Several people in my social circle have been raving about a certain Magnolia Bakery in New York City for the longest time. It has three locations in New York, of which one was located a block away from my workplace at the time. Magnolia Bakery, I was told, makes some of the yummiest cupcakes in the world. My buddy at work compared each bite to little pieces of soft, spongy cloud that float down your esophagus, warming your stomach lining like a kisses from an angel.
A little less than a year ago, the same coworker, at the fag end of the day, has a sudden craving for cupcakes, and drags me down the block to said bakery. The outlet at Rockefellar Center is a tiny hole in the wall with barely enough space for more than 10 people to stand. I wasn’t impressed. Strike 1. We stepped in, and from a variety of assortments that appeared to be atleast a day old, I chose a cupcake, that looked the least stale of all. In all fairness, I could see people pulling a fresh batch of cakes from the oven. Maybe it just wasn’t my day. Hence, strike 2. And, finally I felt it was rather dry and nothing out of the ordinary. Strike 3.
From that day onwards, I’ve been avoiding the place like the plague. When tourists and other ask me for my opinion about the place, I rip it apart. All of that changed today.
A few coworkers decided to stop by the place for dessert after lunch. They claimed that the Magnolia banana pudding is out of this world. The group I was with was completely and totally raving about this pudding. I narrated my sorry experience with the cupcake, and while they did agree that their cupcakes aren’t the best around, the banana pudding is goddamn unbelievable. And even though the banana is my least favorite fruit, I decided to give the place another chance. And while in line to pay, I scrapped a tiny portion of the lid and tasted it- and I was SOLD! Magnolia Bakery had come of age. Magnolia Bakery had redeemed itself. I savored each bite of this outrageously delightful pudding with the glee of a 5 year old child riding his bike for the first time with its training wheels off. As I was polished off the last remnants of what is probably the best pudding ever, the guy who sits right next to me said to the others, “Let him eat guys. His eyes are quite literally popping out. He’s in love!”. Enough said. Tourists and New Yorkers, try it out for yourself.
