tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80332257973397647002024-03-13T05:44:51.065-07:00Cupcakes Coast to CoastMark and Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07167932038768007743noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8033225797339764700.post-86778277824314634282011-08-04T09:16:00.000-07:002011-08-04T09:18:24.699-07:00Cupcakes Canada!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">A few weeks ago, my friend Christine came to Ajax for a Saturday morning breakfast. Our choice for a delicious, nutritious breakfast spot? </span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Why, <a href="http://cupcakes-canada.ca/">Cupcakes Canada</a>, of course!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We were so hard-core that we got there before they even opened and had to sit on the curb before we were let in...</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-62iCT-kYa9Q/Tjq-WvJPYSI/AAAAAAAAAbA/pvllGXDY9y0/s1600/IMG_5943.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-62iCT-kYa9Q/Tjq-WvJPYSI/AAAAAAAAAbA/pvllGXDY9y0/s400/IMG_5943.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We had such a hard time deciding what to get, everything looked so fresh and yummy!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We ended up with 4 flavours to sample and share between us</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6VHNwVNRIms/TjrAl3HH40I/AAAAAAAAAbI/OktuAKO-3CU/s1600/IMG_5951.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6VHNwVNRIms/TjrAl3HH40I/AAAAAAAAAbI/OktuAKO-3CU/s400/IMG_5951.JPG" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I had to go with their signature cupcake (which I had sampled and fallen in love with previously), the Canadian Maple Walnut - A Madagascar Bourbon vanilla cupcake infused with Canadian maple syrup, with swirls of maple fudge frosting and topped with chopped walnuts</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #334366; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7xDCiYh46D4/TjrBSmAS8OI/AAAAAAAAAbM/sM5xLMZHvQs/s1600/IMG_5945.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7xDCiYh46D4/TjrBSmAS8OI/AAAAAAAAAbM/sM5xLMZHvQs/s400/IMG_5945.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We both <i>loved</i> this cupcake - the vanilla cake was moist, and the frosting is the perfect mix of sweet maple with fudgy decadence. We were definitely saying 'Eh' to that one!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Our runner-up was the Strawberries and Cream - fresh pureed strawberries in a Madagascar Bourbon vanilla cupcake with strawberry infused buttercream icing.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dFkROb98Ga0/TjrCjSiU01I/AAAAAAAAAbQ/I_05msudyfU/s1600/IMG_5949.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dFkROb98Ga0/TjrCjSiU01I/AAAAAAAAAbQ/I_05msudyfU/s400/IMG_5949.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The cake base was the same on this one, which we already were fans of. The frosting was different than any other strawberry icings I have had - something in it gave it almost a yogurt-like taste and quality. We both really enjoyed this frosting - the tartness mixed with the sweet pureed strawberry taste was fabulous!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">3rd place goes to Classic Coconut - Madagascar Bourbon cake with vanilla cream cheese frosting topped with coconut shavings.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zshUXpqxI2I/TjrDJan7V6I/AAAAAAAAAbU/8EIAuR5ckGE/s1600/IMG_5948.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zshUXpqxI2I/TjrDJan7V6I/AAAAAAAAAbU/8EIAuR5ckGE/s400/IMG_5948.JPG" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;">At this point we were a little bummed that every cupcake had the same cake base. This one was good, but not great. The coconut was fresh and gave a great flavour to the cream cheese frosting, but we probably wouldn't race to make this selection again.</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;">Finally, Lemon Sunshine (also pictured above), was quite disappointing. Both Christine and I love lemon, so we were really looking forward to tasting this one - a lemon infused cupcake with vanilla cream cheese frosting. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to our expectations. The cake lacked lemon flavour, and with a vanilla frosting, the cupcake was quite plain. A few bites of this one were enough for us, and we didn't go back for more.</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;">All in all, I'm definitely a fan of Cupcakes Canada, specifically their Maple Walnut cupcake. I have friends who raved about a few of their chocolate flavours, which unfortunately I can't comment on due to my chocolate intolerance (sad, sad, sad). The main thing this store lacks is variety in cake flavours - with all cakes having either Madagascar Bourbon vanilla or chocolate bases, there isn't much you can do to jazz up your cupcakes. That being said, I would definitely go back, and am anxious to try some of their seasonal flavours, like Key Lime, Caramel Apple, and Gingerbread.</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;"><br />
</span></span> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;">Here are our remains - thanks Christine for making the drive and enjoying breakfast with me!!</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4rBLB-sQ4NY/TjrFo0lF76I/AAAAAAAAAbY/miytmuEkzfs/s1600/IMG_5952.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4rBLB-sQ4NY/TjrFo0lF76I/AAAAAAAAAbY/miytmuEkzfs/s400/IMG_5952.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Stay tuned for a post on more of mine and Christine's cupcake adventures!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</span></div>Mark and Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07167932038768007743noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8033225797339764700.post-78021751879874340182011-07-19T12:10:00.000-07:002011-07-19T12:10:53.560-07:00I'm Still Here!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hellooooo all faithful cupcake lovers! Sorry for my incredibly prolonged absence. Life got a little bit insane with packing, saying goodbyes, driving across North America, and settling into a totally new life in Ontario, Canada. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The <b>bad news</b>: The closest Crumbs is now 540 kms away.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The <b>good news</b>: <a href="http://cupcakes-canada.ca/">Cupcakes Canada</a> (a new fave) is right around the corner from where we're living.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I will blog soon in more detail about my recent cupcake adventures, but I wanted to at least let you all know that I am alive, well, and still eating cupcakes as often as I possibly can!</span></span><br />
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</span>Mark and Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07167932038768007743noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8033225797339764700.post-45061200239973473742011-04-16T16:56:00.000-07:002011-04-16T17:01:16.543-07:00Genius!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w6ZCZCt3SbA/TaosuBOHvcI/AAAAAAAAAUA/HU-AhVFAAO0/s1600/188120_151259751596745_331897_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w6ZCZCt3SbA/TaosuBOHvcI/AAAAAAAAAUA/HU-AhVFAAO0/s200/188120_151259751596745_331897_n.jpg" width="198" /></a></div><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.cupcakediner.ca/">Cupcake Diner</a></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">How cute is this?! A few fellow cupcake lovers have forwarded the website of this brand-new business to me, and I definitely plan on catching this truck at some point this summer!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What a great idea - and the owner, Natalie, graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(my alma mater)! Way to go girl, can't wait to see your pink truck on the road soon!</span>Mark and Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07167932038768007743noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8033225797339764700.post-80733000652922355042011-04-12T21:53:00.000-07:002011-04-12T21:53:53.877-07:00Best of British Columbia!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After a little bit of a hiatus, let's go back in time to my trip to BC and finish up with the <b>tastiest</b> cupcake I had during my visit there!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You may recognize this cupcake shop from a TV show that aired last year on Slice Network in Canada, called </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0c343d;">'Cupcake Girls'</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. The show told the story of two best friends, Heather and Lori, who started their own cupcake shop after working in New York City for several years. Going through the events of September 11th inspired them to finally realize their dream, and to return to a simpler life. I loved watching the show and watching these two friends, neither one of them with any baking experience whatsoever, go through the stress and struggles of starting their own business. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today, business is booming for these Cupcake Girls. From their first store opening in 2002, they now have several shops in the Greater Vancouver area, and even offer franchising!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Simply called <a href="http://www.cupcakesonline.com/">Cupcakes</a>, Heather and Lori's brainchild is a fantastic spot. The decor in their stores is the best I have seen! All pink and brown, bright and fun, their pretty shop and its cute awning beckon you inside.