After some growing pains, and aggravating hungry eaters on Valentine's Day by running out of cupcakes, Georgetown Cupcake is finally open!
Photo by Flickr user Eye Captain, who says their red velvet cupcake had "perfect white frosting."
Photo by Vox Populi
Vox Populi, the blog of the Georgetown Voice, says:
The main attraction (the list of the day’s cupcakes) is right by the door. There are the usuals: vanilla squared (vanilla icing on a vanilla cupcake), chocolate squared (chocolate icing on a chocolate cupcake) and a delectable yet terrifying chocolate cubed (chocolate icing, chocolate cupcake, and chocolate sprinkles). They also offer lemon blossom, chocolate mint, key lime pie, and bubble gum, among other fruit inspired flavors. The cupcakes come in at $2.75 each (cheaper than Baked and Wired’s $4 over-sugared concoctions), although half a dozen, perfect for splitting among friends, is only $15 and comes in an adorable pink cardboard box.
My philosophy with new restaurants is to always go for the classics before the adventurous, because if they can’t master the basics, there’s no hope in attempting the complex. Immediately, my sweet tooth went for the red velvet, the ultimate test in pairing the rich flavors of the cake with a subtle enough icing. To my delight, it was perfectly executed. The cake was soft and fluffy, avoiding the all too common density of an uneven batter, while maintaining the palatial intricacies and a hint of nuttiness. The icing flavor was cream cheese (as it should be), managing cream cheese’s tanginess and avoiding its heaviness. The proportion of icing to cake was also superb; the icing wasn’t threatening to take over the cake in flavor or in size and had the right consistency. In short, it was a delectable treat and disappeared within moments.
My only recommendation, Hoyas, is to get there early. When I went (3 pm), they weren’t due to close for another four hours, yet they were selling out of cupcakes left and right. Apparently they had to close early on their opening day for the same reason.
Photo by Flickr user Eye Captain, who says their red velvet cupcake had "perfect white frosting."
Photo by Vox Populi
Vox Populi, the blog of the Georgetown Voice, says:
The main attraction (the list of the day’s cupcakes) is right by the door. There are the usuals: vanilla squared (vanilla icing on a vanilla cupcake), chocolate squared (chocolate icing on a chocolate cupcake) and a delectable yet terrifying chocolate cubed (chocolate icing, chocolate cupcake, and chocolate sprinkles). They also offer lemon blossom, chocolate mint, key lime pie, and bubble gum, among other fruit inspired flavors. The cupcakes come in at $2.75 each (cheaper than Baked and Wired’s $4 over-sugared concoctions), although half a dozen, perfect for splitting among friends, is only $15 and comes in an adorable pink cardboard box.
My philosophy with new restaurants is to always go for the classics before the adventurous, because if they can’t master the basics, there’s no hope in attempting the complex. Immediately, my sweet tooth went for the red velvet, the ultimate test in pairing the rich flavors of the cake with a subtle enough icing. To my delight, it was perfectly executed. The cake was soft and fluffy, avoiding the all too common density of an uneven batter, while maintaining the palatial intricacies and a hint of nuttiness. The icing flavor was cream cheese (as it should be), managing cream cheese’s tanginess and avoiding its heaviness. The proportion of icing to cake was also superb; the icing wasn’t threatening to take over the cake in flavor or in size and had the right consistency. In short, it was a delectable treat and disappeared within moments.
My only recommendation, Hoyas, is to get there early. When I went (3 pm), they weren’t due to close for another four hours, yet they were selling out of cupcakes left and right. Apparently they had to close early on their opening day for the same reason.
Comments
Overall, I'm impressed and happy for them. I'm more of a buttercream frosting fan and don't like cream cheese added to the mix. Tastes good though in the mocha and red velvet, but chocolate3 is more of a purist cupcake.
