Today's Adventure: The Red Velvet Cupcakery! (of Dupont Circle)
Today I did my usual salad run with my coworker Katie in the Dupont circle area for my Friday lunch hour. It was a bit hot and humid outside and as we were leaving our healthy salad place, and I resisted going across the street to Hello Cupcake. But that this when something caught our eyes. A girl with a Froyo Cup! ZOMG! We looked at each other and we were instantaneously, jonesin' for some Froyo. On to the good ole trusty iPhone and Yelp. Google map told us that we were 0.2 miles away from FroYo goodness called TangySweet. So we did our little venture around the circle and headed onto P street. And as we crossed the street towards the TangySweet FroYo sign underneath it, I saw "The Red Velvet Cupcakery." As I am familiar with the name, I did not know that they had another location aside from their location downtown in Chinatown (hey that rhymes!) near the Verizon Center. I sqeauled with cupcake excitement as I enter the store, my friend Katie even told me, that this is place is like "Mecca" to me. Awesome. There goes that healthy breakfast and lunch I had. It all went downhill after that salad...I'll just pretend this didn't happen.
Although this was more of a FroYo place, the cupcakes seemed to look fresh and were display nicely on a tiered platter. The man behind the counter told me all the flavors that he had to offer and I ended up getting 4 flavors to share with my fellow taste tester Sean. (It's so hard being my friend!) So after downing some Pina Colada FroYo (what? you think I would get sidetracked? I think NOT!)...who what? I forgot what I was talking about. Oh Pina Coladad FroYO........OM NOM NOMMY!
*********************************
The Om Nom Nom Rating Chronicles (measured on a 1 to 5 Om Nom Nom scale with 5 being the highest) by Angie and Sean...also known as Team Seangie.
Cookies and cream: Cookies 'n Cream pieces blended into our chocolate buttermilk cake, topped with a creamy American buttercream and garnished with more cookies.
TADA Factor: 2.5
Flavah Flav Creativity: 3
Frosting: 2.75
Cake: 3
NOTES: This cake did not taste like it had cookies and cream pieces blended in! But if they did add cookie pieces it mos def made their cake super crumbly! To both of us, this cupcake just tasted like a regular choco cupcake with vanilla buttercream on it! Perhaps, they should of blended more cookies into the frosting? Please? Pretty please? To sum up both of our opinions on this cupcake in one word: MEH.
Southern Belle (aka Red Velvet...the namesake!): A traditional Southern favorite made with our signature receipe that can stand up to Grandma's whipped cream cheese topping makes our namesake a to-die-for "must for any first-time guests.
TADA Factor: 3.5
Flavah Flav Creativity: 3
Frosting: 4.25
Cake: 3.5
NOTES: Sean's Red velvet V-card was taken here, at least this time he enjoyed it. (Per his banter, which I ended up earmuffing myself once he started to 'splain his story futher. WAHH!) As a professional red velvet cupcake eater, this was good, but not super awesome. I appreciate that they did not go super rich with their cc frosting and that it was whipped, but I feel like their cake had a lot of air and we were mos def sweeping the desk of crumbs after we had our cupcakes. Not too shabby. So a MEH?
Peanut Butter Cup: We incorporate chocolate chips into our delicios chocolate buttermilk cake to create a decadant creamy, not-too-sweet, not-too salty peanut butter topping. A homemade crystallized peanut and Maldon Sea Salt top it all off. (Again here is Sean cupcake raping the PB Cup cupcaking, he had it coming)
TADA Factor (Presentation): 3.5
Flavah Flav Creativity: 3
Frosting: 4
Cake: 3.75
NOTES: WOW! Good frosting! (Sean requests milk with this cupcake...too bad). I would like to say that the fudgey-ness of the cake is complemented by the well seasoned savoriness of the peanut butter frosting. SCORE! And the PB and choco whore is satisfied. SHAZHAM!
