By the Gastronomes “Coffee by day, cocktails by night. Welcome to SOCIAL, Leonardtown Maryland’s neighborhood coffeehouse and cocktail bar! Over the years, we’ve created a welcoming space for our community to hangout, study, party, and be social. But we’re more than just a place to gather. SOCIAL is built on the “Buy Local” philosophy, and artfully combines local ingredients into mouth-watering espresso, cocktails, and cuisine.” After being “Home for the Holidays” all December long, we decided it would be fun to take a drive to one of our favorite Southern Maryland spots – the “not-so- small-anymore” town of Leonardtown to be more specific. Located on Route 5 about an hour and fifteen minutes (depending on Beltway traffic) from Alexandria, Leonardtown is a lively, vibrant waterfront town of about 4500 people. It has really come into its own in the last 10-15 years. Definitely a much different place than it was when we first traveled through there on a regular basis in the mid 90’s on our way to the marina where the boat was docked. One of the shining stars on the restaurant scene in L-Town is the SOCIAL Coffee House and Cocktail Bar. What started out in a much smaller location down the street from where it is now as a coffee shop with a “secret” speakeasy behind a bookcase that opened like a door, is now a full-time coffee roaster serving breakfast, brunch, lunch/dinner and cocktails. The brain child of Sean Coogan, who said in a previous interview that he didn’t even like coffee when he started the business but loved the community, working with people and building and growing things, SOCIAL has morphed into a major community hub where locals from all over the county stop in on a regular basis for a good cup of Joe and a bite to…
By the Gastronomes In this age of transparency and full disclosure…or not…when we sat down to pen this column we decided to see when we had last written about Hard Times. It was February of 2019. To tell the truth – there’s that word – this piece is looking like it is going to be almost a mirror of the 2019 version. That tells you that no matter how much things change, some things stay the same. Washington D.C. may have Ben’s Chili Bowl, but Old Town Alexandria has Hard Times Café. With winter on its way and the holidays fast approaching, we decided that a visit to Hard Times Café for some chili and a sandwich was a perfect fit for a cold day and will make for a good place to take a break from shopping. Back when there were hardly any businesses in the west end of Old Town, brothers Fred and Jim Parker decided to take Fred’s passion for making chili out of his house and open a restaurant. They rented an old building in the 1400 block of King Street and opened in 1980. It was a bold step as there wasn’t much foot traffic or many offices in that end of town, but the brothers forged ahead and opened their depression-era chili parlor. Now, 45 years later, that end of town has flourished and so has Hard Times. Both Parker brothers are no longer with us but the tradition is being carried on by Co-owners Rich and Heather Kelly. Same easy-going ambiance and really good eats. A Little Chili History: The initial recipe was handed down to Fred from his Aunt Irma, who had owned a successful chili parlor in Oklahoma. Fred’s other recipes were the result of research, experimentation and competition cooking at…
By the Gastronomes For those of us who live in Alexandria and particularly Old Town, we are aware of all of the beauty and history that surrounds us. However, sometimes we just don’t take advantage of some of those historical places that also serve a vital function. I have lived in the Old Town area since 1977 and have only dined at Gadsby’s Tavern Restaurant once or twice. It is more than a historic attraction, it is an everyday go-to restaurant. Over the last forty some years I have developed my favorite restaurants and watering holes, but Gadsby’s never enters my mind. However, seeking somewhere steeped in tradition for this column, we decided we would make a return visit to this elegant building on 138 North Royal Street and have a nice lunch. We did make reservations and were a bit early but got seated immediately. We are glad we did, as the dining room was filling up fast for a Thursday at noon. To set the stage for your experience, here is a bit of history for you: Founded as a seaport in 1749, Alexandria has always greeted visitors from near and far. Taverns, like Gadsby’s, provided travelers with much needed rest, food and drink, the latest news, a place to make business deals and to hold political discussions, and a variety of entertainment. The site known as Gadsby’s Tavern consists of two buildings, a circa 1785 Tavern and the 1792 City Hotel. Named after Englishman John Gadsby, an entrepreneur who leased the buildings and operated them as tavern keeper from 1796 until 1808, the tavern and hotel were the center of Alexandria’s economic, political, and social life in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The buildings were threatened with demolition in the19th century, however, American Legion Post…
