December 2005

We're not fans of the overpriced cakes and cupcakes at Cake Love, the U Street bakery, or Love Cafe, the companion coffeehouse/lounge across the street--the texture's too grainy; the thick, stiff layer of buttercream frosting puts us in mind of Crisco. We're not alone. For months, debate has simmered among the online foodie community about the merits of owner Warren Brown's signature sweets.

Evidently, the litigator-turned-baker has been listening, in between taping his new Food Network show, Sugar Rush, and debuting his second Cake Love, in Silver Spring.

"Our cakes should only be eaten at room temperature," Brown wrote by e-mail to Best Bites, responding to the growing controversy over his all-natural cakes, which are chilled, he says, to preserve their freshness.

To bolster his argument that the cold temperatures affect texture, Brown has recently begun issuing "palm cards in the spirit of a cautionary road sign, which feature a person with a cake, thermometer at 72 degrees Fahrenheit, and the words 'serve cake at room temp.' "

He's hoping that people find the signs "cute as well as informative." And, presumably, stop bashing his baking.

Love Cafe: 1501 U St., NW; 202-265-9800; cakelove.com.  

Open Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 11 PM, Saturday from 9 AM to 11 PM, and Sunday from 10 AM to 10 PM.