Summertime: A light and lemony favorite to be enjoyed throughout all four seasons! Zested lemon gives and marries with our infamous whipped cream cheese topping, smothered in shredded coconut. (we dubbed this LeCoco...that makes more sense! This is the cupcake the man behind the counter told me to get...thanks dude!)
TADA Factor (Presentation): 3.5
Flavah Flav Creativity: 4
Frosting: 4
Cake: 4.5
NOTES: Aside from singing Will Smith's jam while I ate this. Even Sean who has "texture problems with coconut" and sacrificed for the sake of cupcake eating was delighted to eat this. The cake was super awesome moist, and was not crumbly like the other cakes that we had and we both really liked it. Thumbs up!
It is obvi that I need to go to the Flagship store to try the cupcakes again, but I think the Red Velvet Cupcakery has some good cupcakes. I don't think they are particularly better than GTC or Hello Cupcake, but I must say...it was great to have FroYo and cupcakes in one store. And I LURVES that!
So I recently bought 2 Groupons for a cupcakery called Bonafide Cupcakes about a month ago. When I saw this, I instantly jumped on it and so did 2800 Grouponers. For those that do not know what the the hell Groupon is, it is a unique marketing concept where a special deal is offered in a city/county/community and there is a minimum number of coupons that needs to be sold in order for the coupon to be activated. I laid eyes on this offer and SAW the word cupcakes, and you had me at "Herrow!" In the Groupon, Bonafide Cupcakes offered their half price cupcake deal, a dozen cupcakes delivered to a radius surrounding the DC Metropolitan area for $20 (if you are good at math...that means it is originally $40 for a delivered dozen..DUR).
So I tried to order a nice dozen to try and I gave about 5 days notice and I get this reply 4 days later:
Thanks for the email!
Currently our scheduled is booked with GROUPON orders for quite some time. We're going over the schedule today and we can let you know what day the schedule opens back up a bit later on.
Let us know if you need anymore info!
Thanks,
BonaFide Cupcakes
Yeah I need more info! Where are MY CUPCAKES? =( And there should be a better way to go about these orders. And there should be stipulations set on the website!! I understand the shear madness the company went through fulfilling the massive influx of Groupon orders. I'm sympathtic. But they need to figure out how to communicate this better. Looks like I'm stuck waiting. But I want my cupcakes! And NOW!!
WAAAAAAAANNNNH! RICKY!! 
Well on to the next cupcake joint. So okay, this place does not particularly specialize in cupcake-dom, but they serve them.
I ended up going through in passing as my friend wanted to get a coffee after we had lunch. THe Firehook Bakery in Cleveland Park is the lone coffeehouse in the area. What you ask? Where is the Starbucks? I have no clue, but doesn't that tell you something? No Starbucks, then there is perhaps something wrong with the area. I know, you don't want to live and die against a big chain, I get it. But it is hard not to think of the brand Starbucks when you are looking for a coffee. Heck, even in Asia they are eating it up and they are TEA drinkers! If they can't make a Starbucks work anywhere in the DC Metropolitan area then I would be concerned. To me from a branding standpoint, the big chains do the research on where to put their retail locations. In the old days, people would wait for good old McDonald's to pop up and build their locations around it, and that is because McD's did all the hard demographic research, found locations and settled in them that were there was the most profit potential.
Aside for the whole non-Starbucks existence, Firehook offers other goods to complement their coffee, they have cakes, pies, bread, make sandwiches, salads and regular and expected coffeehouse and light cafe fare. But I couldn't help myself when I saw the tray of cupcakes in the case. I was thinking...what the hell...cupcakes! I rate them, I must at least try them! Well let's just say at least my Chai Tea Latte I got was good.
To myself, I think I had hope. Cute little cupcakes and a Chai Latte! First off, the line was really long and the people behind the counter looked a bit frazzled pumping one latte after another. That is until I got up there, drink was order fine, but I got a strange look when I ordered the cupcakes. There were two options, vanilla and chocolate. Again, foiling my fixed Red Velvet cupcake plan. Oh well.