</span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w6HiEoEyMbk/TaUmhrkfhgI/AAAAAAAAATs/rArQQEA453w/s1600/cupcakes_vancouver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w6HiEoEyMbk/TaUmhrkfhgI/AAAAAAAAATs/rArQQEA453w/s400/cupcakes_vancouver.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(stock photos)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We visited the Cupcakes located on Thurlow Street in downtown Vancouver. About ten different flavours were offered, and it was so hard to choose just one!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> I ended up opting for their Pink Lemonade flavour - a lemon cupcake with a pink lemonade buttercream frosting.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Absolutely diviiiiiiine.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Moist, rich, sweet yet slightly tart lemon cake, with a frosting that really did taste <i>just</i> like pink lemonade. Being one of my favourite drinks of all time, anything that tastes like pink lemonade rates pretty high in my books!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I loved all of the cute merchandise for sale in Cupcakes too - t-shirts, pink and brown polka-dotted aprons, and reusable bags, which I picked up for myself (please ignore the fact that my dad and sister look slightly pyscho in the following photo):</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Heather and Lori's story of following their cupcake dreams inspires me, so I'll leave off with the link to their Facebook page. Aren't they just the cutest?! Them, their store, and their cupcakes! Fantastic!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span>Mark and Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07167932038768007743noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8033225797339764700.post-54668462972507114372011-04-05T13:41:00.000-07:002011-04-05T13:41:17.518-07:00Seattle's Best Cupcake!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After a few fun days in Bellingham, we headed back down to Seattle for the tail end of our trip. One of the girls I was traveling with asked a few local students where the best spot to get a cupcake was, and they suggested <a href="http://www.cupcakeroyale.com/">Cupcake Royale</a>. This bakery has a few locations, but my two fellow tasters and I visited their Ballard store, which was in a really pretty area of downtown Seattle. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My first impression upon walking into Cupcake Royale was that the shop was 'hardcore cute'. There was pink everywhere, but it was contrasted against black accents and the largest amount of tattooed males that I've ever seen working in a bakery. The decor really worked though, I loved its 'tough' industrial feel with just the right amount of pretty touches. Maybe a photo will help to give you a better idea of what I mean:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j2YN4fMiuRw/TZtzb8K8thI/AAAAAAAAATA/gOt42IT0roI/s1600/IMG_3094.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j2YN4fMiuRw/TZtzb8K8thI/AAAAAAAAATA/gOt42IT0roI/s400/IMG_3094.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">About a dozen flavours were offered that day, including some very interesting combinations, like Maple Whiskey Bacon:</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sl5Z-kexI3s/TZt0akK083I/AAAAAAAAATE/wy2YTSU-rig/s1600/IMG_3095.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sl5Z-kexI3s/TZt0akK083I/AAAAAAAAATE/wy2YTSU-rig/s320/IMG_3095.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We picked this one up for our friend Micah, and he quite enjoyed it. The more 'masculine' cupcakes with ingredients like bacon seem to be very trendy right now and are popping up everywhere!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Us girls each chose a different flavour to try. Molly went for the Triple Threat - chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had the Lemon Drop,</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And Abby opted for the Salted Caramel:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'll get to the cupcakes in a second, but I want to first comment on the coffee that is also offered at Cupcake Royale. I had a cappucino and Molly had a vanilla latte, and they were both <b><i>excellent</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">, let alone pretty with their cute foam designs:</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But I digress. Onto the cupcakes!!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wow. Wow wow wow wow wow. I think this was the only word coming out of our mouths as we scarfed down our delicious treats. These cupcakes were some of the best I have ever eaten.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let me say again....</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>These cupcakes are some of the best I have EVER eaten!!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Seriously. The cake was unlike any other cake I have ever tried. In texture it resembled the airiness of an angel food cake, but in reality it was much denser and more rich. And the frosting was just perfect - creamy, sweet, and with just the right amount of tart lemon flavour.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Molly loved her Triple Threat - the cake was moist and rich, and the frosting was divine!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And Abby's Salted Caramel cupcake....oh my word. If I could eat chocolate without severe consequences, I would have marched right back up to the counter and ordered one of those for myself too. The frosting was to die for - you could really taste the salty caramel, and it mixed so well with the chocolate cake. Heavenly.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ya'll know how much I love Crumbs, and I have to admit that its going to take one heck of a cupcake to ever beat out one of theirs, but Cupcake Royale is most definitely up there at the top of my list. From the coffee to the ambience to their all-natural ingredients (everything is organic and from local farmers - love that!), Cupcake Royale in Seattle is one of my most favourite, <b>favourite</b> bakeries ever. I can see why it has been voted 'Seattle's Best Cupcake'!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They even encouraged composting and social responsibility, asking customers to take care of cleaning off their own tables and placing dirty silverware and dishes in the bus tub:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here are Molly and Abby with their cakes. Aren't they cute?!!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm honestly still dreaming about how good those cupcakes were! I can only hope that one day I will be able to return to Seattle and to this wonderful spot. Thank you Cupcake Royale for making a gloomy, rainy day in Washington so much more enjoyable for us three girls!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span>Mark and Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07167932038768007743noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8033225797339764700.post-76520608594392335062011-03-24T19:07:00.000-07:002011-03-24T19:07:11.233-07:00Cupcakes in the Northwest!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First of all, my apologies once again for another long absence. Mark and I were out of town for a week for Spring Break with the band he plays in at school, and just returned on Sunday. We spent the week in the Northwest, in Washington state, a place I have always wanted to visit.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite typical Pacific Northwestern rainy weather, we were still able to take in some of the beauty and see the sights in both Bellingham and Seattle.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BOGfW5L41IY/TYv1Jycc33I/AAAAAAAAASQ/zWA7eFpht8k/s1600/IMG_2794.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BOGfW5L41IY/TYv1Jycc33I/AAAAAAAAASQ/zWA7eFpht8k/s400/IMG_2794.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Love all those trees!!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The band members are dear friends and were kind enough to indulge me on a few cupcake outings. This shop in Bellingham looked really cute but unfortunately was closed the day we stopped by. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Times;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-7h6jkDrcPAo/TYv1526BYRI/AAAAAAAAASU/sJ0gNaA3dMw/s1600/IMG_2713.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-7h6jkDrcPAo/TYv1526BYRI/AAAAAAAAASU/sJ0gNaA3dMw/s320/IMG_2713.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-G4-Z9i3cY4w/TYv2IeNmz7I/AAAAAAAAASY/16W4H4Oy-Js/s1600/IMG_2714.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-G4-Z9i3cY4w/TYv2IeNmz7I/AAAAAAAAASY/16W4H4Oy-Js/s320/IMG_2714.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> So our first official stop was Katie's Cupcakes in Fairhaven, a cute historic section of Bellingham. My sister-in-law, a fellow foodie, gave me the heads-up and let me know that this bakery was in town!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The shop was bright and airy, with lots of white and big windows to let natural light in.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Katie's Cupcakes are simple in decoration, and they offer about 6 flavours each day</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5VArQz-pnvU/TYv2iveRgzI/AAAAAAAAASk/55Sfr2kOMYQ/s1600/IMG_2811.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5VArQz-pnvU/TYv2iveRgzI/AAAAAAAAASk/55Sfr2kOMYQ/s400/IMG_2811.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Tkf8O0v1C58/TYv2kMqd8aI/AAAAAAAAASo/JUUnh4rOKUI/s1600/IMG_2812.