Frosted | All That Glitters

Go Get Em Exterior ATG FINAL

Where: Go Get Em Tiger
Location: 230 North Larchmont Boulevard
Cost: pricey

Perhaps this is a clear sign that I’ve had entirely too much sunshine in my native lifetime spent in the City of Angels, but I do enjoy the fun, albeit cliché, “play on words” trend when frequenting a local spot. There’s something just so much more enticing about saying “hey, let’s go grab a treat at Sprinkles” rather than “the cupcake shop” or “meet at Toast in 10?” rather than “that breakfast place on 3rd Street?”

Los Angeles is notorious for this. There’s Milk (a cafe); Graffiti (a coffee shop); Taste (an American cuisine restaurant); Vanilla and Frosted (competing cupcakeries); and Son of Gun (a seafood spot) — I think you get the point. And I’m sure I found the winner of them all….Go Get Em Tiger! Oh, and if it’s not clear, their mission…caffeine. Go Get Em Exterior ATG FINAL side by side

Currently, the reining champion of the best iced latte in America (according to The New York Times), Go Get Em Tiger opened its doors on the increasingly charming Larchmont Boulevard last month, joining its sister spot G&B Coffee as an alternative to those who can’t make it downtown.

When I heard that the best iced latte in America was also conveniently located in LA, I knew my coffee addiction would find me there sooner than later. In fact, it found me clear across town 2 days later to get in on the hype.

I might lose cool points as a true connoisseur of espresso, but I have no shame in admitting that I’m not a fan of lattes without milk (soy, almond, whole or whatever “milk mood” I’m feeling that day) and some sort of flavoring (vanilla typically being my weapon of choice). The point being that I don’t ever drink plain lattes, hot or cold. Ever. And because of this quirk about myself I instantly went for their Sweet Iced Latte, insisting on upgrading to their signature almond-macadamia milk (instead of the whole milk it normally comes with). Unfortunately, their version of sweetened wasn’t with the subtleties of a little vanilla syrup, but with simple syrup. Needless to say, it was a SWEET latte (even for me!)…and I can’t blame them, it’s what I ordered.

This was probably a case where all I needed was their trademark milk and the espresso over ice. The sweetener distracts from the main attraction, what’s creating the all the caffeine-induced buzz right now, the almond-macadamia milk. I very much-loved the frothy texture of the milk and supreme care that went into crafting my designer latte, but likely would’ve been able to enjoy it more without the added sweetener to get the chance to let the nuttiness of the beverage come through.

Go Get Em Tiger Interior ATG FINAL

Aside from this hiccup, what I instantly loved about Go Get Em Tiger was its welcoming ambiance. I’ve been to many coffee bars in LA that felt so pretentious I wouldn’t step foot into one – other than to quickly grab the awesome coffee (because, of course, it’s yummy!) and leave before anyone sees me in said establishment, supporting said pretentiousness. Yet, Go Get Em Tiger is a place I would actually spend an afternoon with my laptop and a latte nearby blogging away, or to meet a girlfriend to catch-up over coffee.

go get em treats ATG FINAL

At $6.00 for a standard sized iced latte, this isn’t a place I’d drop into frequently, but more of an indulgence when I’m feeling especially rich and want to treat myself. If I’m quite honest (price aside), my favorite places to grab a latte on-the-run are still The Sycamore Kitchen (on La Brea) or Blu Jam (on Melrose or Ventura). This doesn’t mean my relationship with Go Get Em Tiger ends here. I do want to head back to do what I should have done the first time I was there, and that was to let their famous fresh almond-macadamia milk do all the talking.

I’ll keep you posted.

Go Get Em Collage ATG FINAL INTERIOR

As far as the naming convention of what really just comes down to a simple coffee bar, perhaps the sentiment is that I, too, tend to feel like I can conquer the world once I’ve had my caffeine fix. With the right latte in hand and caffeine slowly coursing through my veins, on some level I tell myself I’m ready for the day. I can Go Get Em Tiger!

Go get em tiger latte ATG FINAL 2

UPDATE: Catch my thoughts on Go Get Em Tiger, Take 2. I’m afraid I can’t behind the hype after all.