So right as they bagged it and handed to me they asked me if I wanted them frozen? I was like frozen? But then after much thought I think they wanted to see if I wanted them warmed up? ODD. I just shook my head no and decided to wait for my cupcakes to get to room temperature before attempting to "enjoy" them.
********************************
The Om Nom Nom Rating Chronicles (On a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest)
Chocolate Cupcake: Choco cake and choco buttercream with choco shavings.
TADA Factor (Presentation) : 2
Flavah Flav Creativity: 2
Frosting: 1
Cake: 1.5
NOTES: Bad. Boring, the cake was moist on the outside (probably from the refrigeration)and super dry and crumbly on the inside. The frosting tasted like cool hwip (how Stewie says it) with a stick of butter in it. BLEH! Choco shavings were the only highlight. Nuff said.
Vanilla Cupcake: Vanilla cake and vanilla buttercream with white sprinkles/jimmies.
TADA Factor (Presentation): 1.5
Flavah Flav Creativity: 1.5
Frosting: 1
Cake:1
NOTES: Could it get any worst after the choco mess? To answer, YES. This was bad and what was more disturbing was the white on white crime. And by white on white crime I mean the sprinkles/jimmies (I say sprinkle/jimmies to not upset all those who are in debate and over sensitive of what SPRINKLES are supposed to be called, yeah I just took my side of the battle...now deal!) , but what are they doing here? Let's put boring crap on crap. At least add some color,you know like rainbow sprinkles. Or does it look like fly larvae, maybe a stage 2 and 2nd day vintage? How disturbing.
Thank goodness I had a Chai Latte to wash both "bites only" down. I would probably stick to the coffee at Firehook, that is if I can't get to the Starbucks. No nommies from me. Enjoy those cupcakes at the garbage dump birdies...
First off, I really don't know how I feel about this. The lines are long enough at GTC and I really don't need to spend time drooling and waiting for my cupcakes any longer than necessary! The last thing I want are my lines longer and them to be filled with tourists(I called them "FTs", you can figure out what the "F" in "FT" means)and my free early bird flavor program being discontinued due to them not needing to create a marketing pull for early birds to the shops in the morning.
TLC is the network that brought us Jon & Kate plus eight; Little People, Big World; Say Yes to the Dress and other shows. But what kind of drama could GTC have besides irrate people waiting in long lines? Or maybe an argument in the kitchen over whose turn it is to make the fondant hearts for the Red Velvet cupcakes? At least in the other TLC show Cake Boss, you have loud personalities arguing and pulling pranks on each other on a regular basis. But I guess I'm curious to see what angle they are going for here. I'm all for showing them making nommy cupcakes, but I'm still not convinced.
It looks like the show has already been filmed and will be airing on TLC in July. The original title was called "Cupcake Sisters" (the owners are sisters) and later changed to "Cupcake Dreams." WHAT? I really do not know about this title either. I mean I dream often of these cupcakes in front of me, but there has got to be a better name for the show somewhere out there IMO.
Oh well, I look forward to watching the "drama" in a cupcake store...maybe some one will drop a tray of just frosted cupcakes on the floor or something like that...
One Coke down in the refrigerator, the can was tossed into the recycle bin in the kitchen looking like a big sticky mess. So to go on record, I would like to claim success! Suck on that Refrigeruglar!
