By the Gastronomes When we went to the summer drink menu unveiling at the Capital Wheel in National Harbor last month we ran into the former General Manager of Bond 45, Biagio Cepollaro. Over the years we had developed a nice relationship with Biagio and it was nice to catch up and talk about his own restaurant in Camp Springs, Maryland…Via Roma. After a brief conversation we decided that Via Roma was a good candidate for Dining Out. We were not disappointed. Via Roma opened on February 15th during a winter storm and the beginnings of worldwide Covid-19 epidemic in 2021. Biagio may laugh about it now, but what a beginning. The restaurant is part of a building complex and sits at the front as you drive into the complex. The restaurant is very open by way of one whole wall being glass with the middle section behind the bar opens up to the patio. If it were not for the depiction of the Italian buildings on the wall, I would have thought I was in a California style restaurant by all of the blonde wood including tables and chairs, however, with the Italian buildings on one wall, the open kitchen at the back of the dining area and the glass wall behind the bar, did indeed give the vibe of sitting in the piazza in Rome. We have many “pizza” restaurants in the area, but few Pinsa Romana, in fact Via Roma is the first and only certified Pinseria in the region. Biagio and his business partner Antonio Rusciano aka Topolino follow the original Pinsa Romana recipe respecting the traditional Pinsa making method making them #192 of the Orginale Pinsa Romaan Association in the world. The definition of Pinsa comes from the Latin word “Pinsere” which in Italian language…
By the Gastronomes Last month one of Old Town’s oldest and most Iconic restaurants celebrated its Golden anniversary. In this day and age when restaurants seem to come and go, it is amazing when you hear of one that has remained true to itself for 50 years. Il Porto is a restaurant that shows off the unique architecture of this town. Unlike newer and remodeled restaurants, Il Porto shows glimpses of the past history of the building. The building has been a brothel, butcher shop, artist’s studio, speak easy and even a “repair” shop as a cover for a Nazi radio network. If the walls could only talk. In 1973, Mr. “Ray” Giovannoni opened IL Porto. Shortly after, he opened the Fish Market at the other end of the 100 block and began his journey on becoming an icon in the local restaurant community. Today, current owners Akbar and Wali Zadran have kept Il Porto in the spotlight and the restaurant has maintained its charm and reputation for good food. As we were dining on this unusually warm April evening, Akbar walked over to talk with us. I had first met Akbar and Wali when they took the restaurant over many years ago. As it is in Old Town, it is always good to see old friends. We reminisced about the old days and spoke of former Ragtime piano player Johnny Maddox and all of the entertainment that abounded in the 100 block of King back then. Over the years IL Porto Restaurant has developed a reputation of fresh food daily. The pasta is made from scratch every day. Their menu is too extensive to talk about here so I would recommend that you check out it out online and choose accordingly. With the aforementioned “fresh pasta”, I can assure…
By the Gastronomes Stepping outside of the “traditional” Dining Out format, we thought we would give you all a teaser about some of the newest eateries in our midst. In fact, all three of these establishments opened within days of each other in the last week of March. In full disclosure, we didn’t dine at any of them so we aren’t going to comment on the food from that perspective. We were on a mission to see what each of these new places were all about and did have a cocktail and talked with patrons, bartenders, servers and managers at each place. Elaine’s 208 Queen Street Old Town Alexandria 571-970-0517 Elaines-restaurant.com I was immediately drawn to Elaine’s since that is my legal first name. Right out of the gate, I know it will be a great addition to Old Town’s dining scene. Many of you may recognize the address since it was home to Bilbo Baggins for many years. Let me tell you, the build out transformed the former dark (and not exactly clean) motif into a beautiful contemporary space. Elaine’s is named after the owner’s grandmother. Her husband told us that when she was twelve years old in Cairo, Egypt, she promised her grandmother that one day she would own a restaurant and name it after her. She is looking forward to sharing her family recipes with everyone. The menu boasts modern Mediterranean cuisine based on food found in Alexandria, Egypt. We were told that their unique style is best described as Middle Eastern with French, Greek, and Italian influences. The food we saw served while on our visit looked amazing and neither of us knows that much about middle eastern cuisine in general, let alone Egyptian. We are so looking forward to having a meal there soon. My drink…
