RareSweets Opening Mon. Dec. 15th at 8am in CityCenter – Check Out Their Opening Menu

963 Palmer Alley, NW

Following news of Arc’teryx’s Grand Opening this weekend comes more CityCenter news – RareSweets is located in one of the ‘alley’ shops between H and I near where the new Hermes is coming:

From a press release:

“RareSweets?, a bakeshop and specialty dessert company, will open for business on Monday, December 15th at 8:00 a.m. at 963 Palmer Alley, NW, Washington, DC 20001 located in downtown’s CityCenterDC development. After over a year of operating a wholesale and catering business out of the food incubator Union Kitchen, and hosting various pop-ups, RareSweets’ founder and pastry chef Meredith Tomason will open her first brick-and-mortar bakeshop. The menu will offer seasonally driven layer cakes, doughnuts, coffee cakes, mini bundts, cookies, bars, biscuits, ice creams, and other heirloom American confections reimagined for a modern palate.

Tomason, who has held high-profile pastry roles in New York such as pastry chef at Tom Colicchio’s lauded Craft Restaurant, and stints at Tribeca Treats and the famed Magnolia Bakery, was inspired to open RareSweets by her late grandmother, an avid baker, through whom Tomason slowly learned the treasure trove of family recipes dating back several generations. Family recipes for gingersnap cookies and cocoa crinkles have earned a spot on RareSweets’ opening menu, which also features recipes inspired by Tomason’s vast vintage cookbook collection—some dating back to the 1850s.

Tomason has an affinity for fruit forward desserts, and enjoys creating unexpected textures and flavors, relying on raw sugar, nutmeg, and flower essences such as lavender and orange blossom to brighten berries and other fresh flavors. Customers can anticipate an arsenal of classic flavors that remain throughout the year, as well as an evolving array of seasonal flavors, which will showcase produce at the peak of their season.

On opening day, the first 100 people in line will receive a complimentary hot cocoa with purchase, limited to one per person. Initially, operating hours will be from 7am – 7pm, seven days a week. The opening menu is below:

Breakfast

Buttermilk Biscuits, Cinnamon Rolls, Cheddar Chive Biscuits, Seasonal Coffee Cakes, English Muffins $3.60

Egg in a Basket: $3.75

Chocolate Cake Donuts, Seasonal Glazed Donuts $2.50

Granola & Milk or Yogurt $3.60

Cakes

Classic Cake Slices $5

Double Chocolate, Black & White, Red Velvet Beet, Black & Yellow

Seasonal Cake Slices $5.50

Ginger & Lemon, Vanilla & Eggnog, Apple Stack, Chocolate Malt

Mini Cakes $6

Classic Coconut, Chocolate Peppermint, Toasted Almond

Party Cakes (whole Cakes available for order)

Classic Flavors (6 inch $35, 8 inch $55, 9 inch $65)

Seasonal Flavors (6 inch $40, 8 Inch $60, 9 Inch $70)

Cookies & Bars

Oatmeal Raisin, Chewy Sugar Cookies, Gingersnaps, Cocoa Crinkles, Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Chip/Walnut $2.00

Chocolate Brownie, Brown Butter Blondie $2.30

Ice Cream & Sorbet

Small $5.40 Large $6.40

Winter Spice, Vanilla, Mint Cocoa Nib, Milk Chocolate Spice, Oatmeal Raisin, Blood Orange Sherbet, Green Apple Sorbet, Pomegranate Black Pepper Sorbet

Beverages

La Colombe Coffee & Espresso Drinks $2.50-$4.00, Hot Chocolate $3.40, Running Byrd Sweet Tea $2.75

DC-based architecture/design firm CORE designed the 1,212 sq. foot space, creating a crisp and light design palette that mixes white, grey and honey-stained pine and ash tones. A backlit perforated wood apron, inspired by a design motif found in old cookbooks and pie tins, wraps around the ceiling. Glass cake dome lights illuminate the butcher block and mink marble countertops in the open kitchen, which features a cake icing station with a playful wall of icing tools.”