By Debby Critchley
Restaurant Week is almost here! More than 60 Alexandria restaurants throughout Alexandria including Old Town, Del Ray and the West End will offer a $35 three-course dinner or a $35 dinner for two during Alexandria Winter Restaurant Week, Jan. 29-Feb. 7, Visit Alexandria announced. More than two dozen restaurants are also offering lunch deals at $10, $15 or $20 per person in addition to the dinner specials. Go to www.AlexandriaRestaurantWeek.com to view a list of the participating restaurants and what they will be offering. Some of the restaurants will be offering items off their regular menu or creating specialty dishes for the week. Watch for reviews in February.
A group of us stopped at Streets Market and Café, 3108 Mt. Vernon Ave., for lunch the other day. They have added sushi to the menu. We tried several pieces of nigiri and sushi rolls. The fish was pristine and the rice well seasoned. The pork buns were even better than we remembered. I also recommend the edamame hummus. Served with homemade fried wonton skins, there was nothing left on the plate. We finished off a basket full of wings too. I still can’t decide which one of the 3 types. They are all delicious!
Hunting Creek, 1106 King St., has been bought by Jeff Yates. You won’t find many changes except, look for prime cuts of meat replacing choice cuts. Blackwall Hitch, 5 Cameron St., has created 4 new cocktails to celebrate Mercy Street. All are made with ingredients and recipes the era. You’ll be able to taste them during Restaurant Week. Jamie Leeds is opening Hank’s Pasta Bar, 818 N St. Asaph St., in the former Villa d’Este location. It will be a few months until we can enjoy her latest endeavor.
The Waterfront Market, 7 King St., closed in November for renovations after Alexandria Restaurant Partners has purchased a majority stake from owner Jody Manor. Expect a new full kitchen and expanded menu in the spring of 2016. Monroe’s, 1603 Commonwealth Ave. has joined the list of closings in the ‘hood.’ Christmas Eve marked their last day. Owners Mark and Laura Abraham are retiring from the restaurant business. Thank you for 20 wonderful years.
Seven Alexandria restaurants made Northern Virginia Magazine’s Top 50 Restaurants list. Included on the list are #2-Restaurant Eve, #6-Brabo, #7-Vermilion, Others on Northern Virginia Magazine’s top 50 list in Alexandria are Hank’s Oyster Bar, Namaste, Reserve 2216 and Society Fair. Namaste is in the Rose Hill neighborhood and Reserve 2216 is temporarily closed while they look for a new space.
Eat well and enjoy.