Sprinkle Time!

Tonight I took a little side trip on my way home and visited Sprinkles in Beverly Hills. If you aren't hip to cupcake culture, the Sprinkles in Beverly Hills was the world's first cupcake bakery. So, of course, I had to go! That and my mom keeps asking me if I have gone yet. :)


I was pleasantly surprised that there wasn't a huge line going out the door, but there was definitely a steady stream of people. I had planned on just getting two cupcakes, but once in the store... I had to get three. 


My choices were--

• Chocolate Coconut: Belgian dark chocolate cake with coconut cream cheese frosting
• Ginger Lemon: Spiced ginger cake with lemon cream cheese frosting
• Vanilla Milk Chocolate: Madagascar bourbon vanilla cake with fudgy milk chocolate cream cheese frosting

How fab are those descriptions?! No, I did not write them myself. The Sprinkles website has full descriptions and a schedule of all of the cupcakes that they offer. 

So, first, I thought the store was super cute. It's all kind of a wooden, simple design. Even the cutlery they offer is wooden. Reminds me of those ice cream cups with the little wooden spoons. Cute! 

The best cupcake was the Chocolate Coconut. The actual cake was very good, with a deep chocolate flavor, and the frosting was DIVINE! I always go for coconut cakes the have coconut frosting. You're probably thinking, "... duh!" But take a closer look next time you are at a cupcake joint-- a lot of them will call a cupcake coconut if it just has vanilla frosting with coconut flakes on it. Um, no. Not for this picky eater! So, I would DEFINITELY recommend this flavor. 

The other two were not as good as the first. The best part about the Vanilla Milk Chocolate is the frosting-- perfect! And they asked me if I wanted sprinkles on it when I ordered it. Of course, I want sprinkles! But for all of the nonpareils haters out there, they've got you covered. I was very excited to try the "Madagascar bourbon vanilla cake," but it really wasn't that good. I was expecting a rich vanilla flavor, and I didn't even get white cake flavor. 

The Ginger Lemon was good, but I probably wasn't in as much of a "ginger" mood as I thought. I thought this cupcake was going to have more zing, but it didn't. I do like the frosting, so I think I would like this better in their lemon cupcake. 

Overall, I can tell that their cupcakes are not overly sweet. I LOVE that. It was more about the flavor then just making it a sugary mess. 

AND, they have a cupcake ATM. What?! If you're jonesing for some baked goods after hours, they've got you covered. What a GREAT IDEA! 

Although some of my cupcakes kind of turned out to be duds, I will definitely go back, and I'm sure you'll see my mom and I there in the near future. 

'Til next time!

M

A Westwood Classic...

Diddy Reise. Those two words bring a song of joy into my heart. Over the past 1.5 weeks, Josh and I have been there four times. It is part comfort food, part freaking delicious.

Diddy Reise is proof that once again, a simple menu, with quality ingredients will always win. Oh, and being inexpensive doesn't hurt either.

They are most famous for their cookie ice cream sandwiches, which are only $1.75 each. Patrons get to choose which two cookies they want (yes, you can choose two different cookies!) and what flavor of ice cream. Sounds simple, but this combination is so great when you have Dryer's ice cream and cookies that taste great by themselves. So, since we have had already gone four times, I have had four different cookie/ice cream combinations. Here they are:

• Chocolate Chip Cookie - Espresso Chip Ice Cream - Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie
• Chocolate Chip Cookie  - Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream - Chocolate White Chocolate Chip Cookie
• Chocolate Chip Cookie- Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream - Candy Chocolate Chip Cookie
• Chocolate Chip Cookie - Rocky Road Ice Cream -  Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie

Well, there seems to be a common theme in my selections, and that's because their chocolate chip cookies are just so good and so chocolatey. I just don't think I could get an ice cream sandwich without one. 

Although I'm a chocolate fan, they also have snickerdoodles and peanut butter cookies as an option... maybe someday I'll branch out. ;) 

Diddy Reise also has a few varieties of brownies. We bought the day old package of brownies. It was only $2.50... how could we pass that up?? And they have snow cones, which you can also get with ice cream. AHHH! That's how I like my snow cones... with ice cream on the bottom. Mmmm mmm. 

And on top of it all, you can get a glass of milk. Could this place get any better? Nope. 

Now, the first time I drove past Diddy Reise the line was out of the store and all the way to the corner of the street. The inside of the store is not meant for hanging around, so even if there is a line of five people, you'll be standing outside the door. My tip, based on my past experience, is to go earlier rather than later. If you go past 8 pm, you could easily be waiting 15-30 minutes for your sweet treat. So, if you have to have dessert before dinner... the sacrifice is well worth it. :)

The stuff dreams are made of.

Enjoy!
M

California Dreams Come True

Here begins a new blog to celebrate a new chapter in my life. A chapter that I'm so excited to be in. My name is Megan and I grew up in Redlands, California, and left at the age of 18 to go to college in Utah. Little did I know I would spend 8.5 years there, most of which I would spend itching to return to my native land. After getting married, making friends, working with great people, and having family so close by, my husband and I decided to take the plunge and change our lives forever. In May 2012, we filled up a huge moving truck and seized our dreams.

Shortly after moving, I got a job at a non-profit organization in Beverly Hills. Never in a million years did I see myself here, but now I can't see myself anywhere else. We got an apartment in West LA and have begun the adjustment to a new, fast-paced life.

At Neon Poppy, I plan to chronicle LA life and live it to the fullest. Come here for tips, reviews, ideas, explorations, and more. This is my proof that California dreams do come true.

Finally made it!