Most of the time we’re disappointed: The cupcakes taste like muffins, not cake; the chocolate cupcakes lack intensity of chocolate flavor; and the buttercream is too sugary. Let everyone else ooh and aah over such cupcakes: Our palate sets a higher bar.

House Of Cupcakes, a winner of Food Network’s Cupcake Wars program, has just arrived in Manhattan’s West Village.* House of Cupcakes gets it right.

Both chocolate and yellow cakes are excellent: light but full of flavor. The buttercream has just enough sugar, but not an overload. As a result, the cupcakes are spot-on and never cloying, despite the generous amount of frosting. There are also sugar-free and vegan cupcakes.

*It’s locared at 101 Seventh Avenue South at Grove Street (Sheridan Square).

The original House Of Cupcakes opened in Princeton, New Jersey in 2008. The overwhelming success of the store caught the eye of the founder of Party City, who helped the one-shop business develop into multiple locations and franchising.

He also cleverly snapped up licenses for Disney, Nickelodeon and Marvel characters, Barbie, Care Bears, Hot Wheels and professional sports teams including the New York Yankees, New York Mets, New York Giants, New York Jets and more in the works.

The net result: a cake and cupcake with wares that satisfy. Handsome gift boxes in Tiffany blue make a gift of these cupcakes a royal experience.

For more information on House of Cupcakes, visit HouseOfCupcakes.com or become a Facebook fan.

If you’d like your next career move to be a cupcake store, ask about a franchise and tell us when you open: We’ll be by for more cupcakes.
  

Now, returning to the roots, a venerable Italian espresso roaster, Filicori Zecchini, is bringing its beans from Bologna, Italy, to tempt espresso-loving Americans.

The coffee has attracted fine restaurateurs in sophisticated coffee towns from New York to Honolulu. When restaurants pioneer, consumers follow.

So until a Filicori Zecchini café opens near you, you can buy the beans on Amazon. There are seven blends in whole beans and pods. Hopefully, they’ll soon be coming to a retailer near you. The company also sells fine teas, cocoa and other products, including the chocolate and mint sauces used in the recipe below.

So you don’t have to go to Italy for an authentic espresso experience; that experience has come to you. At a recent tasting at Rosemary’s restaurant in New York City, which features the coffee, we couldn’t stop drinking cup after cup of classic espresso and specialty espresso drinks.

As a treat for an espresso-loving friend, family member or colleague, can purchase bags online at Amazon.com, which carries several of the company’s seven blends.

The menu at Filicori Zecchini cafés is packed with tempting coffee drinks, all delicious. We particularly were attracted to this “Cialdino After Eight,” a special ice cream cone filled with espresso, chocolate and mint whipped cream.

Unfortunately, the cialdini—plural of cialdino, for the type of ice cream cone—is not currently sold on Amazon with the company’s other products. But don’t let that stop you from making this delcious drink in a conventional espresso cup or a small glass:

RECIPE: AFTER EIGHT COFFEE

Ingredients Per Drink

A memorable after dinner drink, the After Eight from Filicori Zecchini.

 
Preparation

1. POUR chocolate topping into cup or cone. Follow with espresso.

2. TOP with mint whipped cream.

3. GARNISH with chopped chocolate and mint leaves on the top. Serve with a side of After Eight mints or cookies.

MINT WHIPPED CREAM RECIPE

Ingredients

 
*If adding creme de menthe, substitute vanilla extract.
 
Preparation

1. USE a whipped cream dispenser or whip the cream by hand. To beat by hand…

2. CHILL the bowl, beaters and cream thoroughly before beginning. Using an electric mixer, whip the cream, mint extract and sugar in the chilled bowl until soft peaks form. Makes about 2 cups.

Learn more at FilicoriZecchini.it and follow the brand on Facebook: and Twitter.
 
WHAT IS ESPRESSO

Espresso is not a type of bean; it’s a type of dark roast applied to the raw bean, as well as a method of preparation, the coffee beverage produced by an espresso machine.†
 
Discover more about espresso and espresso drinks in our Espresso Glossary.

†Technically, espresso is a beverage made from 7 grams of finely ground dark roast coffee, that produces 1.5 ounces of extracted beverage under 9 bars of brewing pressure at brewing temperatures of around 190°F to 200°F, over a period of 25 to 30 seconds of brew time.
  

No matter how delicious a dish may be, the presentation needs a hit of color—green, red, yellow—to give it a lift.

That’s the rationale for the ubiquitous sprig of parsley and the red berry and/or mint leaf atop rice pudding and vanilla ice cream.

Much of the food we eat is beige or otherwise earth-toned. So do a color check on everything you serve.

If it’s a sweetened food—from cereal to apple pie—add some color with raspberries or sliced strawberries, or fan a large strawberry to top a piece of pie or pound cake.

RED GARNISHES ROCK

For savory dishes, use cherry tomatoes, sundried tomatoes or diced red bell pepper. Sliced red jalapeño works if you like the heat. All can be marinated first, in a vinaigrette or flavored olive oil. In essence, the garnish becomes a mini salad.

If you buy sundried tomatoes, look for a bright red color and use them up relatively quickly. They oxidize to a blackish red over time.

Other red garnish options: radish slices (or the retro radish rose) or a sprinkling of red spice (paprika, chili flakes, pink peppercorns) along the rim of the plate.

Shredded red cabbage, with or without a vinaigrette, and shredded radicchio leaves are other options. If you’re near a good farmers market, look for amaranth and red chard.

 
MORE GARNISH IDEAS

There are dozens and dozens of everyday ingredients that can be used to garnish. Check out our article, Garnish Glamour.

And beyond nutrition, color is another reason to add brightly colored vegetables to your meals.