Peppermint Penny Cupcake
Every so often I get a cupcake craving and I just have to have one. Does that ever happen to you? They’re like miniature cakes, delightful spongy goodness topped with decadent swirls of frosted fun. They’re cute and whimsy…what’s not to love?
Anyway, I got such a craving last Friday, so I headed over to Dupont Circle on my lunch break to Hello Cupcake, one of the fine cupcakeries in town. Specifically, I was on a mission to try their “Strawberry Fields,” their seasonal selection of strawberry cake with strawberry frosting. Unfortunately, I was told that they had actually “discontinued” that flavor. I wonder why the flavor is posted on their website if it’s no longer available? =/
I ended up getting two “Prima Donnas” (chocolate cake with strawberry buttercream) and a “Peppermint Penny” (chocolate cake with mint frosting). The Prima Donna is one of my favorites from Hello. The frosting tastes almost like strawberry candy, with a slight tartness mixed in with the sweet. Peppermint Penny is definitely minty, and the chocolate chip sprinkles on top are a nice touch.
They’re very generous with the frosting here…maybe too generous. The frosting’s really sweet, so a huge mountain of the stuff tends to overpower the cupcake. I think if the frosting were less sweet, I wouldn’t mind the portion as much.
By the way, my cupcakes got knocked around a little bit on the metro ride home, which is why there’s strawberry frosting crusted on to my mint cupcake! And I had to photograph it from the side with fewer chocolate chips, because the other side got flattened in the box. Oops!! XD;;;
Rasika
This post was supposed to be about Da Marco, an Italian restaurant in Silver Spring. However…because of MOAR delays on the Red Line the other night, my friend and I decided to stay downtown instead, heading over to the Indian restaurant Rasika in Penn Quarter.
Rasika is often touted as THE best Indian restaurant in town, but my experience with the place has been a bit spotty. The first time I went there, I wasn’t feeling most of the dishes that my friend and I ordered between us. =/ But I’ve been back since then for some very good meals, taking care to order what I know to be delicious.
Unfortunately, this time was a bust. Such a shame, since it’d been a while since I’d had Indian food, and I was really looking forward to it.
My mango lassi was too yogurty and not mangoy enough. The flash fried spinach was burnt. The chicken makhani tasted under-seasoned. In all, the experience could be comparable to how my friend’s “curry” cocktail tasted like – it was on the cusp of being incredible, but something was lacking in the very end. I did however, enjoy the company (as we both realized how long it had been since our last dinner), and hopefully next time, we’ll make it to Da Marco, Red Line delays or no!
Domku
So for a change in pace, a friend and I decided to try a cozy little place in D.C.’s Petsworth neighborhood, Domku. It’s a Slavic / Scandinavian restaurant that’s part cafe, part bar. I think their menu varies on the weekends, which are known for their brunches and Danish pancake balls. I would’ve loved to try those fluffy looking pancake balls, but my trip to Domku was for dinner on a Friday. (;___;)
Still, the menu was quite interesting and new (for me, anyway) so for relatively cheap, I could be a bit adventurous.
Here’s the cocktail my friend ordered called the Orange Revolution – made from orange aquavit, cardamom aquavit, and a “splash” of orange juice. I’ve never had aquavit before, but I understand it’s a kind of flavored spirit that they use in Scandinavia. This drink – which you’d think would taste sweet or tart – was actually pretty strong in the cardamom. Very zesty! I’m not sure I’d order it again, but it was definitely worth a try.
As for the food:
