Once upon a time (aka: this past weekend) I found myself in a mall, the Glendale Galleria, wandering around looking for patio furniture with Craig. Not that we have a patio, but we have a front porch at our new place and figured we’d get some cheap outdoor chairs and a table and sit out there while drinking coffee on weekend mornings or while sipping a glass of wine in the evening. Funny, though, the last time I went out there to soak in the scenery, I saw a fancy car pull up to the alley across the street. A man got out, he looked around (didn’t see me) and promptly peed on a dumpster. Still: we wanted patio furniture.
Only, Target didn’t have what we were looking for and neither did J.C. Penny. At some point, I felt a bit peckish and we wandered over to the food court. We knew it was the Food Court because of this sign:
“Oooh,” said Craig. “I’m getting a Cinnabon.”
“Ok,” I said. “I’ll have some.”
Here’s the Cinnabon we bought:
I was going to structure this post as a story of me being snobby and turning up my nose at the Cinnabon, but the truth is I didn’t turn up my nose at it at all. I ate half. Maybe more than half. It was sticky, buttery, sweet and slightly salty.
“It’s like the most perfectly calibrated pastry ever,” said Craig. “They must have teams of people working out the perfect ratio of sugar to cinnamon to salt.”
Mmmhmm. Pretty soon, this:
Scholars may ask: “What was the point of this post?”
It’s an important question. But, basically, we ate a Cinnabon and didn’t find any patio furniture. Now you know.
Living for a year in Long Island, NY and visiting mall pretty often, I have never tried Cinnabon. never. I guess I’m missing something in this life.
I find this post really refreshing. As much as I love food, every so often there is something generic and commercial that really hits the spot.
Louis CK has an awesom cinnabon bit. NSFW. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-N1MoKF31mg
I was just about to post this exact clip. SO great.
So does Jim Gaffigan, lol: http://youtu.be/i5LcBdbH8bo
guilty pleasure : – D
I just adore you! I’ve been reading your blog (and books!) for many years, and I love that you never take yourself, or food, too seriously. I love to eat, and I love great food, but I also know that a cinnabon at the food court can TOTALLY fall into the category of “great food!” So thank you for never losing your fun personality or sense of humor. You rock!
I was never a big fan of the Food Court concept, but now that I live in a country without Food Courts (France) I kind of miss them. And yes, a Cinnabon once in a while totally hits the spot. I miss those too (but my ass sure doesn’t).
I used to looove Cinnabons, then I made some at home one time and after that I realized that my version tastes so much better :-)
its past the time of year they will have patio furniture in stores like Target but try Amazon
I LOVE cinnamon rolls (even had them at my wedding instead of cake), but I’ve purposely avoided Cinnabon. I’m sure I’d love it, and that seems like a slippery slope. Instead, I stick to the gigantic and amazingly delicious cinnamon rolls at my favorite bakery and try to only cave to my craving 2-3 times a month.
I developed a mild-core addiction to Cinnabons about 15 years ago. Sadly, my local store closed. There was an imitation cinnamon bun store in a mall about an hour away, but it was nothing like the real thing (I’ll let the inferior competitor remain nameless). I swing through the train station at Chicago a few times a year now and finally have access to Cinnabons again, but it’s not the same for some reason. I must be getting old.
Looks good; but was it worth the 730-880 calories ?
My husband LOVES cinnamon. He was sure he would LOVE Cinnabon. He tried and tried, but nope….something is just not right. Maybe it is the mall? Maybe it is the pastry? Maybe it’s the icing? He cannot pinpoint it, but I know one thing. No more Cinnabon for him.
Cinnabon is not really about the cinnamon. A lot of people who DON’T like cinnamon like Cinnabon rolls so I don’t think there is a lot of cinnamon in it. It’s about the warm pastry with icing….well the smell of cinnamon in a warm, sweet pastry. I think I rather smell it than eat it.
okay, so this is random. But just 2 days ago I was talking with someone about Cinnabon’s plans to go public and the IPO that’s rumored to be in the works. Get in on the ground floor while you can! hahahah
drool…. haven’t had one in years. but they are G.O.O.D.
These are super, super tasty, aren’t they? But I just looked it up: 880 calories per. 59 grams of sugar. (But 13 grams of protein!). “Cinnabon: A Good Source of Protein to Start Your Day!”
Try it with the pecans on top! Mmmmmmmmmmm………..
These should be on the “Alphabet of Foods That Will Kill You” List. But damn, it looks good.
My mom and cousin and I used to go to the mall and get Cinnabon, always with extra frosting. SO GOOD
I thought of your visit to Cinnabon as I read this story today: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-09-26/kat-cole-a-former-hooters-waitress-runs-cinnabons-1-billion-empire