Balducci’s Gourmet Market

We are on the hunt for Italian Pizzelle cookies/wafers. They taste a bit like sugar cones, but are very thin. We looked up where they might be located and Target was listed as an option. So we drove over to Reston last Sunday for the ride but also for the mission. Of course, they didn’t have any. So we then figured an Italian market should have them and drove over to the Balducci’s in our neighborhood. We spent a lot of time searching around the store. The cherries and fresh fruit all looked quite nice, and the overall feel of it reminded us of Sendik’s in Milwaukee. But the prices were out of this world compared to Harris Teeter, Giant or Safeway - even Whole Foods. We have come to the conclusion that each place has one thing we like better than the others, which means there is always something we are missing wherever we end up. I would classify Balducci’s as a specialty market for a very specific purpose or occasion and clientele. In the end, they didn’t have Pizzelle cookies either, but we ended up getting some cheese and olives. If I had ordered the cookies on Amazon they would have been here yesterday. That’s the sad thing, or good thing, about it - depending on your point of view. 

Eastern Market

My grandfather had a grocery store. My mom worked every day in it. They got married on the Fourth of July because Saturday was a work day. Here in DC there is a huge market that has everything from soup to nuts - and our favorite cheese. We don't go there very often, but it is within walking distance. Because we were low on groceries, the Pope was in town, and parking was at a premium, we walked over to pick up a few things. It was very pleasant to wander around and check the goods - just like in the old days. We had our reuse able bags and filled them with fruit, cheese, and vegetables. Even before we moved here we liked it. It's a bit more expensive but every once in awhile it's a great outing. It's been around since Thomas Jefferson's time and withstood fires and who knows what else. Not everyone can boast about an historic grocery store. Eastern Market is one of those.