As promised, this entry will focus on some of DC's famous cupcake shops! This will probably be one of my favorite entries just because I love all things delicious and unhealthy and hunting down a few cupcake spots was less than a chore for me. I'm going to write a little about three different places I visited. I haven't been feeling my best this week, so I didn't quite make it to Georgetown Cupcakes, Sticky Fingers (a great option for those who need/want gluten free), and Hello Cupcake in Dupont Circle but I hope to add those within the next couple of weeks. Before I dive in I want to remind you all that although I eat enough chocolate and cupcakes to consider myself qualified to review these places, I by no means am an expert and I recommend you check out these places for yourselves. I will go through price, atmosphere, service, and (most important) taste. Ok! Here we go:

Sprinkles

3015 M St. NW, 20007 (Georgetown)

www.sprinkles.com

This cupcakery has an impressive resume. It claims to be the world's first cupcake bakery and its founder (Candace Nelson) is currently a judge on the Food Network's Cupcake Wars! They are also very environmentally aware, they sell their own cupcake mixes, and they have gluten free and vegan options every day of the week. Check out their website for more information.

Price- $3.50 per cupcake

Atmosphere- Sprinkles has a lot of charm and style. Everything about this place is welcoming and fun: from the stool and booth seating overlooking the heart of Georgetown to the cupcakes themselves topped with either sprinkles (of course) or little polka dot details (as you see on mine). The place itself is cozy and the line tends to be long, so pick a nice day or bring whatever you might need to wait in line outside for a while (and possibly eat outside, as there isn't much seating). The store was clean and there were plenty of options, so I didn't mind the wait.

Service- VERY friendly. In my overly-picky mind they were a little TOO friendly in an almost car-salesman way. But I suppose that is much better than rude!

Taste- Honestly, I was disappointed. Their reputation and appearance raised my expectations and those expectations were far from met. I chose a marshmallow flavored cupcake with their signature topping and it tasted very much like a cheap, typical, Hostess cupcake. Now, I love Hostess cupcakes, but when I am paying $3.50 for a famous and specially baked treat, I expect more than that. The cake was a bit dry, the filling tasted much more like whipped cream than marshmallow, and the frosting didn't taste like frosting at all but rather a thin strip of solid hershey's chocolate. This was far from the best cupcake I had on my tour. That said, I feel as though I should try again. Maybe I chose the wrong flavor or got a bad batch. I can only hope.

Baked & Wired

1052 Thomas Jefferson St. NW, 20007 (Georgetown)

http://bakedandwired.com/

This hands down has been my favorite stop so far, which surprised me since I hadn't heard anything about it. Every part of the experience was surprising and different (and delicious of course). They offer more than just cupcakes, but for the purpose of this blog I chose a Red Velvet cupcake. To quote their website (which you should definitely check out): "Whimsical. Rustic. Delicious. Individual cakes wrapped in parchment and topped off with a swirl of rich frosting. Big enough to share, but who are you kidding?". I completely agree with them.

Price- $3.50 per cupcake

Atmosphere- The place itself is awesome. It is tucked in an old building on a side street of Georgetown, close enough to the main action but far enough from it to have it's own space. It is right next to a historical and beautiful park, and once you step inside it is an awesome, modern mix between a coffee shop and a nightclub with a black, white, and hot pink theme and fancy lamps hanging from the ceiling. Each baked good is displayed in its own glass container and there is plenty of seating to enjoy whatever you choose. If it seems a little dark or not quite family friendly, just step outside. They have tables and benches right next to the park.

Service- Friendly, quick, fun, but a little distracted. Overall good.

Taste- Absolutely amazing. The cupcake was extremely fresh and moist with plenty of flavor. It was some of the best red velvet I have ever had. There was plenty of cream cheese frosting without being too much and it was just as good as the cake if not better. Baked & Wired seems to know just how good their cupcakes are because they are much larger than a typical cupcake and are not surprised when you come back for seconds. If you go to only one place while you are here, this should be it.

Red Velvet Cupcakery

501 7th St. NW, 20004 (Chinatown, close to the National Archives)

http://redvelvetcupcakery.com/

I was particularly excited about this stop because I love red velvet maybe too much. It was a little hidden behind a frozen yogurt place on 7th street but it was definitely worth the stop. I brought a friend (Amelia) with me on this trip and she seemed to feel the same as I did about how delicious these cupcakes are. Red Velvet is right downtown and close to the Chinatown Metro stop (easy to get to from the RAF or my work, I will be stopping here a lot).

Price- $3.25 per cupcake

Atmosphere- From the outside Red Velvet is very cute and draws you in. Unfortunately, once inside there isn't much to it: white walls and counters, no seating, and no decoration. This isn't the most important factor, but it certainly would add to the experience.

Service- Great. The girls behind the counter were very helpful and welcoming.

Taste- Delicious, even better than I expected. Both Amelia and I loved the cupcake (Red Velvet flavor- we had to). The cake was very fresh even though we went after work around 6pm and the frosting (which there was a lot of) was almost tangy, but in a good way. It tasted like it had just been baked and I will absolutely go back for more since it is just a few blocks away from my office.

I hope you all go to at least one of these places if you ever get the chance. I will hopefully have a few more reviews up soon!

In Other News...

Internship-

This week was crazy busy. I am finally starting to settle into the schedule at my office and it's nice to no longer feel like the new person at work. My bosses are seeing what I am capable of and I am being given more significant assignments. I love the work I am doing, it connects directly to the things I have learned in some of my favorite Civil Rights classes. Of course there are times I am bored or confused, but overall I couldn't be happier with my internship site.

Living in the RAF-

Since I have been sick this past week I have spent plenty of time in the RAF. We have cable TV (which is spoiling me since I don't have it back in Boston), a dishwasher, a porch, and a washer/dryer in our apartment. I don't ever need to leave. There is plenty of space, so I don't feel cramped with my three roommates, which is something I was worried about after having my own room for two years. That being said, I do feel particularly lucky because all three of my roommates are absolutely fabulous. I love them all and in just a few weeks we have become good friends.

Before moving in I was a little confused about what I needed to bring since the apartments are furnished. We needed to bring our own sheets, blankets, pillows, and towels and that is about it besides personal essentials (my roommate ended up getting a full-length mirror just to make sure we don't look like a mess for work). A couple of extra notes: There is no dining facility within the RAF, so learn to cook and get ready for a lot of Ramen. There is also no DVD player. This isn't a necessity, but I had assumed there would be one and was surprised to find that there wasn't (this made movie night a little difficult). The TVs do have a spot to connect your computer to your TV if you want to do that.

That's all for this entry! As usual, feel free to leave a comment.