Re-Review: Twenty Five Main

Twenty Five Main was my first cupcake review on this blog. I stopped by their shop in May 2008, after I completed a triathlon near St. George, Utah. Twenty Five Main had just recently opened and sadly, their cupcakes weren't good at all. I was new to cupcake reviewing, but still knew that better cupcakes existed.




Twenty Five Main must have seen my review because when I was browsing their website two years later, I found that one of my photos (see below) was being used on their website to promote their cupcakes! That's really sad. My photos were ok, but how hard is it to take photos of your cupcakes? Although Twenty Five Main recently updated their website and my photo is no longer their main cupcake photo, my original photo can still be found on their website. I never said anything to them, but that's super tacky!

(The stolen photo)

Earlier this year, a comment was left on that original review which reads:

"When you went to 25 Main it had only been open for 2 months. They were still trying out cupcakes and what worked. Now that they have been open for almost 2 years, they have more of a selection and deserves a revisit!"

I agree.

I just happened to be in St. George for Thanksgiving, so I thought I would give them a second shot.




So was the second time better?

I wish.

I tried four flavors: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip, Coconut, Raspberry, and Chocolate. Unfortunately for all of us waiting to eat delicious cupcakes, they were dry. The pumpkin cupcake was the only one that was somewhat moist, but the frosting was a little gummy. The chocolate cupcake had the same problem that I encountered the first time: hard edges. These just aren't gourmet cupcakes. My sister-in-law explained them perfectly, "it's like a neighbor made them."




So maybe cupcakes aren't Twenty Five Main's specialty, there are still plenty of other items to enjoy there. Twenty Five Main is a cute cafe that serves breakfast, salads, paninis, soup, pasta, and sandwiches. Stop by and give them a try.

Sweet Tooth Fairy in St. George

It's not secret that Sweet Tooth Fairy is one of my favorite cupcake shops of all time. I reviewed their Provo location last year and have been craving them every day. Since then, Sweet Tooth Fairy has expanded to Draper, Salt Lake City, and St. George, Utah.

Well, lucky me! I just happened to be in St. George for Thanksgiving with my husband's family! There was no way I was not going to visit Sweet Tooth Fairy. After a few hours of exploring the mountain bike trails of St. George, my husband and I quickly drove there and had no problems spoiling our dinner.

The cupcakes looked just as good as I remembered.

The decor was the same as the original store in Provo, Utah.

This time I was not leaving without a cookie. But the cookie didn't last long enough for a picture. I loved it!

We gathered our goodies and headed back to "Thanksgiving central," the house where the 24 of us spent the weekend. (And let me tell you, sharing one bathroom with 22 people is not easy.)

My sister-in-laws and I tasted all of the cupcakes and goodies to make sure they were safe for the rest of the family.




Cake bites were a first for most of the people there. We got a few flavors to try. I like the chocolate peanut butter best.



When I visited Sweet Tooth Fairy last year, I sampled every flavor they had available that day. I was in heaven! So this time I wanted to try any flavors that were new to me.

Grasshopper

This was my first time trying Sweet Tooth Fairy's chocolate mint cupcake, but it wasn't my first time trying this flavor. My sister-in-law Kristine thought the mint was too overpowering. Sometimes this happens when you have mint in a dessert and then it tastes like mouthwash. I thought that there was just the perfect amount of mint. I liked it.

Pumpkin

This was no ordinary pumpkin. This cupcake had pumpkin cake AND pumpkin buttercream frosting (instead of the usual cream cheese frosting). My sister-in-law Julie thought that it had too much pumpkin flavor. But I thought it was interesting and unique and I really enjoyed it! I wish it could be around all year. I like that Sweet Tooth Fairy did something different.

Chocolate Fudge

Kristine liked this chocolate cupcake better than the Grasshopper. Tami, my other sister-in-law loved the thick fudgy frosting.

Sweet Potato Pie

This was definitely a new flavor to me and I loved it! One sister-in-law said it was too sweet, but another really liked it. My niece Hailey also liked it. I would definitely like to eat this again, but I'm guessing it's just as seasonal flavor.




The day that Sweet Tooth Fairy expands to southern California will be the day that I've died and gone to cupcake heaven. But maybe it's a good thing that Sweet Tooth fairy isn't close by...then I appreciate it more. At least that's what I tell myself.

Road Trip to Twenty Five Main

My husband and I took a little road trip up to southern Utah for a triathlon. I researched which cupcake stores we would be passing by so that I could begin critiquing on my new blog. I found two that I was interested in. Unfortunately, due to timing, we were only able to visit one.

My reward for completing a triathlon is cupcakes. So 20 minutes after leaving the race venue we arrived at Twenty Five Main in St. George, Utah. The cakes and cupcakes displayed in the window looked so tasty. I was super excited to see what I would find inside.
Twenty Five Main is also a cafe. When we first walk in, you can go left to order normal food or right to the cupcake counter.
When I approached the counter, I was surprised by how few cupcakes were actually displayed. The case was almost empty. I was told that people come in and buy dozens of cupcakes so it is hard to keep up with the demand (hmmm...). The three flavors to choose from were Original Chocolate, Vanilla Chocolate, and Vanilla Strawberry. I took one of each (only $5.63 for all three!). Their website lists that nine flavors are available on Saturday. I was looking forward to the peanutbutter cup.
My first taste was the Original Chocolate. The frosting was very yummy. Not too dense or heavy and just the right amount of frosting. When I began peeling the wrapper off, it was stuck to the top edge of the cupcake. The edge was very hard. Cupcakes should not crunch when you eat them but it did. My second choice was the Vanilla Strawberry. Again, the frosting was the best part and was made with fresh strawberries. It was very tasty. The top edge was not as much as a problem on this one. But the third one, the Vanilla Chocolate, had the same problem as the first. The top edge was hard and crunchy.
The frosting quantity and quality was the best part of these cupcakes. But otherwise nothing out of the ordinary. The interior design of the store was probably the best part about it. It had a mid-century modern flare to it complemented by very trendy blues, browns, and prints similar to designs profiled on websites such as Design Sponge. If only the cupcakes tasted as nice as the store appeared.