We entered and it was like little cupcake pods on display with the names and description of cupcakes encased to prevent drool splashing over their little cupcakes. What amazed me the most was the vast selection of cupcakes that Baked & Wired (B&W) offered. On display on the Sunday afternoon for cupcake deliciousness were about 16 cupcakes waiting for me to taste. All cupcakes were wrapped in their own little parchment paper baby swaddle, a technique that I am very familiar with, being Asian - our sponge cakes are wrapped in this same style! Some of the flavors offered were: From the Standard: Carrot Cake Moist carrot-flecked cake with and even balance of spices and crunchy pecans (no raisins here) and a whole bunch of cream cheese frosting. Vanilla on Vanilla Vanilla on vanilla. Duh. Coconut Vanilla cake and vanilla buttercream topped with lots of coconut. Red Velvet A little chocolate, a little vanilla, and lots of deep red color, topped with a heap of cream cheese frosting. Strawberry Cupcake The bestseller! Vanilla cake with fresh strawberries folded in the batter finished with a swirl of pink buttercream. To the Creative: Pretty Bitchin’ Chocolate cake with a crunchy peanut butter frosting. German Chocolate Light chocolate cake topped with a gooey concoction of coconut, toasted pecans and sugar. Elvis Impersonator AKA The Unporked Elvis Banana cupcake topped with peanut butter frosting and drizzled with chocolate. Chai Latte Vanilla cake blended with chai spices and topped with a chai spiced buttercream. Razmanian Devil Lemon cake with a raspberry jam center topped with lemon buttercream. What was the difficult part was to choose which cupcake that was lucky enough for me to adopt into my stomach. My judging partner Deanna and I ended up choosing 6 different flavors to split. (And bottles of water to cleanse the palette of course). The lucky half dozen we chose were: The Elvis Impersonator, the Strawberry, the Chai, the Vanilla Latte, our fixed standard the Red Velvet, and the Razmanian Devil. (in order from left to right beginning on the top row) ************************************************************************************************************************************ The Om Nom Nom Rating Chronicles (Measured on a 1 to 5 Om Nom Nom Scale with 5 as the highest) The Elvis Impersonator AKA the Unporked Elvis: Banana cupcake topped with peanut butter frosting and drizzled with chocolate. TADA Factor (Presentation): 4 Flavah Flav Creativity: 4 Frosting: 4 Cake: 4.5 Notes: This was the first cupcake that I tried from B&W and was really impressed. Too bad all that followed did not compare as well. The banana cupcake was more of a "banana bread" soft of taste and consistency and the peanut butter frosting was mildly sweet and was topped of in chocolate drizzle. Doesn't choco drizzle just make everything better? I not only think so, I KNOW SO. LURVES IT! Strawberry: The bestseller! Vanilla cake with fresh strawberries folded in the batter finished with a swirl of pink buttercream. TADA Factor (Presentation): 3 Flavah Flav Creativity: 3 Frosting: 2.5 Cake: 3.5 Notes: This is the bestseller? Really? I like the idea, but the frosting WAS WAY TOO SWEET! It was a big turn off for me and I only took one bite, okay maybe two more...but that was for the love of science and this blog. After tasting the frosting first I was hoping that the cake would save it. But it didn't. Dug around and didn't see much of any strawberry in the cake. Strawberry cupcake FAIL. Could not even hold a candle to GTC's strawberry on strawberry combo. Forks were down for me and my fellow cupcake reviewer Deanna. Chai: Vanilla cake blended with chai spices and topped with a chai spiced buttercream. TADA Factor (Presentation): 4 Flavah Flav Creativity: 4.5 Frosting: 4 (barely) Cake: 3.5 Notes: I was really excited to see this as a flavor. I LURVES chai! I would think though that B&W should of perhaps created more of a tea cake rather than plain vanilla cake. If more tea was infused it probably would of made it more special. The frosting, again was too sweet! But I did like the chai spicing in the frosting and on top of the frosting. And so the sugar coma begins.... Vanilla Latte: Vanilla cake with coffee infused buttercream TADA Factor (Presentation): 3.5 Flavah Flav Creativity: 3.5 Frosting: 4 Cake: 3.5 Notes: This suffered the same fate as the Chai Latte cupcake, tasty buttercream, BUT TOO SWEET! Even with the bitterness of the coffee taste that was infused into the buttercream, all I could do is pucker as I eat any spec of frosting. Same times. Red Velvet: A little chocolate, a little vanilla, and lots of deep red color, topped with a heap of cream cheese frosting. TADA Factor (Presentation): 3.5 Flavah Flav Creativity: 3.5 Frosting: 4 Cake: 3.5 Notes: MEH. Razmanian Devil: Lemon cake with a raspberry jam center topped with lemon buttercream. TADA Factor (Presentation): 4 Flavah Flav Creativity: 4 Frosting: 2.5 Cake: 3.5 Notes: Awesome flavor combination that was only ruined by waaaaaay to sweet buttercream frosting. The jam in the middle was too sweet too, it was hard to eat and I hate that I ended up throwing my half away after 3 bites. (I even was able to make my own Razmanian Devil face out of my cake piece-check it yo!) Maybe I was at B&W on an off day? Where the bakers like putting too much sugar in the frosting? Or mayhaps I was supposed to drink some bitter coffee to offset the over sweetness? As a cupcake reviewer it is important for me to try the cupcakes in the most natural state. I would like to add that the staff was super nice to us despite carrying in the recognizable box of GTC. Price wise B&W surpassed GTC prices, but their cupcakes are larger as well. BUT the big waste of money as we didn't finish most of the cupcakes. Talk about a sugar coma. B&W has other lovely looking baked goods, I would mos def go back to try other things and of course get the Elvis cupcake again.
