Many moons ago, I actually went to Georgetown Cupcake with a friend who insisted we go. It was before they were crazy popular -- and before I started blogging -- so I thought a revisit would be nice.
Georgetown Cupcake, a designer cupcake shop, always has a line wrapping around the corner due to their popularity.
During winter and spring of 2010, TLC filmed a reality series at Georgetown Cupcake, shadowing the sisters, telling their story, and aspects of running a small business. The six-part series, titled DC Cupcakes, aired on Fridays in July 2010.[9] The second season began on Friday, February 25, 2011 (Wikipedia)
Fortunately, I didn't have to wait too long before getting inside (in the AC!) to peruse all the tasty treats. They have regular items, daily items, and seasonal items.
I ended up choosing six cupcakes for $19. Steep, but when in Rome, right?
They got a little melty since it was a warm day, but mostly in tact once I got back to West Virginia.
Salted Caramel - Caramel cupcake with a salted caramel-infused buttercream frosting topped with a caramel drizzle
Rainbow - Classic Madagascar vanilla cupcake infused with rainbow nonpareils and topped with a baby blue-tinted Madagascar vanilla buttercream frosting, and a sour candy rainbow
Lavender Earl Grey Teacake - A Madagascar vanilla cupcake infused with lavender sugar and Earl Grey tea, topped with an Earl Grey tea–infused buttercream frosting, a sprinkling of lavender sugar, and a pink fondant flower
Cherry Blossom - Classic Madagascar vanilla cupcake baked with cherries and topped with a cherry infused cream cheese frosting and a fondant cherry blossom
Unicorn - Georgetown Cupcake's classic Madagascar vanilla cupcake infused with nonpareils and topped with purple-tinted Madagascar vanilla buttercream frosting, rainbow jimmies, and a whimsical fondant unicorn
Hummingbird - Georgetown Cupcake's version of a Southern classic — fresh banana, pineapple, and pecan cupcake topped with a vanilla cream cheese frosting, chopped pecans, and a blue fondant hummingbird
That cherry blossom was amazing, as was the salted caramel. Which is your favorite?
The pepperoni roll has made its way past the borders of West Virginia and into Washington, D.C.
Pepperoni Chic, a Washington DC pop-up restaurant, features the West Virginia pepperoni roll in a number of original and "chic" versions.
It's the brainchild of Karen Shannon, a Fairmont native who left for Washington DC after college to find a career in journalism. Along the way, she began working in the food industry and it grabbed hold of her. Since then, she's worked to develop recipes from her Calabrian heritage.
The pepperoni roll, what we dub the “Appalachia’s Secret,” has been an integral part of daily life in my hometown of Fairmont, WestVirginia since Giuseppe (Joseph) Argiro began baking them in the 1920s or 30s. Argiro was inspired by the coal miners, who often took large sticks of pepperoni and chunks of Italian bread down into the depths of the mines. Argiro’s delectable result was a self-contained pepperoni bun the size of a hot dog where the oils of the pepperoni permeated into the dough while baking – a “handy subterranean snack for miners."
Each piece of her restaurant has been thoughtfully crafted. She makes her pepper sauce from only the traditional type of peppers, her onions from a particular region in Italy and hand-made mozzarella daily.
The restaurant features a small market, where you can get some of the homemade goodies found topping the pepperoni rolls.
Having owned an Italian restaurant for years and working alongside many Italian chefs and owners, I am well aware that what Americans recognize as pepperoni does not exist in Italy. Even though I am second generation Italian, I have always strived to be authentic and true to the classic cuisine of my Mediterranean ancestors.
However, in the case of Pepperoni Chic, my loyalty lies with my Italian-American predecessors. Pepperoni is the lynchpin of Pepperoni Chic and the history of Italian immigrants in northern West Virginia.
The complement of Calabrian cuisine to the pepperoni roll is logical. Even though pepperoni is actually an Italian-American invention, its similarity to the classic spicy salame of Calabria is undeniable.
Its exact origin is cloudy, but food experts believe pepperoni came on the food scene in the early 1900’s, created by Italian butchers in American cities. The dates also coincide with the inception of the pepperoni roll in Fairmont by Calabrian immigrants.
Some visual shots help illustrate the pepperoni roll for the uninitiated.
The pop-up shop offers seating for a few folks, but takeout is popular.
The more traditional pepperoni rolls are ones you can find with "the works" in West Virginia - peppers, chili, cheese. And, they're all named after members of her family.
The "chic" pepperoni rolls are modern-day takes inspired with Calabrian ingredients.
The menu features some backstory on the pepperoni roll, connecting it to West Virginia and its place in our food culture.
And, there are some goodies on the menu beyond the pepperoni roll: salads, pastas, and desserts.
These onions are from a particular region in Italy and give off a delicious, sweet flavor.
The "Tre" comes with sauteed, wild Calabrian-style mushrooms and mozzarella.
The pepperoni rolls are baked with stick pepperoni, then split open and toppings are added - much like Colasessano's.
The "Due" comes with Tropea sweet red onions and gorgonzola.
