I am in LOVE! Red Velvet, Dark Chocolate, Lemon Coconut, Vanilla Chocolate, Chai Latte…..::groan!:: And every day the menu of cupcakes changes, rotating through 20 flavors. Desire, instant gratification and daily variety — what more can a girl ask for? I can’t even write this without salivating. But Sprinkles Cupcakes on Little Santa Monica Boulevard in Beverly Hills was brought to my attention by a friend who knew about my insatiable sweet tooth. “Lookie! We HAVE to go!”

But back then it was still an abstract notion. A cupcake store? Why would I haul my cookies all the way to Beverly Hills and contend with unpredictable metered parking and overly cautious drivers of super-luxury vehicles for a measly cupcake? But then another friend sent me another review. And then there was some dastardly magazine article about Katie Holmes and her love of cupcakes and Sprinkles in particular, and so the buzzing in my head wouldn’t stop.

So one Friday, we treated ourselves to a cupcake excursion and we weren’t disappointed. The experience starts before you walk in. The cute storefront — a big glass window with the simple girly-scripted Sprinkles logo backdropping a couple of cafe tables and chairs. The appropriately iced glass door only offered a porthole for you to peek at all the goodies in the store.

And once you step in, you can’t help but exclaim, “Oooooh!” The glass display case is up high at eye level and you come face to face with all the lovely delicacies — sprinkled and iced in such friendly colors of yellow, white and…well, chocolate brown — sitting in neat little rows. The store also sells coffee and other drinks so you can either sit at their counter or sidewalk cafe table and enjoy your dessert or purchase one of their colorful plastic cupcake containers and sneak it off for an after-lunch snack.

Now I visit pretty regularly, and I can’t just get one cupcake (why would I go all the way to BH for just one?). I get three and have them boxed up “for later.” So far, my favorites are chai latte, dark chocolate, red velvet and lemon coconut. I hope to try all the flavors one day. It’s not just the icing of each flavor but the moistness of the succulent cupcakes that contributes to the tastebud orgasm. Sprinkles’ cupcakes may not be as icing top-heavy as Citizen Cupcake‘s up in San Francisco but that’s OK. You can try to eat just one but before you know it, you’re eating three…and then you feel a little sick.

There’s no real special or baker’s dozen but ordering a couple dozen for afternoon tea, a housewarming party or some very lucky officemates is a stylish, yummy way to celebrate. ($3.25, 12 for $36)

9635 S Santa Monica Blvd
Beverly Hills, CA 90291
(310) 274-8765
Cross Street: Bedford Drive