Food & Drink

Every other weekend, Clarendon resident Tom Madrecki converts the living room of his small, one-bedroom apartment into a one-seating supper club for 12. Someday the enterprising 24-year-old hopes to open a legitimate restaurant. But for now the makeshift operation is his test kitchen ...

Soup for You - Need something to warm you up when temperatures start to dip? These steaming elixirs will have you feeling toasty in no time. Busara- 8142 Watson St., McLean, 703-356-2288; busara.com. The aromatic Thai tom ka gai ($4.75) is rich with ginger, cilantro, coconut milk and tender sliced chicken ...

Necessity is the mother of invention. Just ask Andie Nelson, who launched Creative Kids Kitchen three years ago while she was at home full time with her two young kids. “I started brainstorming how I could sign up people to come over to our house to do something fun and interesting,” says the Arlington mom, now 36. She decided to host a cooking playgroup for toddlers and their parents, inviting kids to get their hands dirty by mixing up batches of cupcakes and pizza bites. After three months of informal gatherings, Nelson felt she had enough interest to turn her hobby into a business. Creative Kids Kitchen now offers year-round classes for kids ages 18 months to 14 ...

Old school restaurants in Arlington, Falls Church and McLean that keep customers coming back.

The Arlington-based chef launches a second location in Marshall, Va. and a new line of comfort foods.

Trade Roots owner Lisa Ostroff created some buzz in September when she expanded her fair-trade gift boutique in Westover into the space next door (a former drycleaner) and added fair-trade coffees and teas to her repertoire. Her expanded shop now includes a 15-seat café ...

Give the gift of food and drink from these shops in Arlington, Falls Church and McLean.

Dishes to supplement your holiday table. Plus, a new fair-trade coffee shop in Westover.

Farmhouse dining, cupcakes in McLean, a juice-bar expansion and fall road trips in search of apple cider.

Looking for an excuse to take in the fall foliage in the Virginia countryside? Savor the flavors of autumn by tipping back a glass of fresh, non-alcoholic cider at one of these apple-centric outposts. Trust us, they are worth the trip. And you won’t need a designated driver.

Fans of Clarendon’s South Block Café will be happy to hear that the health-conscious business is expanding into the space next door and opening a dedicated juice bar. The 640-square-foot South Block Juice Co. will showcase the same cold-pressed juices and cleanses that owner Amir Mostafavi has been selling at his adjacent eatery and by delivery since spring 2013 (his sister operation, D.C.’s Campus Fresh, also carries them). “The juice took on a life of its own,” says Mostafavi, “so this gives it its own space.

Tired of menus that treat vegetarian options as an afterthought? Here are some places where meatless reigns supreme, or at least gets equal play.