Something Sweet

About a half hour after it opened its doors for the first time, there was already a line at Something Sweet, D.C. newest dessert shop. Girls in pretty dresses were all lined up yesterday to check out the latest contender in the District's dessert-boutique scene.

I picked up a few samples for us to nibble on before Got Plans? yesterday. Guru consensus: the newcomer's off to a great start.

Since I'm a bit of a cupcake snob, I got a half-dozen of the tiny cakes. Our hands-down favorite was a strawberry cupcake. Topped with light pink frosting and flecked with pieces of fruit, the white cake tasted like an actual strawberry.

The subtly flavored lemon with lemon frosting got high marks from our crowd as well. Contrary to conventional cupcake wisdom, we preferred the vanilla-flavored cakes to the chocolate ones. They were still moist in the middle and had that ideal proportion of two-thirds cake to one-third frosting. Cupcakes are $2.75, except for the kid-friendly variety, which comes with a wearable ring on top.

We also munched on a chocolate chip cookie that one tester said had "that perfect ratio of salty to sweet." The bread-plate-sized dessert cost $1.75. A personal favorite was the fudgy brownie ($2.45). I bought two at the shop; only one made it into the office.

The baker behind the concept is Meghan Blair, wife of entrepreneur Bo Blair, who also runs Surfside, the Bullpen, Smith Point and the Rookery. For the last year, Meghan has been baking for private events and the desserts at Jetties, another of Bo's ventures.

"I have always wanted to do a dessert shop here," said Bo, referring to the specific storefront on Macomb Street NW near Wisconsin Avenue. "I've waited for this spot for probably six years."

The wait is now over. Other items on the menu include cake slices, tangy frozen yogurt, sundaes and milkshakes made with ice cream, and (another Guru favorite) M.E. Swing coffee.

-- Julia Beizer (GOG Blog, July 24, 2009)