donuts

Dunkin’ Donuts Mulling Clarendon Location

By ARLnow.com

Pete's New Haven Apizza in Clarendon

Pete’s New Haven Apizza is preparing to downsize its space in Clarendon, and Dunkin’ Donuts is considering filling it.

Multiple sources tell ARLnow.com that Dunkin’ reps have taken a close look at the space at the corner of Clarendon Blvd and N. Garfield Street. A leasing chart for the building, however, still lists the space as unfilled.

There are existing Dunkin’ Donuts locations in Ballston and Courthouse but not in Clarendon.

Permits have been issued to alter the existing Pete’s dining room and kitchen, reducing the overall size of the restaurant. Co-owner Joel Mehr says the pizzeria remain open during the process.

“We plan to stay open during construction,” he said. “We may have to close for a lunch here and there.”

Donut Store Hopes to Serve Beer

By ARLnow.com

Sugar Shack Donuts on Columbia PikeYou might soon be able to enjoy a cold beer and a warm donut all in the same place along Columbia Pike.

Sugar Shack Donuts (1014 S. Glebe Road) has applied for a Virginia ABC license to serve beer on premises. The application was filed Nov. 7.

Owner Rob Krupicka wasn’t ready to discuss his beer-related plans when contacted by ARLnow.com.

“Need to see if we get a permit,” he said via email.

Krupicka’s Sugar Shack Donuts store in Alexandria has a hidden “speakeasy” bar called Captain Gregory’s, which serves cocktails and a small food menu featuring mostly savory, non-donut dishes.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Supermoon (Flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf)

Thanksgiving Travel in D.C. Area — More than 1 million D.C. area residents are expected to leave town for Thanksgiving, and 9 out of 10 of them will be traveling by car. The worst day and time for traffic in the region is expected to be next Tuesday afternoon. [Washington Post]

Arlingtonians Spend Big for the Holidays — The average Arlington household is expected to spend $1,741 celebrating the holidays, according to a new survey. That’s the highest expected holiday spending in the region and the 13th highest in the U.S. [InsideNova]

GMU Renames Building in Arlington — George Mason University’s Metropolitan Building in Virginia Square has been renamed for one of the school’s Nobel Prize laureates. The building will be renamed Vernon Smith Hall in a ceremony tomorrow (Friday). The university-owned building, at 3434 Washington Blvd, also houses the new Virginia DMV office. [George Mason University]

Beer Coming to Donut Shop — It’s a combination that would make Homer Simpson drool. Sugar Shack Donuts on Columbia Pike has applied for a Virginia ABC permit to serve beer. The application was filed Nov. 7. No word yet on how soon the store may be offering cold brews to pair with its donuts.

Good Stuff Eatery Opening at DCA — Burger restaurant Good Stuff Eatery is opening a new location today in Arlington: specifically, at Terminal B of Reagan National Airport. [Good Stuff Eatery]

Students Win Video Contest — “A team of students from the Arlington Career Center has won the fifth annual student video challenge sponsored by the Virginia School Boards Association (VSBA), taking home the top prize for the fourth year in a row.” [Arlington Public Schools]

Flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

People in Pokemon costumes near the Clarendon Metro station

Long Bridge Project Coming — Virginia’s new Atlantic Gateway transportation plan includes the reconstruction of Long Bridge, the rail bridge that runs parallel to the 14th Street Bridge. As proposed, the new bridge would carry four rail tracks instead of two. Local elected officials expressed support for the project at a press conference with Gov. Terry McAuliffe in Alexandria last week. [Arlington Connection]

Kids Attend ‘Peace Camp’ — A group of local children attended a week-long camp that was all about promoting peace through music, art and games. The event was held at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington and organized by the group Little Friends for Peace. [WUSA 9]

Sugar Shack Debuts ‘Donut Lab’ — Sugar Shack Donuts on Columbia Pike will be debuting new flavors every Wednesday as part of a social media competition with its sister store in Alexandria. Each week customers will vote on their favorite flavor. This week’s new flavor at the Arlington store is “Cannoli,” with cannoli cream filling and chocolate glaze. [Patch]

Community Zika Meeting — The Fairlington neighborhood will be holding a community meeting on the threat of the Zika virus tonight. [Twitter]

Korean Fried Chicken Donuts Now Offered at Sugar Shack

By Jackie Friedman
1/2

There’s a new donut offering at Sugar Shack Donuts (3400 Columbia Pike), and it’s definitely not vegan. The store is now offering not one but two varieties of Korean fried chicken donuts.

The spicy option has a Sriracha maple glaze with spicy chicken on the top. The milder option has a maple glaze with honey chicken on the top.

It’s a collaboration with another Arlington eatery. The chicken comes from Dak! Chicken, which is a Korean style chicken restaurant in Shirlington.

Yesterday was the first day that the donuts were served. Sugar Shack has been advertising the donuts throughout the week on its Twitter and Facebook pages.