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In celebration of tiny cakes everywhere and one of my favorite blogs, after having spent lots of time researching my passion for carbs topped with icing and taste testing my behind off; here are my thoughts based on my quest to uncover some of LA’s best cupcakes. Clearly, I haven’t tried every single cupcake in this great land, so I’m basing this list off of the places I’ve personally frequented.

Cupcakes Couture

Location: 916 Manhattan Avenue, Manhattan Beach

BY FAR the most delicious and best dressed cupcakes in LA! I stumbled into

this oasis of sweetness when hanging out on the Manhattan Beach Strand one Saturday afternoon nearly a year ago. It’s a trek to get down to the South bay for me, but MY GOODNESS, it’s worth every traffic light and hassle to get there. The shop is well designed, the girls that work the counter are sweet, and the concoctions are the best. Nearly every cupcake has a sweet filling in the center, always tastes fresh, and NEVER disappoints. This place also has THE BEST gluten-free selection (which makes my boyfriend very happy) that I’ve come across if you struggle with an intolerance to wheat. My favorites are the Cupcake Wars reality TV show winning Lemon Blueberry, Strawberry Cheesecake, and the Sunday Mimosa (only served on Sundays, get it!?!)

Sprinkles

Location: 9635 Santa Monica Boulevard, Beverly Hills

THE place that started it all, well, at least in my opinion. This is what I think of as the originator of the cupcake craze in Los Angeles – like how Pinkberry spawned the frozen yogurt movement. I can’t recall how I first heard of this place, but it remains an oldie but a goodie in my book. Sprinkles’ forte has always been location, location, location; oh and the cupcakes are moist and delicious! They have one the largest selections of flavors but rotate them out depending on the day, as seems to be the case with all places. Beware the place is small and the line LONG. Their best invention yet? The cupcake ATM if you want to grab a cupcake at 2:00am. Great ones to try: Lemon Coconut, Red Velvet, Strawberry, and Pumpkin.

Frosted Cupcakery

Location: 1200 North Highland Avenue, Hollywood

If I can’t make the trip to Manhattan Beach or Beverly Hills, Frosted comes in a close third. The cupcakes more than cover it in a pinch, but I so desperately wish that Frosted would catch up on the flavor selections! They stick with pretty safe choices. Their shop seems to run of cupcakes quicker in my experience than with other places, and the treats themselves are very good, but I find they don’t have quite the same punch. The best thing about this place? The price! These guys run under $3.00 each, which is a steal! What scores additional brownie points? Their awesome ice cream cupcakes. I’m a huge fan of their red velvet and cream cheese cupcake filled with vanilla bean ice cream!

Vanilla Bake Shop

Location: 10250 Santa Monica Boulevard, Century City

My latest taste test on the cupcake front comes from Vanilla Bake Shop. I’ve noticed the shop for a while now when checking out a movie or shopping at the Westfield center; and have been in before a few times to check out the place, but had never purchased anything (which is so unlike me.) I have to say this place is aptly named, it was a very “vanilla” experience. I hate to call this out, but the person working the counter was pretty dismissive (coloring in fact) when I walked-in recently. Further to that, they only have 6 flavors to choose from on any given day. I went with a safe Vanilla Bean and did enjoy the cupcake. It satisfied my sweet tooth but they lose points for not much variety on any given day and poor service. Perhaps it was an off day. I was also told that a gluten-free selection was in the works and would debut in May of this year, but nothing yet.

Crumbs

Location: 6801 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood

Love the name, pretty blah when it comes to the cupcakes. I do like how decorative these guys are, but for some reason, I get a “straight out of a box” taste from them. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes you just want sugar, and you don’t really care how or in what format, so these will more than handle your needs, but the fresh taste wasn’t quite there for me. Dare I say they were a bit too sweet as well? I love that they have multiple locations around the city. I count 6! Then again, because they have so many locations, maybe this alludes to why quality lacks in their cupcakes. It seems they’re more into design, which is super important, but I’m also about my tongue doing the happy dance on contact.

With that, I’m now seriously craving a cupcake and I don’t care which location it comes from! If you have a hidden treasure on the tiny cake front that is missing from my list, please do let me know! I’m always looking to gain 5 pounds (said no one ever!)