How Did I Forget...

....to mention Bob and Edith's, that little hub of anytime good old fashioned eating?

Located in the 2000 block of Columbia Pike, the little square building, mounted on a concrete block, sits between gas stations and serves up everything from scrapple 'n' eggs to whole pies. Arlington has a nice set of tasty all-night diners, but stepping inside this one makes me feel like I've just been transported to a little sea port town, or a tiny, one-stop-sign area in the middle of Georgia. The food is served piping hot and super fast, but there's no innate sense of the hustle and bustle that defines the metropolitan Washington area. Open since 1969, the place embraces modernity - a flat-screen TV is mounted on one wall - while holding onto the past with its bright jukebox and faded pictures of celebrities and school kids hung crookedly on the wall. On a recent night there, my dining partner (Eric) and I devoured a Couples' Waffle Sundae in a booth next to a familiar man -- familiar because I swear he's been there every evening, eating his dinner at the counter, for the two years I've been in Arlington. Further down the aisle from us, a man moved over in his booth seat so his female companion could scoot next to him to watch Law & Order: SVU. It was a typical weeknight at the diner, but I knew that when the weekend came up, the joint would be packed full of loud young partygoers enjoying an early breakfast before heading home to sleep it off.

So come on in, and pore over the bright yellow laminated menu before making your selection. Whether you're coming here to relax at the end of a hard work day or crowded into the booths with six friends after a night out at the bars -- Bob and Edith's is happy to serve you.

Note for my fellow former Blacksburgians: If you're looking for Arlington's answer to Joe's Diner, here it is!