Author: Katie Taranto

Katie Taranto is a reporter at ALXnow. She previously covered local businesses at ARLnow and K-12 education at The Columbia Missourian. She is originally from Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania.

Around Town

Family-owned bakery Eclairons flourishes at new location in Old Town

By Katie Taranto
Eclairons' new location in Old Town (staff photo by Katie Taranto)

A family-owned bakery and café from Arlington has officially expanded to Old Town, offering French pastries with Lebanese flavors.

Eclairons held a soft opening in February at 430 S. Washington Street and is now spending its first spring in Alexandria. The business replaced a vacancy left by Firehook Bakery, bringing a fresh look to the space with new outdoor pergolas and flowers.

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News

VRE to host info session on May weekend construction at Alexandria Union Station

By Katie Taranto
Alexandria Union Station sign (staff photo by Katie Taranto)

Construction is coming to Alexandria Union Station during multiple weekends next month, prompting some single-block road closures.

During three weekends in May, the Virginia Railway Express will be directing improvements at Alexandria Union Station and working to replace the King & Commonwealth bridges. The projects at 110 Callahan Drive will result in some “limited weekend work” and single-block road closures, VRE said in an announcement.

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Around Town

USPTO cafeteria reopens to the public with chef-curated menus

By Katie Taranto
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) cafeteria reopens under new management. (courtesy of Jay Premack/USPTO)

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s cafeteria has reopened under new management, coinciding with a busy season at the federal campus that recently welcomed the National Science Foundation.

USPTO’s Roundhouse Café officially reopened to the public March 30 at 600 Dulany Street in Carlyle, offering sushi, a made-to-order deli, salad bar, self-serve hot entrées and a hot bar, the agency announced. The venue plans to serve a rotating variety of “chef-curated” menus, seasonal promotions and guest restaurants.

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Around Town

New coffee shop and wine bar aims for spring opening on Queen Street

By Katie Taranto
Cherry on Top is coming soon to Queen Street in Old Town (courtesy of Ksenia Varakina)

An upcoming café and wine bar in Old Town is getting closer to opening its doors.

Ksenia Varakina told ALXnow she is hoping to open her new business, Cherry on Top, around mid- to late May at 1021 Queen Street. There, she hopes to offer a variety of wine, espresso beverages, charcuterie and pastries across the shop and its accompanying 437-square-foot yard.

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Around Town

Duke St. Ice House pub closing next week at Whole Foods in Alexandria

By Katie Taranto
Sign for the Duke St. Ice House at Whole Foods in Alexandria (staff photo by Katie Taranto)

An in-store pub and café at Alexandria’s Whole Foods Market is closing permanently this month.

The Duke St. Ice House’s last day of operations at 1700 Duke Street is this Monday, April 6, according to signs posted outside the café. The forthcoming closure has prompted some disappointment from local customers, some of whom have created an online forum and plan to write a letter to the supermarket’s management.

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Around Town

New wine shop DCanter plans grand opening this weekend in Old Town

By Katie Taranto
Vacant retail bay at 1101 King Street where DCanter plans to open (staff photo by James Cullum)

A local wine shop is preparing to celebrate a new chapter in Alexandria this weekend.

D.C. wine boutique DCanter is hosting a grand opening for its second location, DCanter Alexandria, from 12-4 p.m. Saturday (April 4) at 1101 King Street, Suite 112. Led by couple Michelle Lim Warner and Michael Warner, the shop focuses on sustainably made and organic wines sourced from small, independent producers.

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News

ACPS plans to make April election day a student holiday

By Katie Taranto
ACHS (staff photo by James Cullum)

The Alexandria City School Board is expected to approve a calendar revision that would make Virginia’s April 21 election date a student holiday.

Alexandria City Public Schools has recommended the School Board approve the item during tonight’s meeting (Thursday), as voters will be in school-based polling locations on Election Day.

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Around Town

Entrepreneur seeks to bring community center to Virginia Tech building in Old Town

By Katie Taranto
Ashley Wood (left) and daughter Lily at Soulo Studios (staff photo by Katie Taranto)

A three-story Virginia Tech building in Old Town may soon be repurposed into a community center through the work of a Del Ray entrepreneur and creative.

Ashley R. Wood, the founder and author behind the arts-focused workspace Soulo Studios at 2417 Mount Vernon Avenue, is working to bring her next endeavor to life: Lily’s Garden Creative and Cultural Community Center. The prospective center, named after Wood’s 4-year-old daughter, would open at 1021 Prince Street, which is currently part of Virginia Tech’s Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center.

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Around Town

Life Alive Cafe plans summer opening in Old Town

By Katie Taranto
Exterior rendering of Life Alive Cafe in Old Town (courtesy of Life Alive Cafe)

A fast-casual vegetarian restaurant and café is getting closer to its Old Town debut.

Life Alive Cafe is now targeting a summer opening at 400 King Street, a spokesperson confirmed to ALXnow. The Boston-based restaurant emphasizes scratch-made cooking, offering a veggie-forward menu of grain bowls, salads, sandwiches and noodles, in addition to smoothies, cold-pressed juice and coffee.

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Around Town

Dok Khao Thai Eatery opens at Alexandria’s Oakville development

By Katie Taranto
Dok Khao Thai Eatery at the Oakville development (staff photo by Emily Leayman)

A new Thai restaurant has opened in Alexandria’s Oakville development, between Potomac Yard and Del Ray.

Dok Khao Thai Eatery is currently in a soft opening at 2514 Richmond Highway with an all-day, Thai street food-inspired menu with more than a dozen specials from owner and chef Porntipa Pattanamekar, also known as “Chef Pat.” The restaurant includes an all-day menu and full-service bar, with space for about 100 guests.

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Around Town

MacMillan Spirit House closes in Old Town North amid landlord rent dispute

By Katie Taranto
MacMillan Spirit House at 500 Montgomery Street (staff photo by Katie Taranto)

A restaurant and bar with a focus on spirits has closed after nearly two years in Old Town North amid a legal battle with the landlord over rent.

The MacMillan Spirit House is no longer in business at 500 Montgomery Street, the MacMillan Restaurant Group confirmed to ALXnow. The spirit house first opened in late March 2024, as a sister establishment to the MacMillan Whisky Room at the Mosaic District in Fairfax County.

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