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Dolcezza

Dolcezza is a small local chain of cozy shops with a focus on fabulously flavorful gelatos; they also offer a limited selection of coffee, espresso, and pastries. You can find more information on their three shops here:
http://dolcezzagelato.com/

Product Mix: Dolcezza’s focus is their artisan gelato. According to their website, they make their gelato fresh every morning at their Georgetown shop. They offer a variety of intriguing flavors, including gourmet twists on the usual suspects. For example, rather than “dark chocolate,” they offer “Valrhona Chocolate Amargo.” (Amargo means bitter, and Valrhona makes my heart flutter.) While they always make sure to offer staples like those, they change up the majority of their flavors seasonally (a good indicator that they actually are using fresh, seasonal ingredients to craft their delicious gelatos). Currently, their seasonal flavors include such unique combinations as “Pineapple Honey Lime,” “Black Sesame,” “Chocolate Spice,” and “Crookneck Pumpkin.” For all you Indian food aficionados out there, they once had a Lemon Ricotta Cardamom that tasted a heckuva lot like rasmalai. It kind of blew my socks off.

Mmmm…Affogato w/ Classic Chocolate Gelato

They also serve up some delicious Coffee, Tea, and – my personal favorite there -Espresso.  And as any self-respecting gelato shop should, they offer Affogato: a generous scoop of gelato swimming in a mug of their delicious espresso. (Affogato is Italian for “drowned.” Those Italians are just so cheeky!)

They have a small variety of pastries, including some inexplicably Latin-inspired desserts: churros and alfajores. The churros come in two varieties: plain or stuffed with dulce de leche. They also offer a small selection of more predictable pastry offerings, like croissants, etc.

Georgetown Location – Bright and Teensy

Ambience: So I’ve been to the Georgetown and Dupont locations, and have to say the ambience is pretty different between the two. Georgetown is very small, with a bright white feel to the place. There are just a few tiny tables in front of the shop, but they really aren’t designed for comfort or hanging around. In short, I would put the Georgetown shop in more of a “grab and go” category.

The Dupont location, on the other hand, is a wonderfully cozy place to while away an afternoon if you’re lucky enough to snag a seat. There isn’t a ton of seating, but what they do have is really really lovely. The bulk of the seating consists of a large, beautifully rustic communal table. (Resisting with all my might the urge to go off on a tangent here on why I am such a big fan of communal tables – but for now, suffice it to say that I LOVE communal tables, especially at coffeeshop-type spaces like this! It’s such a fun way to meet new and interesting people, not to mention making more efficient use of a space than a bunch of smaller tables.) There is also bar seating up against the front windows if that’s more your cup of tea.

Dupont’s cozy (and blurry!) communal table.

Standouts: I’ve never been a vanilla ice cream kinda gal, but I have to say, their Tahitian Vanilla really knocks my socks off. I know it seems impossible for vanilla to knock one’s socks off, but trust me – give this version a try. I can’t quite explain what is so delicious about it…it’s just so wonderfully…vanilla-y? Erm. Just try it. (And please post in the comments if you have found the words to describe just what makes this stuff so tasty!)

In general, I’ve really enjoyed every one of their flavors that I’ve tried. It’s clear that they use fresh ingredients and recipes that are designed to showcase them, as opposed to obscuring them with overcomplicated techniques. I’m a HUGE fan of their affogato made with their Classic Chocolate gelato – but I’m sure there are much more exciting combinations to be had. What can I say, I’m a simple gal at heart.

Room for Improvement: I’ve tried their churros a couple of times and have never been too impressed. I remember them being on the chewy, heavy side, as opposed to the light and crispy delicacies I’ve had down in Tejas. Otherwise though, I’ve been really pleased with their offerings.

Lovely Decor, but Confusing Layout at Dupont

As for the shop itself, I feel like the Dupont location is really not making efficient use of their space. There is a HUGE empty space in front of the gelato counter that is just screaming for some little bistro tables, or maybe another bar. The layout of the shop is a bit confusing too – you’re supposed to go to the back of the shop first to order gelato, and then pay for it up front at a separate counter. It’s hardly intuitive, and I’ve directed many a confused fellow customer towards the back bar in the past.

