Giant people seen at Van Ness

Seven months after closing for renovations and enlarging, the Giant at Van Ness has re-opened and so far it looks good, at least on the first weekend. The place is considerably bigger than the previous incarnation, more colorful, inviting, friendly, and with a much larger choice of products. There are still two entrances, one from Connecticut Avenue and one from the Veazey Street garage. There are 12 checkout lanes, three of which are self-checkout.

The variety of drinks alone is astonishing. And over 200 types of cheese. Enough choice to drive a maximizer insane.

I read somewhere that Giant brings in experienced employees for store openings to ensure smooth running as well as the training of permanent staff so all bets are off what the place will be like in a couple of months but for now, welcome back Giant, you're looking good.

Egg Heaven

My idea of a treat in Cleveland Park on an occasional weekend morning is an omelet from Firehook Bakery.

Walk into 3411 Connecticut Avenue across from the Uptown Theater between 8:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m on a Saturday or Sunday and right inside the door you'll find the lady waiting to take care of your omelet desires.

She has more toppings than you'll need including ham, two types of cheese, red peppers, onions, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, spinach and mushrooms. You can also go for bacon and hash browns on the side. A slice of freshly baked bread tops it all off and whaddya know, it's only $5.50. With or without toppings.

The bakery is a long, skinny place with two rows of tables and, way at the back, an outdoor area with some more places to sit and enjoy the food and some quiet time. Firehook's omelet is one of those treats you might not know about if you don't live in the area but it's well worth traveling for.