POP GOES THE APPETITE ... AT 7TH AND MONTANA!

If you're like me, you've been wondering "What new taste sensation will the Crack Pastry Chefs at Starbucks come up with next?" Well, at last that question can be answered. Starbucks is in the process of rolling out a series of "Cake Pops" -- little bits of cake perched atop a lollipop stick and coated in what looks like colorful acrylic. I've seen pictures of them at 7th and Montana but it wasn't until this afternoon that I saw one in person at a Starbucks in Beverly Hills. They come in three flavors -- Birthday Cake, Tiramisu and Rocky Road -- and cost $1.50 a pop. Yes, that's $1.50 for what amounts to less than a single bite of cake but look on the bright side, they're packed with calories. Take the Birthday Cake Pop (the bright pink concoction pictured above). It's described as "a party for your palate" though a single bite is 170 calories and it constitutes 25 percent of your "recommended" daily dose of saturated fat. Starbucks calls the pink coating "chocolaty," which of course means there's not an ounce of real chocolate in it. The key ingredients, if you read the fine print, include: sugar, palm kernel oil, monoglycerides and titanium dioxide. "Celebrate Your Birthday Every Day!," says the Starbucks website. I guess the good news is, if you have one or more of these pink beauties every day, you'll probably be put out of your misery before you know it ...!