Baked and Wired and Georgetown Cupcake are totally different concepts and can't really be qualified as competitors because Baked and Wired is more of a one cupcake at a time kind of place as you drink your coffee and GC is more like buy a dozen, take them home, and share. GC has more flavors and selection because that is their main source of income, Baked and Wired's main source of income is drinks. People need to stop cupcake bashing these stores because they are both small companies that are doing well, employing students, and satisfying the sweet tooth of the DC community. GC is still relatively new and trying to work out the kinks, Baked and Wired has been around longer... they are both good and remember cupcakes should make people happy and not be a source of conflict or bashing. Get over it and go to both depending on your craving, you want a cupcake and to sit down, relax and enjoy it while surfing the web with a coffee go to Baked and Wired, you want them for dinner or to bring home to your family or just one in hand to walk with go to Georgetown Cupcake. Georgetown Cupcake also presents a prettier product.
Both businesses are quality in service and product.
Also remember GC just opened a few months ago and they are working out the kinks that come with any new business... I mean lately there have been very short lines and an availability of flavors. They aren't running out anymore and their staff is really friendly!
Good luck to both businesses, they can thrive together.
In regards to price, compared to Sprinkles and Magnolia, Georgetown cupcake is about 25 to 50 cents cheaper and if you get a 1/2 dozen or dozen you save. These aren't your grocery store cupcakes, they use quality imported ingredients, enjoy!
I am posting this all over because I am so tired of seeing cupcake bashing, it's a cupcake dammit and both places are good, so just eat and be happy, tell the truth, and give both a try, and if previous impressions caused you to stray away or get a negative impression of either one, try it again, it's summer now, lines are shorter and more time in available to enjoy....
When I called two days ago with a delivery question, I was asked to hold on while she checked...when she came back she told me to email my question---no offer to take my number and call me back with the answer. Hmph.
So I emailed them right away, but 2 days later I still haven't heard back. I've emailed a second time, but based on what I've read here I don't have high hopes for a useful reply.
Alex, we all appreciate/understand the new business blues. However, there are comments here that go back 6 months with the same problems.
Simply, it doesn't much matter if they have the prettiest cupcakes in town (and it appears they do!) if I can't get in touch with them. I need 5 dozen cupcakes for a wedding and someone I can depend on to communicate. I'm moving on to one of the other cupcake shops in town.
Very cool but, there's still the bit where I called and emailed on Wednesday for cupcakes for this morning, and because her email arrived late in the evening, I didn't read it until this morning. By now I've made other arrangements.
To sum, the initial experience was lacking (see above), and the interim was irritating (a two day wait on a do you/don't you delivery question), but they did come through with a polite, useful, and considerate reply in the end.
What makes me sad is their cupcakes are gorgeous, with the fondant shapes and whatnot, but if they can't follow through with their "reply within 24 hours" promise, there are 5 other cupcake shops that are easier to get to.
My friends and I recently visited Washtington DC on a short weekend trip, the weekend of July 18th. It had been recommended to us that we stop in a try an infamous Georgetown Cupcake! To make a long story short, we had dinner plans around the corner and planned to stop and buy cupcakes after dinner. Unfortunately, we arrived at 9:02 pm and were quickly turned away, because the store was "closed", even though there was still a line and they were still taking orders. There was another couple also trying to buy cupcakes and they were turned away as well. They asked for the management and they young boy at the door and the young females inside all just looked around at each other with a blank stare. No one actually answered the question: Is there even management on duty on Saturday nights? The young man suggested we come back tomorrow, but we were unable to comeback the next day because of our flights. He suggested that "pretty soon Georgetown CupCake will be shipping cupcakes" and that we could order online. I'm sorry to say, but customer service-wise, your employees are not helpful what-so-ever and are borderline rude. If you don't take care of your customers, they don't take care of you. Coming from a marketing background, I know that customer satisfaction is key. Word of mouth marketing is the best marketing a company can have, and your company will have negative reputation, if this problem is not corrected. After reading the majority of comments on the blog, sounds like there is a real customer service problem, that probably starts with the management. Maybe if the young employees weren't trying to kick everyone out so quickly so they could go get drunk and party (yes, I overheard someone say that!), than customers would be treated nicely. Maybe instead of posting you logo all over expensive Range Rovers, maybe you could afford quality employees.... Just a few suggestions. All the people who were turned away on Sat night from Georgetown Cupcake, took our business to Ice Berry, down the street. It was fabulous!! (not to mention, the employees were really nice)