To continue my DC coffee shop reviews, here's how I feel about Baked & Wired.
Location: B & W is on Thomas Jefferson Street in Georgetown, near Barnes & Noble and Snap (where to get your crepe and bubble tea fix). It's a perfect stop off the beaten path during a shopping day. And it's not far from Paper Source, so I love the excuse to stock up on pretty paper after a cupcake break.
Food and Drink. Cupcakes! Cupcakes! Cupcakes! That's what this place does well. And also coffee. I've been there twice in the last couple weeks, and both times I've eaten a Pretty Bitchin' cupcake. That's what the chocolate cake/peanut butter icing cupcakes are called. DELICIOUS! The cake is moist and springy, the icing tasty and flavorful without being overly sweet. And it's the perfect companion for my signature drink, the iced vanilla latte. B&W is a place that takes pride in the brew it serves, for sure. Last time I was there, I ordered my latte from a barista-in-training. When I went over to the next room to pay (cupcakes and cashier on one side, coffee on the other), the cashier (manager? baker?) urged me to taste the coffee and give immediate feedback. He wanted to make sure the training coffee was as good as the shop's usual. And it was! I used to work in an office building across the street from B&W, and I'm sad that I didn't appreciate coffee back then, or know the cupcake wonders this place held/holds.
Decor and Seating: The shop is sunny and bakery-cute. Cupcakes and other treats are displayed in glass cake stands and everything is clean, shiny, and bright. They sell coffee beans for home brewing and also pet treats. There are two sitting rooms, one with couches and lounge chairs, the other with a counter, a large table, and a shelf with stools. The first time I visited, my friend and I stayed for a few hours and felt pretty comfortable, but judging from signs I saw there more recently, they'd prefer for guests to sit and sip and eat their sweets and then move on. Which is what I did yesterday. I sat and studied while I ate my cupcake and drank my latte...and then moved on to a new study spot. Bonus: Cute pink bike out front. Bonus bonus: chalk board outside always has something fun.
Music: I heard an awful lot of Michael Jackson music there a couple weeks ago, which doesn't say anything about this particular establishment since I've been hearing MJ tunes everywhere lately! Another time, I think they had some NPR music show (as opposed to talk radio) on, but I was pretty engrossed in whatever I was studying so I can't really be sure. Bottom line: The music isn't offensive, but it didn't stand out. It's all about the cupcakes; who can be bothered with music?!?
Overall: Cupcakes. eat them. love them. enjoy the delicious coffee. and then move along and go get yourself a pretty dress a few blocks away at Anthropologie. Or a sweet tank top from American Apparel across the street.
