Coffee & Treats in Arlington

Named for the patron saint of sailors and '80s power ballads, St. Elmo's Coffee Pub has served as a java junction for Alexandrians since opening in 1996. In addition to more than 20 types of coffees ($1.50–$1.90), many organic, culled from the collection of local roaster The Daily Roast, St. Elmo's also offers espresso drinks ($1.50-$4.10), tea ($1.35–$3.50), baked goods from local bunsmiths ($0.70–$5.95), and a variety of sandwiches delivered daily from Caboose Cafe & Bakery and Bread & Chocolate. As payment for a lost chessboxing wager, Bread & Chocolate also provides St. Elmo's with salads and additional hot items, including the all-natural Quiche sisters—Lorraine, Spinach, and Mushroom ($3.95).

Food and wine make for a great tag-team duo, assuaging stress while filling the belly with scrumptious sustenance. At GRAPE + BEAN, patrons can sample wines, small plates, and large plates to satisfy the pickiest of sippers and tasters. A knowledgeable staff helps customers pick out palate-soothing drinks and eats amid an inviting atmosphere that features original brick walls, exposed beams, and rustic wood finishes. Sample tasty bites off the lunch, brunch, or dinner menus, which offer selections such as the rosemary ham with melted aged gruyere ($11), truffled egg toast ($12.50), and duck confit with white-bean casserole ($22). Or, opt for smaller plates, such as artichoke with pecorino, fresh mint, and basil ($9) and organic heirloom tomato with serrano ham ($9).

Every day, Rita's serves up fresh, fruitified Italian ice ($2.39 for a regular) in more than 30 flavors, with sugar-free, fat-free, cholesterol-free, and trans-fat-free ices available. Achieve Ty Cobb–like levels of coolness with the Georgia peach ice, get caught in the rain of the refreshing piña colada, or visit the Sunshine State without leaving the comforts of your bomb shelter with the Florida orange. Other flavors include strawberry, root beer, Swedish Fish, chocolate chocolate chip, vanilla, key lime, the unearthly RitaBerrious (formerly Mystery Ice), and even a Peeps flavor. All ices are served within 36 hours of mixing, ensuring that Rita's customers are getting drinks as pure as the driven Technicolor snow.

The bakers at the sister-owned cheesecakery use fresh ingredients to create creamy, handmade confections. This Groupon is good for 12 two-inch microcakes, and you can mix and match among the original flavor, chocolate, strawberry, and cookies 'n' cream to assemble a delicious dozen. The bite-sized baked goods are perfectly portioned to prevent guilt-induced post-cheesecake regret, and as such make a fitting gift for calorie-counting suckers for sweet or someone who underwent a surgical procedure that replaced his or her human mouth with the mouth of a striped bass.

Gifford's claim to deliciousness is in the production of rich and delicious ice cream and sorbets. The company's overlarge butterfly net catches ingredients from across the world, such as Swiss chocolate and vanilla extract from Madagascar, which are then mixed at local Gifford's locations for fresh ice cream. Choose from a dizzying array of flavors, including pistachio, chocolate marshmallow, roasted coconut, and caramel toffee swirl, to name just a few. Traditional cups and cones stack up at $3.75 for a single scoop, $4.75 for a double, and $5.65 for a triple. Gifford's seasonal ice cream flavors shift with the tide of time, and include such tasty oddities as banana Bailey's & cream, blueberry pomegranate, and cantaloupe. Savor delightfully traditional sundaes in waffle shells ($5.50) and classic banana splits ($6.95), far preferable to other ice creameries' ultrafuturistic sundaes made out of spools of film and wool overcoats.

Cuteness is a legitimate business plan at Frosting's treat boutique, which is minimally dressed in cream-colored shades throughout both indoor and outdoor seating areas. The cupcake flavors ($2.75 each) come in 26 varieties and, like the seasons, rotate daily. Nibble on the edelweiss, richly almond tasting and topped with further almond buttercream, or crunch into the french-toast inspired Frenchie with a buttery maple dollop up top. There's even a few gluten-free flavors, such as the densely choctacular and fudge-topped cioccolato and the flavorful coconut-dusted snowflake.