As for Georgetown, they just need to find a way to have more seating, period. There’s a set of stairs leading up to…something. But it’s closed off to customers. I wonder if they own the upper floor too? If not, perhaps they should look into taking it over. And if they do – I wonder why they’re not using it for seating? Hopefully in the summer they’ll be able to set up some outdoor seating, though the sidewalk in front of their shop isn’t particularly wide, so I don’t know how much they will be able to do with that.

Making New Friends at the Communal Table!

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Cafe Grande

Cafe Grande opened over the summer of 2011, and is a welcome addition to the workday coffee options in the Farragut area. More info can be found on their Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cafe-Grande-DC/146070958798891

Product Mix: Ok, I’m just going to cut to the chase – the only reason I come to this place is for their coffee, and as things stand right now, that’s the only reason you should come here too. In the three and a half years that I’ve worked in the Farragut area, I’ve tried every cup of coffee that there is to be had in the area, and have constantly bemoaned the lack of a delicious option near my office. Yes yes, coffee is subjective, some people love Starbucks’ and Pret’s bitter brews, that’s all fine and dandy. But I’m willing to bet that most people who work in that area have oft uttered the same coffee lament. Enter Cafe Grande! Trust me: ignore the generically tacky store front, walk past the lurid yogurt counter and sandwich area, and head straight for the back. There you will find the coffee and tea counter, along with the mid-afternoon or early-morning pick-me-up you’ve been yearning for all these years!

 They serve CounterCulture coffee and espresso, and so far I have been very pleased with their espresso drinks. They switch up the coffee roast that they offer on a regular basis, so they don’t always necessarily have a roast that I love, but their lattes have been consistently fantastic in my experience. Also, they use organic Trickling Springs Milk, which I think is a really nice touch! I’m not one of those all-organic-all-the-time types, but I do think that organic milk has a much richer flavor and more velvety texture than the regular stuff. And I think the difference really shows at Cafe Grande, especially in milk-heavy drinks like their lattes. They also serve a variety of Teaism teas – while I’ve only been for the coffee, I’m a big fan of their choice of such a quality tea supplier (and a local one to boot!)

But they don’t just stop with coffeeshop offerings (and, as I discuss below, I think this may be their downfall). The first thing you see when you enter is a yogenfruz franchise counter. Next comes the sandwich counter, which looks like it could yield some very tasty offerings – there are multiple loaves of yummy-looking bread displayed up top, with a sign that reads “Lyon Bakery – Fresh Bread delivered here daily. Gourmet Artisan Bread.” Unfortunately, my one experience with the sandwich counter was so disappointing that I really don’t want to try it again. I had a grilled chicken pesto panini, and it was frankly awful. The bread was soggy and limp, and the chicken dry and flavorless. This was definitely a let down, as that bread display looked so promisingly yummy! Then again, I’m always a bit suspicious of any place that tries to do too much – and this place’s lunch offerings include salads, sandwiches, and…bibimbap? A bit too reminiscent of the ubiquitous “Chinese Food, Subs, and Seafood” places that pepper NE DC for my taste. And unfortunately, the panini I tried definitely confirmed those fears.

Scattered throughout the shop is also a selection of various baked goods, though it’s unclear if those are made in-house, freshly baked elsewhere, or just storebought. Some of the muffins look reasonably tasty, but I haven’t had a chance to try them yet. They also offer “freshly baked” Otis Spunkmeyer cookies…but I wouldn’t recommend trying them. My friend tried one of their Otis Spunkmeyer cookies once, and it was hard as a rock. She very politely brought it to the store owner’s attention while I was being rung up, and the owner very determinedly ignored her, focusing her attention on her cash register as though her life depended on it. I then chimed in as well, and the owner finally acknowledged my friend’s comment with a very odd explanation about how they refrigerate their cookies *after* baking them because “some people like them hard.” Um? I’m pretty sure that the universal allure of Otis Spunkmeyer cookies is their warm, just-out-of-the-oven gooeyness. In fact, their sign even says “Ooey Gooey Chewy, Have a Fresh Baked Cookie!” What’s the point of selling “freshly-baked cookies” if you’re going to proceed to make them cold and hard? That said, the owner eventually redeemed herself by going into the back and getting a fresh cookie for my friend, but it took way too much effort on our part to make that happen. The whole thing was a bit out of character though, as the customer service is usually pleasant enough, if not particularly outgoing.