By the Gastronomes Are you all ready for an adventure? Do you like a really great burger, amazing fries and an ice-cold beer with a good salad tossed into the mix? Maybe listening to some good local music on a Friday or Saturday night? How about meeting some Blue Ridge locals at a funky throwback bar and restaurant that reeks with character? The Horseshoe Curve Restaurant is the place to be! Located in the Blue Ridge close to the small berg of Bluemont, VA, the Horseshoe is nestled in the heart of a legitimate “horseshoe” curve on Pine Grove Road right off of Route 7. There isn’t any real signage so you have to get your bearings before you head out. We have been roaming around this area of the Commonwealth for well over 30 years visiting several of the wineries and small towns in the area and can’t believe we didn’t know about the Horseshoe until friends of ours told us about it a couple of months ago. On our latest trek to visit Twin Oaks Tavern Winery on a beautiful sunny Saturday afternoon, it dawned on us that we had to be close to Horseshoe. Good old Google maps indicated that the distance between the winery and the restaurant was a two minute…yes minute…drive. Who knew? As we made our way around Horseshoe Curve, there it was on the left side of the road. There were only a couple of vehicles in the parking lot. At first, we thought maybe it was closed but we were there for lunch and it was just after noon. They had just opened and we were their first customers of the day. We weren’t alone for very long as diners started drifting in as the afternoon went along. I come from a…
By the Gastronomes This column isn’t going to be quite like the “norm” in that we aren’t going to try to tell you about all that this waterside paradise on the South River near Annapolis has to offer and let me tell you, they have an amazing menu and everything, literally, that we saw being dropped off at the tables around us looked great. You definitely aren’t going to leave this place hungry! We imagine those of you who are Maryland hard shell aficionados – and there are many in the area – are going to want to chime in after reading this, so we want to make it clear on just how we picked Mike’s. Neither of us had had hard shells this season and we have been trolling our crab picking pals social media pages for over a month trying to decide who ranked highest. In a piece the OTC published on “The Ten Best Crab Houses in Anne Arundel County” a few months ago, Mike’s was right there at the top and the majority of our trolling resulted in Mike’s getting many accolades – cue Tim and Leigh Long. We have had carbs at several amazing places over the last 30 years and can’t believe that we had never tried this place. That was another reason we decided it would be a great “pick”. That and the fact that it’s an easy drive from Old Town – Beltway onto Route 214, left on Riva Road and right into the parking lot. Cantler’s Riverside Inn on the other side of the Severn River is a favorite of ours but it’s an adventure getting there via asphalt so this was a pleasant surprise. We were there on a beautiful Sunday afternoon so had anticipated maybe having to wait for…
By Ms. Gastronome “Ray “Pop” Giovanoni had been in the ice cream and dessert business since the 1940s. Much of Pop’s early career was spent catering events at the White House serving First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt her favorite ice cream. In 1998, he left behind his little black book of recipes. Today, Pop’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream continues the same legacy that made the First Lady so happy.” Whewie, it has been one hot summer so far and it doesn’t appear that it is going to be getting any cooler this month. What better way to put the squelch on the heat than stopping in a nice air-conditioned ice cream joint and procuring a couple of scoops in a waffle cone. We thought it only fitting to highlight our very own Pop’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream in this column this month and list the other spots in Old Town (there are several) that cater mainly to the ice cream and gelato crowd. I pulled up the profile we published about Pop’s in August of 2013 and after reading through our writer – Liz Jones’ – piece, it appears that not much has changed in these last twelve years when it comes to the experience and the vibe at this fun place. To quote Liz: “In a world of frozen yogurt chains and organic everything, it is refreshing to be reminded that you are allowed to indulge from time to time. I was fortunate to profile a business whose homemade ice cream, fire engine red seats, and checkerboard floors have been bringing the people in Old Town great joy for many years. Ladies and gentlemen, children and adults of all ages, I am pleased to share with you one of the best places to stay cool during these dog days of…
By the Gastronomes Bastille Day is the common name given in English-speaking countries to the National Day of France and celebrated on July 14th each year. The French National Day is the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille, a major event of the French Revolution. In honor of Bastille Day, we decided to revisit one of our very favorites and Alexandria’s very own, Bastille Brasserie & Bar, for this month’s Dining Out column. Bastille is located at 606 N. Fayette Street in north Old Town. Although there are no views of the Potomac River, there is ample free street parking to help relieve that hassle. The restaurant has a comfortable bar/bistro area as well as two more dining rooms. We were there on a beautiful evening and chose to sit on the large patio adjacent to the Asher Apartments courtyard for some al fresco dining. We weren’t the only ones with that idea. We even met a very cute canine visitor named Ernie. It was also a good night because Bastille had just released their new summer menu. Unfortunately, that meant we couldn’t order their delicious beet salad but there are many new items to enjoy. We will just have to wait for fall to roll around for our beet fix. We are particularly fond of the Prix Fixe menus offered here. There are two three 3-course Prix Fixe Menus available. The Bistro menu is $49 while the Brasserie is $59. Both are excellent values. The choices are numerous as you can see from the photo of the menu. All of the items on the fixed price menus and several other choices are available ala carte. For those of you who are familiar with “Restaurant Week” where eateries offer fixed price menus, you could say that Bastille has “Restaurant…
