(See the September 7, 2013 Review here.)
Note that Baked & Wired will be opening a second, bread-oriented, location at the Lyric 440K apartment complex in Mount Vernon Triangle in early 2015. This new location sounds more like a boulangerie and a sandwich shop, and I’m not even sure if they’ll offer cupcakes (though I suspect public pressure will almost force them to).
“Baked & Wired To Open Bread Shop in Mt. Vernon Triangle” by Matt Cohen on dcist.com
“Baked & Wired Owners Bringing Artisanal Toast To DC” by Jessica Sidman on washingtoncitypaper.com
My young dining companion and I went to Baked & Wired for breakfast the other day – I didn’t get receipts or take notes, so I have no pricing information to share with you.
I’ve never really liked the bifurcated lines at Baked & Wired, but being an odd space, I suppose the Velazquez’s had to make do with what they were given. Matt headed left towards the cupcakes, and I headed right towards the coffee – our plan was to reconvene on the far side.
I got a Large Americano, and just as the coffee at Baked & Wired always is, it was wonderful. I love the fact that they have a sign up refusing to serve iced espresso (does anyone know why serving iced espresso is considered heresy in the world of coffee? As something of a layman, it just doesn’t make that much sense to me, but I suppose the rapid cooling might affect something chemically).
In the coffee line, there are also wedges of quiche on the bottom shelf, and I got a slice of Ham and Gruyère Quiche, as well as two Ham Jalapeño Biscuits. Oh, and also a slice of Banana Nut Bread with walnuts and chocolate chips (I’ve always loved this combination, but it’s a lethal one for anybody watching calories).
Matt had ordered two German Chocolate Cakecups ($3.65, and yes, they call them cakecups), not realizing the onslaught of baked goods headed his way. We grabbed the sofa at the communal coffee table (no pun intended), just on the other side of the wall, and I sipped my coffee as Matt was in breakfast heaven – although I was there primarily to enjoy my coffee, and only nibbled, the two of us managed to finish everything except for the cupcakes (which we enjoyed later in the day).  Every single item would get my vote as “Best of DC” for its type – the quiche, the biscuits (these biscuits are just tremendous), the banana bread – only the cupcakes (which are *always* the best in the city) were less than perfect, but that’s because we waited about twelve hours to eat them, and they’d become a little dry – for me, that’s a plus because it shows they aren’t using additives to extend shelf life.
I’ve been raving about Baked & Wired for a long time now, and have always thought, and continue to think, that they are superior in every way to Georgetown Cupcake (and I’m certain they’re sick of hearing about Georgetown Cupcake, but the comparisons are as inevitable as those between Haut-Brion and La Mission Haut-Brion). Although I don’t know the Velazquez family, I could not be happier that they have become so popular – Baked & Wired used to be a ghost town, and it tore my heart out to think that this superior bakery might fall prey to television and fluff, as so many things in this world do. But people finally caught on, and I suspect the popularity of and spillover from Georgetown Cupcake had more to do with it than meets the eye (and once again, for the record, I like Georgetown Cupcake and was even sticking up for them at one point when others were deriding them (this is before things got crazy)).
Another great thing about Baked & Wired is that they’ve always maintained a good website, with a thorough list of offerings, and pretty much everything you’d want except pricing (which probably fluctuates enough so that it’s a pain for them to keep it current, but it would be nice). There’s no annoying music, no flash pop-ups, and no hard-to-find basic information. In fact, the only thing wrong with their website is that there’s no mention of another website who has been one of their biggest supporters and cheerleaders since day one. I think they should rectify this situation, and then name a baked good after me called the Grumble Crumble.
Baked & Wired is the best cupcake-and-coffee shop in the DC area, and always has been. It is one of Washington, DC’s great culinary treasures, and should be placed upon the highest pedestal.