Not a "Miette" Left....

Sometimes at the end of a great week, you need things to get even greater.  That is when you call your girlfriends and arrange to have a magical girls night out.  I love having girl time.  I really enjoy all of the sigoths of my friends, but, I love the silly-laugh-at-anything ridiculousness that happens when it's just us girls.

We had planned on dinner and possibly a movie, but Emily also mentioned a MUST SEE cupcakery in Hayes Valley. She spoke about it on a couple of occasions, so I knew it was great and memorable!  We stopped first to get some pedicures, and then it was off to do some serious business at Miette!

Thank goodness I have friends who are ready to help with my serious blog research!

Emily and Mira - ready to go in!!

 Miette is located in both the Ferry Building and Hayes Valley.  We went to the Hayes Valley stop, and I was in awe from the moment I crossed the threshold!

Imagine this: glass jars filled to their brims with colorful confections - candy, cookies, chocolates, caramels, sweets, sours, crunchies, chewies....  Gorgeous vintage (looking) wall paper in warm and cozy colors, framing the white antique tables.  The counter in the front houses gorgeous cakes, cupcakes, works of art.  The lady behind the register? Not so friendly, but it doesn't matter because you are distracted by the hand wrapped chocolate bars, antique scales and perfectly centered and balanced displays. 

Okay - you can stop imagining - here it is!

This place was even more so what my ideal cupcakery would be.  But don't you know it - they had no chairs!!!  What do people have against chairs!

In all seriousness, though, it was absolutely stunning.  Almost like a museum - I felt like I had to whisper...but I didn't :)

Then we headed out to dinner, and talked about heading back to Em's for a glass of champagne while we enjoyed these beauties.  But instead, we decided on warm tea and forks.  Talk about quality time.  Emmy even busted out the silver platter.  That's just how we roll, kids.  

We got four flavors: Chocolate with Rasberry, Gingerbread with cream cheese, Pumpkin with cream cheese and vanilla with vanilla.  Hands down, best frosting I've had in a long cupcake tasting while.  Very light, and fluffy.  It didn't have an overwhelming flavor, and was just a perfect compliment to the cake.  Because we got there a bit later in the day, the cake was kind of dry for the chocolate and vanilla, but the other two were great, probably because of the water packed veggies inside!

So, for taste, I would give Miette three stars.  The cake left something to be desired, and that's about 75% of the cupcake!

For decor - hands down a five!  Look at the pictures!

For decorations, a five!  They were dainty, beautiful and simple.

A few cupcakes, a warm beverage, good friends and a great night out?  I would say it was a success on all fronts.

Sweet, Sweet San Francisco...

The husband and I were in the city recently for a very special occasion - read more about it on my other blog that doesn't focus on my eating cupcakes!  Before we went, I did a bit of recon to find out if there was a cupcakery in the neighborhood.  And wouldn't you know - there was.  Right across the street from our intended destination.  Yes, that's right.  'Twas a sign from God.

Noe Valley is a super cute spot in the city, and a place I've never been before, despite our frequent city visits.  The Noe Valley Bakery is a neighborhood staple, and offers a plethora of goodies aside from my dear cupcakes.  But, this isn't a blog about other goodies.  I'm a straight up, 24/7, 365 cupcake girl.  I don't cheat.

Like I said, the neighborhood is great, and the bakery is right next door to a flower shop and super cute boutique.  The neighborhood, the vibe, everything was great, and I would go back again just for that purpose alone.  

Had to get the flowers in the shot.  Such a beautiful day!

Inside, the bakery is fairly typical.  It has a rustic, old school feel, but is very neat and orderly.  Most important?  Do you see the rows of cupcakes?

However, this place had no seats.  I am still on a hunt for the bakery of my dreams.  I want to sit, enjoy, eat on china.  Maybe have a glass of champagne from a crystal flute.  Is that too much to ask?  I think not.  So, for decor, I would give it...

It was definitely hard to decide on a flavor.  As I was eyeing a mini cupcake (the last one left of the flavor I was craving) the guy right in front of me beat me to the punched.  Darnit - I was forced to buy all full sized cupcakes.  Shoot.

Lemon (with a little bee)
The first flavor we got was a lemon cupcake.  It caught my eye because of it's super cute decoration.  It was very springy and creative.  It could have been mustard flavored, and I would have gotten it.  Luckily, it wasn't mustard flavor. It was incredibly moist, had just enough lemon so as not to be overpowering, and was, quite simply, delicious.  I'd get this one again in a heartbeat.

For flavor, I would give this cupcake:

Decoration:
  Seriously - so CUTE!

Most-est

Look familiar?  Yep - it's a supersized and not super processed version of a childhood favorite (minus the plastic wrap!)  This chocolate cupcake is filled with cool and creamy whipped cream, dipped in a ganache, and topped with the signature white swirls.  Again, you eat first with your eyes, so this one and the bee were shoe ins!  The flavor was somewhat lacking - nothing special.  I enjoyed the coolness of the whipped cream, and the chocolate cake wasn't terrible.  But, it was a bit plain for my tastes (as you read earlier - I do have champagne taste.)

For decorations, this one gets a:
  Loved it!

For taste, this one gets a:

I just wasn't sold on the taste!


Red Velvet

I was also sure to include a tasting of my staple - the red velvet.   This classic was decorated in a fittingly classic way.  But do you see how creamy that frosting is?  It has a sheet to it that makes me both scared and excited.  Scared because do you know how much butter it takes to make that sheen?  And excited because, do you know how much butter it takes to make that sheen?  And everything is better with butter...

The flavor was alright - it was a bit dry, and tasted a bit like red food coloring - never a good look for a red velvet.  You want to taste the cocoa powder, and slight tartness from the vinegar.  Not red food coloring.

So, for taste, I would give this one a:

For decoration, I would give this one a:

You can't beat classic elegance...

Overall, I would rate this experience and would definitely go back.  The neighborhood is so great, and there are so many more flavors to try!

Cupcake Dreamin'

I'm just an average California girl with a more than average obsession with cupcakes!  I love to eat them, bake them, look at them, buy merchandise associated with them - you name it!  I love it!

Cupcakes are the quintessential American dessert.  They are small.  Simple.  Decadent.  Sweet.  Savory.  Colorful.  They are all of these things, packed into one, tiny (or sometimes SUPER sized) indulgence.  I love how many things can be done with this simple idea, and am fascinated by the life that the cupcake world has developed in the last few years.  It is for this reason that I started this blog.

My goal with this blog is to visit cupcakeries around California (or hell, just places that sell cupcakes), and hopefully beyond sometimes, too.  I want to enjoy the delicious creations and the unique vibe these places have to offer.  To try new flavors, and compare and contrast classics.  Marvel at decorations and salivate over flavors.  And so, my blog is dedicated to such adventures.

My forthcoming posts will (hopefully) review some of the yummy cupcakeries in my neck of the woods and beyond.  Pictures, flavors and reviews - and celebrations of all things cupcake!  I have included some photos of some of my recent enjoyments.

These are the cupcakes we enjoyed at my wedding!  Simple, and so delicious!
Cupcakes by Batter Bakery - San Francisco (Red Velvet, Carrot, Lemon, Rasberry, Chocolate)
Photo - Courtesy of Frederick Ng

The cupcakes from my shower!  Close-ups below!
Cupcakes from Once Upon a Cupcake - Auburn, Ca
Flavors: Key Lime, Oreo, Red Velvet, Carrot, Mint Chocolate, Chocolate

Love the simple, yet perfect, decorations on top.  No mystery flavors here!

These were definitely a favorite - red velvet.  The topping was perfect for the day!