GEORGETOWN

CUPCAKE

GRAND OPENING

Another www.RobertDyer.net Exclusive!!!

The big opening this weekend in downtown Bethesda wasn't New Moon; it was the new Bethesda Row location of Georgetown Cupcake. Are you on Team Key Lime, or Team Chocolate Mint?

Now we can finally find out what all the hype was about in Georgetown. Was it justified?

Countless Bethesda residents lined up Sunday to sample the famous Georgetown Cupcake cupcakes. By the scheduled opening hour, 12 noon, the line was almost down to Arlington Road.

And so was I. It wasn't the longest wait ever, but the patience of some in the line was tested. A bit further up the line was Bethesda's version of Jon & Kate + 4. And then you have that situation where people behind you in a line think that if they push the back of your coat, that the line will somehow move faster, or they will simply pass through the bodies in front of them to the head of the line.

A couple of girls from Georgetown Cupcake handed out pink, helium balloons to kids to break up the tedium of waiting. I did see a new Camaro go past, and a confused man dressed exactly like Inspector Gadget. Every so often, a couple of smart alecks would go past the line, snort, and say, "All this for a cupcake?"

There is a Redskins game, and a Ravens game on right now, and I'm in a line for cupcakes - they better be worth it.

Eventually, I got through the door. If you go to my website at www.RobertDyer.net, you can see the inside of the store in video (on the Robert Dyer Channel) or in photos on the photos page. I saw all of the different cupcakes behind a glass wall on the counter, and the menu listed today's flavors, along with different beverages. The balloon girls were inside now, standing beneath a painting of - what else - cupcakes on the wall. For the Grand Opening, they were giving away 1 free cupcake to each person. I asked for a Pumpkin Spice cupcake, and shelled out money for a Peanut Butter Fudge cupcake to go with it. The employees were very nice, and no sooner had I received my change when a box was handed to me. Two fresh cupcakes inside, and I could feel through the bottom of the box that they were warm.

So, what's the verdict? Well, they're really very good. I've eaten the Peanut Butter Fudge one so far (I think if you eat more than one of these in a day, you'll turn into John Candy). The cake (which is the "fudge" part) seems to be designed to contrast with the flavor of the frosting (peanut butter). So the frosting is sweet and buttery, and the cake is not quite as rich (as in butter and eggs) as you might expect. But the cake part is still moist and dense. If you have ever complained about getting too little frosting on your cupcake, Georgetown Cupcake is the place for you: the frosting is over an inch in height. And in this case, with lots of fresh peanut butter flavor.

The Pumpkin Spice cupcake has an upscale touch: a metallic maple leaf is laid on top of the frosting as decoration. You won't find that in a grocery store cupcake.

What a twin victory the "real America" has enjoyed this month at Bethesda Row. The opening of greasy burger and fries chain Five Guys on one side of the street, and now Georgetown Cupcake. Cupcakes are now a symbol of the struggle between citizens and Big Government. The humble, All-American cupcake once was the classroom birthday treat of choice. Now, cupcakes are illegal in most schools.

Yet, here is a shop opening in Bethesda of all places, that is a veritable shrine to the frosted dessert. I'm surprised County Councilman George Leventhal didn't stand in front of the doors to prevent citizens from entering. The cupcake is a tangible representation of your rights as an American, and now you can exercise them -bigtime - at Georgetown Cupcake.