By the Gastronomes Established in 1976, this month’s restaurant is one of the original eateries that helped put Old Town Alexandria on the map and, is for me, a trip down memory lane. When I came to Old Town in 1977 the Fish Market became my go-to bar and restaurant. We would gather at the then, Brass Bar, for beers in the afternoon. It was, and still is, a gathering place for many locals including…businesspersons, shopkeepers and artists from the Torpedo Factory. It is also a go to place for the thousands of tourists that visit our fair city each year. The original restaurant reached all the way from its current location at 105 King to the corner at Union Street. There were four bars on the main floor with a few more upstairs. Times have changed and the place has changed but the atmosphere and food quality is just as good as back then and the menu has been upgraded to include very diverse offerings. Then, as now, the Fish Market is still putting Old Town on the map. Franco Landini and his son Noe bought the restaurant from the estate of Mr. Ray (Giovannoni) – who founded the restaurant – in 2006. The Landini’s immediately gutted the place, took out a bar, and rebuilt the entire place including a new and modern kitchen. Today, the restaurant offers a raw bar, soups and chowders, starters and salads, sandwiches, burgers & tacos, grilled platters, fried platters, specialties, nautical pastas, sides and a kid’s menu. The menu is very extensive but many favorites have remained over the years. First and foremost, the Fish Market has always been noted for its 32-ounce schooner of beer. This practice still exists and has many faithful followers. The schooners are ice cold as is the…
By the Gastronomes When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that’s amore’! With Valentine’s Day fast approaching we were in search of a place that is a bit off of the beaten path to write about. We found a perfect cozy spot just off of Fort Hunt Road in the southern end of Alexandria. Via Veneto Italian is one of the oldest family owned and operated restaurants in the city topping out at 38 years – they celebrate 39 in September. The restaurant is named after one of the most famous, elegant, and expensive areas in Rome – Via Veneto. Fans of Fellini’s 1960 film La Dolce Vita should recognize the name. Sisters Marisa Fleck and Guiliana Austin, and their daughters, Kathy and Lilli honcho the entire operation. Marisa and Guilianna are from the village of Marotta (located in the Province of Pesaro and Urbino in Marche) and it is very evident that they carry on the spirit of a place where family gatherings and mealtimes go hand in hand here at Via Veneto. The restaurant is located in the Hollin Hall Shopping Center just around the corner from the iconic Village Hardware Store and another favorite eatery of ours, River Bend Bistro. Some folks seem to think that a restaurant’s reputation is lessened when located in a shopping center, when in fact, there are advantages. The major perk is there is tons of free parking. The only decision to be made is how close you want to park to the front entrance. As with pretty much ALL eateries located in strip malls, there isn’t an opportunity to make the entrance stand out so the exterior of Via Veneto is pretty pedestrian. They have a banner up and lights in the window but that is more for…
By the Gastronomes We are pretty sure the majority of our local readers are familiar with the ins and outs of a “Restaurant Week” since we have several of them during the year in the DMV and it appears that Alexandria is starting off with the first one of the New Year starting on the 20th and running through the 29th! In actuality, it is 10 days (including 2 weekends) of over 70 eateries in Alexandria offering great eats at good prices. The number of participating restaurants has grown exponentially over the years and they are as varied as the cuisine they serve. There is something for every palate. Restaurant Week showcases the inventiveness of local chefs throughout the city. In addition to the popular Old Town section, eateries located throughout neighborhoods in Del Ray, Carlyle, Eisenhower and the West End will offer a $25, $35 or $45 prix fixe dinner for one. Special menus will be available for in-person dining at participating restaurants with many having heated outdoor dining options. We have highlighted offerings from some of our favorite participating restaurants in this writing and encourage you all to try them out. We are looking forward to experiencing some “new to us” establishments during this promotion as well. We tend to get stuck in a continual loop of our favorites but it is always good to step outside of the box. Guests can browse a list of participating restaurants on AlexandriaRestaurantWeek.com. Stay tuned for a digital flip-book of menus at participating restaurants that will be available on the Restaurant Week site early this month. Bastille Brasserie & Bar $45 Dinner for One Person Bastille is an award winning brasserie and wine bar, offering guests a contemporary spin on French cuisine, in a sophisticated yet comfortable atmosphere. Chefs Christophe and Michelle Poteaux’s creations are sparked by the…
By the Gastronomes Location, Location, Location! As King Street in Old Town continues to evolve, our friend Michael Strutton and his wife Kelsey recently relocated his Italian restaurant, Michael’s Little Italy from the 300 block of South Washington Street to 703 King Street (formerly Magnolia’s on King) and rebranded it Michael’s on King. Having a spot on King Street on a block with 8 other eateries is a great place to be. You can’t put a monetary value on having significant foot traffic when you are in the restaurant or retail business. I first met Michael in 2017 when he opened his first restaurant on South Washington Street. He already had a successful business in Nashville but came to Old Town to be near his Mom. He also always wanted his own restaurant and now had the opportunity to take the plunge. Sometimes it is nice to understand the thinking of someone when planning how to turn their dreams into reality. The following paragraph is Michael’s thoughts taken from his website: Passion for our Culture – My grandparents came to New York City from Sicily at a time when Fiorello La Guardia held mayoral office, Lucky Luciano was beginning a prison term, and the world was just starting to hear the music of Frank Sinatra. While many Italians were reaching great heights, the average Southern Italian immigrants lived modestly, kept to their own neighborhoods, and raised families built upon whichever traditions from the old country could be maintained in the U.S. Most family settings revolved around food…and while not all of the same ingredients were available to them, my family and so many others proudly built a new culture: The Italian-American Culture. Somewhere in-between European and American personalities, we found this new definition of who we are…a charm that erupts…
