Random Letters to the Public

As I had gone on a quest to get in better shape the past year or so - 3 things happened: I lost weight, my cupcake nomming activities had dipped significantly and the cupcake industry went a bit South - we aren't in "Cupcake Oz" anymore, Toto! (The dog, not the 80's band)

Behind the sneezeguard and droolguard

Menu with their Teethbreaking fondant Flavor Legend

Sticker on the side - rockin' like a rad "side-pony"

Deanna has a lazy eye!

Photo of me by Deanna in her cool iPhone App that keeps crashing my iPhone

One weekend I did a impromptu cupcake tour over state lines in Virginia and had some major pleasant surprises and some major sad panda disappointments!  But that is expected in the cupcakery world, yes?  I sure think so.  Here are the Virignia Cupcaking Adventures of Deanna and Angie.  So is that Deangie?  Or Anganna?  You decide.

***First Stop ***   
SWEET BITES MOBILE CAFE

The Sweet Bites Truck = mobile cupcake nommy-ness

OMG!  As Samuel Jackson would scream "It's cupcakes on a truck!" (technically it is more than cupcakes but you know that is MY main focus)  To secure their foot in the latest food craze, mobile food truck-dom - Sweet Bites brings their heavenly treats to a street corner for you to come to.  So that is what my friend and I did, we went to an Arts & Crafts Fest and then saw it was a huge bonus with the announcement that the Sweet Bites truck was going to be there.  Let's just say we saw the big pink truck first and bought our cupcakes BEFORE going into the A&C Fest.  The lady in the truck was super friendly and we took about 5 minutes figuring out what we want from the dozen of yummy goodies and their 9 cupcake flavors to choose from.  We ended up settling for Red Velvet (natch, that is our control flavor) and Pina Colada.
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Sweet Bite's Red Velvet and Pina Colada

The Om Nom Nom Rating Chronicles (on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being the nommy-est!)
RED VELVET: Shame on you if you don't know what this is by now.
TADA Factor: 3.0
Flavah Flav Creativity: 2.5
Frosting: 2.5
Cake: 3.5
NOTES: The frosting was really whipped and fluffy, something that you would not expect on you red velvet cupcake since we both were expecting a nice cream cheese punch.  The cake was super moist and tasty, but we have had better.  You know we compared it to Mecca, aka GTC.
PINA COLADA: Pineapple and coconut cake with Malibu rum cream cheese frosting
TADA Factor: 3.0
Flavah Flav Creativity: 3.5
Frosting: 4.0
Cake: 4.5
Notes: AMAZEBALLS!  Now this is what I was looking for.  Team Deangie or Anganna were super psyched over this cupcake.  Not only did it deliver, it was good to see that someone was able to bake a fine cupcake with pineapple and coconut IN the cake rather than plopping it into their frosting.  We loved  this cupcake and was about to go buy another, but we were being good since we knew we were headed to more cupcake-ness in the next couple of hours.
OVERALL:  Color me impressed.  I would like to stalk this truck on a regular basis, I only wish it didn't stay downtown so much.  Show me and my friends some NW DC love please!  =)  Van Ness in particular!
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***Next Stop***
BAKE SHOP
This was our next stop, deeper into Arlington in Clarendon.  This nugget of a place I discovered when I was condo shopping, and this is the cupcakery across from the building I have been looking at.  Super excited and scared that there was a cupcakery across the street from the condo building, I didn't know what to think - excitement for cupcakes being so close?  or scared that I would probably hand over my home owners association fee on a monthly basis to a cupcake shop?  Ah, it is mos def like that time Jesse Spano took those caffiene pills, "I'm soooo excited, I'm soooo excited.....I'm...so...scared..."  Let's just say, after we went - I left really, really scared and then missed my performance as part of the Hot Sundaes singing group with Kelly and Lisa.  Buttscratchers!

A Sunny, Sunny Day for a Bake Shop adventure

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These Om Nom Nom Chronicles for the Bake Shop were pretty much the same for all three flavors we chose: Strawberry Shortcake, Toffee and Red Velvet.  Let's just say, my friend and I had one bite of each and decided to use our caloric intake at the chocolate shop next door.
TADA Factor: 2.0
Flavah Flav Creativity: 2.5
Frosting: 2.5
Cake: 1.5
NOTES: How disappointing!  This is an all time low for cupcake rating in my Om Nom Nom Rating Chronicles.  The cake crumbled all over our clothes right as we bit into the cupcakes or if we inhaled too hard it would go up your nose (you know that beignet demise.)  As we both hoped it was only the fate of the toffee cupcake that we sampled first (which I drooled over in the display) it was in fact the fate of all the cupcakes.  We did have hope for the frosting, but it didn't do anything for us. And in the end just a major disappointment for Deanna and I, good location - meh cupcakes.  We ended up just one biting each cupcake and throwing the rest away.  How sad, to waste cupcakes - that is mos def not a Deanna and Angie thing, but we had to - they sucked! So much for a cupcakery neighbor, but let's just say it would all go to the chocolate store next door!
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Cupcakes Actually Plate 'o Cupcakes