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Tkf8O0v1C58/TYv2kMqd8aI/AAAAAAAAASo/JUUnh4rOKUI/s400/IMG_2812.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I loved that they offered 'mini' cupcakes, for just $1.50 each. I decided to go for a mini Banana Carmel cupcake</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lKhtuDTIrco/TYv2lyv4qhI/AAAAAAAAASs/8jEwZzY5h3Q/s1600/IMG_2813.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lKhtuDTIrco/TYv2lyv4qhI/AAAAAAAAASs/8jEwZzY5h3Q/s400/IMG_2813.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">About to partake in some banana goodness...</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-mU3aft1lYSs/TYv2ng9mT3I/AAAAAAAAASw/dqlR9gRhoXg/s1600/IMG_2814.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-mU3aft1lYSs/TYv2ng9mT3I/AAAAAAAAASw/dqlR9gRhoXg/s320/IMG_2814.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Times;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yum! The Banana Carmel was delish, and just the right size for an afternoon snack. This was the first banana flavoured cupcake I have had that didn't just taste like a banana muffin with frosting on top. Well done Katie!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our friend Micah also purchased a cupcake, which I forgot to take a photo of, but it was - get this - a DONUT cupcake! Genius! Cinnamony sugary goodness :)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Both Fairhaven and Katie's Cupcakes are super cute and a fun stop if you are ever in the beautiful Bellingham area!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div>Mark and Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07167932038768007743noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8033225797339764700.post-21127858971118744962011-03-11T22:18:00.000-08:002011-03-11T22:18:15.590-08:00Crazy for Crumbs!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Things have been very busy around here the past few weeks with family visiting from home. We love hosting our loved ones, and Crumbs has become a must-visit spot for everyone who comes to stay in So Cal.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I promise to get back to my cupcake reviews soon, but for now, here are some photos from the past several weeks!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First, a visit to Crumbs in Glendale with friends from bible study. I just love sharing my cupcake joy with good friends!</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The girls trying to make their decisions</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-08u8u1SeezM/TXreA8V6TfI/AAAAAAAAARk/wXNjm7YykcA/s1600/IMG_2084.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-08u8u1SeezM/TXreA8V6TfI/AAAAAAAAARk/wXNjm7YykcA/s400/IMG_2084.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Time to enjoy!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-PIqDnR8XrnI/TXreJdCss4I/AAAAAAAAARo/8g6IrQjC56o/s1600/IMG_2093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-PIqDnR8XrnI/TXreJdCss4I/AAAAAAAAARo/8g6IrQjC56o/s400/IMG_2093.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My choice - one of my Crumbs favourites, the Raspberry Swirl. Love their coffee too!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-MiIVT4am7Bo/TXreNG9VJ_I/AAAAAAAAARs/krqFpLywpkw/s1600/IMG_2095.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-MiIVT4am7Bo/TXreNG9VJ_I/AAAAAAAAARs/krqFpLywpkw/s400/IMG_2095.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The end of February brought my brother Jordan and his fiancee Sarah. Though our day at the Americana was cold and rainy, the cupcakes were worth the trip.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All of our selections!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jord had the Peanut Butter Cup (he was pretty intense about it!)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-g2zGU9Xvows/TXrf-w1TjQI/AAAAAAAAAR0/lldA-Hsl5KM/s1600/IMG_2166.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-g2zGU9Xvows/TXrf-w1TjQI/AAAAAAAAAR0/lldA-Hsl5KM/s320/IMG_2166.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mark had the Twinkie</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sarah had the Almond Joy</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And I had a new one for me, the Elvis, which is definitely going to be added to my regular rotation. Peanut butter and vanilla. Mmmm.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fcziRXg7AhY/TXrgUSyDvOI/AAAAAAAAASA/appT_m9QTWU/s1600/IMG_2178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fcziRXg7AhY/TXrgUSyDvOI/AAAAAAAAASA/appT_m9QTWU/s320/IMG_2178.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few days after Sarah and Jordan left, my Uncle Darryl and cousin Halle arrived! Halle is quite the baker herself, and has even dabbled in cake decorating a bit, so she was anxious to get to Crumbs.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Both Uncle D and Halle opted for the Cosmopolitan, which you may recall as the #1 cupcake of the SoCal Cupcake Tour!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A wise choice if I do say so myself.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's Halle with the Cosmos.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-LUXfv4crUj8/TXsNWYltSgI/AAAAAAAAASE/fjl9F2RvuiY/s1600/IMG_2470.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-LUXfv4crUj8/TXsNWYltSgI/AAAAAAAAASE/fjl9F2RvuiY/s320/IMG_2470.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And sampling...</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">She loves it!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-lo4EnBrErfI/TXsNwJWKNDI/AAAAAAAAASM/afH1b2gc3Mw/s1600/IMG_2583.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-lo4EnBrErfI/TXsNwJWKNDI/AAAAAAAAASM/afH1b2gc3Mw/s320/IMG_2583.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let me just say that though these visits are so wonderful, they have <i>not</i> been good for my waistline. I think I may need to stay away from cupcake temptation for a few weeks to avoid gaining any <i>more</i> than I already have.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span>Mark and Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07167932038768007743noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8033225797339764700.post-13975000416438541372011-02-28T21:51:00.000-08:002011-02-28T21:51:17.206-08:00Big City Cupcakes<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Last spring I traveled to Vancouver, British Columbia for my little sister's graduation from film school. My family is wonderful, and they indulged me a few times on this trip by making stops at some cupcakeries.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">First up was Big City Cupcakes (website </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.bigcitycupcakes.com/">here</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">), a short 10-minute walk from my sister's apartment in Yaletown. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CHq22dKXb4I/TWxb1oR4uDI/AAAAAAAAARI/JNkKkoxUQ_0/s1600/IMG_1236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CHq22dKXb4I/TWxb1oR4uDI/AAAAAAAAARI/JNkKkoxUQ_0/s320/IMG_1236.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Big City Cupcakes has 6 of their own locations in the Vancouver area. In addition to this, their products are sold at over 10 other retailers throughout the province of BC.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This bakery definitely has the 'big city' feel. The decor is minimalist, with lots of black, grey, white and chrome (sorry didn't take any pics of the inside).</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The staff at the downtown Vancouver location were sooo friendly and helpful. By the time we left, the girl behind the counter pretty much knew our entire life stories, and us hers! In addition to becoming mine, my mom's, and my sister's new BFF, she was also very informative about their cupcakes!</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">15 flavours are offered daily at Big City Cupcakes. I chose Lemon Drop, and my mom went with a Chocolate Mounds (</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">chocolate cupcake topped with a ganache centre topped with coconut butter cream, rolled in coconut and drizzled with ganache). I am completely blanking on what my sister ordered...but here she is about to enjoy it!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">These cupcakes were delish - moist and flavourful, and the frosting was yummy too - I just wished there was a bit more of it! </span><br />
