Icing on the Cupcake

Without a metro stop, the Georgetown area is essentially unreachable for us WAIP fellows.  Fortunately, I had friend visiting DC for the weekend and she brought me to the mythical of realm of Georgetown.  Oh what a place.  Quaint brick buildings lined the bustling street.  Hipsters, students, seniors, and shoppers shuffled along the narrow sidewalks and local business owners moved about trying to keep up with the busy weekend crowd.

I heard that Georgetown was a really nice part of town and it is.  But what's striking is how different it is from any other part of the city.  It's like the Short North of Columbus, but even swankier.  

One feature of this area that gets a lot of attention is a small bakery called Georgetown Cupcake.  I had never heard of this cupcake shop.  My friend informed me, with a hint of condescension in her voice as if she was telling me something that was common knowledge, that its the focus of show on TLC called DC Cupcake, or something like that.  Its become a landmark now, so while I normally don't make trips specifically to try small baked goods, I made an exception for my friend and for TV.  

When we arrived, the line to order wrapped around the block.  Apparently my friend wasn't the only person that enjoyed watching DC Cupcake.  Georgetown Cupcake may have a big following, but their shop itself is actually pretty small.  Most of the space is dedicated to the cooking and serving area behind counter, so ordering and waiting can be a tight affair.

While they do the best they can, the staff struggle with their own popularity.  We waited about 15 minutes total for our cupcakes.  Not terrible, but not terribly fast either. To help move things along faster they only offer a limited menu; that day we were able to choose between chocolate lava, red velvet, or strawberry something.

I got chocolate lava; she got red velvet.  Flavor wise, they were delicious, but apparently what sets these pastries apart are their style and presentation.  Simple, refined, elegant, and beautiful.  Her words not mine, but I think she's right.  I didn't spend much time admiring the small cupcake but it certainly looked good enough to eat.  And it was.

TLC isn't perfect, I mean they basically ruined Trading Spaces when they let Vern go and promoted Doug to a regularly featured designer, but I thank them and my friend for introducing me to the wonders of Georgetown Cupcake.  Unlike Hildi's fabric textured, floral design for that main floor powder room in season 5, Georgetown Cupcake did not disappoint.


- Kris