Cafe 217

Legends, Justin's, Elda's, McGuires...Bombers? What do all of these have in common? They're the classiest ways to get drunk on Lark street! and what do we want most when it's 5am Saturday morning and you're hammered? FOOD! Usually, the default would be to go to Dino's or I Love and get yourself a slice of mediocre pizza that's been sitting for hours. While this seems delicious at the time, our body soon regrets it (and let's be honest, we're already going to hate ourselves in the morning.) So sticking with the classy-on-lark theme, and avoiding feeling like death when you inevitably wake up in three hours...go to Cafe 217! This, ladies and gentlemen, is not your ordinary cafe. It is a comfy, cozy, CLASSY cafe, similar to the likes of Cafe Madison or Iron Gate- only they add in their own little twist. They're hours fit your drinking needs! They are open from 5:30-11pm on the weekdays, and starting Friday they are open from 5:30 all the way until Sunday at 3pm.

Oh yeah, and their food is amazing.

                                                           Pictured: Portobella appetizer


Oh yeah, and they have two-for-one beer specials (at least on the weekdays)

                                                   Did I mention their food is AMAZING?

                                                      Pictured: Chicken Marsala (so good!)


For those of you who love breakfast (I know there's a lot of you, I'm certainly not one of them), they serve breakfast all night long! If it doesn't sound great to you now, it will at around 3:30 on Saturday morning as you stumble out of Lionheart. This place gets a 10 out of 10 in my book, for sure!

visit their website and learn a little more about them! http://www.cafe217.com/

Bananas Foster Cupcakes with Cinnamon Rum Frosting

Today, Chris and I decided that we should spend our Sunday afternoon baking. I adore the sport, and therefore the idea of a baking date was music to my culinary ears. Cupcakes are my specialty, but I always have trouble brainstorming flavor combinations. This is where Mr. English really shines. He came up with the idea that we should make a Bananas Foster cupcake with a rum buttercream frosting. I threw a recipe together using a few good ones that I saw online, and we quickly got to work. The end product was, not to toot our own horn or anything, but pretty awesome. Here is the final recipe we came up with!

BANANAS FOSTER CUPCAKE
(Makes about 24)


3/4 cup butter
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 ripe, mashed bananas
2Tbsp spiced rum (or more to your taste)
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream


CINNAMON RUM FROSTING


1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups confectioner sugar
3 Tbsp spiced rum
2-3 Tbsp cinnamon


INSTRUCTIONS:


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix together dry ingredients
3. Add in wet ingredients
4. Mix until smooth (It will be lumpy, due to the bananas. Just make sure everything else is mixed)
5. Put cupcake liners in cupcake pan (If you don't have liners, grease the inside of the pan very well instead)
6. Pour mix into each liner until just pat full
7. Bake for 15-17 minutes
8. Set on cooling rack, when they are cooled, make frosting and frost those bad boys
9. EAT AND ENJOY! (Let me know what worked for you guys, and what didn't!)


As a finishing touch, Chris caramelized some banana slices with brown sugar and we topped the cupcakes off. This is, of course optional.

This, along with some bangin' chicken that Chris made (and will hopefully also appear in a future post!)
made up this week's Sunday night dinner. So make them, and let me know what you guys think!