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</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Big City Cupcakes also offers gluten, dairy, and egg free options for people with sensitivities or allergies, which is a great bonus that not many other bakeries can boast about. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">They also have the cutest 'cupcake cuddlers' for weddings. I grabbed this photo from their website - don't you love these?!</span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">All in all, I enjoyed Big City Cupcakes, but was underwhelmed with their flavour options and decor. Big points for customer service though! Overall, I would rate them at a 7 out of 10, all things considered.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">During my week in Vancouver, I visited <b>three</b> cupcake shops. More BC blogs to come!!</span></div>Mark and Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07167932038768007743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8033225797339764700.post-23132776302800855262011-02-21T15:20:00.000-08:002011-02-21T15:20:03.522-08:00The little shop that started it all!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Thinking back, my cupcake love definitely started about 5 years ago, when I walked through the doors of this place:</span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Located at 271 King Street West in Kitchener, Ontario, about 30 minutes from my hometown, is <a href="http://www.cakebox.ca/">The Cake Box</a>. I was inspired as soon as I stepped inside of this cute bakery and coffee shop. The decor is simple and sweet, with some of their most creative and fun cake designs on display. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The Cake Box offers 10-12 cupcake flavours each day, and also takes orders for special occasions. I don't even remember what kind of cupcake I purchased my first time there, but I remember loving it! The Cake Box is the kind of place that you want to sit and visit with a good friend over a cupcake and your coffee of choice. I love their espresso, and my most favourite part about this shop is their Sprinkle Bar. Before enjoying your cupcake, you can customize it with your own extra sprinkles!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Here are a few of their creations (photos are from their website)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UIvmH2lwhYs/TWLNsUKS5gI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/GbftHmJPbuo/s1600/06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UIvmH2lwhYs/TWLNsUKS5gI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/GbftHmJPbuo/s400/06.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-66cMuH3Be1E/TWLN4mSPvpI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/9xyGSO3uACc/s1600/a10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-66cMuH3Be1E/TWLN4mSPvpI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/9xyGSO3uACc/s400/a10.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K18AxEzzW5A/TWLOIeqPqoI/AAAAAAAAARA/smMEifz-N7Q/s1600/05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K18AxEzzW5A/TWLOIeqPqoI/AAAAAAAAARA/smMEifz-N7Q/s400/05.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Another really fun part of The Cake Box is its open concept. You can grab a seat at the bar and watch the bakers work their magic right in front of your eyes! The Cake Box is the only place I have seen this feature, and I really loved watching the employees decorate cakes and cupcakes.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I was thrilled over Christmas break to discover The Cake Box has a second location, in St. Jacobs, a cute mennonite town that my dad, sister and I visit every Christmas Eve. I enjoyed a lemon cupcake with lemon buttercream icing, and it was fantastic! Here's a peak at the inside of The Cake Box 2 in St. Jacobs:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">If you are in the area, I highly recommend both of these locations. Bring a friend, settle into one of their comfy chairs with a latte and a cupcake, and enjoy the shop that started all the cupcake love for me. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Maybe you will fall in love too!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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</span>Mark and Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07167932038768007743noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8033225797339764700.post-40187583472642821222011-02-16T17:39:00.000-08:002011-02-16T17:39:37.370-08:00More Reviews Coming up!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anytime I visit a new city, my main mission is to find that city's cupcake shop (or shops, if I'm lucky!)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Over the past few years I have documented all of my bakery visits and have taken my mission very seriously.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And now I finally have a forum to write about them! So, in the next couple of weeks, I plan on blogging about some of my favourite cupcake spots in cities like San Diego, Vancouver, and even Kitchener (my American friends are currently saying '<i>huh?')</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stay tuned and stay hungry! Here's a little preview:</span><br />
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</i></span>Mark and Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07167932038768007743noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8033225797339764700.post-14878237293282242852011-02-13T09:56:00.000-08:002011-02-13T09:56:32.459-08:00a first-timer!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My apologies for my absence this past week, but my friend Lindsay was out visiting and there was no time for blogging.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, there most <i>definitely</i> was time for Crumbs!!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the most-requested places from our visitors is Crumbs, so of course we had to stop by while Linds was here. Though not much of a 'cupcake person' herself, she was still very curious to see what all the hype was about.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here we are outside the shop at the Americana in Glendale:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f30nS5wxLkQ/TVgW2R0nGRI/AAAAAAAAAP4/-jWxvqIkyo0/s1600/IMG_1536.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f30nS5wxLkQ/TVgW2R0nGRI/AAAAAAAAAP4/-jWxvqIkyo0/s320/IMG_1536.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And here are our selections; chocolate chip cookie dough (Mark), red velvet (Linds), and cotton candy (mine):</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z-MHEc41TKA/TVgXAaP8KtI/AAAAAAAAAP8/u0jAll878pM/s1600/IMG_1606.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z-MHEc41TKA/TVgXAaP8KtI/AAAAAAAAAP8/u0jAll878pM/s320/IMG_1606.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The chocolate chip cookie dough cupcake is v</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394;">anilla cake with chocolate fudge filling covered in vanilla cream cheese frosting mixed with chocolate chip cookie pieces and topped with a cookie:</span></span></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XSkWHf781N0/TVgXF1qb6SI/AAAAAAAAAQI/rqHAqbOvsTE/s1600/IMG_1609.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XSkWHf781N0/TVgXF1qb6SI/AAAAAAAAAQI/rqHAqbOvsTE/s320/IMG_1609.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; color: #2f2f2f; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 18px;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The cotton candy is one of my absolute faves and is a regular order for me. Vanilla cake, buttercream filling, a pink buttercream icing and candy pieces around the outside. Love love love love love!!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Enjoying every bite:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EfYLjxkEM7o/TVgXMyYyBfI/AAAAAAAAAQY/aqoBQH3o7p0/s1600/IMG_1615.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EfYLjxkEM7o/TVgXMyYyBfI/AAAAAAAAAQY/aqoBQH3o7p0/s320/IMG_1615.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The red velvet is a favourite among our guests too. Classic red velvet cake with buttercream filling, topped with cream cheese frosting, red velvet crumbs, and sprinkles.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yAFoyr1yRHE/TVgXEAi9S4I/AAAAAAAAAQE/bda5lUS4s_Y/s1600/IMG_1608.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yAFoyr1yRHE/TVgXEAi9S4I/AAAAAAAAAQE/bda5lUS4s_Y/s320/IMG_1608.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I documented Linds' first few bites</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-91p8ze8hYp4/TVgXJP1Jl4I/AAAAAAAAAQQ/_uhhArV8cAA/s1600/IMG_1612.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-91p8ze8hYp4/TVgXJP1Jl4I/AAAAAAAAAQQ/_uhhArV8cAA/s320/IMG_1612.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At first I was a little worried about her reaction as she did not say a word or make a peep after three full bites. But once she hit that filling in the centre, she was <i>almost</i> converted to a cupcake groupie. Still working on this one, but I'm confident that with more time, I can pull her over to the sweet side.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks for the awesome visit Linds!!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span>Mark and Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07167932038768007743noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8033225797339764700.post-80747874131100137702011-02-04T18:19:00.002-08:002011-02-04T18:19:26.721-08:00LA Cupcake Tour - The Conclusion<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's time for the conclusion to our Los Angeles Area Cupcake Tour 2011!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Santa Monica was the final neighbourhood Polly and I visited last Saturday. Though we discovered en route that we both consider ourselves directionally challenged, we were able to park, walk to 2 bakeries, AND find our way back to the car without any issues at all. The power of cupcakes, folks.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First up in Santa Monica was <a href="http://vanillabakeshop.com/">Vanilla Bake Shop</a>. A total shot in the dark, this bakery was the result of a Google search and quick perusal of their flavours online. But, what a <i>sweet</i> surprise!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUyqOuf9IeI/AAAAAAAAAPE/UCVIDyCjrNg/s1600/IMG_1323.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUyqOuf9IeI/AAAAAAAAAPE/UCVIDyCjrNg/s400/IMG_1323.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It just <i>looks</i> cute and delicious, doesn't it?