On to the next destination of the DC Cupcake Tour: Baked & Wired, located in Georgetown, DC. A little bit off the beaten path, Baked & Wired seems to attract good foot traffic. Baked & Wired as their name points out, the sale of baked goodies and coffee house favorites.
Ah, Georgetown Cupcake, we meet again. But this time in the Flagship store, in the heart of Georgetown on M Street. With all of their successes, GTC was able to move their Flagship storefront on a corner of M Street (convenient for the line to extend, overflow on to the sidewalks and become their own free marketing), because well, people are willing to stand in line for things that desire. And they must like-y GTC cupcakes! People mock the line waiters, but they are just haters and deserve GTC cupcakes. So go suck it! On one occasion there was a lady and her hubby and the lady was making fun of all of us for standing in line, she went in to just "look" and she was amazed, she was prolly too embarrassed to wait in line after the scene she made, but I bet all the cupcakes in the world her ass was in line the next day. The website states that they open at noon on Sundays, but we noticed people were still shuffling in at 11:15 AM as we were cupcake stalking. So my partner in crime, Deanna and I darted over there to secure our place in the 4 person line and to get our free cupcake of the day, Strawberry Lava Fudge. A free cupcake you ask? Well everyday GTC, offers 1 free cupcake per guest at each of their locations for the first 100 customers that request one. Secret flavors require you to be fans of them on Facebook or Twitter. To get one? Get your ass there early, they go quick! Marketing genius, get me in the door for something free, I leave the store with 6 cupcakes and $15 lighter. How dare you entice me with your tasty tasty cupcakes? Om nom nom! Once you step in the store, you are greeted by the smell of cake and frosting. What a great way to start and put you into a good mood? In my next new car, screw the new car smell, I want the smell of cupcakes in my new car. What would be better would be to waft the smell to other drivers when I drive with the convertible top down. I should contact my old classmate to help me create and market this, he is a chemist now develop scent for some company in PA. But back to GTC, the décor is clean and girly (swirls, flowers, dots and PINK) and the cupcakes are displayed nicely on the counter behind glass on cupcake stands for looky-loos to drool over. Even the windows on the storefront are almost floor to ceiling, natural light is free and so is the chance for passersbys to look in to stare at all the crazy people transitioning to patiently waiting and enjoying their cupcakes at the tables. Staff is speedy (well duh, the lines get long!) and friendly, and the cupcake packers are efficient and probably could pack these cupcakes with their eyes closed. If that was my jobs I would probably be horrible at it, bitter that I have to give all these goodies away not wanted to share. MINE! ALL MINE! GTC has fixed cupcake flavors and changes other cupcake flavors on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. Most of their cupcake flavors are quite traditional (and executed to perfection IMO): - Any combination of a vanilla cake or chocolate cake with a vanilla frosting or chocolate frosting with sprinkles, fondant, chocolate shavings, or nothing. - Chocolate Ganache - Red Velvet - Carrot - Chocolate Coconut - Peanut Butter Fudge - Strawberry Cake w/ Strawberry Frosting All these are pretty traditional flavor pairings but are represented in a pretty and tasty