A Tour of Boston: All Things Chocolate

This past President's Day Weekend, I went to Boston to visit my two best friends, Lizzy and Rachel. Along with getting to try all of their favorite restaurants, I was able to introduce them to something very unique and special. Boston Chocolate Tours is a company started by my sorority sister's dad, and takes groups of people around different parts of the city and gives them a taste of Boston- literally- through different chocolate shops and restaurants. I was SO excited to be going on one of these, as my friends have gone on one here in D.C. and raved about how fabulous it was; and I mean, who wouldn't want to spend the day in a beautiful city sampling different types chocolate?

The tour started off at bo YO, a frozen yogurt shop whose yogurt is beyond natural, and beyond delicious. We obviously were given samples of chocolate froyo, which was very tasty. It still had the start flavor of traditional froyo but with a nice chocolate accent. We were also allowed to sample any and every flavor of froyo, gelato and sorbet in the shop. That definitely stated the day off right.

Next we made our way into Boston's Beacon Hill- a beautiful, upscale neighborhood with small shoppes and charming roadways. We were brought into a chocolate shop that referred to themselves as a "jewelry store for chocolate," because the store was mainly imported chocolates from all over the world, and only the truffle and gelato coolers were made in store. The shop was so adorable. The owners brought a unique element by having antique cards and postcards mounted onto boxes that are available for purchase for the chocolates to be put into. I was so amazed, and then it got even better when I saw they sold my new favorite chocolate shop's items, Vosges. Vosges specializes in very unique flavor combinations in their chocolates- my two favorites being their bacon bar and their curry chocolate truffle. YUM. You can be assured that samples were taken and treats were brought home.

Right next store was where we headed next, which you may find a little ironic because it was a flower shop. Twig is a flower shop that specializes in paring chocolate, vases, silverware and other useful items with flowers. Their flowers are brought in fresh every two days and the store is beautiful. We were able to try

chocolate in one of its less processed forms, a procedure adapted from the Mayas. It was more textured and the kind we tried had a hint of Chili in it. My throat got warm and spicy but the flavor and texture were beautiful.

Next stop: cupcake town. But really, Isabelle's Curly Cakes is inspired by Todd English's daughter and sells all things cupcake. Obviously we were given samples of their triple chocolate cupcake, which entailed a chocolate cupcake with a chocolate pudding center, chocolate butter cream on top and- you're never believe this- sprinkled with cocoa puffs! What an awesome idea, I wish I'd thought of it. The cakes were beyond light and fluffy as was the buttercream. The pudding was creamy and delicious. This was chocolate heaven, and we were only halfway through the tour!

Our next stop was at Finale, a chain restaurant that was started by Harvard grad students that wanted to give people a fantastic dessert without necessarily paying for an entire five star meal. SMART, RIGHT?! I had gone to Finale the previous night for dessert so although all we got to sample on the tour was a small brownie square, I can assure you that their desserts are amazing.

The tour came to a sweet conclusion at The Melting Pot. You know, the fondue place where you cook your own meat and leave feeling like you'll never be hungry again? My friends and I are very familiar with this restaurant- we used to go just for dessert in high school, probably way too often than we should have- so it was a very nice way to reminisce on our earlier days (I'm probably too young to be saying that, whatever). We were given three different fondue pots- chocolate turtle, banana's foster and s'mores. Each one was better than the next and it was a great end to an amazing day. I will tell you though, as full as I was after the tour my friends and I insisted on stopping for a late lunch because we just needed something salty. I literally had a sugar headache.

The tour was a great success. If you are ever in D.C. or Boston and like chocolate, I would definitely recommend doing one. You get a great sense of the neighborhood and you get to taste things you probably never would have otherwise (i.e. chocolate soup at Cheers's sister restaurant?!). I will be sure to take my mom on the D.C. tour when she comes to visit.

Food Truck MANiA

I'll be the first to admit it, I am a full-fledged food truck whore. I follow over 25 food trucks on Twitter, take pride in my tweets received by them, and make an effort to get at least one food truck specialty a week.

The concept of a "gourmet food truck" is still rather novel, and very few cities haven taken part in the trend. Thankfully, D.C. is chalk full of them, providing me ample opportunity to sample cuisines from all over the world- and all over D.C..

