By Debby Critchley
Congratulations to Bastille, 606 N. Fayette St., for being named by Zagat as a top French restaurant in the metro area. To quote Zagat: Located inside spacious, wood-accented quarters in an Old Town apartment building and encompassing two dining rooms, Bar Bastille, an all-day cafe and a courtyard patio, exudes the charm of a contemporary brasserie. The seasonal menu features updated Gallic classics and dishes with North African and Middle Eastern flavors.
The Pendleton Carry Out Company is now open at 807 Pendleton St. with two concepts from local chefs, Sliced and Laoban Dumplings. The standing room only incubator offers the neighborhood a quick bite as well as delivery options. The plan is to offer three concepts at a time, rotating various up and coming restauranteurs at regular intervals. Delivery and carry out options can be found at www.pendletoncarryoutco.com and include Postmates, Bite Squad, DoorDash, and ChowNow. Chef Ed McIntosh, formerly of Tortilladora and currently working as chef of the forthcoming Alexandria restaurant Chop Shop Taco, is the man behind Sliced, serving crispy Roma style pizza by the 8-ounce slice, 16-ounce half pie, or 32-ounce full pie. Toppings include classic cheese and pepperoni to original combinations. McIntosh’s pizzas are made with one of three house made sauces: a robust tomato, thick in texture and full of flavor, a lighter tomato sauce with whole fresh roasted tomatoes and a garlic-herb made with garlic and chimichurri sauce. Patrick Coyne’s Laoban Dumplings offers a rotating variety of dumplings (15 and counting), wrapped in his signature erchui dough and served with Fiery Godmother or So So Sesame sauce. The current menu includes a ginger chicken option with free range, hormone-free chicken, ginger, scallions and a hint of honey, a pork cilantro dumpling with Berkshire pork and fresh cilantro, as well as a satisfying vegetarian option with bok choy, shiitakes, and scallions, with Chinese chili crisp.
Watch for a new premium coffee shop at 1320 Prince St. Plans include 50 outdoor and 12 indoor seats. The shop plans to serve coffee, light breakfast, pastries, and lunch offerings. Bistro Sancerre, 1725 Duke St., in the King St. Office Park is planning to add Valet parking weekends and weekday evenings with approval of City Zoning. Thank you for a great idea. Chef Nabin Paudel of Namaste, 1504 King St., is planning to open Namaste Everest in spring 2019, according to a release from Pentagon Row owner Federal Realty Investment Trust. The current location offers both Indian and Nepalese food.
Rock the Block, at Waterfront Park, 1A Prince St., is a culinary tour and fundraiser for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, is coming to Alexandria Wednesday, Nov. 14 from 6-9 pm. Restaurants include Augie’s Mussel House, Columbia Firehouse, Hank’s Oyster Bar, Hi Tide Lounge, The Majestic, Mia’s Italian Kitchen, Urbano 116, Vermilion, and Virtue Feed & Grain. Various food trucks will be serving at Market Square. Purchase a General Admissions ticket to gain access to food and beverages. VIP tickets include a reception beforehand and access to the after-party.
Oak Steakhouse is coming to the corner of 530 First St. and 901 N. St. Asaph St., located in the Gables Old Town/EDEN development. Plans include seating for 146 people. Oak Steakhouse has multiple locations including Atlanta, Charlotte, Charleston, Nashville, and in Raleigh. Ingredients are locally sourced. Menu items include seasonal offerings and American-inspired “Oak Specialties” such as the Oak burger, roasted chicken, crab cakes, and short ribs. The Capitol City Brewery, 2700 S. Quincy St., closed its Shirlington location in March, after 22 years. Renovation work is starting at the location but there is no other information available as to who is taking over the space.
Eater DC ranks two local chains in the top 15 places to eat wings. Eater calls Glory Days “homegrown chain has a strong reputation for wings. There’s even a wing alarm meter for gauging spiciness. The house sauce is a honey-barbecue blend, and Buffalo-style is reserved for heat-seekers. Wings are available in orders of six, 12, 18 or 48. There are boneless and grilled boneless varieties, too. Avoid the Old Bay wings, which are excessively salty. The Hard Times Café, according to Zagat, “grills its wings, and its ‘original Texas’ style is geared towards diners with a high tolerance for heat. Other varieties from the chili chain include chile-lime and sweet red chili. Hard Times also has boneless wings.”
With Thanksgiving coming, think about shopping locally for your meal. Let’s Meat on the Avenue, 2403 Mt Vernon Ave., offers a variety of meat and fowl to meet all of your needs. They carry locally raised meats and organic turkeys. Especially wonderful is the Kelly Bronze turkey, a heritage bird with amazing flavor.
Until next time, eat well and enjoy!
