DC's Best Cupcakes at Baked and Wired

The cupcake craze hit DC before my freshman year of college. Within my first month here, I had tried Georgetown Cupcake, multiple times and at that point thought it was the best cupcake in the Washington Area. I loved the unique flavors and the small shop(this was before their move to M St. and their new TV show, which is awful). I took my friends, family, and pretty much anyone who wanted to go with me whenever I would want to go get cupcakes. At this point, the walk from Thurston to Georgetown definitely constituted as a workout, and it was a great trip to make after completing a week of classes. However, somehow in the process of recruiting others the try my favorite bakery, I discovered baked and wired. Tucked away on Thomas Jefferson, a side street in Georgetown, this bakery is an obsession of some of the biggest cupcake enthusiasts in the Washington, DC area.

These cupcakes are a great size, dense, flavorful with rich frosting, and come in many great flavors. The following are some of my favorites in addition to some of the most interesting flavors:

• Carrot Cake
• The moist carrot cake batter is mixed with crunchy, flavorful pecans in addition to many spices and baked to perfection. After, it is topped with a traditional cream cheese frosting, that is also delicious. Carrot cake is one of my favorite types of cake and baked and wired does a great job with this.
• Chai Tea Latte:
• Topped with a unique chai spiced buttercream frosting, this vanilla cupcake is also blended with chai tea spices.

• Elvis Impersonator aka The Unporked Elvis:
• This is by far my FAVORITE cupcake. This banana cupcake is delicious on its own, but once it is topped with delectable peanut butter frosting that is later drizzled with chocolate, it is literally unbeatable.

• Peppermint Patty:
• This seasonal cupcake is made up of chocolate cake with a dark satin frosting and infused with peppermint
• Pumpkin Spice:
• Complete with pumpkin spice cream cheese frosting, this pumpkin cupcake is delicious and perfect for fall(also seasonal)
• Red Velvet:
• Baked and wired does a great job with this classic cupcake option: deep red color, chocolate, vanilla, and cream cheese frosting...yum!

• Strawberry:
• This simple cupcake is a bestseller! Vanilla cake is blended with fresh strawberries, baked, and topped with pink buttercream.

• The Tessita:
• This vanilla cake base is combined with dulce de leche filing and topped with amazing hazelnut satin icing

The bakery itself is also adorable, homey, and a great place to hang out. One of my favorite aspects is the bright pink spray painted bike that is chained outside.

Images courtesy of observatory journal, bakelist, assaultnpepper, and delectableliving due to the fact that my camera broke :(


Baked and Wired is by far one of the best bakeries in DC and somewhere everyone should try. If you're not in the mood to leave your house, check out baked and wired's carrot cake cupcake recipe(courtesy of Taste of Georgetown):

Cake:

o 2 ¼ (11.5) oz. all-purpose flour

o 2 cups sugar

o 2 teaspoon baking soda

o 1 teaspoon cinnamon

o ½ teaspoon salt

o 2 cups shredded carrots

o 1 ½ cup canola oil

o 4 eggs

o 1 cup chopped pecans, toasted, and cooled

Pre-set oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9” pans. Whisk together all dry ingredients. Blend all ingredients at low speed, except nuts. Whisk with attachment on mixer for 3 minutes on high. Stir in pecans. Bake for 34 minutes, remove and allow to cool.

Cream Cheese Icing:

o 1 stick butter, softened

o 1 lbs. 8 oz. powdered sugar

o 1 teaspoon vanilla

o 8oz. Cream Cheese

o 1 tablespoon evaporated milk (may not need)

Blend together all the ingredients, and apply to cup cakes. Spread additional ½ cups of chopped and toasted pecans over the icing for decoration. Makes 16 Cup Cakes.

 Either way, you won't be disappointed.

Thunder Burger: My Georgetown Obsession

Keeping a vegetarian diet when eating out in a city with so many delicious and famous burger establishments can be difficult at times. Between Bobby Flay's Burger Palace and Goodstuff Eatery, I am often very tempted to try a bite of these renowned burger creations. Instead, I've made it a point to search for good vegetarian burger options. When I found out one of my favorite restaurants in Georgetown, New's Cafe, was being transformed from an Italian Eatery to yet another burger restaurant, I was initially far from a happy camper.

RIP NEWS CAFE!(image courtesy of google.com)

However, I finally brought myself to try its replacement, Thunder Burger & Bar, sometime last fall.  I ordered a seared tuna burger called "O, Fortuna"(all of the gourmet burger names are titles of songs...very clever!). Seared tuna has become one of my favorite foods since I began keeping kosher about three years ago. Combine a seared ahi tuna fillet on a whole wheat bun topped with caramelized red onion relish, watercress, tomato, and wasabi mayo with a side of sweet potato fries and a small side of ranch dressing, and you have one of my favorite meals in Washington DC.