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Vanilla Bake Shop was a really fun stop, as they offer 'regular' size cupcakes, as well as mini-cupcakes. As we thought back to how many cupcakes we had already purchased, we decided that the mini size would be just perfect. Though these cakes are smaller in size, they are no less beautiful. Check out how pretty:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUyq2LbYNzI/AAAAAAAAAPI/WoXTABjo_u0/s1600/IMG_1321.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUyq2LbYNzI/AAAAAAAAAPI/WoXTABjo_u0/s400/IMG_1321.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since they offer a 3 mini cupcake for $5 deal, we selected Key Lime, Banana Chocolate Chip, and Meyer Lemon Raspberry. You might be able to see them a bit better in a group photo (grouped together on the left):</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUyrTrh8_hI/AAAAAAAAAPM/-ES4U6MXPhE/s1600/IMG_1330.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUyrTrh8_hI/AAAAAAAAAPM/-ES4U6MXPhE/s400/IMG_1330.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even though we tried three different and very distinct flavours, we were not disappointed in any of them. These creations were delicious and the perfect size (less messy too!). We scored all 3 collectively, and awarded a 9/10 for cake, 8/10 for frosting, 10/10 for presentation, and a 9/10 for creativity. The only category that scored lower than an 8 was customer service - it was just mediocre.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Vanilla Bake Shop's final score brought it into second place at <b>57</b> out of <b>70 </b>possible points. A respectable <b>80%</b> on the satisfaction scale.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This store is a definite must if you're in the Santa Monica area, and we both plan on returning. If you like Key Lime, theirs is fantastic!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh and I loved these t-shirts and onesies! </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUysWUAubgI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/qVpuqrknvtI/s1600/IMG_1322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUysWUAubgI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/qVpuqrknvtI/s400/IMG_1322.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our final destination was another Google find, called <a href="http://www.yummycupcakes.com/">Yummy Cupcakes</a>, just down the street from Vanilla Bake Shop. Of all our treats, I was most anticipating what Yummy Cupcakes had to offer - a Cupcake-on-a-Stick, which we pre-ordered the day before our tour. I mean, it just sounded A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. We ordered the 'Happy Day', which is a vanilla bean cupcake with pink vanilla buttercream frosting, dipped in white chocolate, and rolled in rainbow sprinkles.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Are you drooling yet?!</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Upon first glance, Yummy Cupcakes doesn't look like much. On the atmosphere scale, it scored lowest of all our destinations, with just a 2/10. Here are a few pics inside and out:</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUyti1g1f9I/AAAAAAAAAPg/EdGZKeJRkhU/s1600/IMG_1328.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUyti1g1f9I/AAAAAAAAAPg/EdGZKeJRkhU/s400/IMG_1328.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUytb5JZOeI/AAAAAAAAAPU/Lu7MshMZitM/s1600/IMG_1325.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUytb5JZOeI/AAAAAAAAAPU/Lu7MshMZitM/s400/IMG_1325.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The store has a bit of an empty, warehouse-feel to it, but their multitude of flavours and creative menu captivated us. It was really hard to decide on flavours here, as they had so many different fun options!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUytef8qYSI/AAAAAAAAAPY/-4dAVURJ0Is/s1600/IMG_1326.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUytef8qYSI/AAAAAAAAAPY/-4dAVURJ0Is/s400/IMG_1326.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUythH46yaI/AAAAAAAAAPc/kO4yd5yzYr4/s1600/IMG_1327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUythH46yaI/AAAAAAAAAPc/kO4yd5yzYr4/s400/IMG_1327.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the end, we purchased a Peanut Butter and Jelly cupcake and a Cinnamon Crunch, along with our 'on-a-stick' pick. Though we didn't go home with either of these, Yummy Cupcakes also offers a Cupcake Pie, as well as a Cupcake in a Jar. We just had to give them 10s for both creativity and variety, as no other stores even come close to comparing with Yummy's creative (and maybe even a bit strange?) choices.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This was a hard one to score as a whole, as the cupcakes were totally different from the cupcake-on-a-stick. Cupcake-wise, these were pretty good. Enjoyable, but not our favourites. Although, the Peanut Butter and Jelly (Polly graciously gave me the leftovers) was alot tastier the next day, when I ate it on its own instead of amidst 11 other cupcakes. I would definitely go back and order this one again!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As far as the cupcake-on-a-stick goes........I'll let you take a peek first:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUywxH2UgYI/AAAAAAAAAPo/DQklqOY1ZRk/s1600/IMG_1342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUywxH2UgYI/AAAAAAAAAPo/DQklqOY1ZRk/s400/IMG_1342.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Though it sounded like the best-thing-ever-to-be-placed-on-a-stick in theory, we were somewhat disappointed. There was a lot of white chocolate, and not a whole lot of cake and icing. It was more like a white chocolate lollipop than a cupcake-on-a stick. Also, it was so sweet that we literally could not have more than one bite each. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A cute gift idea, but I probably won't be ordering this one again anytime soon. Although my white-chocolate-loving husband had no trouble finishing the leftovers up for us!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh yes, the scores! All in all, Yummy Cupcakes scored a <b>39</b> out of <b>70</b>. I have to admit that most of this can be attributed to our cupcake-on-a-stick experience and not necessarily their regular cupcakes. So, though we only gave Yummy a <b>56%</b> satisfaction score, I wouldn't write them off quite yet. I'm pretty interested in that cupcake in a jar too.......</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So there you have it! The story of 1 Saturday, 2 girls, 7 bakeries, 12 cupcakes and a whole lot of sugar.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here are a few more pictures of Polly and I with our bounty and being serious judges:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUyyYoUcoOI/AAAAAAAAAPs/lFYMw_Ue8hg/s1600/IMG_1341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUyyYoUcoOI/AAAAAAAAAPs/lFYMw_Ue8hg/s400/IMG_1341.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUyydQWuAZI/AAAAAAAAAPw/5bx3t-US0Bw/s1600/IMG_1347.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUyydQWuAZI/AAAAAAAAAPw/5bx3t-US0Bw/s400/IMG_1347.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUyyjdTlKDI/AAAAAAAAAP0/RfHhrEaHp5s/s1600/IMG_1335.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUyyjdTlKDI/AAAAAAAAAP0/RfHhrEaHp5s/s400/IMG_1335.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank you Polly for this idea which was nothing short of amazing! I will treasure this memory with you for a long, long time to come!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stay tuned for upcoming adventures, and more reviews!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span>Mark and Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07167932038768007743noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8033225797339764700.post-33518826812059926412011-02-04T18:19:00.000-08:002011-02-04T18:19:12.085-08:00LA Cupcake Tour - The Conclusion<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's time for the conclusion to our Los Angeles Area Cupcake Tour 2011!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Santa Monica was the final neighbourhood Polly and I visited last Saturday. Though we discovered en route that we both consider ourselves directionally challenged, we were able to park, walk to 2 bakeries, AND find our way back to the car without any issues at all. The power of cupcakes, folks.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First up in Santa Monica was <a href="http://vanillabakeshop.com/">Vanilla Bake Shop</a>. A total shot in the dark, this bakery was the result of a Google search and quick perusal of their flavours online. But, what a <i>sweet</i> surprise!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUyqOuf9IeI/AAAAAAAAAPE/UCVIDyCjrNg/s1600/IMG_1323.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUyqOuf9IeI/AAAAAAAAAPE/UCVIDyCjrNg/s400/IMG_1323.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It just <i>looks</i> cute and delicious, doesn't it?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Vanilla Bake Shop was a really fun stop, as they offer 'regular' size cupcakes, as well as mini-cupcakes. As we thought back to how many cupcakes we had already purchased, we decided that the mini size would be just perfect. Though these cakes are smaller in size, they are no less beautiful. Check out how pretty:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUyq2LbYNzI/AAAAAAAAAPI/WoXTABjo_u0/s1600/IMG_1321.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUyq2LbYNzI/AAAAAAAAAPI/WoXTABjo_u0/s400/IMG_1321.