City Eats: Go from Buttercup Bakes to Horus' hookahs

by Hilary Hughes

Wednesday February 22, 2006

Buttercup Bake Shop
873 Second Ave. (Between 51st and 52nd)
Hours:
Mon. & Tues.: 8a.m.-10p.m.
Wed.-Fri.: 8a.m.-11p.m.
Sat.: 10a.m.-11p.m.
Sun.: 10a.m.-7p.m.

After frolicking in Central Park or perusing some of the best museums New York City has to offer, stop by the Buttercup Bake Shop on Second Avenue to satisfy your sweet tooth before the train trek home. We’re all familiar with a certain downtown bakery known for its perfection in cupcake-form, but for those who go weak in the knees for butter-cream frosting, Buttercup is just as tempting as the West Village’s famous Magnolia Bakery.

Due to its wide selection of delectables–everything from peanut butter mud bars to angel food cake with strawberry glaze–this Upper East Side bakery is a nightmare for anyone seeking to shed a few pounds. The most enticing objects of culinary desire are the cupcakes and the individual mini-cheesecakes. The cupcakes are well worth their $1.75 price tag and come in a slew of flavors including red velvet, "devil dog," sour cream spice, "buttercup golden" and classic chocolate with vanilla butter-cream frosting. A little pricier but still affordable at $4 a pop, the mini-cheesecakes melt in your mouth and come in five flavors including raspberry marzipan and chocolate swirl.

Reward yourself for all the schoolwork that is already leaving you sleepless and starving. Located only nine blocks from Grand Central, it beats waiting in line for half an hour at the more exclusive bakeries any day of the week.

Benny’s Burritos
93 Avenue A (at E. 6th St.)
Hours:
Mon.-Fri.: 12p.m.-12a.m.
Sat.: 11a.m.-1a.m.
Sun.: 12a.m.-12p.m.

Everyone needs good guacamole in his or her life. Everyone. Even if you’re allergic to it or the texture freaks you out, you still need it.

Unfortunately, some of the more popular Mexican restaurants in the city tend to be a little on the pricey side because of the cost of avocados used to make this heavenly green mush. Luckily for Mexican food aficionados everywhere, Benny’s Burritos in Alphabet City is a consistently cheap and pleasant bistro with incredible burritos, enchiladas and even affordable fresh guacamole. The happy hour at Benny’s is particularly generous with $3 margaritas and mojitos as well as Patron and Herradura in the place of your average peel-the-paint-off-the-walls tequila. One of my friends had the taco salad and my other friend and I had burritos served with rice and beans. The burritos were incredibly filling with ingredients that tasted as fresh as they were delicious.

Between the frozen margaritas, the burritos and the tubs of guacamole we kept requesting, we couldn’t even think about the dessert menu, regardless of how tempting the homemade flan and other tantalizing Mexican and Latin American treats were.
Once you hit East 6th Street, look for the neon "Benny’s Buritos" sign on Avenue A. If you don’t visit for the amazing burritos and sinful happy hour deals, then at least stop by for the guacamole.
It’s that good. I promise.

Horus
93 Avenue B (at E. 6th St.)
Hours:
Everyday 11a.m.-4a.m.
horuscafe.com

Horus, an Egyptian hookah bar and kebab house, is located in the heart of Alphabet City. It is home to some of the finest Middle Eastern cuisine I’ve ever had. The rice pilaf is worth ditching Atkins for and the lamb kebab makes for excellent leftovers as well as a tasty entrée. There’s no bar, but they do offer an extensive wine and foreign beer list. The hookah is reasonably priced, and comes in a plethora of flavors (I recommend rose and mint).

What sets Horus apart from other hookah bars is the live entertainment and the service. Every night of the week, the DJ spins an eclectic mix of Middle Eastern, Spanish, French and American pop and rap, and on Friday and Saturday nights there are belly dancers that perform for a packed house.

If you’re up for a memorable night out, be sure to stop by Horus the next time you’re downtown. Be prepared, though: Horus has a $20 minimum, but that’s easily spent on dinner and the hookah alone.