desserts on our trip to Greece! These are some of my favorites.

Greek Salad
I had a couple of Greek salads during the trip and they were always refreshing. They usually include tomatoes, cucumbers, green bell peppers, onions, olives, and a block of feta cheese, all drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with pepper and a few capers. Of course, I found that everything tastes a little better when you’re overlooking the view of the sea in Santorini, smitten.

Spanakopita
This buttery and flaky spinach pie pastry was a great breakfast and snack during our trip. Here it’s pictured with a glass of fresh orange juice. Yum!

Gyro Meat and Gyro Pitas
One of my favorite meals was a simple three euro gyro chicken pita eaten standing up beside the restaurant. Simple, fast and so good! The word ‘gyro’ describes the way the meat is cooked: on a broiler that rotates, making the meat very tender and moist. In Greece, the meat is usually chicken or pork, though lamb is popular in other countries. The pitas usually include tomatoes, onion, French fries (fried potatoes) and tzatziki sauce. For dishes, the meat was served with pita or the components of the gyro pita.

Seafood Pasta
Seafood Pasta was a favorite dish among us, and we ate a lot of it on the trip. My favorite seafood pasta plate had perfectly cooked noodles with a slight seafood taste and was accompanied with fresh shrimp, mussels, and squid.

Moussaka
Moussaka – a dish with a similar feel to shepard’s pie – was tasty and a good comfort food. We had some that had a bottom layer of potato slices and it usually includes eggplant.

Octopus
I had one fantastic octopus dish. It was caramelized in sauce, very tender and only slightly chewy. Delicious!

Mussels
We consumed an abundance of mussels on the trip. With pasta, rice, and on its own, mussels were a light and flavorful option. My favorite was this dish with rice.

Santorini Brewing Company Beer
We were recommended the Santorini Brewing Company, which was a short bus ride away. Their beers are Yellow Donkey, Red Donkey and Crazy Donkey (IPA). Funny story: we wanted to make sure we didn’t miss our stop so we asked the ticket person if he knew where the brewery was on the stop. He said he would tell us and sure enough, when the stop was coming up, he started slowly yelling YELLOW DONKEY…YELLOW DONKEY…YELLOW DONKEY so that we would get up and get ready to get off the bus. Slightly embarrassing but we’re glad we didn’t miss it! We had tastings of the beer, which were very enjoyable and on par with other craft beers I’ve tasted. They ship 90% of their beer around Santorini and the rest of it to Athens, New York and Oslo.

Baklava
This baklava, a snack after the beach and while we were walking along the Mykonos shops, was very good. Slightly drenched with honey, the perfect amount of sweetness, and of course, the delicate, flaky layers.

Yogurt and Honey and Nuts Ice Cream
Probably my favorite dessert of the trip, this yogurt and honey with nuts ice cream was a refreshing mid-afternoon treat as we sat at a rooftop Santorini restaurant with a view of the sea to read. Yogurt with honey and nuts is traditional but since Greek yogurt is a hit or miss with me, I was excited to see something traditional but in ice cream form on their menu.

Cupcake
Similar to my dessert experience in Spain, cupcakes are not popular in Greece. By chance, La Petite Baguette was a bakery we kept walking by from our place in Athens to the Metro. They had a sandwich board advertising cupcakes so I had to stop in and look. What was presented to me was a one euro mini chocolate cupcake topped with chocolate buttercream frosting and a dab of cream cheese frosting in the middle and sprinkles. Taken in two bites as an appetizer on the way to dinner, the cupcake was good and I’m happy to say I ate a cupcake in Greece!

We ate at a handful of great restaurants during our trip, and these are the ones I’d recommend:

–Aperanto Galazio in Mykonos: restaurant on the Kalamari Beach. The seafood dishes were great here. (Seafood pasta pictured above.)
–Mama’s House in Santorini: good for traditional Greek plates, specifically the Mama’s Kebap plate (pictured above) that includes gyro meat
–Obliex in Santorini: try a delicious 3 euro gryo pita. It was my favorite pita of the trip. I had a very juicy chicken gyro pita (pictured above).
–Volcano Blue in Santorini: great Greek dishes, specifically mussels and rice (pictured above). Sit upstairs for a fantastic view.
–Roka in Santorini: this restaurant is tucked away on a side street but they had the delicious octopus dish I mentioned above. They also have a patio to watch the sunset.

What is your favorite food dish or memory during your travels?

Also check out: My 10 Favorite Sights in Greece

The post Eating and Drinking Through Greece appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

Mango and Strawberry Shaved Ice at Snow Monster
A refreshing cold treat on a hot summer day.

Catfish Fries and Tom Kah Shrimp & Grits at Kin and Comfort
One visit and I’m a big fan of this place. I also loved the Peppered Beef Tongue.

The Original Sandwich and tofu spring rolls at Saigon Le Vendeur
Not my favorite banh mi in town but I hear the grilled pork is the best out of the sandwiches.

Cholesta Roll (chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, green beans tempura fried) and Lo Burn (tempura shrimp, unagi, jalapeno) Roll On Sushi

Teatails at Steeping Room
I’ve loved Steeping Room every time I’ve visited. On this visit I also enjoyed their popular Chocolate Chip Caramel Cookie.

Masu Donburi (Ocean Trout Confit, crispy trout skin, ikura) at Kyoten
This fish was melt in your mouth delicious. I can’t wait to go back and have it again.

Chicken Fried Lockhart Quail & Waffles on the brunch menu at TRACE

Homemade Frangelico Nutella Cupcakes
It had been a LONG – too long! – time since I had made cupcakes. This recipe was delicious!

Some yummy things I ate this month and didn’t get a picture of but still dream about:
Foie Gras (aka melt in your mouth delicious) at Uchi
Sapporo Ramen with light broth and ajitama at Michi Ramen
Connecticut Roll at Garbo’s

The post Flavors of the Month: July 2014 appeared first on Fearless Captivations.