Snap and Baked & Wired -- A Double Restaurant Review

Snap

1062 Thomas Jefferson Street NW
Washington DC 20007

http://snap-restaurant.com/

I found myself in Georgetown for lunch one afternoon and debated between a coffee shop I'd been to one before (described later) and a small hole in the wall restaurant next door. The line at the coffee house was much too long so I opted for the little green cafe next door. It had some rickety chairs in front and a sandwich board sign that proclaimed they had crepes, sandwiches, bubble tea and a back patio.

I tried the vegetarian Mediterranean plate as I did not feel like a crepe or a sandwich. The bubble tea seemed extremely overpriced for the quality (about $4 for a single drink). The service was very friendly and the food came out promptly, but the quality was mediocre at best. The pita was warm (the most enjoyable part) and the dolmas were good, but the parsley was not chopped fine enough in the tabouleh salad and the hummus was a little too salty. 

It was nice enough and I'm sure the crepes are great, but the entire establishment just felt a little dirty. The exterior patio was unkempt with uneven tables, and the interior was poorly lit. The entire establishment just felt run down and old. It was not a place I would go again.

Vegetarian plate from Snap

Baked & Wired

1052 Thomas Jefferson Street NW

Washington DC 20007

http://bakedandwired.com/

I'd gone to Baked and Wired before for lunch  the past. The first time I had a cappuccino and a mixed summer vegetable quiche. The cappuccino was strong and acidic with heavy fruit notes. The quiche was really rich, flakey and cooked just the right amount. There were a decent amount of vegetables but it could have used more. I was happy with Baked & Wired that day. I was happy with the food and happy with the ambiance that had this slightly unfinished appearance. It had an "under construction" feel to it with an ever changing music selection and a staff with a slightly "hipster-er than thou" attitude that fit my mood that day. No matter how much I liked it, however, I knew I would not be able to make a judgement about the place until I had tried their beautiful looking cupcakes.

Cappuccino and quiche from Baked and Wired

The second time I tried to go there, I ended up at Snap instead. Every table was full, the line was horrendously long and the service was not what I remembered it (or perhaps it was exactly how I remembered it, but I was not in the mood for it today). I ordered a cupcake called "Peachy Keen" which was a peach cupcake with peach almond frosting. They looked beautiful and I was excited by the prospect until I ate the cake.

The cake itself was dense. It had pieces of real peaches in it, but it was not a lightly, delicate genoise. It was a little chewy and a little spongy, but overall a cake I enjoyed. However, the frosting was terribly sweet and grainy. The flavor went with the cake, but would have been better with less frosting or a marzipan instead of an almond flavored buttercream.

In general, I liked most of the things at Baked & Wired, but I didn't love anything about it. And for this to be my ideal coffee shop in the future, it would have to be a place I loved, not just a place I liked.

Peachy Keen cupcake from Baked and Wired