My wife and I finally checked out the new Harris Teeter grocery store (1631 Kalorama Road NW) last weekend, and we were both pretty impressed once we got past the slightly confusing entrance at street level. I wonder what the plans are for what appears to be the main entrance on the corner?

Inside, the store is clean, spacious, and the glass block windows above provide a nice touch of natural light. There was only one small section with low ceilings, that some have complained about. I had no problem at all with the layout or interior design, and thought it was a well-thought out adaptive reuse of a unique historic building. Yay, urban infill retail development!

The employees were all extremely friendly and helpful, and got us signed up for a Harris Teeter VIC card without too much fuss. There were free samples, and the prepared foods looked good. I picked up a slice of Red Velvet cake for dessert from the bakery, and it was great! Growing up in the northeast, I hadn't had it before, and it was moist, not too sweet, with good texture and flavors. J had a slice of Carrot Cake, which was also good. So, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend their bakery

Basically, the new Harris Teeter fills the niche between Giant/Safeway, and Whole Foods. Of course, it's a much longer walk for me compared to the Columbia Heights Giant or the Target, but we'll probably shop there every once in awhile for variety.