Sprinkles Cupcakes

When a new cupcake place opens in town, you can bet we're going to be one of the first in line.  Sprinkles opened in Georgetown recently and we decided to check it out today.  It is right on M Street, not too far from another famous DC cupcake joint.  The Luce joined us and we got in line, which was surprisingly short for a brand new store.  We ordered very quickly, paid and were on our way.

The Store:  Very small, has 2 tables in the windows.  The cupcakes for the day are all on display and well-labeled.  The line to order and the line to pay are separate and it was a little confusing, but it all worked out okay.  Lots of t-shirts and other memorabelia in a case by the cash register.  The menu is on the wall behind the counter.


Selection:  They had 15 or so flavors today and we were able to choose several we thought we'd like.  They are not super-creative but have all the ones you'd expect and a few that are unique.  Nothing was sold out at 1 pm.

Service:  Everyone was very friendly and the girl who took our order even gave the Luce a sticker to wear.

We ordered 6 flavors (and this is where BJ takes over.....you've been warned) -

Vanilla Vanilla: The standards are high, very high. This is the truest test for all bakeries and cupcakeries. It is the standard by which all cupcakes are measured. BJ's love for this cupcake is comparable to that of the father's love for the "leg lamp" in the movie A Christmas Story.  The icing was creamy and perfect. The cake was really good, not dry by any means, but not as moist as we like. But, overall a winner in our book (Best Buns Vanilla Vanilla, you retained your crown yet again). 8 out of 10.

Cinnamon Sugar:  A good moist spiced cake, but no icing! That's right, no icing! It was a solid treat, but how is a cupcake a cupcake without icing? Instead, it was topped with cinnamon sugar. Had there been some of their amazing vanilla icing on it, with the cinnamon sugar on top of that...it would have been ridiculous. Unfortunately, it was closer to a coffee cake, not a cupcake. 5 out of 10.


Chocolate Marshmallow:  Very nice, moist dark chocolate cake, filled with cream, and chocolate ganache on top.  I think the filling was meant to be marshmallow flavored but it just tasted like the inside of a Twinkie. It was good, but in the end, the chocolate cupcake and I were a little bit let down. 6 out of 10.

Red Velvet:  Classic red velvet with cream cheese icing.  The icing was exceptional - not too overpoweringly cheesy like some can be. If you want a really good red velvet cupcake, this is the place to go. 7 out of 10.


Peanut Butter Chocolate: The first bite was good... the second bite was better...the third bite...well, it felt like Mike Tyson punched me in the mouth. It was a knockout. By the time I finished the cupcake I was nearly in a food coma, seeing stars of peanut butter and chocolate. I feel in love with this cupcake. It may have not have been love at first sight, but I was wooed by it's peanut buttery chocolaty goodness by the end. 8.5 out of 10.

Irish Chocolate: Wasn't exactly sure what to expect with this one. With a name like that I knew chocolate was involved, but what else? Cupcakeries tend to get a bit carried away at times...could this have been one of those moments? A combination of chocolate and dare I say, corned beef? Chocolate and Guinness? Chocolate and potatoes? Chocolate and Bailey's? Oh, the possibilities are endless!!! It turned out to be Bailey's...it is a dangerous combination of a Bailey's cream cheese frosting on a Belgian dark chocolate cupcake.  This was a masterpiece, the United Nations of Cupcakes, minus the politics.  9 out of 10.

So, all in all, we were pretty pleased with our trip.  Sprinkles is a really great shop, definitely one of the better ones in the DC area and tons better than their competitor with a reality show down the street who shall remain nameless.  Two thumbs up!