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Restaurant Review Indigo Landing
Indigo Landing (near Potowmack Landing) By Ronya Misleh The place where only the first syllable of your order matters. Shrimp Scampi? No, SHORT RIBS. Hot Toddy? No, hot peppermint patty. Girls’ Night Dinner. Indigo Landing, a beautiful–though reception-y (maybe because I did actually go to a wedding reception there six years ago?) dining area. Great view of the Capital building and the monuments and planes landing. We’ll start with the fact that the hostess totally checked in a couple and ruined the surprise dinner that was...
read moreRestaurant Review of Ketchup
Restaurant Review: Ketchup OR An Open Letter to Ashton Kutcher By Ronya Misleh Dear Ashton, I’d like to tell you to stick to acting and not restaurants, but I’m having a hard time choosing the lesser of the evils here. Ketchup? What were you thinking? Obviously, not much other than “I want a hip looking place that has a great sounding menu with all kinds of hipster servers.” Thanks to my fabulous friends, I was able to experience Ketchup at the National Harbor for dinner last weekend. We were all very excited to try it out and...
read moreMommy & Me Kabob Palace
Last week I took my girls to lunch at Kabob Palace on S. Eads St. in Arlington. I had nearly forgotten about this place until I drove by the other day and took notice. Kabob Palace is a an Afghani kabob take-out/dine in spot with a nicer sister restaurant next door with white tablecloths and silverware and yet another sister restaurant next door to that with a buffet and two small private rooms. This little hole in the wall is a popular Crystal City lunch spot with Military folks and taxi drivers and its open 24 hours which means they do a...
read moreNew Wine Bar near Alexandria
A week ago I posted about Cafe Caturra opening and last weekend I had the chance to spend an entire evening there. We arrived at 6:30 and the place was hopping. At first we thought there were no seats at the bar until we realized the bar is an oval and the whole back side was free. To my husband’s college football loving delight it turned out that the flat screens are also on that side of the bar. We were greeted immediately by friendly and extremely attentive bartenders. Yes, multiple people were waiting on us so we were never...
read moreRestaurant Review
Walker’s Grille By Ronya Misleh Slightly off the beaten path but well worth the drive, Walker’s Grille is a new, eco-friendly restaurant that recently opened in Alexandria. The restaurant is part of a new, environmentally conscious building concept—it is located in a Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) building and its mission is to meet, maintain, and perpetuate sustainable practices and implement green design and green restaurant strategies. All that eco-friendliness and green modeling and the food’s good,...
read moreFarm Table at Planet Wine
Plan a private dinner for you and thirteen of your friends at the “Farm Table at Planet Wine.” Hosted by Planet Wine and Chef Will Artley, this private dining experience features offerings from local farms along with carefully chosen wine pairings. According to the Farm Table ” the menus will be crafted to showcase the purity, provenance and exceptional quality of ingredients, rather than fanciful techniques.” Menu options start at $60 per person and include: Reception with Complimentary Sparkling...
read more24 Wines on Tap – Cafe Caturra Now Open
The much-anticipated Cafe Caturra is now open in the Arlington Ridge Shopping center on South Glebe. The varied menu offers small plates (such as lump crab cakes, seared shrimp and caprese crostini), stone heart pizzas, cheese and charcuterie, sandwiches, salads, sliders and deserts. The real attraction is the wine bar featuring 24 wines on tap. They did a nice job with the build out of what I think used to be a Blockbuster. The interior is contemporary and hip. They are also open for lunch Founded by Jeff Grant, this is the first location...
read moreTop Picks for Dining Out in Alexandria
Bastille Chefs Christophe and Michelle Poteaux, formerly of the Watergate opened this contemporary bistro and wine bar. Consistently rated in Washingtonian’s Top 100. Featuring traditional, yet modern interpretations of classic bistro fare utilizing seasonal farm-fresh ingredients 1201 N. Royal St. Alexandria, VA 22314 Columbia Firehouse An American brassiere and bar in the heart of Old Town. Excellent raw bar, seafood, meat and daily plates using the freshest organic ingredients possible. 109 South Saint Asaph St. Alexandria...
read moreGrocery Stores I like in Alexandria VA
I’m a terrible grocery shopper. I don’t make a list until I realize we are out of everything and I typically visit at least two different grocery stores on any given week. That’s because I can’t find everything that I need at one store. Sometimes after I’ve planned a week of dinners I decide that I’d rather make something else thus requiring new ingredients and another trip to the store. I used to love grocery shopping before I had kids but after my oldest daughter was born I became good friends with Peapod...
read moreGrape + Bean Alexandria VA Old Town
Grape + Bean is a cool hang out spot for a cup of coffee or a glass (or two) of wine with a gourmet sandwich. There is always great coffee brewing and excellent wine pairing specials. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable about their offerings. The atmosphere is a perfect mix of casual and trendy. Even though the intimate interior can be crowded you can usually find a spot to sit. They offer salads, sandwiches, cheese boards – and they rotate the coffee selection, just as they do seasonally with different wines (I think). If you...
