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TriBeCa Bakery's 'Cookie Bowl' Predicts Packers Win

By Julie Shapiro | February 4, 2011 3:29pm | Updated on February 5, 2011 11:15am

By Julie Shapiro

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

TRIBECA — With just 48 hours to go, the Packers are leading the Steelers 245 to 210 — at least in the cookie stakes.

The venue is the TriBeCa Treats bakery, where owner Rachel Thebault has been decorating cookies in honor of Super Bowl contenders since 2008. Every year so far, the victor of Thebault's Cookie Bowl has gone on to win the big game as well.

This year, the Steelers took an early lead at the Reade Street bakery, with the red, yellow and blue-patterned cookies leaving the store as quickly as Thebault could bake them.

But Green Bay's green, yellow and white-frosted cookies soon gathered momentum and recently displaced the Steelers as the front-runner.

With all the big orders already counted, Thebault said the final tally would come down to smaller sales over the next two days. She won't decide which team to root for in the Super Bowl until she knows the Cookie Bowl's outcome.

"My mom's family is from Wisconsin, so normally I would root for the Packers," Thebault said. "But if the Steelers win the Cookie Bowl, I'll have to root for them. I want to keep the streak going."

Both teams' cookies come in chocolate and vanilla and cost $3. Some feature the team's logo, while others display a star player's name and number.

Thebault's Cookie Bowl has presaged at least one Super Bowl upset: The Giants' 2008 win over the previously undefeated Patriots. The Giants' cookies only barely edged out the Patriots that year — partly because of the popularity of cookies featuring Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

The Cookie Bowl also predicted the Steelers' 2009 win and the Saints' victory last year in their first-ever Super Bowl.

The football cookies, especially the ones with logos, are time-consuming to create, and Thebault joked that during the regular season, she roots for the teams with simple logos. The Patriots and the Cardinals have the toughest emblems to draw in icing, because they are the most detailed, she said.

Thebault will keep selling the Packers and Steelers cookies until TriBeCa Treats closes at 5 p.m. Sunday. She'll post the results on the bakery's Facebook and Twitter accounts shortly before kickoff.

Once the game starts, Manhattanites have plenty of choices if they want to watch the action in good company.

Steelers fans can head to Reservoir Bar at 70 University Pl. in Greenwich Village, where they can wave Terrible Towels with like-minded watchers, plus munch on the bar's signature waffle fries.

Packers fans will find plenty to cheer for at Kettle of Fish, 59 Christopher St. in the West Village, one of the city's top Green Bay bars. 

Those who prefer wine to beer may want to try City Winery, 155 Varick St. in Hudson Square, where several hundred people are expected to pack in for $15 carafes and bites inspired by both Green Bay and Pittsburgh.

For anyone who hears "Super Bowl" and thinks "bowling," Bowlmor Union Square, 110 University Pl., is offering a $44-per-person deal that includes unlimited bowling, beer and snacks during the game.

New Yorkers who don't know what a first down is will find their brethren at The Uberbowl, Joe's Pub, 425 Lafayette St., where tickets cost $40. Comedians, actors and artists who are happily ignorant about the finer points of football will provide live commentary during the game, followed by a dance party.