Eric J. Lubbers Sings His Hits

The Shoppe, 3013 E. Colfax Ave., opened its doors to a massive crowd on Saturday, causing them to run through, by their own count, 600 linebacker-sized cupcakes and bowls of cereal. Brofax was there, and I decided to apply a tried and true blogging technique to the main attraction.

I’m going to unbox* the cupcakes:

More food porn and comments after the jump.

Why should tech blogs have all the fun of blogging up something new and exciting? Shouldn’t freshly baked cupcakes be just as mouth-watering as some new computer or whatever it is that gets unboxed at Gizmodo all the time? Besides, electronics are obsolete within the year. Cupcakes are forever. Let’s begin, shall we?

What: Cupcakes of flavors determined to be “chocolatey” and “pink” from the grand opening of The Shoppe, 3013 E. Colfax Ave.

When: Jan. 26, 4 p.m.-ish

Who is responsible for this?: Emma Skala, baker extraordinnaire, provided the pastry and Tran Wills, designer/entrepreneur, co-owners and operators of The Shoppe.

Setting: The Shoppe is by no means a large space. It’s a cutely narrow little venue that has put no square inch to waste, with the bakery/display case/counter combination totally out in the open and all the way at the back. The remaining space was filled with nice tables, couches, bookshelves and, at least for the grand opening, a full-on DJ setup.

Word had gotten out and the crowd was out the door by the time that Sarah and I got there for our share. The event was advertised as a 1-6 p.m. affair, and it was clear that they had been packed since 12:55. I didn’t mind, because the longer wait in line gave us time to take in the hip-but-not-too-hip surroundings.

Especially pleasing to the eye were the cupcake/cereal-inspired artwork from some of Denver’s best designers and artists. I’d go through their names, but why not just show you my favorite one?

The menu is the centerpiece of the space’s minimal-without-being-boring design aesthetic. Josh Wills, Tran’s other half, has been extremely influential in the design, and it shows.

The kitchen was a flurry of activity as Emma and company worked to satisfy the cupcake-hungry blob that had been devouring their supplies for three hours without so much as a break. By the time we reached the counter, there were only three plates of cupcakes left. But loneliness becomes a good-looking pastry; without the distraction of the usual myriad flavors, the remaining cupcakes had a quiet nobility to them, daring us to eat them.

The cupcakes: I’m not a food critic, and have not developed the vocabulary required to dive too deeply into the tawny noses and baroque undertones of food, so I’m just going to say it: These cupcakes are damn good.

Sarah went with “pink” (we just pointed at the display case when we ordered and forgot to see what flavors they actually were) and I went with “chocolatey.” The Bill-Gates-rich pink frosting had a certain tang to it that made me think it was at least partially cream cheese-based. The cake portion was soft and moist and tasted the way you remember birthday cake tasting when you were young, even though your past-cakes were probably not nearly this good.

Sarah dove in first and attempted to eat hers the old-fashioned (read:cavewoman) way. This is not advised:

My cupcake had a distinct mocha-y flavor (and indeed, mocha is a regular flavor according to the menu) and was equally as delicious as Sarah’s. I went with a fork, which helped immensely:

All I can say is that if this is what Emma and her crew can churn out during their busiest, most stressful time, I can’t wait to see what happens when they can relax.

Check out The Shoppe’s blog for more events and information.

And for god’s sake, get yourself a cupcake.