cupcakes

Bozzelli’s Now Serving Pizza in Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

The selection is a bit limited at the moment, but Bozzelli’s Italian Deli in Crystal City (2600 Crystal Drive) is now serving pizza.

The addition will bring Bozzelli’s, which opened in November, into direct competition with one of the few other street-facing quick-serve options on the southern end of Crystal Drive, Pizza Autentica (2450 Crystal Drive).

Bozzelli’s is serving plain cheese, pepperoni and veggie pizzas for now. Fancier options like the white pizza are still a few days away, an employee said. In addition to the pizza, Bozzelli’s is also now offering mini cupcakes and other sweets in Crystal City.

One repeat customer who may be sampling the new menu items is Crystal City resident and former presidential candidate Sen. John McCain. We’re told McCain has been known to swing by the restaurant on occasion.

Photo via Facebook

Brgr:Shack Opens in Ballston

By ARLnow.com

Arlington’s latest burger joint has opened for business.

Brgr:Shack serves 100% natural grass fed beef burgers in a light-filled, modernist setting across from the Ballston Metro at 4215 Fairfax Drive.

In addition to nine types of burgers, the restaurant serves fresh cut french fries, sweet potato fries, two types of salads, seven types of beer, shakes, ice cream and — coming soon — cupcakes.

(For those keeping score, burgers, salads, beer and cupcakes make up four of the six Arlington food groups. Only froyo and pizza are missing.)

Come spring, the restaurant is expected to start opening the garage door shown in the photos.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Bill Would Increase Handicap Parking Fine — Del. David Englin (D) — a prolific proposer of legislation — has introduced a bill that would increase the maximum fine for illegally parking in a handicapped parking space from $500 to $750. The minimum fine would remain $100. [Sun Gazette]

Blog Conducts Cupcake Taste Test — Which has the better cupcake, the new Crumbs Bake Shop (2839 Clarendon Blvd) or Bakeshop (1025 N Fillmore St)? A local blog conducted a taste test and produced an exhaustive a 1,100+ word comparison. [Clarendon Culture]

Public Library to Hold “Cello-bration” — Cellist David Rabin will perform at the Columbia Pike Branch Library (816 S Walter Reed Drive) at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. The event, which is billed as fun for all ages, will feature the music of January birthday boys Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Jan. 27) and Franz Schubert (Jan. 31). [Arlington Public Library Blog]

Flickr pool photo by Jason OX4

Reminder: Crumbs Giving Away Free Cupcakes Saturday

By ARLnow.com

The new Crumbs Bake Shop in Clarendon (2839 Clarendon Boulevard) will be giving away free cupcakes tomorrow to celebrate its grand opening.

The store, which opened on Dec. 30, will give away 1,000 of its signature size (read: large) cupcakes to its first 1,000 customers. Also, the store is giving away free cups of coffee with any cupcake purchase.

Crumbs is open from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. on Saturdays.

Crumbs Bakeshop to Open on Thursday

By ARLnow.com

Crumbs Bakeshop, the New York City-based cupcake chain, will open its new Clarendon store on Thursday, the company Tweeted this morning.

The Clarendon Crumbs is located at 2839 Clarendon Boulevard. It is the chain’s first Arlington location, and second D.C. area location.

The company’s store openings are often accompanied by big product giveaways.

The photos above were taken in November.

Update at 2:35 p.m. — A 1,000 cupcake giveaway will be held on Saturday, Jan. 8.

Crumbs Bakeshop in Clarendon Closer to Opening

By ARLnow.com

The paper has come down from the windows of the new Crumbs Bakeshop in Clarendon, but the NYC-based cupcake chain still has not set a definitive opening date.

A peek inside the store reveals that there’s still interior work to be done. There is, however, a surprisingly comprehensive coffee and beverage menu posted.

A Crumbs rep tells us they’re “working hard” to open by Christmas.

When we reported on Crumb’s impending arrival in February, the company was projecting a May opening.

H/T @CommonCenser

Bakeshop Does Breakfast

By ARLnow.com

Clarendon’s cupcake-and-coffee store Bakeshop is now serving breakfast.

At the bright and early hour of 8:00 a.m., Tuesday through Friday, Bakeshop (1025 North Fillmore Street) will unlock the doors and start selling bagels, croissants, coffeecake and Wrecking Ball coffee. The new opening hours took effect yesterday, and we hear it was surprisingly busy for the first day.

Crumbs Is Coming Soon

By ARLnow.com

Signs for the new Crumbs Bake Shop are up next to Lululemon and Red Mango on Clarendon Boulevard. Clarendon Culture reports the store is expected to open in December.

The storefront has nearly 900 square feet of space for the popular New York-based cupcakery. According to county records, the store’s initial floorplan calls for 10 indoor seats and no sidewalk cafe.

The new location still hasn’t been listed on the Crumbs web site.

Update at 10:00 a.m. — A Crumbs rep confirms: Opening “by the end of the year.” It seems plausible that the store could open sooner — the company started applying for permits in July.

Update at 2:30 p.m. — Added photos of the exterior and interior. I’m becoming more and more convinced that we’ll see a pre-Thanksgiving opening date.

Update at 2:50 p.m. — Contrary to what Clarendon Culture and ARLnow.com is being told by the company, a Crumbs spokesperson is telling TBD that the Clarendon Crumbs is hoping for a late September or early October opening. This morning, a rep at Crumbs HQ told us it “definitely” would not be open within a month. Sigh.

Update on 9/22 — Crumbs just emailed ARLnow.com to let us know that they’re planning on a mid-November opening.

Another Cupcake Bakery Coming to Clarendon

By ARLnow.com

Watch out, Bakeshop. Another cupcake shop is coming to Clarendon, and they’re bringing along a loyal following.

Manhattan-based Crumbs Bakery is opening seven stores in the Washington area. As first reported by Washingtonian, one of the stores will be in Clarendon.

A Crumbs representative told arlnow.com that the Clarendon location is scheduled to open in May. She said she was unsure of the future store’s exact location.

First Look at Clarendon’s New Cupcake Shop

By ARLnow.com

Upscale cupcake bakeries are nothing new. Georgetown Cupcake, Baked & Wired, and Hello Cupcake are just a few of the gourmet baked goods establishments lining the streets of the District. Heidelberg Pastry Shoppe on 2150 N. Culpeper Street in North Arlington has won some online acclaim for its more traditional cupcakes. But Bakeshop, at 1025 N. Fillmore Street, has the distinction of being the first of its kind in Clarendon.

The store is a labor of love for chief cupcake maker Justin Stegall. Stegall’s sweets have been sold at various DC coffee shops, including Chinatown Coffee Co. (hat tip: Washington City Paper). Now, he finally has a storefront to call his own.

Bakeshop hasn’t officially opened yet, but Stegall has been inviting people to check out the store during special hours announced via Twitter. During Saturday’s snow storm, about 60 people stopped by for a so-called soft opening. Within five hours, the store was sold out.

(Pictures and an expert cupcake review, after the jump.)

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