***Last Stop***
CUPCAKES ACTUALLY
Here is the far, far away.  Fairfax Corner.  Desperate to get the last cupcake fiasco behind us, it was time to find some more cupcakes and cross out fingers that they were nommy.  The advise of these cupcakes came from my friend Anna which she claimed were da bomb shiznit.  Alright, let's give it a whirl.  Let's just say, Cupcakes Actually did not disappoint and even on full tums-tums Deanna and I were able to make room and to scarf them down.  As we checked out the landscape of cupcakes Deanna and I settled on Simply Red (Red Velvet) and Cherries Jubilee.

Cupcake Actually Simply Red - NOMMY!

SIMPLY RED: luscious red velvet cake, iced with our signature cream cheese frosting.
TADA Factor: 3.5
Flavah Flav Creativity: 2.5
Frosting: 4.0
Cake: 4.0
NOTES: Not your momma's Red Velvet cake!  It was so good to meet another red velvet cupcake with proper cream cheese frosting.  The frosting was still pretty whipped, but really smooth and tasted perfect with the nommy moist and properly color red velvet cake.  In addition, the cake had the touch of choco goodness that some of DMV cupcakeries have missed often.  Let's just say our eye widened at first bite of this cupcake. NOMMY! I also like to say that this cupcake is good contender in my world of red velvet cupcakes as it could be considered a close second to GTC's red velvet cupcake.  And best of all, the heart that adorn the top was chocolate!  No cheesey fondant or hard necco wafer candy and nice smooth piece of red choco!  Double rainbows!

JUBILEE in my mouth! (that's what SHE said!)

CHERRIES JUBILEE: vanilla cupcake with chunks of cherries, topped with a dab of whipped buttercream.
TADA Factor: 3.5
Flavah Flav Creativity: 4.0
Frosting: 3.5
Cake: 4.5
NOTES: Um. NOMMY!  Cake was AMAZEBALLS!  It was the perfect amount of tart cherries that were countered by the subtle lightly sweetened and fluffy buttercream.  This cupcake brought smiles to our faces and was the perfect finale to our Virginia Cupcake Tour.

Cupcakes Actually we'll be back!!!!

 

So after trying to contact my Groupon vendor Bonafide Cupcakes on multiple occasions for some cupcakes (if you cannot tell I lurves cupcakes), I have decided to wave my cupcake white flag and ask for a refund from Groupon. I purchased my Groupons (2 dozen) in April and was hoping to use it rather quickly or even now, but to no success. I have been calling Bonafide Cupcakes on their phone number for the past 2 weeks straight and nobody picks up the phone. WTF!

So awhile back in the end of May, Groupon sent me this:
"Thank you for purchasing the BonaFide Cupcakes Groupon! Due to the great response, BonaFide Cupcakes will be remodeling their kitchen between May 24th and June 7th to accommodate the large number of incoming orders and will not be able to take new orders during this time. They will be able to take orders again after this time up until the expiration of April 23, 2011."

It is now July and their website is non-existent. The home page just has a list of cupcake flavors, THAT APPARENTLY I CANNOT GET. And a phone number, THAT APPARENTLY I CANNOT GET A HOLD OF. It is probably up to tease the poor Grouponers on their dissatisfaction that there are no cupcakes! I must say their flavors look nommy, but how can I confirm their nomminess, IF THERE ARE NO CUPCAKES? How disappointing! =(

What finally made me decide to request a refund was after reading the Groupon discussion board about Bonafide Cupcakes. And I found out that not only after their "remodeling of their kitchen and their upgrade of their website" Bonafide Cupcakes have been MIA, not answering phones and/or missing deliveries that were confirmed. (HOW DID THOSE PEOPLE GET A HOLD OF ANYONE ANYWAYS?) I understand that the demand was quite overwhelming for the company, but they should of at least put a cap on how many Groupons to give out or figured out a sustainable distribution and/or order system PRIOR to their Groupon release! What happened to making business plans? I'm a fan of them, use them!

