citycenterdc

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: (more…)

Thanks to a reader for passing on from reddit. A user noted that if you type Uniqlo into google it comes up as CityCenterDC (825 10th St, NW) – see screenshot above I took a few minutes ago. Almost exactly a year ago we thought craigslist had confirmed uniqlo when an ad for “UNIQLO Manager Candidate Program – Retail Sales – new” popped up for Washington, DC. Yes, yes, not everyone likes their clothing. Noted. But for those who do – this is one more reason to get excited! Though it still may be worth taking with a grain of a salt as their website makes no mention of a Washington DC expansion:

“Our clothes are functional, designed with innovative features and available in a wide range of colors and styles. Our designers are artistic apparel engineers, dedicated to finding elegant solutions to common garment dilemmas. We now operate more than 1,400 stores in 16 countries worldwide. This fall we will open 18 new stores in the US, in addition to the already 21 in the Northeast and the San Francisco Bay Area. We will be expanding into new markets including Boston, Los Angeles and Philadelphia metro areas.”

UPDATE: CityCenter Rep says they aren’t coming. According to OP, Uniqlo says it’s news to them so they can’t confirm or deny.