Smorgasbord: New and Coming to Clarendon
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Friday, July 8th, 2011
I’ve only lived in Clarendon/Courthouse for going on four years (with a 10-month sabbatical in the Queen City), but wow, has a lot changed. Almost every day, I learn about some new addition to the already-rich food scene. In this case, I say, bring it! More is definitely more.
What follows is just a taste of what’s happening in the neighborhood.
Larry’s Homemade Ice Cream Now Open for Business
When it comes to frozen treats, ice cream, frozen yogurt, and gelato are the indisputable trinity. Clarendon in recent years has been hit by both the gelato and fro-yo bugs. With respect to ice cream, we have some “oldies” like Goody’s and Carvel (remember Fudgie the Whale?), but I had wondered what newcomer was finally going to give Boccato Gelato (with its perennial lines–yes, people really do eat gelato at 11 a.m., regularly) and Red Mango a run for their money.
Well, it looks like Larry’s Homemade Ice Cream is going to take up the challenge. I had spied the empty storefront for some time, but it appears that Larry’s opened this past weekend. Larry’s will offer its customers ice cream (duh!), sundaes, milkshakes, frozen yogurt, fruit smoothies, baked goods and espresso drinks. Stop by 3018 Clarendon Boulevard, right next to BGR The Burger Joint. (At this time, Larry’s does not appear to have a website with additional contact information.)
Cava To Open Saturday
Next on the Clarendon hit list is the opening of the Greek mezze, wine bar and martini lounge Cava on Saturday, July 9. This is the third and largest Cava location (Rockville is the original; Cava conquered Capitol Hill next).
The 3,900 square-foot restaurant opens for dinner at 5 p.m. After its first week, the restaurant plans to add lunch hours, and eventually Saturday and Sunday brunch. The menu is 90% similar to what the restaurant offers at its other locations. It will also serve Face Plant IPA, a craft beer from Ashburn’s Lost Rhino Brewing Company.
In the rush to try the new neighborhood Greek mezze, just don’t forget Courthouse’s Lebanese mezza at Me Jana, a personal favorite.
For a peek at the interior design of Cava Clarendon, and more menu details, click here.
Cava
2940 Clarendon Boulevard
Arlington, VA 22201
(703) 276-9090
Rabbit To Bring Healthy Eats and Cupcake Wars, the Clarendon Edition
The team behind Red Velvet Cupcakery and Tangysweet also have plans for Clarendon. The ETA for their newest venture, Rabbit, is late July. This Rabbit’s hole is situated cozily between neighborhood veteran Delhi Club (which suffered a kitchen fire recently) and new-kid-on-the-block (not NKOTB-yuck!) Pete’s New Haven Style Apizza.
Rabbit is so-named because it will serve “simple salads, chef crafted salads, sandwich plates served with simple salads,” and warm dinner plates (“made-to-order protein, simple salad, and house-made mashed potatoes”) along with artisanal breads, freshly squeezed carrot juice, and “other seasonal juices.” Chef Katsuya Fukushima, formerly of Jose’ Andrés’s ThinkFoodGroup, served as Rabbit’s Consulting Chef in developing its menus. In addition to rabbit food, Rabbit will also offer wine and beer by the glass, and . . . (gasp!) Red Velvet Cupcakery cupcakes.
Until now, Clarendon has been relatively sheltered from the frantic, cupcake-hungry hordes. We do have the recent addition Crumbs and the somewhat obscurely-located Bakeshop, but I am fearful of the forthcoming sugar-induced hysteria. In any event, there may be some good Pete’s Segways v. cupcake consumer showdowns to look forward to in our future. (I can just see the ARLnow.com headline: Cupcake Crowd Mowed Down by Runaway Segway.)
Rabbit is definitely a concept I can get behind, and while I look forward to trying it, I wonder if anyone else thinks it should reconsider the carrot car . . . Just sayin’.
Rabbit
3035 Clarendon Boulevard
Arlington, VA 22201
(703) 243-5660
Happy Friday!
-Johnisha M. Levi
Tags: cafe atlantico, carrot juice, Carvel, Cava, Clarendon Boulevard, Cupcake Wars, espresso drinks, Faceplant IPA, frozen yogurt, fruit smoothies, Goody's, Greek tapas, Gut Check, Johnisha M. Levi, Katsuya Fukushima, Larry's Homemade Ice Cream, Lebanese tapas, lost rhino, Me Jana, milkshakes, more cupcakes, Northern Virginia, NoVA, Pete's New Haven Apizza, Rabbit, Red Velvet Cupcakery, salads, sandwiches, sundaes, TangySweet, Wilson Boulevard