(Fairfax, 703-653-1600; Sterling, 703-421-2400; Woodbridge, 703-763-5500; Gainesville, 571-222-7117, opening November 2). Wandering the prepared-food sections of these grocery emporiums can make you dizzy: In the seafood section alone, there are eight kinds of ready-to-eat shrimp (garlicky and grilled, peel-and-eat, and Jack Daniel’s–soaked among them), seven varieties of smoked salmon, and rows of tilapia and salmon filets with an endless array of toppings and stuffings portioned in oven-safe mini-pans.
We’ve had the most success with the classics: Crab cakes ($9.99 each) are creamier than most but filled with sweet lump; New England–style clam chowder ($4.49) is packed with herbs and celery; and convenient grab-and-go packages of 16 cocktail shrimp ($9.99) come with lots of lemon and bitingly spicy cocktail sauce.
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Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