Ambience: This space has SO MUCH potential. It’s gigantic, the floors are a beautiful dark wood, and they’ve chosen some really nice light fixtures. There’s a
reasonable amount of seating, though there’s room for lots more. But the style they’ve chosen is sort of a semi-surgical-modern-meets-generic-downtown-deli, and I’m not a big fan. The furniture looks mostly plastic and not particularly comfortable; the storefront windows and interior walls are filled with over-bright, printed-from-a-template menus and signs, and the counters are super cluttered with pretty much every type of chip, candy, beverage, or snack imaginable. In other words, this isn’t really a space where I’d want to spend any time. And I don’t – I head straight back to the coffee counter for my caffeine fix, and back to work I go.

Standouts: The coffee. Duh.

Room for improvement: Honestly, almost everything else. Which kind of kills me, because I really feel like this place has SO much potential! It’s a huge, lovely space, and they have great coffee. But the other offerings, as discussed above, definitely fall short of the mark. And the customer service can be hit-or-miss. In general, I think they’re trying to do WAY too much with this shop, instead of focusing in on a few things and doing them really well. And I think that’s especially evident in their incredibly cluttered product mix. I’m pretty sure that when I was in there the other day, I saw three different brands of veggie chips. Really? And the giant selection of everyday candies, etc. is a bit reminiscent of a convenience store – not the sort of image I would think that a cafe would want to invoke. Not only that, but it’s got to be expensive to be sourcing from that many different vendors! It really feels like they’re just throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks – which is a shame, because with their prime location and amazing space, this place could really be a hit. Well, whether they heed my advice or not, I still advise all of you Farragut-area worker bees to get thee to their coffee counter for your next caffeine fix.

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Coming Soon: Sips and Sweets Maps!

Stay tuned for the addition of an exciting and super-useful feature to Sips and Sweets! I’m in the process of creating maps of all of the independent coffee shops, bakeries, and confectioneries in town. So the next time you’re headed to (or find yourself in) a particular ‘hood and have a hankering for a latte, are hit by an inescapable chocolate craving, or just want a spot to camp out and get some work done, you’ll be able to check my maps and see what all of your options are! No more settling for Starbucks just because there (ALWAYS) happens to be one right in front of you and you had no idea that there was a local gem tucked away just a block farther.

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Buzz Bakery (Ballston)


Buzz Bakery & Lounge is a  member of the Neighborhood Restaurant Group family, which includes a number of fantastic concepts in the DMV, including Birch & Barley and Churchkey. I checked out Buzz’s recently-opened second location in Ballston; the original shop is located in Alexandria. More info on both can be found here:
http://buzzbakery.com/

Product Mix: Buzz Bakery pretty much offers all things baked. Cupcakes, cookies, muffins, mini-pies, cheesecakes, scones, funky rice-krispie treats…the list is fairly lengthy! But the coffee gets every bit as much attention as the baked goods – maybe even moreso? They offer a full range of the usual espresso drinks and flavor combinations, along with drip coffee and custom-made pour overs (discussed further below).  And as it turns out – which I suppose shouldn’t come entirely as a shock given that the place is called “Buzz” – the coffee is kind of a BIG deal here.

They source it from MadCap Coffee Company, which I believe is a specialty roaster from Grand Rapids, Michigan. The manager was clearly very excited about this partnership, and I have to say, these folks definitely take their coffee seriously. In fact, they talk about their coffees the way a sommelier would describe his wines! When I asked about the differences between the various roasts offered that day, I was given very elaborate descriptions of the underlying flavor notes present in each one. It was really interesting at first, but frankly, ended up being a bit more information than I really need when trying to pick a cup of joe. I can see how it would appeal to the true aficionados though, and I do think it’s great that they cater to those folks.

