I have an unspoken (until now) goal to eat practically every dessert in New York, and this most definitely includes cupcakes. I love cake, and cupcakes are tiny cakes! Tiny cakes for my big mouth!
So when I heard about Sweet Revenge ages ago, I knew I'd have to give it a try. I wasn't that excited, though, until I heard about their happy hour: a cupcake and a glass of wine for $10. I've gone a couple of times since then, and although it's not my favorite cupcake or drinking spot in the city, there's something to be said for a successful combo of the two.
Their cupcakes come in several flavors, of which I have tried the "pure" (vanilla/vanilla), the "dirty" (chocolate/chocolate), and the "very strawberry" (special of the day). The vanilla has a great real vanilla bean flavor, and wasn't sickeningly sweet as this flavor can often be. The chocolate similarly had a great chocolate flavor, nice and deep but not overwhelming. The strawberry wasn't as flavorful as it could have been, but the batter and icing both had fresh strawberries, which was a nice touch. For all of these varieties, the cake is dense and rustic, but a little dry and very crumbly. The icings are thick and not too sweet, but thick.
Overall, they're good, but not mind-blowing. Sweet Revenge scores points for quality ingredients and flavor, loses a few for price (the cupcakes on their own are pricey) and texture. The wine and beer options are nice, and during happy hour you get a glass of white, red or sangria with your cupcake (all decent wines). It's an intimate space, I'd recommend it for a date or after-work meet up with a friend. It's a pretty great way to wind down at the end of the day. -Laurel
When Laurel first proposed going to Sweet Revenge before dinner with some friends, I was instantly down. I’m a big monetary supporter of the Dessert Before Dinner fad sweeping the nation.*
Sweet Revenge is a cute place, with a few tables, some bar seats and a large selection of booze. It’s not huge, and generally has a steady flow of people so snagging a seat is sometimes difficult at certain times, but we’ve never had a problem. The owner was there the first time we went, and she was pretty awesome, walking us through the different cupcakes and talking about the wine & beer pairings.
Since my favorite ingredient probably in the whole world is chocolate, I of course got their “dirty” cupcake. I ate it in about three seconds, but I can say – it’s delicious. However, as a warning, to most people it would probably be too much chocolate. I also tried the “pure” cupcake. As Laurel said, it’s the perfect amount of natural vanilla bean flavor. They’re most famous for their namesake cupcake, which has peanut butter cake, peanut butter ganache, and…fudge. It’s awesome, if you love peanut butter. Like a cake form of a Reese’s peanut butter cup, only I think you’d like it a lot more. Because I know you and your tendencies, obviously.
As for the booze and cupcake pairings, Sweet Revenge has it down to a fine art. I’m not an avid wine or beer drinker, but I’d say it’s because I’m not the best at pairing such drinks with food, and instead usually just wash everything down with my signature whiskey and ginger. Last time I got the Very Strawberry with their Lunetta prosecco, and it was absolutely perfect. Or you could go for the Dirty cupcake and Kopparberg Pear Cider (love that cider like whoa). Highly recommended if you have a sweet tooth. If you’re not into sweets, they do have a few savory options to pair with beer, including croque monsieur and a chorizo and manchego cheese...cake.
Sweet Revenge is the perfect place to go for after dinner drinks (or like I said, for DBD) or as Laurel said, on a date. Actually, scratch the date - it’d be best to take a friend there after a nasty break up. It’ll get them out of the house, and they’ll get to munch on sweets and drink a lot of booze. Hell, there will probably even be a cute guy or girl there who can be their rebound. Best post break up remedy ever, if you ask me (how's that for sweet revenge?). - Jennifer
*There is no DBD, although I think we should start one.
Address: 62 Carmine Street at Bedford Street
Payment: cash or cards
Delivery: Nope
Open Late: Mon-Thurs at 11pm; Fri-Sat til 12:30am; Sun til 9pm
Large Group Friendly: Nope
Bar/Happy Hour: Yes! Cheaper beers/wine, and a cupcake and a glass of wine for $10
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