read moreKyoto Sushi – Mommy & Me Lunch Date
There are a lot of restaurants to explore for this blog and I’ve decided that its time to engage an assistant, my 3 1/2 year-old daughter, Sophie. So every Wednesday we’re going to have a lunch date at an Alexandria restaurant that either we haven’t tried or need to revisit. Today we decided to revisit Kyoto Sushi in the Bradlee Shopping Center. Technically it was only a revisit for me because the one and only time I was here was before my daughter was born. We arrived at 12:15 and were seated and waited on promptly. The...
read moreLe Tastevin Fine Wines Alexandria VA
Today I stopped by Le Tastevin Fine Wines to pick up a couple of bottles of wine. I was greeted by Brian who was extremely helpful and knowledgeable. The wines in the front of the store were all reasonably priced under $20 and there were some slightly more expensive wines in the back. I browsed for a bit and picked out two bottles -Bodegas Lan Rioja Crianza 2006 from Rioja, Spain ($13,99) and the Champteloup Sauvignon Blanc Touraine, Loire, France, 2010 ($12.99). I asked Brian for his opinion and he said they were both excellent choices, and...
read moreMOM’s Organic Market Alexandria VA
If you are looking for organic foods at a great price look no further than MOM’s Organic Market There is something that feels inherently good about shopping at a locally owned grocery store that sells high-quality organic foods at a reasonable price. From the convenience standpoint, I can be in and out without ever waiting in line (that’s because they open up a new checkout for you if there is more than one person in line). The personnel is friendly and helpful. The clerks eagerly offer to carry your bags to the car. They have...
read moreFern Street Gourmet
If your evening commute ends with the Quaker Lane exit the Fern Street Gourmet is your go-to market. They have a nice selection of wines in all price ranges as well as a variety of gourmet beer. they also sell gourmet snacks and have a counter in the back with specialty cheeses, French bread and charcuterie, olives, spreads, and a cool deli. It’s on Fern–the back side of the little Fairlington strip of shops. Nice selection of unique hostess-gift items, too (something I’m always looking out for) - from wine coolers (the...
read moreLickity Split Lunch at Resturant Eve
Recently a good friend invited me to lunch at Restaurant Eve for my birthday. Although its located directly across the street from my office I never think of going there for lunch. I’ve been twice for dinner but not for lunch since they opened 5 or 6 years ago. Unlike the bistro, the lounge offers what they call the “Lickity Split Menu” for $14.95 and it includes two menu items. I had the soup of the day which was a creamy corn soup, the Irish BLT made with Canadian bacon, tomato and house baked bread. It melted in my...
read moreTJ Stones in Alexandria VA
TJ Stones opened last week and is located in the old Stardust Restaurant space on Montgomery near Old Town. It features “modern American cuisine and libations from around the world.” We decided to try it out on a Thursday night. My husband had the special which was beef tenderloin medallions over a mixed orzo. He said it was delicious. I had the strip steak salad with horseradish ranch dressing and it was perfectly cooked, the vegetables were fresh and the dressing was very light, not overwhelming. The service was friendly...
read moreHappy Hour at BRABO
If you are looking for a little ambiance in Old Town, BRABO has it. My friend Chris and I recently stopped by on a Thursday for Happy Hour. We arrived at about 5:30 and although there were no seats at the the bar, the bartender promptly made room for us at a nearby table. Their entire bar menu was half price as well as selected wines. We had the “napa’tizer” which was a plate of assorted meats, pate, olives, caramelized onions and peppers along with a basket of warm crusty bread. We both ordered the unspecified “house...
read moreFarmer’s Markets on King Street
We are lucky to have two Farmer’s Markets on King Street! The Alexandria Farmers’ Market 301 King Street This market in Old Town gets super crowded, but it’s also much larger than the Del Ray Farmer’s Market, and has a ton more vendor’s. There’s also DELICIOUS croissants stuffed with goat cheese and pesto, flowers, fresh squeezed orange juice, pretty handmade quilts, and wonderful breads. The Alexandria Farmer’s Market has been selling their products since 1753. Old Town Alexandria’s...
read morePizza in Alexandria
I love pizza and who doesn’t? Growing up here in the 80s there were less than a handful of options: Armand’s, Generous George’s, Dominos and Pizza Hut. I have some great memories of birthday parties at the Mt. Vernon Ice Skating Arena and pizza afterwards at Armand’s. In fact I drank my first beer upstairs at what used to be called The Penalty Box (several years after the skating parties of course). Since then Alexandria has made great strides in its offering of cuisine and pizza is no exception. Here are some...
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