When the Groupon closed there were about 2800 Groupons purchased. But when I return to the Bonafide Cupcake Groupon site now, it states 2100. So hey, 700 of us were smart enough to ask for refunds - I think the 2100 so do the same.

NO CUPCAKES = CUPCAKE FAIL!

So another Groupon cupcake ad came into my inbox. And no, it was not a delivery cupcake place that fell off the face of the earth after the Groupon buying time was over. (I STILL HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO ORDER MY CUPCKAKES FROM BONAFIDE CUPCAKES, BTW!) I was hesitant at first to purchase this Groupon since I haven't been able to redeem my last one, but since it was close to work I decided to take a leap of faith on Frosting A Cupcakery (A Boutique Bakeshop & Coffeehouse) located in Chevy Chase, MD. So my first impressions, was frustrating - the first time I went to redeem my cupcakes I went on July 4th, where their website stated that their hours were from 10 AM - 6 PM. So I drive to the bakeshop desperate for some cupcake goodness to share with my friends on July 4th. I drive up. BAD NEWS, they were closed. CRAP! How depressing! My next visit was more successful (since I got freaking cupcakes!), but the whole parking situation was quite odd, I had to choose to either enter the open parking lot area behind the cupcakery or go into the depths of a parking garage, I took a dare and went to the open parking behind the building, thinking there would be some convenient trail for people to go through to get to the other side. No such luck! So I walked around the building and then some to get to the cupcake place on the corner. I'm okay with walking for my cupcakes, as I could very use the exercise and circulation in my legs, but it was a bit aggravating on a day that was humid and rainy (and umbrella-less). =(
I walk into Frosting and it was a really cute shop. Not in a cute, GTC or Herrow (it is really Hello, but I'm adding my Asian spin) Cupcake baby pink all over the place way, but it was more masculine with their modern brown, blue and cream decor. It was like a MR. GTC or a MR. Herrow Cupcake store. It felt like more like what my living room would look like. I guess they took their cues from a Starbucks and GTC together, pretty savvy! (Sorry no photos of the store! I left my iPhone and camera at work!)

So I grabbed my eight cupcakes and headed back. And made my long humid and drizzly walk to my car, splashing gravel-ly water that pooled into the ridges of my flip flops and made it an even more interesting stroll. As I weaved in the parking lot I was being stalked by multiple luxury cars. (What no valet?) I get back to work, and it is TIME FOR SOME CUPCAKE BIS-NASTY! Or shall I say, cupcake BIS-NOMMY?
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The Om Nom Nom Rating Chronicles (on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest!) Ratings are averaged between Team Seangie and Stevie the Wonder Intern (Yes, Team Seangie has hired an intern to eat cupcakes with us...FYI, we will be taking intern applications for next summer starting in Feb 2011)
FLUFFER NUTTER: vanilla bottom filled with marshmallow with peanut butter buttercream and topped with a honey drizzle.
TADA Factor: 4.5
Flavh Flav Creativity: 5.0
Frosting: 5.0
Cake: 3.5
NOTE: This was the reason for me getting to the store on this day. UM. FLUFFER NUTTER? Nuff said! First observations, was the cake was more crumbly than other cupcakeries, the frosting was piled high on top of the cake (you practically have to unhinge your mouth to eat from top to bottom) and the cupcake were a bit more petite than other cupcakeries (but as they were priced at $2.75 I didn't feel robbed like other cupcakeries around town). Anywho, the frosting was AMAZEBALLS, and being the non PB slut of Team Seangie, I was really impressed! And most of all it TASTED LIKE NUTTER BUTTER!

JOE 'n DOUGH: coffee cake doughut bottom with mocha fudge buttercream top with a choco covered coffee bean
TADA Factor: 4.5
Creativity: 4.75
Frosting: 4.0
Cake:4.75
NOTES: Okay, this cupcake had me at doughnut-tyness goodness. The cake was the texture of a beignet but still was a touch cake like and had a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar on top. AND the buttercream was awesome! Even Sean, the non-Mocha buttercream slut enjoyed this combo! The thing that both of us commented on, was the fact that the buttercream at Frosting was amazing, light, not grainy, not too sweet and tasted like what it was advertised. Hey Frosting -color us impressed.

CREMA DI CIOCCOLATO: Gluten-free, flourless choco bottom with cream cheese and fudge top
TADA Factor: 4.0
Flavah Flav Creativity: 3.75
Frosting: 3.25
Cake: 4.0
NOTES: Sean lurved this cupcake. Me, not so much. It was flourless, gluten free, and "moistfull." (I know this a not a real word, but it really should be nominated next for Webster's dictionary) I mean the only thing I am allergic to is penicillin, so why am I to suffer? But I'm happy people that are allergic to OG cupcake ingredients can have a cupcake. Kudos to frosting.

