Recently in New York City Category

A Slate.com business columnist thinks the rise of cupcakes is a bubble heading for a crash. I say who cares when we all profit from the irrational exuberance! Here's a round-up of tasty cupcake options near Starwood hotels around the country.

Your first order of business in LA, after checking into the Westin Los Angeles Airport, should be to head to Cupcakes Couture in Manhattan Beach. The shop creates some of the fanciest cupcakes I've seen, including such treats as the "Sunday Mimosa," (pictured) a champagne sponge cake filled with orange curd and topped with citrus frosting and blood orange "caviar," and the "Little Miss Sunshine," a strawberry cake with strawberry jam, vanilla frosting and topped with a vanilla macaroon.

Sweet Revenge, a few blocks north of the Four Points by Sheraton SoHo-Village, knows its customers aren't kids: it offers wine and beer pairing suggestions for its cupcakes. Try pairing the decadent "Dirty" with a Peroni or another pale lager.

Up in Seattle, you can order online from Cupcake Royale and have a dozen delivered to the W Seattle, or have them waiting for you when you swing by the Capitol Hill location. Sadly, it's too late to get the "Deathcake Royale," but the chocolate mint gets high marks and is available all year 'round.

[image via Cupcakes Couture]

Planning a meeting while you're on the road? Don't forget to order coffee and donuts — or maybe some bagels — to keep the attendees alert and on-task. Here's a list of some of the better options to supply each around the country.

In New York, the clear leader is Doughnut Plant. Made from scratch (even the jelly fillings) fresh daily in decadent flavors such as dulce de leche and crème brulée, a second location will be opening this spring a couple blocks from the Four Points by Sheraton Manhattan Chelsea. If bagels are more your thing, Brooklyn Bagel & Coffee Company has you covered.

San Francisco's Dynamo Donuts has flavors that'll really help groggy colleagues wake up: varieties include a chocolate donut dredged in chipotle sugar and a lemon-filled dusted with Sichuan spices. Ask the concierge at the St. Regis San Francisco to send someone to pick up from this Mission storefront. Closer to the hotel, Blue Bottle's French press coffee service will help make sure the jolt from the spicy donuts sticks.

Keep their eyes from glazing over in Chicago with an order of Glazed Donuts, available by catering or subscription(!) only. The flavors change weekly, and range from classic apple cider to bing cherry balsamic and maple-bacon-chocolate (pictured). Pair them with coffee from the Intelligentsia near Millennium Park, and you'll be the hippest meeting runner the Westin Michigan Avenue has ever seen.

Good food is everywhere in Brooklyn, a reflection of the fact that it is home to citizens from all over the world. For affordable and fun outdoor eating from spring through late fall, one of the most impressive and veteran gatherings of food trucks appears from the Red Hook Food Vendors at the Red Hook soccer field on Saturdays in the Red Hook neighborhood (accessible via the F train on the subway). It feeds hordes of hungry young players and savvy food adventurers with a sampling of the best meals and snacks from Mexico, Puerto Rico, and El Salvador. Among many standout items, look for some of the best and freshest ceviche and pupusas from friendly, hard-working, family-owned businesses, Also on the weekends, Brooklyn Flea (indoor/outdoor location varies seasonally; check the Web site) is not only a great site for shopping, but an incredible gathering of many local artisan food producers, a group so impressive that Martha Stewart even dedicated a whole episode of her television program to its edible delights.

Your stay at the soon-to-open Sheraton Brooklyn New York Hotel will put you at the perfect perch from which to access the many international culinary delights not only in surrounding Brooklyn Heights and all over the sprawling borough, but also all of Manhattan. Whether you eat inside or outside, it's a case of having too much to choose from, which is really always a thrilling prospect for a visitor. As is complimentary breakfast and evening hors d'oeuvres, both of which await you in The Club Lounge.

Pretzels are a ubiquitous sight on the streets of midtown Manhattan, but Sigmund Pretzelshop (29 Avenue B) is breathing new life into old dough over in the East Village. Lina Kulchinsky, a lawyer by trade, opened up shop late last year to raves from the New York Times on down for her imaginative ideas. Yes, Virginia, you can get plain, salted soft pretzels, but why would you when you can have flavors like sesame, poppy, caraway, caramel pecan, cinnamon raisin, seven chili and dunk them in free dips such as nutella, beet-horseradish mayo, and herb goat cheese?

If the mood for more than a snack strikes, well, a pretzel sandwich might be in order; Sigmund will set you up with choices including roast turkey with gouda and apple, roast beef with horseradish and red onion, smoked salmon with cream cheese, and mozzarella with tomato and pesto. There's also sweets, Boylan's sodas, Mighty Leaf tea and La Colombe coffee. Walk or take a short ride from Four Points by Sheraton Manhattan SoHo Village to explore this twisty goodness. Have you ever had a truly memorable pretzel? If not, this might be your first.

[Image via Sigmund Pretzelshop]

Besides food trucks, the biggest food trend in New York still seems to be hamburgers. They're popping up on posh menus all over town, while classics — like Minetta Tavern's Black Label Burger — are described with reverence and the exalted Shake Shack continues to expand (coming soon to the Theater District and Upper East Side!)

To experience the cutting edge of the trend, check out DBGB Daniel Boulud's latest, where the burger reigns supreme. Choose from three versions based around flavor profiles, or bring a couple friends and opt for all three.

Le Parker Meridien actually has one of the city's best in its slightly hidden Burger Joint, tucked behind curtains off of the lobby. The Burger Joint is very well respected among the burger cogniscenti, as unpretentious as it gets, and a solid burger purveyor at that.