package. Let's just call it Christmas for my stomach. Deanna and I ended up choosing our free cupcake du jour Strawberry Lava Fudge and Red Velvet for each of us, Milk Chocolate Vanilla, Peanut Butter Fudge, and Fudge Lava. ***************************************************************************************** The Om Nom Nom Rating Chronicles (Measured on a 1 to 5 Om Nom Nom Scale with 5 as the highest) Strawberry Lava Fudge: Valrhona chocolate cupcake with a rich fudge core topped with fresh strawberry frosting and a fudge star drizzle. TADA Factor (Presentation): 4.5 Flavah Flav Creativity: 4.5 Frosting: 4.5 Cake: 4.5 Notes: This was the off the menu free cupcake, FTW! All flavor elements were complementary and did not clash with each other. Probably my favorite cupcake that I have ever eaten at GTC. Om Nom Nom! Strawberry: Classic Madagascar bourbon vanilla cupcake baked with fresh strawberries topped with a fresh strawberry frosting and a fondant heart. TADA Factor (Presentation): 4 Flavah Flav Creativity: 4 Frosting: 4 Cake: 5 NOTES: The cake IS AMAZING. Moist, the right density, I can taste the strawberry flavor, I can see the strawberries in the cake, and is hella tasty! Peanut Butter Fudge: Valrhona chocolate cupcake with a rich fudge core topped with peanut butter frosting and a fudge star drizzle. TADA Factor (Presentation): 4 Flavah Flav Creativity: 3.5 Frosting: 4.5 Cake: 4.5 NOTES: I'm a not a huge peanut butter and chocolate fan, but I think this is a palette changer! This taste just like a Reese's Peanut Butter cup! WOOT! Milk Chocolate Birthday: Classic yellow birthday cupcake topped with a milk chocolate buttercream frosting ad rainbow sprinkles. TADA Factor (Presentation): 4 Flavah Flav Creativity: 3.5 Frosting: 4.5 Cake: 4 NOTES: This tastes like something that you could get out of the box and jar from the grocery store....only 100 times better. Is GTC mocking me? I'll bear the burden on this one and take one for the team. (Thanks for the arm twisting...) Lava Fudge: Valrhona chocolate cupcake with a rich fudge core topped with vanilla frosting and a fudge star drizzle. TADA Factor (Presentation): 4 Flavah Flav Creativity: 3.5 Frosting: 4 Cake: 4.5 NOTES: This is the same base cupcake repackaged, always yummy, but taste different when complimented by the different frostings. Red Velvet: GTC's signature cupcake, classic red velvet cupcake with vanilla cream cheese frosting topped with a red fondant heart. TADA Factor (Presentation): 4 Flavah Flav Creativity: 3.5 Frosting: 4 Cake: 4.5 NOTES: Best Red Velvet I have ever had, in cupcake AND cake form! (so far!) What what! As this is our fixed cupcake I will be comparing the Red Velvet cupcake throughout my DC Cupcake Tour!!
In a nutshell! I LURVES IT! I LURVES IT LONG TIME! =)The first set is trapped! 2 very shaken (with lots of love) cans of Coke were shaken by me and my friend Sean and placed in the refrigerator waiting for some attention from the refrigurglar. (I wished I did have access to paint can shakers, but then I would be carrying ticking time bombs and placing them into the refrigerator. ) I also prefer them to be activated by evil, thanks.
So I got a call from Kim from Comcast in the midst of a cold fighting session (sleeping at 6 PM) on Friday evening and she informed me that we have a appointment on May 8th to install our phone. (YAY!) After multiple failed attempts trying to re-record my father's voice to authorize the porting of our number from Verizon to Comcast on Wednesday, I was informed on Friday that they will be using the authorization that my father did on the 14th of April.
Posts