Coffee aside, they also have the usual suspects as far as beverage alternatives go: hot chocolate, hot cider, assorted teas, etc. They also make a bunch of impressive extras in-house, such as a salted caramel syrup and vanilla simple syrup (used to flavor drinks).  They offer beer and wine, both of which are selected by the booze gurus from other establishments in their restaurant group. They have a large selection of sweet and savory breakfast options as well, including an egg-and-cheese-stuffed breakfast brioche that sounds kind of amazing.

What I Sampled: I tried the 9:30 Cupcake, which is a chocolate cupcake filled with vanilla cream and topped with the shop’s signature “chocolate bomb” topping.  The texture of the topping was somewhere between a whipped ganache and a pudding – I loved it. I also loved
the vanilla cream in the middle – it was absolutely delicious, though there wasn’t nearly enough of it! I was a little bit disappointed in the cake itself though. It was perfectly moist in the middle, but definitely dry and overbaked towards the outside.  Also, I was really surprised to find that it looked like they had actually had to cut around edge of the cupcake top in order to create the desired shape. I thought that was a bit tacky…hmm, does that make me a cupcake snob?  The thing is though, if you have to do that to your cupcakes, that usually means you’re either overfilling your baking cups or something is amiss with your recipe. Either way, kind of a rookie mistake in my book!

To wash down my cupcake I ordered a pour over of some sort of medium-dark roast. (The name escapes me – I was honestly a little bit overwhelmed by the number of choices, and ended up picking the one that included “notes of chocolate” in the description. Generally, I find that the choice that involves chocolate turns out to be the right choice.) And I have to admit, I really could taste a lot of the various flavor tones that had been described to me! It was kind of fascinating. The coffee was fine – not totally to my taste, but as I explain in my “about” section, my philosophy is that tastes are SO subjective when it comes to coffee that I’m not going to attempt to pass judgment on whether a cuppa is good or not.

My friend had a pumpkin toffee muffin that he described as having a “good pumpkin flavor, not too sweet” but “kind of spongy.” Unfortunately, he demolished it before I got the chance to try it, so I can’t weigh in on that particular item. (Boys…)

Ambience: The feel of the shop was definitely fun and bustling, but not overly loud or busy. The seating was laid out well – it made good use of the space without making it feel cramped.  The decor was pretty colorful – maybe a little too much so in the more orange parts of the shop – with plenty of room for hanging out or getting work done. I really loved the outdoor furniture – it was comfortable and classy. They offer free Wi-Fi and an abundance of outlets; combined with the ample seating, this is a great space destination for settling in to get some work done.


Standouts: Color scheme aside, I love the space, especially the outdoor setup. The “chocolate bomb” topping on the cupcake that I ordered was delicious.  I really enjoyed perusing the huge selection of beautifully wrapped and presented treats, and was impressed by the serious attention that was paid to their coffee.  One thing that really stood out to me was that they offer a pour-over option as well as regular drip, which I think is pretty smart on their part. Pour-overs are pretty time consuming and, I would think, a pain in the butt to do when the shop is packed. And, frankly, a lot of people just don’t care enough about their coffee to want to wait on the pourover process.

Room for Improvement: Ok so clearly I’m not a huge fan of the art-deco throwback elements of the color scheme and decor. In more substantive news, it was kind of unclear what, if anything, their ‘specialty’ was, or if there was anything that they do particularly well. It’s a bakery called “Buzz” that also serves alcohol, so…where’s the focus? Even within the baked-good category itself, there was such a wide variety of options that it was hard not to fear that this was a “jack of all trades, master of none,” situation. In fact, when I asked the girl behind the counter, she didn’t seem to think there was any “signature” item. She instead just pointed out the cupcakes that are most popular amongst customers. Once I started asking questions about the coffee, it became very clear that coffee was something that they take VERY seriously. But that wasn’t readily apparent at first blush – display-wise, the emphasis is really on the baked goods.  Also, I’m curious how profitable such a large product selection is. I mean they’re clearly doing well enough to have invested in a second location, so that certainly says something! But I can’t help but wonder if they’re over-extending themselves just a tad.

