In addition to a trip to San Francisco, I have been lucky enough to sample sweets in several other cities this summer. Oddly enough I didn’t manage to capture the sweet experiences on camera, but hopefully my descriptions will do them justice!
Louisville, KY
– Graeters: I have heard about the renowned Graeter’s for quite some time, and finally had the opportunity to try this famous Cincinnati offering. Established in 1870, this company has been churning out ice cream treats for almost 150 years, and from the few flavors I was able to sample, it’s no small wonder why they are legendary. The mint chocolate chip was pure mint flavor – no green dye used here as a part of the process – and the dark chocolate pieces seemed to be whisked into every bite. Later I learned that they add warm chocolate into the ice cream while it is mixing to create chocolate ribbons, distributing delicious chocolately particles throughout the entire batch. The lemon and raspberry sorbets were refreshing, but the clear star was the ice cream. I will be back to try another – rumor has it the peach is amazing.
– Homemade Ice Cream and Pie Kitchen: This is the first time I have ever seen or experienced an upside-down cupcake. This local establishment flips over the conventional cupcake and coats it in a glaze-like icing (slightly reminiscent of what is used on doughnuts). It proved to be a bit too sugary for my taste, but I had the opportunity to sample multiple flavors in one sitting – the Oreo, strawberry, chocolate caramel, and vanilla. The cakes were quite large, dense and moist. The Oreo was a little dry – I’ve found this to be the case with a few cookies-and-cream flavored baked goods – and the strawberry tasted artificially flavored (the brilliant pink hue did not help assuage this feeling). The chocolate caramel did not have a particularly strong caramel taste – it was as if they didn’t fully allow the flavor to develop before glopping on the frosting. Though appropriate for the birthday celebration, I do not feel compelled to try them again.
Atlanta, GA
– Piece of Cake: Only in town for a short period of time, I quickly Yelped the nearest bakery to my location, and Piece of Cake appeared. Off we sped, and we sampled a variety from the glass case – caramel, white chocolate, orange, and cookies and cream cupcakes. The cookies and cream, like others before it, was quite dry and only vaguely reminiscent of the chocolate sandwich cookies from which it was presumably derived. The orange reminded us faintly of an orange-cream popsicle (but came nowhere near the dreamsicle version discovered in Denver), and the caramel was about average. Though the white chocolate did not possess a strong flavor profile, it was still pretty good as a stand-alone treat. If or when I return to ATL, I will be checking out the other cupcakeries in the area for comparison.
Charleston, SC
– Kaminsky’s: The attraction of the beautiful frosted cakes proved to be too strong to resist, and I finally entered the shop after passing several times. Close to conventional dinner time, the establishment was pretty full and I made the decision to forego a traditional dinner, replacing it instead with a monstrous slice of German chocolate cake. The lush, coconut glaze led to layers of moist chocolate cake that were rich enough to have a flavorful chocolate experience without overwhelming the walnut- and coconut-packed fillings in-between. Though I ended up in a bit of a sugar coma, easily remedied by a long evening stroll, I would do it all over again, trying a new kind of cake the second time around to sample more of the wonderful offerings of this local favorite.
With a few more travel plans left, I’m ready to buckle up and try more of what America has to offer…
Until next time,
SugarSource
SugarSource 