CAMPFIRE: graham cracker bottom with milk choco ganache & marshmallow top (pictured above on the front left)
TADA Factor: 4.0
Flavah Flav Creativity:4.75
Frosting: 3.25
Cake: 3.75
NOTES: This would of got a higher rating if this cupcake was put together better. The choco dallop needed to be bigger and the marshmallow could of used a touch of a little blow torch action. I must say that this single cupcake it is the most appealing looking cupcake we have ever set our eyes on, so I think we were a bit disappointed in the taste. More choco please!!!! And some toasty blow torch action please! Then talk to us again!

FRENCHIE:(or what I want to call FREEDOMIE-yeah I'm taking a page out of the freedom fries book)  french toast bottom - oops I mean freedom toast bottom with maple buttercream top
TADA Factor: 3.0
Flavah Flav Creativity: 4.0
Frosting: 3.75
Cake: 4.25
NOTES: It's mapley, it's frenchie, AND IT SURE TASTES LIKE FREEDOM! YUM!

SKINNIMINT: choco bottom with peppermint vanilla buttercream top with choco sprinkles
TADA Factor: 4.5
Flavah Flav Creativity: 3.5
Frosting: 4.0
Cake: 4.0
NOTES: PALETTE CLEANSER FTW! So my question is, why is this called skinnimint? I get the mint part, but where does the skinni come from? Do they make these cupcakes when they are nekkid? Or do we get skinni when we eat them? Well, by the looks of what we have eaten so far, I think we could use a couple more of these cupcakes then, you know...for palette cleansing. I would like to say, that unlike my past experience with Herrow Cupcake's mint concoction this SURPASSED them by a landslide. (Insert Seangie happy yummy om nom nommy noises here)

DADDY'S JOY: choco bottom with almond coconut buttercream top (average scores come from Stevie the Wonder intern and I, since Sean left me)
TADA Factor: 3.25
Creativity: 3.75
Frosting: 4.0
Cake: 3.5
NOTES: VERY interesting! It's like they married marzipan and a coconut macaroon together and then plopped it on top of a choco cupcake. I did really like their almond buttercream that is prevalent in their cupcake menu. So I am quite excited to try another cupcake with it! Not bad!

Overall, our impressions of Frosting a cupcakery were very positive. We enjoyed their creative flavors and their execution that some of the other cupcakeries cannot touch. I will mos def be back! Especially, since in my excitement of being in the presence of cupcakes I forgot to use the two Groupons that got me to the cupcakery! I think this ranks second highest on Sean's list of stoopid things that Angie did that benefits Sean. (first was when I melted a Coldstone Choco PB ice cream birthday cake for a co-worker in the trunk of my car in February thinking it would hold up, guess who ate it?) So Frosting, I'll see you soon - I still have 2 Groupons to burn!

Alas, I am back at Georgetown Cupcake. I mean could I really resist? Never. It's cupcakes! DUR. I ended up tagging along (inviting myself) with two co-workers as one of them was on a cupcaketastic mission - buying cupcakes for a birthday! Not that I personally need an occasion to buy cupcakes, but often they are to celebrate a food baby!

With the new July flavors out, it was really hard to resist as I bought my perfect half dozen, full of flavors that I have not tried before and some that were completely new to the taste buds of my fellow cupcake reviewer Sean. After teasing the intern and showing him the cupcakes I trounced over for some cupcake sampling time. Half for Sean and half for me (the bargain is, he gets most of the Choco PB cupcakes to satisfy his Choco PB whorish ways). Personally I was excited about the Blueberry Coffeecake cupcake because it not only was burned into my retinas when I saw it, but the smell of it's sweet, sweet aroma blueberry-licious-tastic-ness kept on escaping from the box. I kept talking to the Blueberry Coffeecake cupcake too! "Please don't disappoint me, please don't disappoint me!" Sean and I decided on our order of attack and we ended up going: Strawberry (the heart), Pumpkin Spice (the maple leaf), ChocoBanana (yellow flower), Milk Choco Birthday (sprinkles), Choco PB Swirl (um duh), and the blueberry coffeecake (deformed blue flower cupcake).

Overall, another good experience at GTC. I'm proud to be addicted to their cupcakes!

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.

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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...

So these little cupcake stores are popping up everywhere in DC. Being the sweet tooth that I am, I have decided to take a cupcake tour of DC. So far I have only hit two - Georgetown Cupcakes and Hello Cupcake.