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Crumbs (Farragut)

As the Manhattanization of DC continues, one of the familiar names that has started popping up around town is Crumbs Bake Shop. One of the more famous cupcakeries in NYC, Crumbs recently opened up its fourth location in the DMV, kitty-corner from Farragut Square.  You can find more information on the shop here:
http://www.crumbs.com/

Product Mix: The star of the Crumbs show is their cupcakes. Aside from doing your basic chocolate + chocolate, vanilla + chocolate, etc., the shop does a number of creative (and sugary) flavor combinations as well. These often involve elaborate toppings such as chunks of candy or cookies; many of their fancier cupcakes are filled as well.
Aside from cupcakes, Crumbs offers an assortment of pastries including muffins, croissants, and brownies. They also do full cake versions of some of their cupcake flavors. Beverage-wise, they offer a fairly wide selection of hot and cold beverages, both caffeinated and not.
Ambience: The Farragut location is a small shop but, at this location at least, there’s room for a bit of seating (though this wasn’t the case at the Metro Center location, which is even smaller) - I wonder why they don’t capitalize on that? Instead, the shop is just one big open space. I suppose that setup comes in handy when the place is crowded (the day it opened there was a line out the door and down the block. Ah, the power of good branding.) Maybe they’ll add some seating once they’re sure the giant lines are a thing of the past?  For now though, it’s definitely just a grab-and-go shop.

Standouts: I have to say, I was all set to write a big fat downer of a review for this place. In the past (as discussed further below), I’ve had nothing but overly sugary experiences with Crumbs. I’ve tried it a few times, both in NYC and here in DC (again, past experiences discussed below.) When their latest shop opened up across from my office, I decided to give it one last shot before writing up my review. And this time, instead of going for one of their schmancy, signature-style cupcakes, I decided to go simple instead. Vanilla Cupcake + Chocolate Frosting. The ultimate birthday cake combination – in my humble opinion – is usually my cupcake yardstick when trying out a new shop, so for the sake of thoroughness, I figured I ought to give Crumbs’ version a try. And boy was I pleasantly surprised! While it was just a smidge too sweet for my test, it still quite tasty! The cake was perfectly moist and tender, and actually tasted like vanilla cake (rather than sugary sponge, like so many commercially produced cupcakes.) This is definitely a white cake though, as opposed to a buttery yellow cake. The frosting was nice and chocolatey without being super deep or dark. While I definitely love me some deep, dark, chocolate, this type of milk-chocolate flavor would definitely appeal to a wider audience (i.e. children and adults alike.) As you can see from the picture above, this well-coifed treat appears to be crowned with quite a hefty pile of frosting. It’s been my experience in the cupcake industry that bakeries tend to create fairly flat-topped cakes, and supplement the shape and size with an overly generous glob of frosting on top. As a result, I usually remove about half of the frosting from any given commercial cupcake before dig into my treat, and I definitely expected that to be the case here. So you can imagine my surprise when I sliced this baby in half and discovered instead a perfectly rounded little cake dome under a relatively thin layer of frosting! That’s not to say that they skimped on the

frosting; on the contrary, I thought this yielded the perfect cake-to-frosting ratio, and was very pleasantly surprised by the whole cupcake experience.

Another plus for Crumbs: this is a BIG cupcake, and at a good price point! I paid $2.95 for my basic cupcake – cheaper than others in town and significantly bigger. Granted, the fancier flavors (i.e. filled or smothered with goodies) are upwards of $3, but are still a pretty good deal as cupcakes go.

Business-strategy-wise, I’d wager that this location is going to be something of a gold mine for the folks at Crumbs. They get the business-casual masses during the week thanks to their proximity to K Street, and the unwashed touristy masses on weekends thanks to their proximity to the White House! Unlike most of the establishments in the area, I have a feeling that their weekend crowds will be bigger than their weekday crowds – especially since they’re one of the few businesses in the area that actually cater to children as well as it does (perhaps better than?) to adults.

One other little highlight, which I have to admit delighted me to an inexplicable level: look at this clever little cupcake box that they use for to-go orders! The cupcake is snug and secure – no risk of sliding, smushing, or smudging! Brilliant.

