JENSIZED LAST ACTIVITY IN MEMPHIS TOWN

Chocolate therapy

You know how the Flyer usually includes “Best Category We Left Out” in its yearly “Best of Memphis” poll?

Behold, my write-in vote for “Best Cupcakes.”

I’ve been watching what I eat lately — abstaining from meat, snacking on fruit and nuts, avoiding partially-hydrogenated oils and all that. Such a diet requires a lot of trips to the grocery to re-up on freshness. So after work today I stopped at “Whole Oats” to pick up some food. As I was pulling out of the parking lot, I remembered the article I’d read about Muddy’s Bake Shop, which was right around the corner. I also remembered Trish’s appointment with the groomers, which would be happening in about an hour. Eyeballing the (canvas) sackful of organic produce and other white people delicacies in my passenger seat, I decided it would be OK if I indulged a little bit.

I moved out of Midtown because my needs for convenience (i.e. a Target and a grocery store that’s not “ghetto”) and safety outweigh my love of food, music and culture. Here in East Memphis, all that’s still 10 minutes down the road. Muddy’s appeals to the Midtowner in me and ups the East Memphis cool factor by several points— so it’s my kind of place! It’s quirky and creative, and most importantly, it smells sooooo friggin’ good in there. Last week I caught a good whiff of the Wonder Bread factory — but it’s like a faint linger of perfume at the end of the day in comparison.

I kept it simple and ordered a half-dozen of the “Capote,” which is simply chocolate with vanilla icing. I’ve only had one, but it was the best cupcake I’ve had since my elementary-school class-birthday days. There are a bunch of other cupcake flavors, all cleverly named, and there are also cakes, muffins, pies, bread, cookies which I’m sure are as yummy. If you’re in Memphis, check it out. It’s in the same shopping center as the Fox & Hound on Sanderlin. But you don’t have to take my word for it! (That just satisfied my childhood dream of being one of the kids on Reading Rainbow) Visit the Web site and look at the pictures of all the treats.