Buttercream Bakeshop (1250 9th Street NW) is one of the latest additions to Shaw, the neighborhood whose 9th street corridor has seen a massive influx of new openings and real estate development. Headed by Tiffany MacIsaac, a James Beard semi-finalist who previously headed Neighborhood Restaurant Group’s pastry program, and Alexandra Mudry-Till, a Culinary Institute of America grad known for producing high-end wedding cakes, the bakery was eagerly anticipated around the neighborhood and across the city even while the baking duo struggled with construction delays.
Originally targeted to open in November 2015, Buttercream faced many of the challenges typical to a new restaurant build-out. “Construction was really, really hard, and I think it is for everybody” says MacIsaac. The most vexing challenge turned out to be permitting, particularly communicating with Washington Gas just to get the bakery’s gas turned on — it took MacIsaac eight weeks and about 20 to 30 hours of phone calls to get Washington Gas to complete the task, and that was only after she turned to social media to complain.
The building’s internal configuration also led to surprising discoveries, such as the kitchen venting directly into the bathroom, causing the lavatory to be perpetually scented with brownies (we can think of worse problems). Nestled on the ground floor of a new apartment complex, the shop’s external exhaust fans also feed into a courtyard overlooked by the balconies of the upstairs apartments — residents may find their dreams invaded by visions of kougin amman and oatmeal cream pie.
With construction issues now solved, MacIsaac and Mudry-Till’s fingers are in a lot of other pies. In addition to putting out Buttercream’s own products, MacIsaac is also overseeing the dough and dessert pastry program of All Purpose, the adjoining antipasti-and-pizza joint with whom the bakery shares a communal underground kitchen. The shop has an exclusive contract to produce cakes and special desserts for the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Cake baking for birthdays, weddings, and events is also a large part of the business, and MacIsaac hopes to start running baking classes sometime during the next three months.
Both MacIsaac and Mudry-Till are veterans of the acclaimed Buzz Bakery (now known as Buzz Bakeshop and recently rejuvenated with a new menu developed by celebrity cake designer Maggie Austin LaBaugh), but this new venture offers an opportunity for both risk and unfettered creativity.
Outside of special projects, the first days of the shop will be a time of experimentation and development. Items will be predominantly sweet, but a limited number of savory options are also planned. MacIsaac is also hoping to have four or five gluten-free options, and says that she’s committed to producing these items in a rigorously controlled environment in order to prevent gluten contamination. No vegan goods are planned at this time, as MacIsaac feels it is too difficult to produce high quality vegan baked goods while also managing their other projects.
MacIsaac says that her main goal is for Buttercream to become a part of the burgeoning community, and hopes to be tailoring their hours to the needs of their customers. Currently the shop is open until 7:00 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday (and closes at noon on Monday), but MacIsaac says, “As this neighborhood builds up, I think there will be a lot more need for us to stay open later.”
Buttercream Bakeshop, 1250 9th Street NW, Washington DC, (202) 735-0102. Open 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. Monday, 7 am to 7 pm Tuesday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. Takeout or dine-in. Street parking. Cash/credit. 2 pastries + coffee, $8-$12.