Room for Improvement:  Aforementioned vanilla + chocolate cupcake aside, I’ve generally found Crumbs’ offerings to be waaaay too cloyingly sweet for my taste; also, they had a bit too much of a “mass produced” taste and look to them (you know, that sort of overly-polished, slightly plastic product that is typical of the generic and ubiquitous NYC deli/bakery).  In addition to the cake and frosting being far too sugary for me, most of  their cupcakes are also VERY
heavily sprinkle-laden (or other such sugary toppings, i.e. chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, etc.) for my taste. On one visit I decided to see if any of their non-cupcake offerings might be a bit more satisfying, so opted for the plain jane brownie. Unfortunately, like it’s cupcake counterparts, the brownie was just way too sweet for me. I also found it a bit greasy, and too dense.

Overall: In general, I still do think this shop’s offering are too sugary for my taste. But I do think they would be an ideal choice for a child’s birthday party, a family treat during a day of touristy trekking, or for anyone whose tastes are still very much in touch with their inner child. These sorts of things are of course very subjective, and so I think it’s important that there be a player in the market that plays to those tastes! After all, there’s clearly quite a hefty market for their sugar treats. I for one am just happy to have discovered that they do have some reasonably un-cloying options as well. Though this now makes it very dangerous to have one across the street from my office…
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ACKC

Artfully Chocolate Kingsbury Confections (ACKC) is a fun, eclectic space in the Logan Circle area that, to quote their website, is “part art gallery, part chocolatier, part cocoa bar.”  You can find more info on the shop, its three locations, and its many offerings here:

http://www.ackccocoabar.com/menu_cafe.htm

Product Mix: As one would expect from a shop with ‘chocolate’ in the name, they have a plentiful selection of house-made chocolates, bars, and chocolate-covered treats. The shop also carries a LOT of products that they don’t actually make. For example, you can find the new Carla Hall (of Top Chef fame) line of mini cookies available for sale here (http://www.alchemybycarlahall.com/), as well as macarons by Michel Patisserie (http://shop.michelpatisserie.com/).  While most of the individual desserts in their amply stocked bake case (cupcakes, brownies, molten lava mini-bundts, etc.) are made in-house, the larger cakes come from local bakery Bread and Chocolate.

They have an extensive hot and cold beverage menu that includes coffee, espresso, tea, ice cream-based drinks, beer and wine. Their self-proclaimed signature beverage is, not surprisingly, their hot chocolate. Dubbed “the Divas,” the hot chocolate creations are available in a number of creative variations, each of which is fairly amusingly named after a different famous diva of yore (i.e. the toffee version is the “Eartha Kitt.”) They can also be done as milkshakes or ice cream sundaes.

Ambience: The decor is funky and colorful, with lots of bright and eclectic art adorning the walls. Even the tables are little works of art. The seating is actually a mix of comfortable and not-so-comfy styles, with one nice cushy couch off to the side and some high, bar-style tables in the middle of the shop.  Free Wifi is available, and I saw at least one power strip of free outlets. The music mix was modern, popular, and approriate (Adele, John Legend, etc.) but the volume level was really low so I could barely hear it over all the chatter in the shop.

Standouts: First off,  I think this is a great place to grab a a fun gift if you’re looking for something uniquely DC to delight out-of-towners with. The aforementioned chocolate bars and chocolate-covered treats are packaged perfectly for gifting, and travel well.  It’s a fun place to meet friends for coffee and dessert – colorful and full of a fun energy, and plenty of seating. I’ve never had an issue finding a place to sit here, which is more than I can say for a lot of the coffee shops in DC! And if you manage to snag one of the comfy seats in the corner near the power strips (the only available outlets I saw), then it is really an enjoyable space to sit and spend some time puttering on a laptop or reading.

Room for Improvement: Sadly, I was fairly disappointed by my Earth Kitt Diva Hot Chocolate. Their hot chocolates are clearly powder-based, as evidenced by the residue that thickly lined the inside of my mug as I sipped my way through it. In my experience, powder-based hot chocolates just can’t achieve the same velvety mouthfeel and depth of flavor as ganache- or even syrup-based hot chocolates, and the Divas are no exception.

