Trader Joe's in Clarendon is finally open!

Chris, Claire, and I were some of the first customers through the doors of the new Trader Joe's in Clarendon at 8 am today. Greeted by cheering employees handing out free Trader Joe's reusable shopping bags, leis, and food samples such as apple cider and pumpkin cheesecake, we became glad really quickly that we got up early and braved the cold weather. At 16 months old, Claire officially became the youngest customer to set foot in this store.

Welcome to the neighborhood Trader Joe's!


Trader Joe's Clarendon
1109 North Highland Street
Arlington, VA 22201
(703) 351-8015

Welcome neighbor!

Grand opening!

Chris is enjoying the free apple cider...

Beautiful murals and food...

Claire, the youngest customer in Trader Joe's Clarendon store

At the Clarendon Metro "stop"

Fabulous Food Friday: Clarendon's Delhi Club

An Indian food feast at Clarendon's Delhi Club

It's been a long time since I've written about a fantastic restaurant, and given how many new places I've tried since then, it's about time to begin again. (Yes, even the Clarendon Cook needs to go out once in a while.)

There have been a lot of great restaurants opening in the Clarendon neighborhood in recent months (with more to come), but one of my favorites has been around for a few years - the Delhi Club. Chris and I have been going there for dinner for years and the Indian food it serves has become our favorite. Each dish is warm and delicious, definitely comfort food that fills you up. Look at the picture and tell me that doesn't look AMAZING, right?

I recently discovered that this place has a lunch buffet Monday through Friday. The buffet is a fantastic deal (just less than $10) for the wide selection offered -- they had my favorite Butter Chicken, and other great dishes like Chana Masalla, Chicken Vindaloo, Lamb Rogan Josh, Saag Paneer, Dal Makhani, and more.

I owe it to the Delhi Club for making Indian food my favorite cuisine. And that's hard to do given my Italian roots.

Delhi Club

1135 N. Highland Street

Arlington, VA  22201

703-527-5666

http://www.delhiclub.com

Exciting Food News for Clarendon

There are two very exciting pieces of news for the Clarendon neighborhood today.

First of all, Trader Joe's might become my new neighbor!  Yep, there's a really good chance that this fantastic food retailer will move in across the street very soon.  Arlington Now has the story:
http://www.arlnow.com/2010/09/14/breaking-news-break-out-the-three-buck-chuck-clarendon-trader-joes-close-to-a-reality/

The next piece of good news is that Bakeshop (http://www.bakeshopva.com/) will now open at 8:00 am to serve coffee and cupcakes, along with other treats such as croissants, pound cake, and bagels.  This definitely spells trouble for my diet but it's totally worth it.  Here's my previous review of Bakeshop, as if you need any more convincing to pay a visit soon: http://cookinginclarendon.blogspot.com/2010/02/fabulous-food-friday-bakeshop.html.

Fabulous Food Friday: Bakeshop

Let there be cake!  Cupcakes, to be specific.  I'm giving a special shout-out to my new neighbor, Bakeshop.  The cupcakes are truly amazing, though they have other sweet temptations on hand like a variety of cookies and oatmeal cream pies.  My husband Chris surprised me on Valentine's Day with two different kinds - red velvet and apple cupcakes.  The icing was so light and fluffy and the cakes were moist.  We've also tried the variety in the picture above - chocolate peanut butter, vanilla and chocolate - all were so fantastic that I will probably never need to bake again.  The cupcake craze is still in full swing and if you haven't tried this place yet, you must add it to your list.  For a leisurely afternoon in Clarendon, go to American Flatbread (see my previous review), walk a few doors down to Bakeshop for dessert, and buy a box of chocolates at Artisan Chocolates next door for the way home.  (I'll review Artisan soon but don't let that stop you from going there in the meantime.  Best chocolates around!)

It's hard to live right across the street from this place but I suppose someone has to do it.

Bakeshop
1025 N. Fillmore St., Suite G (Clarendon)
Arlington, VA  22201
(571) 970-6460
http://www.bakeshopva.com

Fabulous Food Friday: American Flatbread

The snow is falling and everyone in the DC area is hunkered down, bracing for the anticipated 20-30 inches.  Everyone has gone to the store, leaving shelves empty.  Except me.  Stores were too crowded last night!

I could bake a lot of sweets but I don't have too much "real" food at my fingertips.  If you're like me, or if you find yourself needing to get outside, here's one of my favorite neighborhood places - American Flatbread - that you should try.  Besides that it's directly across the street from where I live (how convenient!), it has amazing flatbread (a.k.a. pizza).  They use organic ingredients, and bake their flatbread in a "primitive wood-fired earthen oven."  It's a cozy place.  My favorite flatbread so far is their pepperoni and peppers, but the others are good too.  Stop in this weekend (since they will be open) or when the snow melts - you won't be disappointed!

American Flatbread (Clarendon)
1025 N. Fillmore St.
Arlington, VA  22201
(703) 243-9465
www.americanflatbread.com

The Beginning

As I sit here thinking about where to begin, the writer in me realizes that there are so many directions I could go and then begins to get overwhelmed. So I'll just begin by saying welcome to my new blog. This is kind of like a food diary, though I think it will be a great way to share tips, recipes, observations, restaurant suggestions and other food finds - which is what I always share with my friends in person or on Facebook, but with more room to do so.

While this blog will focus on food, the theme is Clarendon, my home with my husband. We got married at Cherrydale Baptist Church near Clarendon, and had our reception at the Clarendon Ballroom. I'm grateful to live in the neighborhood where we began our marriage and this blog is a fitting reminder of that wonderful beginning.

The picture is from our wedding day on April 23, 2005.