The Savory Cupcake

Every time I come home to Chicago, I make a mental note of all the places I want to go to eat. Some are old favorites (Portillos, Giordanos, Pita Inn), while others I've heard so much about that I can't wait to go! The Meatloaf Bakery has been on my checklist for almost a year now. (It was featured on some Food Network show).

The Meatloaf Bakery created the most genius lil cupcake ever: a meatloaf cupcake topped with mashed potato "frosting." Who says all cupcakes have to be sugary lil treats? I've said this many times before and I'll say it again: I'll always choose french fries over cupcakes, any day. I knew this savory cupcake was right up my alley...

located at: 2464 N. Clark St, Lincoln Park, Chicago, Illinois

When I found myself just a block away from the Meatloaf Bakery, I grabbed one for my friends and me to share while we met up for dinner at Del Seoul for Korean tacos and fries. There is a wide range of cupcakes from a salmon loaf to a spaghetti-topped meatloaf. They range from $7.95-$9.95. Since my friend Sunny is now a pescetarian, I ordered the vegetarian Yentl Lentl loaf for us to share. 

The "frosting" on this cupcake was a bell pepper topping and the cupcake was served with a roasted red pepper coulis. While my friends were a lil indifferent on the cupcake, I totally enjoyed it. The lentil loaf is stocked with pretty healthy ingredients but it didn't taste super health foodie to me. There was a punch of cheese that gave it the nudge away from it screaming HEALTHY FOOD. I definitely want to go back to try the original or even the buffalo chicken cupcake. 

My only complaints about this bakery are the price (it's a lil high for the amount of food you get) and the heating wait time. When I ordered the cupcake, I had two options: wait 15 minutes for them to heat it up or go home with heating instructions. Luckily I wasn't starving but this does make it a lil inconvenient. The guy behind the counter did suggest calling and ordering ahead of time to ensure no extra waiting time. 

There is a Meatloaf-A-Go-Go food truck roaming the streets of Chicago and the cupcakes are warmed up already on the truck. I have tentative plans with Sista Min to catch the truck tomorrow. Savory cupcakes twice in one week, I'm a lucky girl!

My reunion with my old high school friends, Sunny and Yun, ended at Molly's Cupcakes for some real, old-fashioned cupcakes. Sunny ordered three for us to share and we had a bit of a Goldilocks experience. One was perfect, one was just ok and one was dry and not good. So, on my second outing to Molly's, I'll say it's a hit or miss. Glad I got to enjoy that amazing banana brown sugar cupcake and a night out with my old friends!