The ballot for the brownie contest.


This was my day yesterday: I was sitting at my desk, racking my brain for brilliant gift guide ideas for our December issue (imported Italian anchovy syrup? too weird?), and a guy dressed in some kind of crazy full-body suit that was supposed personify lovehandles (or was it a glass of milk?), came to my desk to ask where we'd like Bliss (as in the spa) to set up their brownie tasting for "You Be The Fudge," a competition that Bliss is facilitating by driving around town in a spruced up VW van and offering tastes of brownies from three different bakeries—Bittersweet, Patisserie Philippe and Crepe & Brioche—to the public. And then asking people to vote. The chosen brownie will become the official brownie served at Bliss. The idea seems to be to pamper yourself inside and out, hopefully not inducing further breakouts. (I've actually noticed spas doing this. I was just at Cocoon, a great new spa in town, and they had little chocolatey sweets out, which actually was perfect post-massage.)

And then Mr. Lovehandles left.

And didn't come back.

Time passed, and it was starting to feel like a strange dream until I got an email from the fourth floor, where our ad/sales folks reside, to tell us that that they were basking in brownies.

Thus, a stampede of women hoofed it up the stairs to get out the vote. Shockingly, the majority of my colleagues preferred the brownie from Crepe & Brioche with chocolate chips. I called it pedestrian (they called me a snob). I preferred the brownie from Patisserie Philippe—which was light on the chocolate and sugar and had a texture more of a dense cake. Come to think of it, I think I liked it the best because I don't like brownies. Never have.


Editor Erin Feher takes the taste test.

Bliss and Mr. Lovehandle guy are driving around town looking for more voters. This week, Bittersweet is in the lead as a whole. Click here to see where the Blissmobile will be headed next. The power of the people never ceases to amaze.