Alexandria, VA – November is the start of the holiday eating season. We start the month by eating all the leftover Halloween candy or the candy the kids didn’t eat from trick or treating. The supermarkets are beginning to advertise turkeys and Thanksgiving dinners. And, Halloween decorations and candy have been replaced by Santas and candy canes!
The 20th Annual Carpenter’s Shelter Cookoff is always one of the highlights of October. Some 23 dishes were served to the guests and celebrity judges and the results were tallied. The judges picked three savory dishes. Hard Times Café won the honor of first place with their four varieties of chili. Rick Taylor, owner of Hard Times has been serving his award winning chili at the Cookoff since the beginning and was delighted by the win. Second place went to Ralph and Matt Davis of Mystic BBQ and Grill with their outstanding BBQ back ribs. You may remember Ralph and son Matt from RT’s. Third place was awarded to Landini Brothers who served their spinach ravioli and penne with meat and pink tomato sauce. The Judges also awarded three restaurants for their best sweet dishes. The first place winner, Mystic BBQ, served a spectacular Bananas Foster bread pudding, drizzled with caramel sauce, and topped with vanilla ice cream. Second place was awarded to Bittersweet Catering who brought an assorted variety of holiday sweets including a mini-chocolate peppermint cupcake. Third place was awarded to Nando’s Peri-Peri who served their Naughty Natas, miniatured Brazilian custard pies. The People’s Choice for Savory was given to The Wharf for their She-Crab soup. The people agreed with the judges with their pick of Mystic BBQ’s bread pudding. A big thank you goes out to the Birchmere for providing the venue for the 20th year. I also want to thank Carpenter’s Shelter for asking me to be one of the celebrity judges. It was quite an honor and I hope to be asked back for next year. And, you readers should also consider attending too. With all sorts of delicious foods served by area restaurants, live music, raffles, a silent auction, and more, it’s definitely not to be missed.
Unwined bids farewell
Unwined, 1690 King St. in the Bradlee Shopping Center is close their doors on New Year’s Eve 2024. Unwined has been providing quality wines, craft beers, and gourmet food for over 20 years. Proprietor Vansessa Moore said, “We are deeply grateful to our loyal customers, staff, and community who have supported us for two decades.” She added, “This decision wasn’t easy, but it reflects a thoughtful strategy to grow and thrive in new ways.” The location will keep to its regular hours until New Year’s Eve. Throughout the holiday season, customers will have plenty of chances to celebrate the store’s longevity. Events and details will be shared at a later date.
The store’s location at Belle View, 1600 Bellevue Blvd. and its sister restaurant, Revel Wine and Craft Beer Bar, will remain open, though proprietor Vansessa Moore says operation will continue “under new leadership.” Moore did not provide a reason for the ownership change but stated that it will be “internal” and occur early next year. Thanking customers, Moore said, “The Belle View location has an exciting future under new leadership, and I am confident they will continue to deliver the high level of service and community engagement that has become our hallmark.”
MAS Seafood Closed on October 20
In a surprise announcement, the owners of MAS Seafood at 809 Pendleton St. posted, “A difficult decision has been made and as the week draws to a close, we have decided to close MAS Seafood. We are incredibly grateful for all your support throughout these last 4 years. We are forever thankful to our customers, neighbors and friends for coming along with us on our journey.”
MAS Seafood is a family owned and operated seafood company located in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. Since 2006, the Ribadulla family has been dedicated to serving area restaurants high quality seafood with unmatched customer service. In early 2020, due to the uncertainty of the pandemic, the second generation, Michael & Katy, pivoted the company to a curbside retail operation. The community support was unmatched and by November of that same year, a new storefront was opened as a retail market to the public.
The community has enjoyed the fresh quality seafood for the last four years. Their dedication to the Alexandria community was part of the reason they were so successful. They will be missed.
Let someone else do the Thanksgiving cooking
There are many restaurants open on Thanksgiving Day for eat-in and/or carry-out. Be sure to make a reservation for both eat-in and take-out meals at all of these venues. More restaurants will be posting their opening status in the next few weeks. Restaurants offering Thanksgiving meals include:
Bastille Brasserie & Bar is offering Thanksgiving a la France for both lunch and Thanksgiving Day lunch and dinner.
Lena’s Wood-fired Pizza and Tap Lena’s offers both an dine in and to-go family menu. The dine in menu includes choices like Tuscan rosemary and garlic rubbed turkey meal or slow-roasted prime rib. To go orders are packaged hot and ready to be served with pick-ups scheduled for November 27 or 28.
King & Rye is offering a three course meal from noon to 4 pm on Thanksgiving Day.
KILN at Hotel Heron will be offering a prix-fixe menu from 2-8 p.m. offering diners options for two courses and a selection of family-style sides and desserts.
Gadsby’s Tavern will be serving a traditional style three course menu. They will be reaching into their historical menu to include peanut soup, turkey, ham, and rockfish.
Cedar Knoll Inn will be serving a three course meal with all the traditional sides for Thanksgiving.
Copperwood Tavern is open at 3 pm and will be serving their regular menu as well as a full turkey dinner with all the fixings.
Alexandria Restaurant Partners ARP is offering Thanksgiving to-go meals to be picked up. A look at last year’s menu included a 20-to-22-pound apple cider–glazed roasted turkey with sage gravy for up to 12 people with all the requisite sides.
Port City Brewing is hosting a Friendsgiving food & beer pairing on November 20th from 7-9pm! 5 courses paired with 5 craft beers.
Grocery stores including Giant, Harris Teeter, Wegman’s, Fresh Market, Whole Foods and more will be offering a variety of meals for the holiday including turkey, ham, roasts, and all the sides.
Until next time, eat well and enjoy. Do you have a tip or tidbit to share? Let me know at [email protected]
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