Unboxing The Shoppe's cupcakes > Community > Blogs > Denver

Blog

YourHub.com \\ Denver \\ Blogs \\ Family & Community \\ Community

Blog Entry 62 of 79 BroFax Cosmonaut

Blog Url: http://denver.yourhub.com/~TruthOrConsequences

Entries:

Unboxing The Shoppe's cupcakes

e-mail to a friend | print this | link to this

NEXT › ‹ PREVIOUS

Contributed by: Eric J. Lubbers/YourHub.com on 1/28/2008

Author's note: The address for The Shoppe was incorrectly listed in print. The address is 3103 E. Colfax Ave.

The Shoppe, 3103 E. Colfax Ave., opened its doors to a massive crowd Saturday, causing them to run through, by their own count, 600 linebacker-sized cupcakes and bowls of cereal. The Brofax Cosmonaut was there, and I decided to apply a tried and true blogging technique to the main attraction.

I'm going to unbox* the cupcakes:

Why should tech blogs have all the fun of blogging up something new and exciting? Shouldn't freshly baked cupcakes be just as mouth-watering as some new computer or whatever it is that gets unboxed at Gizmodo all the time? Besides, electronics are obsolete within the year. Cupcakes are forever. Let's begin, shall we?

What: Cupcakes of flavors determined to be "chocolatey" and "pink" from the grand opening of The Shoppe, 3013 E. Colfax Ave.

When: Jan. 26, 4 p.m.-ish

Who is responsible for this?: Emma Skala, baker extraordinnaire, provided the pastry and Tran Wills, designer/entrepreneur, co-owners and operators of The Shoppe.

Setting: The Shoppe is by no means a large space. It's a cutely narrow little venue that has put no square inch to waste, with the bakery/display case/counter combination totally out in the open and all the way at the back. The remaining space was filled with nice tables, couches, bookshelves and, at least for the grand opening, a full-on DJ setup.

Word had gotten out and the crowd was out the door by the time that Sarah and I got there for our share. The event was advertised as a 1-6 p.m. affair, and it was clear that they had been packed since 12:55. I didn't mind, because the longer wait in line gave us time to take in the hip-but-not-too-hip surroundings.

Especially pleasing to the eye were the cupcake/cereal-inspired artwork from some of Denver's best designers and artists. I'd go through their names, but why not just show you my favorite one?

The menu is the centerpiece of the space's minimal-without-being-boring design aesthetic. Josh Wills, Tran's other half, has been extremely influential in the design according to Skala, and it shows beautifully.

The kitchen was a flurry of activity as Emma and company worked to satisfy the cupcake-hungry blob that had been devouring their supplies for three hours without so much as a ten-minute break. By the time we reached the counter, there were only three plates of cupcakes left. But loneliness becomes a good-looking pastry; without the distraction of the usual myriad flavors, the remaining cupcakes had a quiet nobility to them, daring us to eat them.

The cupcakes: I'm not a food critic, and as a novice I have not developed the vocabulary required to dive too deeply into the tawny noses and baroque undertones of food, so I'm just going to say it: These cupcakes are damn good.

Sarah went with "pink" (we just pointed at the display case when we ordered and forgot to see what flavors they actually were) and I went with "chocolatey." The Bill-Gates-rich pink frosting had a certain tang to it that made me think it was at least partially cream cheese-based. The cake portion was soft and moist and tasted the way you remember birthday cake tasting when you were young, even though your past-cakes were probably not nearly this good.

Sarah dove in first and attempted to eat hers the old-fashioned (read:cavewoman) way. This is not advised.

My cupcake had a distinct mocha-y flavor (and indeed, mocha is a regular flavor according to the menu) and was equally as delicious as Sarah's. I went with a fork, which helped immensely.

All I can say is that if this is what Emma and her crew can churn out during their busiest, most stressful time, I can't wait to see what happens when they can relax.

Check out The Shoppe's blog for more events and information.

And for god's sake, get yourself a cupcake.

*unbox: verb - to detail, usually online, the process of experiencing a product for the first time.

< Previous: 'Led Zeppelin first wen...' | Next: 'Who's donating to whom...' >

[Report this as objectionable content.]

SUBMIT COMMENT

Rate the above blog

Current Rating

Based on 5 user ratings.

Talk Back : submit comments to the blog

*Note: you need to log-in to add a comment or rating.

Thank you! Your comment has been updated.

Showing 1-4 of 4 comments

Submitted By: celeste p

posted on 2/3/2008 @ 9:52:11 PM

Rated Blog Entry

This place is AWESOME! they have blind box munny cupcakes too.

[Report as objectionable]

Submitted By: Alexis Gentry

posted on 1/31/2008 @ 3:17:00 PM

Rated Blog Entry

"Electronics are obsolete within the year. Cupcakes are forever" I could not agree more!

[Report as objectionable]

Submitted By: Fairlight Baer-Gutierrez

posted on 1/29/2008 @ 2:24:51 PM

Rated Blog Entry

Emma and Tran were gracious on Bear and my first stop at The Shoppe yesterday. I just need to train my tummy to befriend that oh-so-heavy icing. Too bad they didn't open the store at the empty lot at 38th & Federal.

[Report as objectionable]

Submitted By: Charmaine Robledo

posted on 1/28/2008 @ 4:06:42 PM

Rated Blog Entry

Mmmm. I was totally planning to go to the opening on Saturday (even marked it on my calendar), but alas, moving duties trumped cupcake feasting. I'll have to take Damon here for Valentine's Day for a sweet treat.

[Report as objectionable]

Showing 1-4 of 4 comments

SAVE AND SHARE THIS BLOG ENTRY

digg	Google
del.icio.us	Yahoo!
reddit	Newsvine

What is this?

BLOG ENTRY RSS FEEDS

All blog entries

All blog entries in Denver

All blog entries by Eric Lubbers

BLOG LIST

WANT TO WRITE FOR YOURHUB.COM?

Want to see the stories you write and the photos you shoot featured in the YourHub.com Thursday print section available all over the Front Range and with home subscriptions of the Rocky Mountain News and The Denver Post? All you have to do is register, then post a story or column, start a blog or tell everyonewhat events are happening in town. We will print the best stories, columns, event listings, photos and blog entries in our print sections.

Loading Ad