The Great Seattle Ice Cream Quest Round 3: Cupcake Royale

Cupcake Royale, one of Seattle's most popular cupcake shops, does ice cream as well. There aren't any basic flavors here--the goal seems to be to combine as many types of dessert as possible into a single, efficient package. Nothing reflects this concept better than the cupcake ice cream sundae.

It's about as outrageous as it sounds: a cupcake is placed in a cup, ice cream is scooped on top, and it's finished up with whipped cream and a topping. It's sugar overload. I got July's cupcake of the month, the Blueberry Brown Betty, with honey snickerdoodle ice cream and caramel sauce for the topping.

My boyfriend helped me with it, and with great determination, we managed to finish it. I probably wouldn't get it again--and yet, I would happily get a cupcake with ice cream on the side. I guess something about ice cream on top of frosting was just a little too much. And, you know...the extra sugar drizzle and fluffy fat piles on top.

Up next: Bluebird

My Favorite Places to Gain 10 Pounds

One of the most fun aspects of travel is the opportunity to try new, exciting, and strange foods. There's good eatin' to be found everywhere, EVERYWHERE! Here are a few places I've unashamedly crammed copious amounts of junk down my foodhole:

Indonesia

Rarely have I been so flustered by menus as I was in Indonesia. It seemed that everything contained my four favorite ingredients: chilies, lime, garlic, and tempeh. But the real reason I love Indonesian food is masakan padang. Padang food looks kind of gross and violates too many health code rules to ever exist in the US, but it is a truly wonderful creation. Various fried things, cooked vegetables, and sauces are displayed in a shop window behind a screen to keep flies out. You go in, point to what you want, and the shopkeeper puts on a plate for you. The first place I had padang was in Ubud, Bali, and it cost 70 cents for a plate of rice, tempeh, vegetables, and sauce. Don't mind if I do!