baby.cakes.

[I let my mom name this post ;)]

Fun day!  Despite the HAIL that was coming down this morning we managed to have a really fun day.  The hail stopped pretty early but it was overcast and windy all day.  I took my mom to Wash Park and we did a 2+ mile loop.  It was chillllly from the wind but fun!  Then we came home, cleaned up and headed to S. Pearl Street.  I went there a week or so ago with Chris and a few other times as well.  It’s a super cute street with shops + restaurants. 

We tried a new-to-me place for lunch.

It’s called Gaia Bistro.  I will definitely be going back there soon.  The menu was HUGE with sandwiches, tons of egg dishes, sweet + savory crepes, and much much more.  There were a lot of good veggie options too!  I had the hardest time deciding…lucky for me, my mom likes splitting ;)  The prices were very reasonable as well [~$5-9].

Cane sugar cubes!

Mamma

The atmosphere was very cozy and somewhat rustic.  I loved it!  The restaurant was in a little house that was super cute.  I really liked how there were a few different rooms and all of the tables were different and very home-like.  Ahhhh, totally recommend trying this out!!

Seriously delicious samich.  Packed with: portabella, roasted peppers, mixed greens, tomaters, and squash.  The bread was really fresh although I’m not sure what kind it is…some sort of delicious baguette.

With a FANtastic side of the best cucumber salad I have ever eaten.  It was a bit sweet and I gobbled up every bite…except I dodged the red onions.

We also split this savory crepe.  The crepe was made with organic buckwheat flour.  It was light, airy, and not greasy at all. 

The crepe was EVEN better than the sandwich…definitely ”mmmmm” out loud. 

mushrooms + eggs + spinach + creme fraiche

It was hard to get an “atmosphere” photo because the rooms were pretty small.  You get the idea ;)

The sun came out for a few minutes!  We did a little browsing in the cute stores.

Then we headed to the Historic Highlands area.  Wondering what this photo is?  Laura and I did an architecture competition last year [for fun] and this was our site [the dirt area]!  The contest was to design a farmers market.  It was a really fun project to work on.  Our concept was all about bringing the community together and having a space that could be utilized for many other activities besides a market.  Anywho…

A LOT more shops + restaurants.  Denver is SUCH a foodie city.

I surprised my mom and took her to Happy Cakes!!!  I have been meaning to go there for awhile now and having my mom in town was the perfect excuse :)  I have heard SO many good things about this cupcake bakery.

The store was precious.  I loved the bright welcoming colors.  They just moved into this new space and it seems like an awesome spot.  Very reasonable prices too. 

All of the cakes were behind glass, so they look a bit out of focus.

BABY CAKES!!! Oh man..this means I get to try ALL of the flavors!

The cutest little kid aprons ever.  I need an adult sized version!

I know it sounds boring but “V.O.V.” is probably my favorite combo.  Vanilla ON Vanilla…mmmm

Didn’t get to try this one..

Oh yeah..this was good.  I had a baby VOV.  I took a bite of cake + frosting…a bite just of cake…and a bite just of frosting.  The vanilla was very pronounced, which I love.  The frosting was rich and creamy but not too sweet for my taste.  The cake was moist and didn’t fall apart at all.  They worked well by themselves AND together.

Decoration station!

We made up a “to go” box but obviously had to eat 1 each right away.  These little babies are just too cute.  My mom had the chocolate with butter cream and I had the VOV.  mmmmhmmmmm

Yes, roasted banana cupcake!  The frosting was cinnamon cream cheese!  I had one of these in baby form when I got home.  The cinnamon was a tad too cinnamony, even for me…however it didn’t overpower the banana.  I really liked the banana cake a lot!  It was a bit more muffin-like but still fluffy and moist.  I think this would be a fabulous oatmeal topper ;)

Doggie treats

The top left is SNICKERDOODLE!!  It’s a cinnamon sugar cupcake…THEN they bake a cinnamon sugar coating on top of the cupcake and top it with vanilla butter cream + cinnamon sugar.  I mean…..helllooooooo..can’t wait to try that one!  Chris got the big chocolate cupcake topped with pnut butter - butter cream.  He scarfed it.

I liked these cupcakes more than Tea + Cakes in Boulder.  Happy Cakes frosting was much creamier tasting and the flavors were a little more “real.”  I think I should make a goal to try all of the specialty cupcake shops in Denver/Boulder :) 

Then we did a little shopping…I got a cute dress + 2 new hats.

Loved this store, Starlet.

i <3 hats

The weather guy said we’ll probably wake up with a light dusting of snow tomorrow!! Ahhhhh!!!  62 + sunny on Thursday though.  Not sure what’s on tabs for tomorrow except a late afternoon trip to Ft. Collins to meet up with our family there for dinner.

Oh yeah..I hit the pool tonight for the first time since being sick a few weeks ago.  It felt great to get back in the water!  I chowed down on leftovers [from last night] when I got home.  I’m going to make cheesy kale chips and low + slow potatoes for my mom tomorrow.  Can’t wait til lunch!! hehe

Night!

Ashley