“We have sold quite a few,” said Sugar Shack employee Andy Barry. “We’ve definitely had people come in just for the donuts.”

Just don’t expect the fried chicken donuts to be an everyday offering. The donuts will be served only on the last Thursday of every month.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Blooming in Barcroft (Flickr pool photo by Dennis Dimick)

VDOT Holds HOT Lane Meeting — Last night VDOT gave the first formal public presentation of its plan to expand the I-395 HOV lanes and convert them to High Occupancy Toll lanes. The meeting was held at Wakefield High School and addressed issues from toll pricing to transit improvements to sound walls. [WTOP, Fox 5]

Bike-on-Bike Crashes Problematic for the Law — A new article asserts that Arlington County Police normally do not file reports for bike-on-bike crashes. “This is a bike accident. Life happens,” an officer reportedly told a victim after one recent incident. Incomplete or nonexistent police reports have frustrated victims and attorneys seeking legal redress — and led to the hiring of private investigators who try to gather evidence and find witnesses. [Washingtonian]

Disability Advocates Protest in Arlington — Disability rights advocates made their frustrations personal yesterday by protesting in front of the Arlington home of Vanita Gupta, head of the U.S. Justice Department Civil Rights Division. [Disability Scoop]

Proposal: Allow Older Cabs in Arlington — The Arlington County Board on Saturday is expected to consider a policy change that would allow older cabs on the road, among other changes. Currently, cabs entering service may be no older than two years old and then must be retired after reaching seven years old or 350,000 miles. Recognizing advances in vehicle reliability, the new policy would do away with the two year provision and set the maximum age of cabs at 10 years old. [Arlington County]

Free Donuts for Lawyers Today — It’s Be Kind to Lawyers Day and to mark the occasion Sugar Shack Donuts on Columbia Pike is offering a free “house donut” to lawyers today. Sugar Shack is also beginning a promotion that will give select customers free donuts to distribute to their favorite local teachers. “To participate, folks just need to use the hashtag #Treats4Teach to tell us on Facebook or Twitter why they should be picked to deliver donuts to their local school teachers and to which school,” said a press release.

Nice Weather at Last — After this morning’s rain, expect clearing skies and pleasant weather that should stretch into next week. [Twitter]

Flickr pool photo by Dennis Dimick

Sugar Shack Along Columbia Pike Offering Vegan, ‘Gluten-Friendly’ Donuts

By ARLnow.com

Vegan, gluten-friendly donuts at Sugar Shack (photo courtesy Rob Krupicka)Vegan, dairy-free and “gluten-friendly” donuts are now being offered at Sugar Shack Donuts and Coffee along Columbia Pike.

The donut store opened at 1014 S. Glebe Road to much local fanfare last month. Today Sugar Shack announced the new vegan, gluten-friendly offerings, the result of “a few weeks of testing.”

“We’ll be offering these bad boys around 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. each day,” said store owner and former state legislator Rob Krupicka. “They are best when they are fresh out of the kitchen… We will be topping these with a variety of gluten-free toppings. We are also making vegan, gluten-friendly apple fritters.”

Why the “gluten-friendly” label?

“These donuts do not contain gluten, but as there is a lot of flour in our store, we can’t say they are gluten-free because the chance of cross-contamination is too high,” Krupicka said. He added that the new donuts will be an exclusive for the Arlington Sugar Shack location, at least for awhile.

“Because our Arlington store is bigger, we have more room to do new things in the kitchen,” he said. “We hope to offer these at all our stores soon, but for now, to get these rare, unicorns of donuts, head over to Sugar Shack Arlington on the Pike.”

Sugar Shack Donuts Now Open on Columbia Pike

By ARLnow.com

Sugar Shack Donuts opening (photo via Facebook)Sugar Shack Donuts & Coffee began serving customers at its new Columbia Pike location over the weekend.

The first Arlington store for the popular Richmond-based donut chain is located on the ground floor of the new 3400 Pike apartment building, at 3400 Columbia Pike.

Sugar Shack is open from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. today (Tuesday), as part of a week-long “soft opening,” the store said via its Facebook page. The official opening is scheduled for Saturday.

“The Columbia Pike community has been really amazing and supportive and we are excited about serving them,” said owner Rob Krupicka, a former state legislator who also owns a Sugar Shack location in Alexandria. “Neighbors will see that the walls of the new store will be covered with pictures of people from the Pike and we are so looking forward to partnering with the community and local food stores to create some unique donut flavors.”

Sugar Shack is noted for making its donuts in-house, by hand, and for its variety of flavors.

On Saturday, all Arlington County public servants – firefighters, police officers, teachers and government employees – will get a free donut by showing their ID, the store said in a press release.

“I used to be a public servant for many years,” Krupicka said in a statement. “I know how hard it is. We are delighted to be in this vibrant neighborhood and are really looking forward to getting to know the Arlington community that much better.”

Another trendy East Coast donut chain, Duck Donuts, has been serving large crowds since it opened in the Lee-Harrison shopping center on Lee Highway in November.

Photo via Facebook