Being a student at GW has definitely made my food truck experience a little harder to grasp than, say, the average business person for a variety of reasons. First, when I only have a few minutes in between classes, I am limited to how far I can travel to get lunch. Luckily, the food trucks make an effort to grace the GW campus with their presence at least once a week, so students need not travel far. The other complication is the fact that I usually have class during the usual lunch time, thus preventing me from obtaining one of the food trucks' fantastic specialities during the lunch time rush. Again, luckily, the trucks usually stay until about 2 pm, thus giving me enough time to grab something and either bring it to class or enjoy it right then and there (which is what usually happens, as I haven't learned to be patient when it comes to eating a gourmet lunch. Could you?).

Food trucks are the perfect meal for students and business people alike. The meals usually range from $6 to $10, are served within about five minutes of you placing your order, and are freakin' delicious! Seriously, I've yet to have a bad experience from one of these mobile eateries. And the best part is, you can stalk all of them on Food Truck Fiesta, as an interactive Google map updates the trucks' location to the minute.

Like I said, I try to have at least one meal a week from a food truck. Thursdays are usually the big food truck days on campus, so I am trying to blog about one food truck a week as well. Keep an eye out for Sauca, Cap Mac, Lobster Truck DC, Sweet Flow Mobile, and El Floridano, as I have been lucky enough to sample all of these thus far.

Georgetown Cupcake vs. Baked & Wired

Ah, the ongoing debate between one of my favorite subjects- cupcakes. Washington D.C. offers a variety of cuisines- Ethiopian, Italian, Dim Sum, Authentic Mexican...you name it. But one of the most talked about foods here is cupcakes. Why? Because there is such a competition between what bakery makes the best ones. In particular, Baked & Wired and Georgetown Cupcake have been in the competition ever since they've both been conveniently located in Georgetown's M Street (or side street thereof).

My 20th birthday was yesterday, and being the cake snob that I am, both my parents and my friends sent me cupcakes. Dad & Ilana send a variety of Georgetown cupcakes while friends bring my 6 favorite flavors from Baked & Wired to my birthday brunch. Now for the longest time, I- along with all of my friends and any employee in Georgetown- have argued in Baked & Wired's favor. After this weekend, sampling over 12 different cupcakes, I still remain loyal, but I have to admit- the ladies at Georgetown Cupcake know what they're doing.

I guess the main distinguishers between the two is appearance. B & W are large- like mini cakes. The frosting was definitely spooned on rather than piped and the traditional cupcake liner has been substituted for a more organic looking bakery paper. Georgetown cupcakes are precious little packages- perfectly piped frosting with their "signature swirl," custom cupcake liners, and various toppings so you know exactly what you're eating- from caramel sauce in the shape of a flower, to fondant hearts, to candy limes. As you can see from my muploads, Gtown is much more of an eye pleaser.

Baked and Wired >

Georgetown Cupcake >

Anyway, the thing I like about B & W is you know they are home made. You can just taste it. The cake is so smooth and fluffy, the frosting is creamy and rich, and you are definitely getting your money's worth. On the other hand, the first word that comes to mind when you say, "Georgetown Cupcake" is "commercial." The cupcakes seem less fresh, less natural, and less loved. The two bakery's red velvets are pretty comparable, but there are many more flavors at B & W that sound too irresistible, whereas at Georgetown, most of the flavors contain either chocolate or vanilla cake or frosting. The salty caramel and key lime, however, are two of the most unique and the most delectable. M-M-M-M-M.

The environments are very different too, and reflect the same quality seen in the cupcakes. When you walk into Baked & Wired, all you want to do is curl up on one of their giant lazy boy chairs and read a book. The employees are very chill and friendly and the music and atmosphere- along with the sugary buttery smell- is so welcoming. Gtown, however, is brightly lit, chaotic and less welcoming. The line is guaranteed to be out the door on any Saturday (mostly due to their TLC show, DC Cupcakes) and the employees seem rushed and only focused on getting you and your cupcakes right back on M Street.

All in all, I would be happy receiving cupcakes from either bakery (I mean they are still cupcakes at the end of the day), but my ideal day would include a trip to Baked & Wired...with lots and lots of cupcakes!!