the following is a journey through the local cupcake scene - it's in order of my favorites to not-so-muchs ...
Safeway, many locations throughout the region
i know, a grocery store cupcake? but they are really good - as in, they were part of the wedding-good! (they made the cupcake frosting to match our wedding colors - super nice!)
you can't beat the convenience or the price and it tastes great! (again, a little disclaimer - as with some other restaurants i mentioned, i can't tell if i really like safeway cupcakes as much as i do because i enjoy it regularly, the taste is great and the price is right or if they really are that awesome). i recently noticed that they do sell single cupcakes - but i usually go for the dozen mix (6 chocolate and 6 vanilla) which is $7.99 and sometimes they are on-sale for $4.99 - in which case everyone get cupcakes!! i have also gotten a couple of their cupcake-cakes, where they bunched a bunch of cupcakes together and put a single design on top - people are amused and, of course, love the cupcakes! (or maybe just the free-ness of it ... whatever!)
Georgetown Cupcake, Georgetown (33rd and M), there is street and garage parking, but it's georgetown, driving/parking is not going to be a walk in the park
"okay" price for a single gourmet cupcake ($2.75) - it definitely has that gourmet cupcake size (aka - small) - the taste is one of the best! the key is to order online the day before (order by 9pm) so you can be uber cool and skip the silly line ... i can't believe it, but i actually stood in line for an hour for 6 cupcakes!!! and apparently a "proud fan of the baked & wired cupcakes" lives a couple of doors down on 33rd - they had a huge sign going down the side of their house so everyone could see as they waited in line - pretty funny! i definitely want to go back, but i think i'll skip the line the next time!
the key lime was great - although, honestly, i was a little hesitant after the first bite, it tasted like lime rind, but thankfully it turned into deliciousness after the second bite!
hubs really enjoyed his peanut butter fudge - the fudge hid in the middle of the cupcake for a nice surprise!
red velvet - pretty good, i think. here's another disclaimer - i am not a red velvet connoisseur - so take that for what you will :)
a lady in line (a "regular," apparently - although i really don't know why a regular would not order ahead of time, but then again i know well that sometimes a cupcake craving hits you in the middle of the day and you just can't wait until the next day to obey it!!) said that the chocolate mint was really good (unfortunately, they did not have that flavor the day i went), but that the mint cookies & creme was a don't
the girl at the door (one of the employees) said that the salted caramel was one of her favorites - i have not decided whether salted caramel is for me or not, so i skipped it on my first visit
Edibles Incredible, Reston Town Center
the prices vary and tend to run around the upper $3 - but they are so much bigger than the other gourmet cupcakes and they taste pretty good. this one's much closer to our house, so i would probably go here before some of the others (with the exception of safeway, which is even closer and cheaper!). the inside of this small store is very cluttered and the owner/baker has a big ego (shocking) and they always seem a little disappointed when you don't order anything more expensive than a cupcake, so i suggest making the trip as short as possible. if needed, they do have a small cafe table (maybe 2 cafe tables, can't remember) inside the store, but i would take sitting out in the town center first
Curbside Cupcake, nomadic DC cupcakes
think this may have the cheapest per dozen price at $27, although the single is the "standard" $3 (who decided that one? the cheapskate in me cries foul, stupid conniving cupcake bakers! but the foodie in me almost always wins out ... d'oh!). it was surprisingly good for a truck cupcake and if i didn't know that it was a truck cupcake, i would still say it was better than some of the others below. if i'm working in DC, i will be stalking this truck! don't be afraid cupcake truck, i love food!! ;)
Hello Cupcake, Dupont
my first and continuing thought is that they have really small cupcakes for $3 and the dozen price is kind of ridiculous - $33 - apparently they are not huge fans of "get a discount when you order more" - then again, i guess they have to pay that dupont rent somehow! the taste is good, but i can't get over how small the cupcake seems compared to the other ones - then again, that might just be the timing, i have not had a hello cupcake in a while, but i recall thinking this is smaller than a safeway cupcake!
Red Velvet Cupcakery, Chinatown/Penn Quarter
my mistake here was trying a non-red velvet cupcake, it was one of the chocolate ones and it wasn't even as good as a safeway cupcake ... or maybe my tastes run grocery-chic and not refined-snooby-snob - i regretted it afterwards given the $3.25 price tag for a single
up next in the cupcake realm (well, not next-next, but sometimes in the future):
Baked and Wired, Georgetown - my expectations are a little higher about this place after seeing the "personal" endorsement (although given its location, it will probably be a loooooong while before i make it here)
Sweetbites Desserts, nomadic DC desserts - also a stalkable truck! not just cupcakes though, but dessert-y goodness abounds on this one
Best Buns, Shirlington - i love the bread at the great american restaurants, but have not been to its carby mothership ... apparently they too have picked-up on the continuing cupcake-obsession ... hopefully i can make it there one of these days for cupcakes and their yummy bread!
in case you are wondering, i am not missing/forgetting the other famous cupcake outlet - i just strongly dislike it - i dislike the taste, the price is outrageous and i can't think of any redeeming qualities. to each her/his own!
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