It was also a bit too sweet for my taste, so I was tired of it about halfway through my mug; and finally, except for the toffee garnish sprinkled on top, I really couldn’t taste any toffee flavor in the drink. I’ve tried their house-made molten chocolate cake in the past and wasn’t particularly impressed by it either. I found the cake to be on the dense and dry side (despite being molten!) and the chocolate flavor not nearly rich or deep enough for my taste. As for ambience, I found myself continuously wondering why I was having so much trouble hearing my friends over the din when it wasn’t THAT crowded in the shop.  They may want to consider taking some acoustic-control measures and adding a bit of sound-deadening material to the space. I think it is an interesting choice to mix the seating – personally, I would prefer more of the comfortable seating, though the chairs don’t necessarily need to be quite so large.

Overall: In a city that is sorely lacking good, comfortable places to settle in for an hour or two with a laptop and something yummy, I think ACKC is a great place to hang with friends or get some “work” done. The offerings are plentiful and varied, and while I think the quality is mixed at best, there’s certainly something for everyone here!

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Sweetbites Mobile Cafe

Sweetbites Mobile Cafe is one of the many food trucks that has taken over the city of DC’s lunchtime rush. Unlike most of the others, this truck’s focus is near and dear to my heart: desserts! More information can be found on their website:
http://www.sweetbitesdesserts.com/

Product Mix: Sweetbites sells cupcakes, cookies, bars, and an assortment of other pastries, and their cupcakes go for $3 a pop. Their truck also offers coffee, tea, and hot chocolate. On this visit, I ordered a salted caramel cupcake and a hot chocolate with whipped cream. My friend got the chocolate peanut butter cupcake, and was kind enough to let me taste and photograph it as well.

Standout:

Cupcake Size: Reasonable value for the money! While I still think that $3 is slightly steep for a cupcake (I feel much more comfortable w/ a price point that’s below $3 – even the old $2.99 trick would make me feel a little bit better about buying the treat!), I definitely think that size-wise, Sweetbites’ offerings are a better bang for your buck than some of the other shops in town (read: Sprinkles and Georgetown Cupcake.)

Gluten-Free Option: For the sake of my gluten-free friends, I love that they have a gluten-free offering. I didn’t taste it myself, but the fact that they’re catering to that audience is a plus in my book.

Salted Caramel Cupcake: Chocolate cake base + salted caramel frosting.

Oh, this is a GOOD cupcake.  The cake was great: moist with a tender crumb, chocolatey but not cloyingly so. The frosting was a smidge on the greasy side, but not so much so that I couldn’t enjoy the overall experience. I think it’s supposed to be a caramel flavored frosting, but really tasted like more of a sweet cream. It was, however, drizzled with some gorgeous buttery caramel that I very much enjoyed – in fact, would have liked to have tasted more of the buttery caramel flavor and less of the sweet cream. The large salt crystals that they used were really the piece de resistance here – they provided such a beautiful burst of saltiness, and added a fun little crunch. But the problem with using big crystals like that is that they have to be used somewhat sparingly so as not to make the dessert overly salty, and as a result you don’t necessarily get some in every bite. And the salt-less bites were too sweet and not particularly special. Overall though, I thoroughly enjoyed this cupcake and would certainly recommend it to anyone who appreciates the marriage of salty and sweet in their desserts!

Neutral:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcake: Chocolate cake base + peanut butter frosting.

The cake base is the same as the one used in the peanut butter cupcake described above, and I liked it just as much in this iteration: moist with a tender crumb, chocolatey but not too much so. The frosting basically tasted like…peanut butter. As opposed to peanut-butter-flavored frosting. It had a slightly gritty texture too, very reminiscent of natural peanut butter. So that honestly could be a good or bad thing, depending on how gung-ho you are about peanut butter. I personally have never fully jumped on the chocolate+peanut-butter bandwagon, so I may not be the best authority on this particular flavor. But personally, I would have preferred a creamier texture and more buttery flavor, as opposed to a straight-up sweetened peanut butter experience. That said, the frosting wasn’t overly sweet, and I do give them props for that.