By the Gastronomes With Father’s Day celebrated this month on the 15th, we decided to highlight one of the Old Town eateries that the kids could take Dad to for this annual celebration. Unlike Mother’s Day, we decided on a no white table cloth and fine China venue that serves good sized portions of high-quality BBQ and seafood with lots of culinary options in between. With that in mind, we chose one of our favorite new Old Town restaurants, Mystic Bar & Grill. Located at 220 North Lee Street, just a block and a half of King Street, Mystic celebrated its first anniversary this spring. Some of you “seasoned” diners that were here in the late 1970’s might remember the French-inspired Cafe Biarritz, with its baby grand piano in the back room, that occupied this space. Later the location was home to the popular Ecco Cafe, then Overwood’s and most recently Myron Mixon’s BBQ. Mystic is named in memory of the owner’s wife and mother and her love of music. It is a play on the Van Morrison lyrics – “We were born before the wind, also younger that the sun. Ere the bonnie boat was won as we sailed into the Mystic.” You will hear this era of music as well as other familiar tunes as you dine. The physical layout of the restaurant is pretty straight forward. There are three distinct dining areas all located on different sides of the bar area. The medium sized bar anchors the main room with several tables and high tops scattered about. New this spring is an outdoor seating area that adds another dimension. The décor is very contemporary and open and rock and roll images adorn the walls. This casual restaurant has it all starting with some of the best BBQ…
By the Gastronomes It has been quite a while since we have written about one of our favorite Mexican restaurants in the DMV – the Los Tios located on Mount Vernon Avenue in the Del Ray area of Alexandria. This place is a regular stop for some chips and salsa and a margarita while we are doing the issue distribution in that area. And….Cinco de Mayo is fast approaching!! Since Bob is a relative newcomer to Mexican cuisine and I have some history here since, along with mom visiting from Wyoming and my longtime friend Catherine, I was among the first customers to patronize this location when it opened and it was often my Friday night “go-to” place when I resided in Del Ray. While Los Tios isn’t a traditional Mexican restaurant, it features some of the most popular Tex-Mex and Salvadorean food in the area. I just wish they would make a great chile verde and add it to the menu. Los Tios has long been one of our favorite places for good margaritas and some of the freshest corn chips and salsa around. On top of that, the wait staff are some of the best so the service is spot on. You might see a familiar face from the Old Town restaurant scene behind the bar or on the floor these days. Miguel Lemus, former head bartender at The Wharf and previously on the floor and behind the bar at Landini Brothers for years is on board here. He was behind the bar on this visit and that is good because we usually sit at the bar since you can be seated and served right away – the place normally has a line out the door for a table during the dinner hour and on weekends. This is…
By the Gastronomes If you haven’t had the pleasure of dining at this Alexandria icon, you are missing out. Located at 1225 Powhatan Street in the north end of Alexandria in the former Dixie Pig location (the neon sign still remains), Vaso Volioti opened Vaso’s Kitchen in this space in 2006. She opened another location at 1118 King Street (former Bistro Lafayette) in 2013 called Vaso’s Mediterranean Bistro. While both restaurants serve excellent Greek and Italian fare, the Kitchen is the more casual of the two and everyone really makes you feel like you are dining in a Greek family’s home. Vaso’s has been a favorite of ours since they opened and we were amazed at how long it had been since we’ve dined there. It was during the pandemic when we all had to be six feet apart! In any case, it felt good to be back there on a fairly quiet week night. Unfortunately, Vaso had left the restaurant before we arrived but we were entertained by her son-in-law Stratos and we exchanged some fun stories about our girl. Vaso comes from a traditional Greek family and both her sister and niece are in the restaurant business in Alexandria as well. Denise and her husband Chris are the proprietors of the popular Taverna Cretekou at 818 King Street and her niece Maria and husband George own and operate another Alexandria icon – RT’s Restaurant located at 3804 Mount Vernon Avenue. When you listen to their stories, you can imagine their family being much like the crazy family in the “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” movies. I can imagine how fun it would be to be invited to a family party. Vaso is a force of nature unto herself and brings her cooking style and fashion flair to the…
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