Cupcake Paradise: Georgetown's Best Kept Secret

July 14, 2009 3:57 pm

Cupcake Paradise: Georgetown's Best Kept Secret

$Behind the Burner: Cupcake Paradise: Georgetown\'s Best Kept Secret$

When visiting Washington, D.C. for the first time last weekend, I expected the usual from such a historic city: monuments, museums, the metro, and of course, a good time; for once everything except food was on my mind. Yet, little did I know, one of the most remarkable places I would be encountering would in fact deal primarily with food. It wasn't the tourist obsessed Maryland crab or Virginia ham, nor did it compare to the luscious metropolitan cocktails or the famous Pizza Paradiso . Rather, what I stumbled upon was unique in its own sugary way —a tiny cupcakery and D.C.'s first, booming in the heart of the celebrated city. This establishment was no other than the delectable Georgetown Cupcake .

After some research, I came to understand that Georgetown cupcake was founded in February 2008 by two sisters, Katherine Kallinis and Sophie LaMontagne that traded their career in fashion for life on the sweeter side. Still, what could be so great about a shop that only served cupcakes I thought? Across from Georgetown shops, nuzzled between a Greek Gyro hut and an overly priced dress shop, you may easily pass the bakery if you don't know what you are looking for. Yet what my eyes could not avoid was the line of cupcake craving people almost wrapped around the block on this hot July afternoon—you would think they were serving ice cakes. But my D.C native friend insisted she would not let us go back to New York without trying these treats.

I found it funny that only a handful of people could be in the shop at once. A sign announcing "Please keep the door closed at all times to keep our cupcakes fresh," slowed down the progression of the line, but we all waited, eager to taste this mysterious collection of notable cupcakes America seemed to rave about.

When it was finally my turn to enter, I stood in awe for about five minutes. For such a tiny place, it could have been compared to Harry Potter's cupboard under the stairs. But the smell was literally breathtaking. It felt as if sweet chocolate morsels, freshly picked strawberries, streams of raspberry, splashes of vanilla, and sprays of lemon lime all trapped you in a wave of sweetness the moment you stepped foot inside the cupcakery. Pink and black designs adorned the four white walls, as Georgetown Bakery merchandise flooded the shelves on the wall near the windows.

Yet what caught me most off guard was the endless selection of cupcake flavors to choose from. For only $2.75 per cupcake, my choices ranged from the simple chocolate and vanilla to the more intensified flavors such as luscious lava, chocolate ganache, lemon blossom, key lime, carrot, red velvet, coconut, chocolate hazelnut, lemon berry, lava fudge, chocolate peanut butter and much more. I decided I had to try everything, but realized that was not exactly possibly financially for me at the moment. I decided to go with an even number, four—four out of the multitude of beautifully decorated cupcakes that seemed so perfect I almost couldn't imagine eating them. After speaking with the expert sellers, I chose the famous red velvet, a chocolate hazelnut, one lemon blossom and one original vanilla. I knew my stomach couldn't handle all four at once, but I figured some cupcake sampling couldn't hurt. If wine lovers can taste for hours the many different varietals, as a cupcake devotee I should thoroughly explore sweet variety.

Let's start with the red velvet, a maroon colored cake so sweet and so moist, I almost felt sinful eating it. Next I took a dab, or should I say mouthful, at the chocolate hazelnut—chocolate lovers this one's for you. Try to imagine rich hazelnut beans drowned in a dark, sugary pool of richness all compacted into a single fluffy cupcake. As one who can't get enough of strawberry shortcake in the summer time, this one was my favorite. A strawberry flavored cake filled with fresh strawberries inside and topped with strawberry icing that dissolved in my mouth—I could not get enough. Finally, before my stomach was about to explode, I had room for one more—the simple, but classic vanilla. Although the cupcake seemed like the typical cupcake birthday treat, it was pretty clear this was not something anyone could just whip up at home. It was pure vanilla bliss.

I think what struck me most was how fresh the cupcakes were. Baked daily, these workers literally slaved in the kitchen to produce hundreds of smiles throughout the day in Georgetown. The cupcakery produced a menu of specified cupcakes for each day, their usual flavors, and their monthly specials. It also sold a variety of beverages such as lattes, flavored coffees, and cappuccinos. I found it adorable how customers were purchasing a dozen cupcakes as they would donuts, all perfectly packed in a pastel pink box and sealed with Georgetown's Cupcake logo sticker. The establishment even caters to special events, personalizing cupcakes upon advanced requests.

On this lovely afternoon, I forgot my diet and enjoyed an afternoon flooded in rays of sweetness, reminding myself how the little things in life, such as cupcakes, could make any day ten times better.

—Joanna Weinstein

Georgetown Cupcake
1209 Potomac Street NW
At the Corner of M Street and Potomac Street
Washington, DC 20007
202.333.8448
www.georgetowncupcake.com