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since they offer a 3 mini cupcake for $5 deal, we selected Key Lime, Banana Chocolate Chip, and Meyer Lemon Raspberry. You might be able to see them a bit better in a group photo (grouped together on the left):</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUyrTrh8_hI/AAAAAAAAAPM/-ES4U6MXPhE/s1600/IMG_1330.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUyrTrh8_hI/AAAAAAAAAPM/-ES4U6MXPhE/s400/IMG_1330.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even though we tried three different and very distinct flavours, we were not disappointed in any of them. These creations were delicious and the perfect size (less messy too!). We scored all 3 collectively, and awarded a 9/10 for cake, 8/10 for frosting, 10/10 for presentation, and a 9/10 for creativity. The only category that scored lower than an 8 was customer service - it was just mediocre.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Vanilla Bake Shop's final score brought it into second place at <b>57</b> out of <b>70 </b>possible points. A respectable <b>80%</b> on the satisfaction scale.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This store is a definite must if you're in the Santa Monica area, and we both plan on returning. If you like Key Lime, theirs is fantastic!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh and I loved these t-shirts and onesies! </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUysWUAubgI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/qVpuqrknvtI/s1600/IMG_1322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUysWUAubgI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/qVpuqrknvtI/s400/IMG_1322.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our final destination was another Google find, called <a href="http://www.yummycupcakes.com/">Yummy Cupcakes</a>, just down the street from Vanilla Bake Shop. Of all our treats, I was most anticipating what Yummy Cupcakes had to offer - a Cupcake-on-a-Stick, which we pre-ordered the day before our tour. I mean, it just sounded A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. We ordered the 'Happy Day', which is a vanilla bean cupcake with pink vanilla buttercream frosting, dipped in white chocolate, and rolled in rainbow sprinkles.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Are you drooling yet?!</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Upon first glance, Yummy Cupcakes doesn't look like much. On the atmosphere scale, it scored lowest of all our destinations, with just a 2/10. Here are a few pics inside and out:</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUyti1g1f9I/AAAAAAAAAPg/EdGZKeJRkhU/s1600/IMG_1328.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUyti1g1f9I/AAAAAAAAAPg/EdGZKeJRkhU/s400/IMG_1328.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The store has a bit of an empty, warehouse-feel to it, but their multitude of flavours and creative menu captivated us. It was really hard to decide on flavours here, as they had so many different fun options!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUytef8qYSI/AAAAAAAAAPY/-4dAVURJ0Is/s1600/IMG_1326.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUytef8qYSI/AAAAAAAAAPY/-4dAVURJ0Is/s400/IMG_1326.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUythH46yaI/AAAAAAAAAPc/kO4yd5yzYr4/s1600/IMG_1327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUythH46yaI/AAAAAAAAAPc/kO4yd5yzYr4/s400/IMG_1327.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the end, we purchased a Peanut Butter and Jelly cupcake and a Cinnamon Crunch, along with our 'on-a-stick' pick. Though we didn't go home with either of these, Yummy Cupcakes also offers a Cupcake Pie, as well as a Cupcake in a Jar. We just had to give them 10s for both creativity and variety, as no other stores even come close to comparing with Yummy's creative (and maybe even a bit strange?) choices.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This was a hard one to score as a whole, as the cupcakes were totally different from the cupcake-on-a-stick. Cupcake-wise, these were pretty good. Enjoyable, but not our favourites. Although, the Peanut Butter and Jelly (Polly graciously gave me the leftovers) was alot tastier the next day, when I ate it on its own instead of amidst 11 other cupcakes. I would definitely go back and order this one again!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As far as the cupcake-on-a-stick goes........I'll let you take a peek first:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUywxH2UgYI/AAAAAAAAAPo/DQklqOY1ZRk/s1600/IMG_1342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUywxH2UgYI/AAAAAAAAAPo/DQklqOY1ZRk/s400/IMG_1342.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Though it sounded like the best-thing-ever-to-be-placed-on-a-stick in theory, we were somewhat disappointed. There was a lot of white chocolate, and not a whole lot of cake and icing. It was more like a white chocolate lollipop than a cupcake-on-a stick. Also, it was so sweet that we literally could not have more than one bite each. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A cute gift idea, but I probably won't be ordering this one again anytime soon. Although my white-chocolate-loving husband had no trouble finishing the leftovers up for us!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh yes, the scores! All in all, Yummy Cupcakes scored a <b>39</b> out of <b>70</b>. I have to admit that most of this can be attributed to our cupcake-on-a-stick experience and not necessarily their regular cupcakes. So, though we only gave Yummy a <b>56%</b> satisfaction score, I wouldn't write them off quite yet. I'm pretty interested in that cupcake in a jar too.......</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So there you have it! The story of 1 Saturday, 2 girls, 7 bakeries, 12 cupcakes and a whole lot of sugar.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here are a few more pictures of Polly and I with our bounty and being serious judges:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUyyYoUcoOI/AAAAAAAAAPs/lFYMw_Ue8hg/s1600/IMG_1341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUyyYoUcoOI/AAAAAAAAAPs/lFYMw_Ue8hg/s400/IMG_1341.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUyydQWuAZI/AAAAAAAAAPw/5bx3t-US0Bw/s1600/IMG_1347.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUyydQWuAZI/AAAAAAAAAPw/5bx3t-US0Bw/s400/IMG_1347.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUyyjdTlKDI/AAAAAAAAAP0/RfHhrEaHp5s/s1600/IMG_1335.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUyyjdTlKDI/AAAAAAAAAP0/RfHhrEaHp5s/s400/IMG_1335.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank you Polly for this idea which was nothing short of amazing! I will treasure this memory with you for a long, long time to come!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stay tuned for upcoming adventures, and more reviews!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span>Mark and Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07167932038768007743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8033225797339764700.post-84453043747539703912011-02-03T13:36:00.000-08:002011-02-03T13:38:14.542-08:00LA Tour Part 3<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Without further ado, let's get to today's critiques!</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Alright, so from the glorious Crumbs, we headed to 3rd Street in LA's West Side to visit Magnolia Bakery and Joan's on Third. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Of all our destinations on Saturday, </span><a href="http://www.magnoliabakery.com/home.php"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Magnolia</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;"> was probably the one I was most curious about. You see, it is super duper famous in New York City. There's always a line-up, and I know people who have waited absolutely preposterous amounts of time to just get inside the store. </span><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">But</span></b></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">, I haven't heard wonderful things about their cupcakes from those who have had first-hand experience. Needless to say, my interest was piqued. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Walking into Magnolia is liking being transported to an old-fashioned, small-town European bakery {or at least what I would imagine one to be like as I have never been to a bakery or a small town anywhere in Europe}. I would describe the decor as fresh, darling, adorable, whimsical....the kind of place you'd want to sit down and enjoy coffee and a sweet with a friend.</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUsZ2EacE8I/AAAAAAAAAOo/OAvA9ToIXNk/s1600/IMG_1314.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUsZ2EacE8I/AAAAAAAAAOo/OAvA9ToIXNk/s400/IMG_1314.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUsZ4K_Vm3I/AAAAAAAAAOs/ywEQcf-NK6k/s1600/IMG_1315.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUsZ4K_Vm3I/AAAAAAAAAOs/ywEQcf-NK6k/s400/IMG_1315.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #134f5c; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Isn't it just </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">so cute</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">?! Cupcake options here were limited, so we went for one that sounded a little different and interesting: Lemon cupcake with lemon meringue buttercream icing. It's in the front middle of the picture below:</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUsaWx1ZGnI/AAAAAAAAAOw/gIcGA9H6GnA/s1600/IMG_1309.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUsaWx1ZGnI/AAAAAAAAAOw/gIcGA9H6GnA/s320/IMG_1309.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">The cupcake wasn't much to look at, but we hoped its taste would make up for it.