New York City's Most Iconic Foods—and Where to Get Them | Condé Nast Traveler

"I’ll never forget the first time I lined up at Magnolia's original Bleecker Street location with its blue awning and curtained windows. It was 2007. Sex and the City had summited its tulle-fluffed apogee, but Magnolia had just launched the 'Carrie' cupcake. (Remember the episode with Carrie and Miranda eating vanilla cupcakes topped with pink buttercream and talking about Aidan? That’s the 'Carrie'!) Sadly, by the time I made it to the counter, they were all out. I was asked if I wanted a banana pudding instead. Crestfallen, I said no. Silly, because, almost two decades later, I would swap out a cupcake for it any day of the week. Fluffy, creamy, with slices of real banana, and reminiscent of box puddings (in the best way), a tub of this can feel like the perfect panacea for the world’s troubles. Carrie and Aidan might be done, but New York's love affair with Magnolia's banana pudding lives on." - Kat Chen