Cupcake Deliciousness from La Provence | So Scrumptious

My food pyramid includes a large but necessary portion of chocolate. I was also born into a
family with other chocoholics (yes, that is a word!..or at least it was when I googled it).

Now cupcakes fall under that part of my food pyramid. Normally, when people recommend good cupcakes or any kind of cakes for that matter, they give me these fluffy and light desserts. But fluffy and light to me equates with emptiness, a lack of something.

If you're ever going to recommend or give me any type of cake (these gifts are welcome btw! haha), it must be...rich and thick and layered.

One day my cousin sees me raving about Sprinkles cupcakes and she declares boldly, "BAH, wait 'til you try these!"

La Provence Patisserie & Cafe

La Provence's tagline: The best bakery in Beverly Hills

When my cousin handed me these velvety chocolate cupcakes with ganache frosting, I nearly fainted from the sheer delight and DELICIOUSNESS.

Try them. Let me know what you think. Oh and let me know if there's any other types of sweets I can add to get my daily dose of chocolate!

The Penrose Room at The BROADMOOR | So Scrumptious

• Restaurant: The Penrose Room
• Location: The BROADMOOR Hotel | Colorado Springs, CO
• Menu: French
• Attire: Jackets are required for gentlemen
• Price Range: The 3-course menu is $72 per person and the 4-course menu is $78 per person. The Chef's Tasting Menu is $102 per person, with wines $158 per person.
• Hours: Open for dinner Wednesday through Saturday only
• Reservations: Recommended

We celebrated our 1st Wedding Anniversary at the lovely Colorado Springs, CO.

From all the hotels and restaurants we've been grateful to have the opportunity to enjoy, none compare to the impeccable hospitality, service, and quality dining served at The BROADMOOR Hotel in Colorado Springs, CO.

We just happened to choose The BROADMOOR Hotel from a recommendation of a friend in culinary school whose taste we trusted. Little did we realize we would be in for such a delightful experience!

Massive

The BROADMOOR Hotel is massive with 3,000 acres with 11 restaurants, shopping center, golf course, spa, and a movie theater inside the hotel alone. To our delight, we learned (and very quickly observed) that we were in one of the top hotels in the world: a 5-star/5-diamond luxury hotel and resort.

Award Winning

When we stayed there in November, the hotel had just been honored with the Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Award for a record 50th consecutive year. In fact, it is the longest-running consecutive winner of both the Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star and the AAA Five-Diamond award. On top of that, it is the only hotel in the world to Triple Crown. In 2010, the resort was honored with a Five-Star win for the hotel, the Spa at Broadmoor, and the world-renowned Penrose Room restaurant.

A view of some of the beautiful rooms at the resort:

After viewing the size and beauty of the resort, we knew we HAD to get a taste of this award-winning dining experience.

The Penrose Room Experience

Set at the top floor of the tallest building in the resort, we were instantly won over by the beauty and the best customer service we had ever experienced. We were given celebrity treatment, especially with it being our anniversary, from all of the staff! No exception. It was our 1st time we got to experience several waiters surrounding our tables, setting down plates at the table and, in a synchronized motion, lifting the covers to reveal AMAZINGLY delicious food.

Throughout the night, we were given complimentary dishes by Chef Bertrand Bouquin that helped prepare our palate for the next course of the meal. In the background, we were serenaded by a lovely jazz band that completed the romantic ambiance.

We were SO pleased with the amazing service and quality of the food that we spoke with the manager. Completely thrilled with the place, we requested an opportunity for an exclusive photo session with the restaurant after hours. To our delight, we were granted the opportunity.

When we arrived home, we were followed up with a kind and impressively personalized Thank You letter from the CEO and President of The BROADMOOR. This is truly a place worth visiting!

To Brides & Grooms: We HIGHLY recommend The BROADMOOR Hotel for a honeymoon or anniversary spot. Let them know that you are celebrating and you will be treated so wonderfully. This is also a very affordable location! We were given a complimentary upgrade to a suite for staying there 5 days and only paid $160/night. The food and the hotel prices are comparably affordable, especially when considering the amazing world-class quality.

'Til we eat again, we hope you enjoyed this edition of our "So Scrumptious" explorations.

So Scrumptious | Orochon Ramen

So, Linda, a fellow Scott Robert World tour photographer, told us we had to try this REALLY spicy dish they showed on the TV show Man Vs. Food. I think spicy food is awesome so I was down for the challenge.

Restaurant: Orochon Ramen @ Los Angeles, CA



The Contenders
(Note: The photos below were provided by the awesome Linda Tamarpirat.)

#1: Brian


and #2: ...me



The CHALLENGE
Look at the SIZE of the bowl!



Special No. 2 = Ramen bathed in Jalapenos, chili, spice, fire and burning pain. But, MAN, it was DELISH.



The challenge is you have only 30 minutes once they set down the soup to finish the ENTIRE bowl which was HUGE. If you win, you get your photo taken and posted on their "Wall of Bravery"...or so I've heard it called.


The RESULTS

Sad to say, after a very long time of LOTS of tears and sweat, I was only able to finish the ramen, not the soup base. It was insane. But we loved it, didn't we, Brian? Good times.

Totally the place to bring your friends. Watch them cry for pain but strangely delight in a good bowl of SPICY ramen.

So Scrumptious | Fatburger XXXL?

Okay, so I don't usually go around looking for food competitions or anything but my cousin-in-law CHALLENGED me to do this. Plus, I love a good juicy burger. How could I say no?

Restaurant: Fatburger @ Brea, CA

The Contenders

#1: Matthew



and #2: ...me

The CHALLENGE



2400 Calories

4.5 Lbs Burger Patties

1 Sitting


The RESULTS





That's right. We're on the wall.

Yes, it does say, "The few. The proud. The beltless."

Find us on the wall at the Fatburger @ Brea! If you eat a whole Fatburger XXXL you get a certificate and your photo on the wall. Try it out and let me know how you do.

Stay tuned for the next CHALLENGE!