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">We were sooo wrong.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Very, very, very rarely will I ever consider a cupcake un-edible. I mean, there's usually </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">some</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;"> element of saving grace in something so loaded with sugar and butter. But I'm not kidding you, Polly and I each took a bite and almost spit it out. It was THAT bad. We set it aside and didn't even so much glance its way again. Incredibly disappointing!</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Magnolia scored mostly 2s in each category, aside from Atmosphere, which we awarded a 10. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Total score was </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">24</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;"> out of a possible </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">70 </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">points. </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">34%</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;"> satisfaction. Yikes!</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">We both did mention that we'd be willing to go back and try another item from Magnolia. The ambience was just too fun and there has to be something that makes them so darn famous, right?! </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #134f5c; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Onward and upward!</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Just down the street from Magnolia is </span><a href="http://www.joansonthird.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Joan's on Third</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">. Joan's was added to the tour as a latecomer due to an episode of 'The Best Thing I Ever Ate' on the Food network, in which a chef claimed their Chocolate Coconut cupcake was the best thing she ever ate with her hands. So of course we had to order this one!</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">No photos were allowed inside Joan's, but it is another place I'd love to go back to. One part bakery, one part market, one part restaurant with seating inside and out, this place was packed and smelled awesome. I found a stock photo online to give you an idea:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #134f5c; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUsc7OdnjgI/AAAAAAAAAO0/auJo_OHSaDE/s1600/l.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUsc7OdnjgI/AAAAAAAAAO0/auJo_OHSaDE/s400/l.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #134f5c;">And here it is from the outside:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #134f5c;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUsdOMwTkdI/AAAAAAAAAO4/rXkoSh7134g/s1600/IMG_1318.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUsdOMwTkdI/AAAAAAAAAO4/rXkoSh7134g/s400/IMG_1318.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Here's how that raved-about cupcake rated:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Highest scores were in the cake category (8/10), and atmosphere (9/10). We only gave Joan's a 3/10 for variety, as there weren't too many cupcakes to choose from. But we won't fault them much for that, given what else the store had to offer. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">All in all, Joan's on Third ended up with a </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">43</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;"> out of </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">70</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;"> possible points. Satisfaction: </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">61%</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">It is at this point in the day that we encountered what I would call the Defining Moment of the tour. You see, parking was really scarce off 3rd street, and so we decided to risk a no parking zone, hoping we'd be fast enough.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">We weren't.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">A little gift was waiting for us on the hood of Polly's car when we returned:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #134f5c; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUseGroRSdI/AAAAAAAAAO8/OTAIVadTXcU/s1600/IMG_1319.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUseGroRSdI/AAAAAAAAAO8/OTAIVadTXcU/s400/IMG_1319.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Three words for you: SIXTY THREE DOLLARS. I'm not even kidding. I really wish I was.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">I dub this the defining moment because Polly handled it like a champ. While I literally felt sick to my stomach over the insane amount of the ticket, she laughed it off and took total responsibility. I guess we don't have much of an argument given we were parked directly under this:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #134f5c; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUseHp2vMxI/AAAAAAAAAPA/7fUCh5vifqE/s1600/IMG_1320.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUseHp2vMxI/AAAAAAAAAPA/7fUCh5vifqE/s400/IMG_1320.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #134f5c; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Although I'm sure she wouldn't mind if you'd like to donate to a good cause and send a bit of cashola her way. You can find her blog </span><a href="http://pollymeredith.wordpress.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">here</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">. Polly, you are such a good sport! And I really, really want to help you pay for that ticket!!</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;"><br />
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</span>Mark and Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07167932038768007743noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8033225797339764700.post-65954825866284294452011-02-02T13:50:00.000-08:002011-02-02T13:51:33.126-08:00LA Tour Part Two!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Onto our next stop! You may be surprised to know how many cupcakeries are in the Beverly Hills area - we visited 3 within a few block radius on Saturday. From Famous we headed to the renowned <a href="http://sprinkles.com/">Sprinkles</a> bakery on Santa Monica Blvd (the flagship store!). Before I go on, I must tell you a little something I've learned while living in Southern California. People are <i>obsessed</i> with Sprinkles cupcakes. Everyone has heard of them, and there is <i>always</i> a lineup to get into this tiny shop. Naturally, Sprinkles was one of my first touristy destinations last year when I moved to California. I won't go into too much detail before revealing our 'official' scores, but I was pretty disappointed my first time there. Not too long after hearing of Sprinkles cupcakes, I found Crumbs, and I have been devoted ever since. In fact, I have come to the conclusion that you are either a Sprinkles person or a Crumbs person. You can't be both. And that is exactly how Polly and I first bonded. We're both Crumbs girls, through and through. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyways. I'm digressing, <i>big time.</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Back to our Sprinkles stop. The bakery is really tiny and super warm inside, so you can count on waiting in line outside for a bit as the store always seems to be hoppin'. Once Polly and I made it indoors, we were greeted by this display:</span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Their cupcakes are super cute, and presented really well. They have a ton of flavours, but rotate them so that there are only about twelve offered each day. After some deliberation, Polly opted for a Dark Chocolate and I went for a straight Vanilla ( I can't eat chocolate aside from a few bites so my choices were somewhat limited). Here are our cupcakes and how they rated:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUm7q4x5XtI/AAAAAAAAAOM/YehyQLfMESY/s1600/IMG_1337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUm7q4x5XtI/AAAAAAAAAOM/YehyQLfMESY/s320/IMG_1337.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sprinkles scored highest on its frosting, which is Y-U-M-M-Y! We gave it a 9/10. Its presentation was cute too, but the cake was just alright. It scored lowest on atmosphere (we were literally dripping sweat by the time we walked out), and customer service (it was very rushed). We do have to admit though that their boxes and forks are super cute:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUnNdBrEswI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/1lOY-NaHMSA/s1600/IMG_1305.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUnNdBrEswI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/1lOY-NaHMSA/s400/IMG_1305.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Overall score: <b>41</b> out of a possible <b>70</b> points, a <b>59%</b> satisfaction rate. I'm almost afraid to post this, as I fear it may cause a revolt. My apologies to all of you Sprinkles devotees, but I respectfully disagree.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Polly and I could hardly wait for our final Beverly Hills stopoff. Just down the street from Sprinkles is the aforementioned <a href="http://www.crumbs.com/">Crumbs Bake Shop</a>. I'm not kidding, just walking into this bakery makes my heart skip a beat. Their cupcakes are <b><i>ginormous</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> and so, so, sooooo good. For the same price as most other cupcake shops, Crumbs cupcakes are 2-3 times the size. Hopefully these pictures will help you understand (I'm really sorry about the glare!):</span></b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUnPz1bZVcI/AAAAAAAAAOY/i2D7rTTk8Jc/s1600/IMG_1307.