Room for Improvement:

Hot chocolate: It was one of the first truly chilly days we’ve had this fall, and sipping on a steaming hot chocolate as I walked back to my office sounded like just the ticket. And you had the option of whipped cream OR marshmallows! Love that – though I definitely should have gone w/ the marshmallows, not the whip. It had melted completely by the time I got it back to my office (so in about 5 minutes).  As for the drink itself, unfortunately, Sweetbites’ version was definitely a no-go. It was watery and powdery tasting, and had barely any real chocolate flavor at all. And the worst of my suspicions was confirmed when I dumped out my cup ( I couldn’t bring myself to drink more than I needed to form a conclusive opinion) and discovered a very thick slurry of powdered hot chocolate mix coating the bottom of the cup. Ok folks, here’s the deal: if you insist on using a powdered mix, you have to at least make sure to stir it properly when you serve it! But seriously, why use a powdered mix when a ganache-based beverage would be SO much more delicious, and not that much more difficult to put together?

Overall: The salted caramel is a solid cupcake, good enough to make me want to go back and try other flavors. I will definitely avoid the beverages though.

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Peregrine Espresso (Logan Circle)

Peregrine Espresso is a fantastic local coffee shop that has recently expanded into its second location in town; the original shop is in Eastern Market, and the newest location is in the Logan Circle area, on 14th between R and S.

Product Mix: The beverage menu is fairly no-frills, and covers all of the basics. They offer a variety of coffee blends, the usual lineup of espresso drinks, a variety of hot teas, and hot chocolate. They use Counterculture coffee and espresso (Aficionado blend) and Rishi teas.

One of the many fantastic touches that makes this place a true coffee-bar standout is that they filter each cup of coffee to-order. Not only does this make for an exceptional cup of coffee, it’s also fun to watch!

In addition to the stuff they mix up behind the bar, there’s also a small selection of Boylan’s sodas and Odwalla juices.  The bake-case is well-stocked with a wide variety of locally-made goodies from Buzz bakery in Virginia.

They also sell the uber-trendy Vosges chocolate bars, and a selection of Mexican hot chocolate disks in a large variety of flavors that I found particularly intriguing.

Ambience: I cannot say enough about how much I love the design of this shop. The combination of exposed brick, rough-hewn wooden siding, and soothing green tones strikes the perfect balance of modern + rustic, trendy + cozy. The light fixtures are subtle and chic.
The Logan location is a very small shop, so there is very limited seating. One wall is lined with a narrow bar/shelf and  cleverly molded, twisty stools that make the perfect perch while you’re waiting for your beverage to be crafted, or even if you’re looking to enjoy it quickly and be on your way, Paris-stylie.  The only other seating consisted of two tables with bench-like seating up against the windows in the front of the shop. It looked like there were power outlets available next to those tables., but sadly, they do not offer wifi – free or otherwise.  Though I suppose that’s to be expected in place that is so clearly not conducive to lingering or lounging.

Standouts: My latte was just the way I love it: rich and mellow, not bitter at all. And it was absolutely beautiful to boot!

The Peregrine baristas are clearly skilled latte artists.  It was a little more expensive than your average latte, but the size was certainly reasonable given the price. I though the product mix was great, unique with the right amount of variety without being overwhelming. Overall the place had a great bustling vibe, and the staff was super fun and friendly. And did I mention how much I love the decor?

Room for Improvement: Honestly, not much! I really, really loved this place.  There are a few tweaks I would suggest, though. First off, Peregrine only offers one size for their espresso drinks; as one who is  notoriously incapable of finishing my beverages, I think it would be nice if they offered multiple sizes for their espresso drinks. The standard single shot = small and double shot = large variations would certainly suffice. It would be fun to see some representation from other local bakers in the bake case, but they do have a good variety of items from Buzz so I don’t really think that’s a big deal. I do wish it were larger and more coffee-house style, but I really think they’ve done a great job with the space that they have. I would definitely be a big proponent of them opening up a third, larger location!

Overall: Fantastic coffee, great staff, lovely spot, though not ideal for an extended hang-out session. Definitely a standout in the DC coffee scene – these folks take their coffee seriously, but the great part is that they’re not snobs about it! Fun people making fabulous coffee in a fantastic – albeit rather small – space. Love it!