Pastries By Randolph

It's been a while now that we've been blogging... and it suddenly occurred to me that we had never posted about one of my favorite food places in Arlington, The International House of Pancakes!

I'll wait for your laughter and applause to die down before I continue.

Thank you.  But seriously, PASTRIES BY RANDOLPH.  We may have mentioned it in passing, but this place deserves a mention all of its very own.

Aside from Patisserie Poupon, this is by far the best bakery in the area, and if you don't want to make the journey into DC, stopping by this Lee Highway establishment will not disappoint. 

As you walk in, the smell of the place is divine.  This is the real thing, people: they use BUTTER in everything and you can tell...it lingers in the air.  Sadly, I could go on and on for hours about the treats and cakes I've tried from here, but really there is no substitute: go visit and dare to say you didn't like what you had. 

Their carrot cake is the real thing with its soft cream-cheesy frosting (to die for); they have a chocolate walnut cookie that's about an inch thick, moist like a brownie, and generally food-orgasmic; their made-to-order specialty cakes are beautifully executed and great value.  Just look:

We know how to party.  For this cake, the birthday-girl ordered the cake equivalent of Jacob's Coat of Many Colors: yellow cake, chocolate filling, hazelnut syrup and white chocolate buttercream on the outside.  It might sound like a panoply of flavors, but I do so swear and affirm that the cake was a hit, sweet but without overpowering the nutty/chocolatey flavors that birthday girl wanted.  Ahh, another success for PBR.

Pastries by Randolph
4500 Lee Highway
Arlington, Virginia
(703) 243-0070

Comments

[Lori]

The birthday cake flavors do sound a little curious but then again who can go wrong with hazelnut and chocolate in the same sentence?

[Hari]

We love the White Choclate Mousse Cake at Randolphs. They make it with Grand Mariner. The cake literally melts in your mouth. Just thinking about me makes me want to get a slice. We have been going to this place for the past 5 years. My wife's birthday is not complete without this cake.

[Mark]

I have been living in the Arlington/DC/Bethesda area for about 2 years now and searching for great chocolates, pastries and cakes. The places I've found have generally not been very good and they seem to be few and far between in the region. This place is the exception with outstanding cakes! Our family enjoyed a chocolate cake with chocolate mousse and raspberry topping a few weeks ago that was simply out of this world. There was much groaning with pleasure at our kitchen table. We followed this with a "white" cake with white frosting and raspberry filling. Also phenomenal. Nothing compared to the other bakers I've tried in northern VA. All others have been "just OK" but I'll be going to Pastries by Randolph for my cakes and pastries until I either die, they close, or we move away from the DC area. Worth a trip to Northern VA if you don't typically go there. I never write much about the places I find, but given my search has been long and difficult, this place's cakes are worthy of award!!