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUnPz1bZVcI/AAAAAAAAAOY/i2D7rTTk8Jc/s640/IMG_1307.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It always pains me to have to choose just one, but on this trip we decided on the (somewhat daring) Cosmo, which is the pink and green beauty pictured above. The Cosmo is a strawberry cupcake with buttercream filling, topped with a lime buttercream frosting. It may sound (and look) a bit strange, but I'll just let the scores speak for themselves:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cake: 10 / 10</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Frosting: 10 / 10</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Presentation: 10 / 10</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Creativity: 10 / 10</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Variety: 10 / 10</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We literally couldn't stop eating it!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The only things Crumbs lacked were atmosphere (no place to sit, although other locations do offer this), and its customer service which was just ok. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Overall score: <b>60</b> out of a possible <b>70</b> points. That's <b>86%</b> on the satisfaction scale.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You might say were were biased. You might be right. But I might just urge you not to say a word until you try one of their cupcakes.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUnRbi1nHOI/AAAAAAAAAOc/IwlL-IAYtVo/s1600/cup_Brownie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUnRbi1nHOI/AAAAAAAAAOc/IwlL-IAYtVo/s400/cup_Brownie.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(photo cred: Crumbs website)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
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</span>Mark and Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07167932038768007743noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8033225797339764700.post-36108662734520485342011-02-01T13:23:00.000-08:002011-02-01T13:31:00.849-08:00LA Area Cupcake Tour 2011<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">I</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> met my dear friend Polly (the genius behind this tour) last year. She has quickly become a great friend and I am so thankful for her! One of the commonalities we share is a mutual love and appreciation for cupcakes. </span></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>We. Love. Them</b>.</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When Polly mentioned her idea for a Southern California cupcake tour, I jumped all over it. I have to give her 100% credit for this weekend's festivities, as it was all her idea and her execution as well. She thought of everything, from mapping out our route, to creating a spreadsheet for our evaluations. She's amazing!</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the interest of saving you poor readers from what could potentially be the longest blog entry ever written, I'm going to break up our tour into several posts this week.</span></span></span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So...here we go!</span></span></span></b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Polly and I pooled our bakery suggestions and narrowed them down to 7 in the Los Angeles area. The plan was to purchase our cupcakes and then bring them back to a central location where we could taste and judge them. Each bakery and its cupcakes was judged on the following categories (worth 10 points each):</span></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Frosting</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Presentation</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Creativity</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Variety</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Atmosphere</span></span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Total possible points : 70</span></span></b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Early Saturday afternoon we headed downtown, itinerary in hand:</span></span><br />
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</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Destination Numero Uno was Famous Cupcakes in Beverly Hills. The 'official Kupcake of the Kardashians' (cue eye roll), this was a first-time stop for both of us. The shop is cute and appealing from the outside:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">T<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">hough somewhat sparsely decorated indoors, it still had a fresh and fun vibe:</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUh1UVzrkAI/AAAAAAAAANw/ALz0bmAEi04/s1600/IMG_1298.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUh1UVzrkAI/AAAAAAAAANw/ALz0bmAEi04/s400/IMG_1298.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We were immediately greeted by the employee behind the counter, who was excited to hear that it was our first time at Famous Cupcakes. He explained that all of their cupcakes are baked with natural and organic ingredients, and that they offer about 10 flavours each day. After some deliberation, we opted for the Peanut Butter Cup. I'm now kicking myself for not taking a photo of each cupcake separately. The Famous Cupcake is in the bottom right of this shot. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You may be seeing this group picture a few times in the days to come (my apologies):</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUh2DubU4oI/AAAAAAAAAOA/zCf7U2oYulU/s1600/IMG_1330.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUh2DubU4oI/AAAAAAAAAOA/zCf7U2oYulU/s400/IMG_1330.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">S</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">imple in nature, this creation's base is a chocolate cake with a peanut butter frosting, topped with a small peanut butter cup. The cake was somewhat dry and lacked alot of taste, and we scored it a low 5 out of 10 possible points. Both Polly and really enjoyed the frosting though, and gave it a 9/10. the presentation was cute, but their cupcakes lacked variety and creativity. All of the options were pretty basic. What really stood out here was their customer service - it was exceptional and scored a 9/10.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Overall, we rated Famous Cupcakes at a </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">43 </span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">out of </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">70</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"> possible points. That's a </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">61%</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"> satisfaction rate. </span></span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> might go back, but it probably wouldn't be first on my list. I do like that they offer only organic and natural ingredients, but would love to see more variety in their cupcakes. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Have you been? Let me know what you think!</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And here is their website in case you're interested:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.famouscupcakes.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.famouscupcakes.com/</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Mark and Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07167932038768007743noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8033225797339764700.post-46543744871134639612011-01-31T14:25:00.000-08:002011-01-31T14:25:48.436-08:00Thanks for reading my blog!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">This blog has been a long time coming. I currently write about mine and my husband's life together in California as a means of updating all of our friends and family back home in Canada. I have had many ideas and plans to blog about my adventures in cupcake-tasting/baking/seeking/etc., but our regular family news usually seems to take precedence.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">My dear hubby urged me to start a separate blog, dedicated to my love (although he might use the word </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">obsession)</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"> for all things cupcake. So, here I am!</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">I plan to use this forum to chronicle my North American search for the </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">best</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"> cupcake, as well as to share recipes, ideas, and my own baking adventures. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">I'd love to hear from any readers - suggestions, tips, recipes, bakeries I've got to try, anything at all!</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">I hope you enjoy - thanks for stopping by!</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">And remember.....</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUc2f0GaCsI/AAAAAAAAAMU/Q_59urqbqkQ/s1600/IMG_1163.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kkpQa3GIsTg/TUc2f0GaCsI/AAAAAAAAAMU/Q_59urqbqkQ/s320/IMG_1163.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Mark and Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07167932038768007743noreply@blogger.com7