Audio By Carbonatix
On a recent, unseasonably cool afternoon, I drifted away into one of those vivid naptime dreams, the ones where you wake up and think for a second that what you just went through was real. There was a knocking, no, a pounding at the door, as if Grendel were on the other side. I tried making my way to the door, but the floor surface was like that of a waterbed; the door seemed to get farther away as I sloshed forward. I realized that I was hungry, but my turn toward the kitchen was interrupted by more thunderous knocks. I finally managed to make it to the door and open it. The letter W was standing there, looking as impatient as a letter can be, and holding a blue cloth bag with two white boxes in it. I tipped W, who before leaving informed me that the W was short for the W Fort Lauderdale and that it had come to remind me about the new hotel’s Bliss Spa and, more specifically, its in-spa brownie buffet. I was told that within each box was a brownie — one from Lola’s Cup Cakery on East Las Olas Boulevard, the other from We Take the Cake on North Federal Highway. I was to Be the Fudge of the two as part of a Battle of the Broward Brownies! I tried telling W that I didn’t live in Fort Lauderdale, but it replied that since it was a dream, I was lucky I didn’t end up in Milwaukee — plus, hadn’t I heard that W was coming to South Beach in the spring? In fact, at this point I was beginning to doubt that this was a dream, but then W added that eating brownies would be a way to satisfy a client’s sweet tooth in between his triple oxygen facial and carrot-and-sesame body buff. That couldn’t be real.
I tried closing the door, but W stuck its angular foot in it and let me know in no uncertain terms that it wasn’t done speaking. The brownies would be judged at the W booth during the 15th Annual Spring Fling Family Fun Day this coming Saturday, April 11, from noon to 3 p.m. at Children’s Museum and Memorial Park in Boca Raton; and then at the Las Olas Wine & Food Festival from May 1 and 2, from 7 to 9:30 p.m. in Fort Lauderdale. And the winner will be announced at 8 p.m. on May 2. “You think I’ll remember all this?” I asked. W handed me a piece of paper with the necessary details, another with all sorts of praise for the 4,000-square-foot Bliss Spa, a couple of photos and, as I’ve said, the brownies. I bent down to pick up one of those boxes so I could put it to my ear to see if it was ticking, and when I looked up, W had vanished.
I gobbled the brownies, and although I admired Lola’s Cup Cakery’s innovative take, it was more of a great cupcake than great brownie. We Take the Cake’s brownie was rich, fudgie, and, well, a wonderful brownie (it took the cake).
You have probably guessed by now that when I awoke from my dream, there were brownie crumbs all over the pillow.
When news happens, Miami New Times is there —
Your support strengthens our coverage.
We’re aiming to raise $30,000 by December 31, so we can continue covering what matters most to you. If Miami New Times matters to you, please take action and contribute today, so when news happens, our reporters can be there.
