Did you hear the Buzz?

Did you hear the Buzz?

Everybody knows that new trend in most metropolitan areas is cupcakes cafés. Being somewhat of a cupcake connoisseur myself, I felt it was my duty to do a cupcake tasting at Buzz on Slaters STAT, (I know, I know the trials that I must soldier through to provide valuable content for my devoted readers.) But seriously, it turned out that getting there was a bit of a trial but I will blog about DC traffic and the traffic on Rt. 1 in Alexandria another day. For now, back to cupcakes!

First impressions:

My first thought when I walked through the door was, what are all these glamorous young professionals doing at a cupcake café, hooked-up to laptops, at 11 AM, on a Wednesday? And while they all had large cups of coffee, why weren’t they eating cupcakes? The place was not really crowded but it was definitely buzzing or at least hopping. Since WIFI at Buzz is free, there was definitely a contigent of customers who, with the exception of kitsch art and cafe lighting, had essentially converted their cute little tables into cubicles. I have to imagine that these folks could be defined as those who “work from home.” Perhaps they found actually “working from home” was a bit dull and so they flocked to this great place where they can work with soothing sights and sounds of busy strangers sipping coffee and typing wildly! Buzz has clearly designated areas for the jet-set lap-toppers, but don’t worry, there was still plenty of space for those of us who actually traveled many miles on a mission to unabashedly indulge in a gi-normous cupcake and a 500 calorie coffee drink. There was even a sweet little children’s corner complete with a pretend kitchen for children – perfect for playtime after they finished licking all the frosting off their cupcakes!

The heart of the matter:

Buzz carries all the usual, unusual cupcakes, like the “Red Velvet” cupcake, or the “Flour Power”(vanilla buttercream and cake with chocolate center) or the Saint Patrick’s day stout cupcake (made with Chocolate and beer.) I was pleasantly surprised to see they also had some new varieties. Take for example the “Tea Time” cupcake, a decadent concoction of lemon chiffon cake, green tea buttercream, and cherry-curd filling. This one was my favorite.The subtle green tea flavor in no way interfered with the love affair going on between the lemon and cherry flavors. The second cupcake I tried (yes , I ate two.. research. come on!) was appropriately named the “Cookie Monster.” It was comprised of chocolate chip cookie cake, Oreo buttercream, cookie dough center, all topped with a mini oatmeal cream pie. I felt a bit like Cookie Monster when eating this tasty treat and it was totally worth it! I have to add though that while it was a close second place, I was slightly less enthusiastic about having a textured buttercream, very cool idea though to put Oreos in the frosting. Cupcakes run anywhere from $2.75 to $4.00 each and they do make gluten-free varieties.. As if that wasn’t enough to make your mouth water. They have more!

Extras:

They also serve a variety of other delicacies like Espresso crème Brulee, chocolate mint cheesecake, or raspberry hazelnut bombs. But wait there’s more. They have exceptional coffee like you would expect in post Starbucks-era café. Here is the twist though; they also serve Wine, beer and cocktails. Ever heard of a chocolate martini? They are open every single day from 6AM to midnight. So whether you are a kind husband rushing out for your beautiful wife who just had a late night chocolate craving (hint, hint) or if you just don’t want that magical date you are on to end after dinner, Buzz is open! .