The Best Cupcakes in LA???

Last Sunday Eat:Drink:Play hosted a Cupcake Challenge at the Montmartre Lounge. The event was sponsored by Fiji Water, K & L Wine Merchants and KozmoDeck> part of the proceeds were donated to the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric Aids Foundation. LAist's own Lindsay William-Ross and Caroline-on-Crack were on the official judging panel, as well as Sophie Gayot (who we all just watched frighten the finalists on Hell's Kitchen this week), Tara de Lis from Citysearch, and Sam Rubin from KTLA. Guests were also given ballots to vote in three categories.

Thank God they had cheese to cut the sugar and alcohol thanks to Tom Martinez of K&L who kept my glass filled with their sparkling wines. I took the high road while others gorged on cupcakes and got drunk instead.



The ballots worked on a points system 3 points for your 1st pick, 2 points for 2nd pick, 1 point for 3rd pick. 3 categories: Best Traditional, Original and Overall Best. The judges votes were counted as half the score, with the guests counting as the other half.



all guests received a KozmoDeck a cross between an entertainment book and ValuPak coupons. Handy you can carry a few in your wallet for favorites, or the area you are headed. 15-dollars off a bill of 50 dollars or more. drawback - alcohol doesnt count towards 50 bucka and some places, like the BBQ joints, a couple would be hard-pressed to spend 50 bucks. But marketing works, the pictures are appealing and will encourage me to try new places. I shuld have hung around and traded them like baseball cards to collect all the Ciudad coupons.

Drumroll, please...


Best Traditional

1st place: Vanilla Bake Shop Red Velvet (judges' choice)




2nd place: Yummy Cupcakes Red Velvet




3rd place: Hotcakes Red Velvet (public's choice)




Best Original

1st place: Sugar Jones "Paradise" (judges' choice)

Reminiscent of 1950s fad with layers of coconut, pistachio, mandarin orange and pineapple that did not really fall into any category, so they were just called "dessert". Mostly tasted like pineapple and coconut. Another crowd favorite - one of only two where I ate the entire cupcake.




2nd place: The Oinkster Peanut Butter and Jelly




3rd place: Essential Chocolate Desserts "Blood Orange Fudge"
a very sophisticated flavor combination with a nice ganache



**Public's choice was Leyna's Strawberrilicious

Best Overall:

1st place: Leyna's Kitchen "Strawberrilicious"(public's choice)



2nd place: Sugar Jones "Paradise" (judges' choice)




3rd place: The Oinkster Peanut Butter and Jelly



OK, so I always end up with a weird story and today this is it: I asked the lady at Paradise cupcakes if she had leftovers, and she was like, "Oh God, please take these off my hands!" As she reaches for the box of cupcakes to hand me, Sophie cuts inbetween us like Im not even talking to the woman and says she'd like to take a picture of an open box of cupcakes.

Sophie had such a commanding presence, the woman just opened MY box of cupcakes, thinking she'd take a quick pic and go. But no, Sophie had to pose with the cupcake lady in the photo too, holding the box of cupcakes strategically between them. and we all had to stand there while she told the sucker taking the photo where to stand. And we had to wait while people kept getting in the way. And I just want my frigging cupcakes so we can leave.

So Sophie says to me, "I don't want anyone in my picture." I thought she needed crowd control, and ever helpful, I shooed grazers away from between her and the camera. I was standing like 2 feet away from her and she says to me really nastily, "I don't want YOU in my shot either." I wanted to say, "Then get your grubby paws off my cupcakes, Frenchie."

Later when I told this story, Caroline said, "but she's so nice..." and Lindsay said, "You do realize that's Sophie Gayot of GAYOT don't you?" I don't care if she's Lord Zagat - a lady does not touch another ladie's cupcakes.

Except maybe when they are as tempting as Caroline's



Voting commences



That special smile that can only come from cupcakes - or alcohol



Plenty for everyone, folks




Recap:

Best Traditional
1st place: Vanilla Bake Shop Red Velvet (judges' choice)
2nd place: Yummy Cupcakes Red Velvet
3rd place: Hotcakes Red Velvet (public's choice)

Best Original:
1st place: Sugar Jones "Paradise" (judges' choice)
2nd place: The Oinkster Peanut Butter and Jelly
3rd place: Essential Chocolate Desserts "Blood Orange Fudge"

**Public's choice was Leyna's Strawberrilicious

Best Overall:
1st place: Leyna's Kitchen "Strawberrilicious"(public's choice) (picture attached)
2nd place: Sugar Jones "Paradise" (judges' choice)
3rd place: The Oinkster Peanut Butter and Jelly


Leyna's sister made the cupcake tree Letu Floral Designs and gifts





People were also impressed with the root beer cupcakes from Yummy



Lucky Devil's had a very original entry. But they absolutely worked.



Violet had some lovely entries as well. These ones had chunks of brownies inside



Not only did Vanilla have a beautiful display, the workers at the table were always aware that they were "onstage", always smiling and keeping photogenic poses - I have a lot of other pics of cupcakes with bent-over behinds in the backgrounds from a few of the other tables who forgot about the cameras. No, I won't post them. I do have some class, you know.



After awhile, the whole room started looking like this



But I still brought this entire tray home - I did have to mud-wrestle Sophie Gayot in a giant tub of pistachio frosting for it, though.