By The Gastronomes We took a little bit different tack for this month’s Dining Out column and visited the – apparently long awaited – recently opened pizza joints offering said slices here in Old Town Alexandria. The fact that there are now seven places – these locations don’t include the eateries that serve Italian cuisine in general – that specialize in pizza in Old Town (between City Dock and the King Street metro within a block off either side of King) amazes us but I guess the slice hype is real. We both follow the local Alexandria Dining, Curbside, Inside and More Facebook page and the number of posts about pizza by the slice amazes us both. Now, don’t think that we haven’t had our fair share of pizza by the slice in our combined 144 years (we are old), because we have. Neither of us, however, ever considered it anything more than that and never dreamed it would be the rage in Old Town in 2022. Something else that never donned on either of us is the fact that pizza by the slice evidently has to be New York style. Who made up that rule? We pretty much like all styles as long as the ingredients are fresh and the sauce tasty. Definite upside is no need to commit to a whole pie and if you want to eat it on the run, you can. Handover by the Slice and Andy’s Pizza both opened to the public within a day or two of each other in mid-October. When we visited on a Saturday afternoon and subsequently evening (Andy’s doesn’t open until 5 pm) there wasn’t a shortage of customers at either place. In the big picture, they are pretty much serving the same thing and in our experience there…
By The Gastronomes As with many months, we were getting way close to deadline and didn’t have any idea what restaurant we were going to highlight in this space. Ms. Gastronome decided she wanted a change of pace to do some brainstorming so she decided to hit Happy Hour at the Light Horse and I joined her. While we were sitting at the bar (it is beautiful by the way) contemplating who we should highlight in the October issue, the proverbial light went on. Why not feature where we were sitting? Although the Light Horse is relatively new to Old Town, three restaurants have previously occupied this space and I tended bar at one of those when I was in my late 40’s and I’m 75 now…it has been “you do the math” many years ago. Times have changed and so did the restaurant but the building at 715 King that is home to The Light Horse holds many fond memories for me. A bit of history….The Light Horse Restaurant and Bar has been here for over 13 years and was named after Henry “Harry Light Horse” Lee, the father of Robert E. Lee. The restaurant is a haven for the younger professional crowd, but as you can tell from the first paragraph, we made a visit to this popular watering hole and restaurant for a change of pace and we are a bit on the older side of the professional spectrum. The ground floor is home to the main dining area and a large bar, with several high tops with both booth and chair seating and a one piece winding table in the middle of the dining area. Not sure how to describe it. Check out the photo. There is still ample seating for a good sized crowd but…
By the Gastronomes Daniel O’Connell’s Irish Restaurant & Bar is one of Old Town’s most beautiful restaurants. Most of the buildings in Old Town are old renovated seaport warehouses and OC’s is much the same but they took it to another level. In 2006, on St. Patrick’s Day, O’Connell’s opened the doors to the eager throng outside. Adorned inside with pieces from Irish Castles, Monastaries, Churches, an apothocary and other valuable furnishings from the Emerald Isle, O’Connell’s stands today as a classic renovation. The kitchen was not fully functional that first St. Patrick’s day so management brought in pre-made sub sandwiches for their guests. The next day the kitchen was running smoothly and O’Connell’s has been serving up authentic Irish fare along with many American favorites for 16 years. In their own words, “Born in Ireland, raised in Old Town, shipped 4,527 miles and 400 years young and called after Ireland’s great patriot Daniel O’Connell “The Liberator”. Come sink into our comfortable surroundings in our truly unique atmosphere. View our mesmerizing array of Irish historical antiques. Stroll through four ancient Irish Bars with blazing fires and enjoy warm friendly Irish staff and meet the lovely people of Old Town. On balconies, in snug corners, nooks and crannies, every corner has a story to tell. All this, while tasting the bold, exciting culinary delights that have emerged from modern Ireland.” We couldn’t agree more. On the night that we dined we chose to sit in one of the “Snugs”, a piece of Irish history. The Snugs have significance in Ireland’s and Alexandria, Virginia history. Recently renovated, these cozy spaces make O’Connell’s a special and unique place altogether. I have been going to O’Connell’s since it opened and this is the first time I sat in the elevated Snug and was I…
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