Saints Be Praised!

Each of us has a friend who is the source of all knowledge. The one you go to when you need the name of a reliable plumber, or a really good doctor or, if the dog is throwing up all over the carpeting, a vet who also does carpet cleaning. This friend has researched everything and is phased by nothing, like a saint who's got your back in dire situations.

My personal holy woman just turned 50 and, rather than having some humongous birthday pastry ablaze with candles that could be seen from outer space, opted for several dozen little cupcakes in about 20 flavors. Then her guests could pick and choose, trying as many as they liked without worrying that people would notice they were on their sixth or seventh one. (I'm not the only one who worries about that, am I?)

Saint Cupcake herself

Of course, this took much research and personal scouring on her part of the many cupcake establishments in town, but her favorite was declared to be Saint Cupcake for the quality of cake as well as frosting, both integral to making a truly great cupcake experience. And they even have two locations, one on each side of town, adding access to their list of attributes.

These cakey little bits of deliciousness are irresistibly flavorful, not to mention just plain fun. And the fact that you can get small ones called "dots" that are a single bite of cupcake perfection or in regular full-sized versions just makes the place that much more appealing. While the whole cupcake thing that's going on right now might be a passing fancy, I'm hoping these folks stick around for the long term.

Details: Saint Cupcake, 407 NW 17th Ave. at Flanders or 3300 SE Belmont at 33rd. Phone 503-473-8760 (Flanders) or 503-235-0078 (Belmont).