Rodman's

It's hard to pigeon hole Rodman's.  It's part grocery, part gourmet foods store, part wine and beer store, part pharmacy, and then there's all manner of other stuff you really need or never knew you wanted.   The premises have been substantially expanded over the past 10 years and while you probably won't want do all your shopping here, you really haven't lived until you have taken the time to peruse its shelves.  In a nutshell, Rodman's is the one place you can count on in DC to stock both sun-dried tomatoes and ostomy supplies.  Because seriously, why make two trips when you can make one?

Apparently Rodman's has three locations but two of them are somewhere north of town in Montgomery County, so for my money, there is only one Rodman's:  on the northwest corner of Wisconsin Avenue and Ellicott Street NW.   And kudos for great customer service:  a pharmacist who took extra time when my mother when she was very ill, the fellow in the wine department who special ordered a case of Vouvray for me and then insisted on carrying it to my car, the watch repair guy who charges only about 8 bucks for a new battery.  If you haven't been by, they're open seven days a week and there's even free parking in back.  The metro's only a few blocks away but with what you're going to be lugging home, bring the car.