Wow, this one was so good I couldn't stop myself from eating the. entire. thing. The creamy, funky gorgonzola, the spicy pepperoni and the sweet onions were at home in the freshly baked roll.
And pasta! Rigatoni alla Calabrisella : Rigatoni, eggplant, tomatoes, black olives, onions, peppers and capers, tossed with provolone. Perfectly al dente with lots of delicious bites mixed inbetween.
Fileija alle Cipolle Rosse - Classic pasta from Calabria with “Tropea-style” red onions cooked slowly and tossed with parmesan cheese. The chew from this pasta, the sweetness of the onions - unreal.
And, of course, while there, I had to check out the gorgeous cherry blossoms!
How beautiful??
Have you ever been? Be on the lookout for this shop to expand in the future!
After a quick roadtrip to Washington, D.C., to check out the cherry blossoms (womp, womp they weren't great this year), resulted in - of course - one tasty meal.
Founding Farmers is well-known for initiating the farm-to-table movement, so I made reservations to go check it out. 
Located just three blocks west of the White House, the award-winning Founding Farmers flagship restaurant has been a destination for locals and tourists alike since its opening in 2008. In this urban farmhouse, guests gather and enjoy their meals in a variety of specially designed spaces. From our handcrafted community farm dining tables and the mezzanine’s silo-shaped booths to our more intimate seating arrangements, the LEED Gold Certified design is a 3 Star Certified Green Restaurant® and exemplifies our full devotion to aesthetic beauty and sustainability.
A “love for local, seasonal food” fuels this “farm-to-table” chainlet where “big portions” of “something-for-everyone” American dishes - Zagat
This spot was doing farm-to-table before it was even cool; enjoy your tasty, sustainable, family-farmed eats in a LEED-certified setting that's as green as the food. - Thrillist
Those reviews are good enough for me. After a bit of a wait for our reservation, we were led upstairs and seated - in pretty close quarters - with a nice view though. The interior was cozy with a few farm-inspired touches.The food prepared in our Founding Farmers kitchens is made in-house every day. All of our locations are part of the Certified Green Restaurant® association, and work diligently every day to continue the success of being a green restaurant – from using the most sustainable hot cups on the market to operating with the most energy efficient equipment.
Our dedication to serving high-quality, real food, with an emphasis and focus on cooking from scratch is what sets us apart. We bake our own bread (approximately 170,000 loaves per year), we grind our own beef, we press our own juices, we even churn our own butter. Our purveyors are carefully chosen and measured against our high standards.
Our menus are inspired by our country’s rich culinary tradition, including our versions of all-American classics, as well as innovative creations based on a wide range of American cuisine.
Simply put, it’s real food & drink. All served with pride (FOOD).
The menu features comfort food kicked up a notch. This menu seriously had my name written all over it. I could've easily ordered any number of things - it all sounded amazing!
For an appetizer, we got fried green tomatoes. These were very good, and I especially enjoyed the ramp goat cheese side. Fried until golden brown and crispy, they were well-seasoned and perfect.
For my entree, I went with the chicken & waffles. It's served with a rigatoni-noodle macaroni & cheese and another side - I went with sweet potato. This was great! The chicken was well-seasoned - not super crispy. The waffles were fluffy. The macaroni was nice and hearty.The values of the American family farmer are at the heart of all we do at Founding Farmers. Like the more than 47,000 family farmers who own our restaurant, we strive to work hard and operate with a genuine concern for our land and our community. We believe that everyone should be able to enjoy high-quality food that is delicious, and grown with care.
Our story began in 2005 when the members of North Dakota Farmers Union (NDFU) began talking about the future. They were looking for a way to bring their products directly to consumers. They wanted to take people back to the source, to the foods that are grown, raised, and harvested on American family farms. They wanted to affirm that family farming was, and remains, essential to our nation’s well-being.
Our restaurant is owned by the more than 47,000 family farmers of NDFU and is supplied by hundreds of family farms everywhere. That doesn’t mean we know every farm, and that doesn’t mean we never have to buy product from the traditional (corporate) supply chain, but it does mean we’re working hard to direct our purchasing dollars where it aligns with our values. The “as much as possible” prefix is important; we want to provide transparency, and acknowledging that it isn’t feasible to promise we know the source of every morsel is important. We’re serving the best food we can, made from scratch in our kitchens every day. We continually strive to unbundle the industrial supply chain by cooking, mixing, and baking from scratch. We are constantly looking for suppliers that align with our principles. Our innovative, American dishes are made primarily with pure ingredients honoring the farmers and their hard-earned bounty.
Our name “Founding Farmers” is a nod to our Founding Fathers, many of whom were devoted farmers long before they became trailblazers for our country. While those leaders built and contributed to the American agricultural tradition, we recognize that our mission is also about growing a new venture with farmers at the root: one that strengthens their livelihood, gives back to the community, and makes quality food accessible to all.Overall, this is a pretty neat place. I wouldn't mind trying a few other dishes, too. Plus, it gets at the heart of small town America. What could be better.
Grade: A
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