Image courtesy of google.com

Now, I am delighted that Thunder Burger replaced my former favorite Georgetown restaurant. In addition to great burgers, the restaurant also has great appetizers(my personal favorite are the nachos) and great beer(many drafts and bottled choices). I would recommend this restaurant to anyone and everyone!

Not convinced? Check out this blogger's review of Thunder Burger as well!

Ben's Chili Bowl: 4 Years Later and I Finally Made It!

When you tell someone that you a Senior at GW and you have never been to Ben's Chili Bowl, you can get a number of reactions including anger, disgust, or simply a look of complete and utter shock.After four years of hearing the hype about this historic DC establishment, I finally decided to embark on my journey to for cuisine that most definitely clogs your arteries instantly. However, I assumed it was worth it.

Image Courtesy of Ben's Official Website: Ben's Chili Bowl, View from the Outside

On Friday night, my friends and I decided to attend the No Scrubs: 90's Dance Party at the 9:30 Club. After dancing the classic hits like "Wannabe" by Spice Girls and "Bye, Bye, Bye" by *NSYNC, we departed from the concert hall on V street, and headed towards our most important destination: Ben's Chili Bowl. As we approached, I could see a line wrapping around the small restaurant. I made my way with my three friends to the end of the line and waiting as patiently as possible to enter. When  we got to the front door, I started to talk to the man working the door about how I had never been here before. I explained to him how I didn't eat meat(I keep Kosher, a jewish custom,which in the simplest terms involves me only eating meat from kosher establishments) and how I wasn't sure what to order. As he looked at me with such shock that I was basically a DC native who had never been to such a restaurant, he told me about all the veggie friendly options available. He also began to tell me how much he LOVED Obama and how Obama dined here for his first meal as America's president(see below)

My new friend showed me which booth the president sat in and made sure I knew to look around the whole restaurant(which I also learned used to be an old silent movie theater before its establishment in 1958). I thanked him graciously and entered.

I waited in line with my best friend Ali and we ordered a giant plate of vegetarian chili cheese fries, a vanilla milk shake, and a diet coke all to share(our friends with us also split the same thing, minus the diet coke which was only necessary because I have a severe diet coke addiction). We ran to our booth eager to eat this amazing creation. As I said before, this is my no means gourmet cuisine. It is fattening, greasy, cheesy, and I am not even embarrassed to say so delicious that we deemed it 'heaven on a paper plate'. It was delicious. The flavors all complemented each other perfectly and I was impressed at its unique, but great flavor.

Cheese, Chili, and Fries in All Their Glory....YUM!

After eating our mini heart-attack on a plate, we moved on to the milkshake. It was very good as well, with a strong vanilla flavor that we both enjoyed. After finishing our beverage, we were able to say goodbye to our friend at the door and go home full and satisfied with our chili experience.

Paradise found at Pizza Paradiso

Anyone who knows me knows that my favorite food is pizza. Born and raised in the Chicago suburbs, I have been exposed to some of the best and most original pizza in America since I was a kid. One of the most disappointing food aspects of Washington DC was always the lack of good pizza. In Chicago, it is easy to find a delicious pizza establishment within five minutes of wherever you're currently located. In DC, the search for a perfect pizza is more of a struggle.

I have found a few pizza places that are up to my ridiculously high standards(which is funny, seeing as I think Domino's is decent based entirely on their delicious garlic crust), but I am always looking for restaurants to quench my pizza cravings. Today, I went to Pizza Paradiso, for the first time. Even though I have gone to GW since 2008 and the restaurant has three locations(Georgetown, Dupont, and Alexandria,VA), I somehow never indulged in this establishment's pizza. However, on this rainy day after going to Dupont in search of a cheap, but well done manicure, my friends and I decided to go. Both of my friends had been there before and said it was really good, so i decided it was about time to try the famous wood-oven cooked pizza. 

The restaurant in Dupont is decorated nicely inside with exposed brick and cute pizza pictures lining the interior. The menu is simple, but classy and very appealing. I decided to make my own because spinach garlic pizza has become one of my favorite foods after eating it on regular during my summer's at camp. Pizza Paradiso offers wheat crust options, free of charge, which allowed me to make my pizza a little healthier, and much more delicious.

8 inch spinach garlic pizza on whole wheat crust

The pizza was amazing-perfectly cooked, not overly garlicky yet flavorful, and the spinach was fresh and sauteed to perfection. I would recommend this pizza to everyone; even if you are on a budget, you can enjoy this dish without breaking the bank. For more info, check out Pizza Paradiso's website at http://www.eatyourpizza.com/