The Cupcake Counter is so adorable you'll want to eat it. The tiny cube of a store, marked off from the adjacent La Quinta Inn and Enterprise-Rent-A-Car by a barely noticeable pinstripe awning, resembles the tidy, compact eponymous fare, right down to the icing-like chandelier that hangs from the ceiling.

The Loop establishment's cupcakes ($3 each) come in four regular flavors - butter, chocolate, carrot and red velvet - and are supplemented by two daily specials, such as coconut or cookies and cream. Because everything gets churned out of the mother-daughter team's single oven, sometimes certain cupcakes aren't available, so go in with an open mind. If for some reason (that I can't possibly think of) you don't like cupcakes, there are also scones, muffins, brownies, cookies, nuts, chocolate-covered pretzel rods and Rice Krispie treats. If you're feeling particularly indulgent, have a frosting shot (thankfully, exactly what it sounds like). If you're feeling particularly healthy, get the yogurt parfait and leave because you're making the rest of us feel bad.

Wash it all down with a cup of the Cupcake Counter Intelligentsia blend. Even if you like your coffee black, make sure to try the fancy automatic milk machines. It's the milk dispenser of tomorrow, today! No espresso drinks are offered, but milk (including soy), juice and tea are also available.

The marble counter seats three, but this is clearly a take-it-and-go place. If all that movement sounds like too much effort, try to ignore the pleas from your sweet tooth until winter, when the Cupcake Counter adds delivery, allowing you and your officemates to enjoy dessert without setting foot in the snow.

Average cost: <$10

Centerstage Reviewer: Alexander Hough