alcohol | ALXnow

LGBTQ+ pop-up bar ‘Pride on the Avenue’ to open next month in Del Ray

Published April 18, 2024 at 9:55AM | Updated April 18, 2024 at 10:39AM

Pride On The Avenue is opening at the pop-up space at 2312 Mount Vernon Avenue in May 2024 (courtesy image)

In recognition of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Pride Month in June, Del Ray’s seasonal pop-up bar will open in early May as Pride on the Avenue, it’s owners tell ALXnow.

Bill Blackburn and his business partner “Mango” Mike Anderson of the Homegrown Restaurant Group and their staff gutted the space that was home the last few months to their ski lodge concept, Aspen on the Avenue. Just what they’re planning for the interior is still under wraps, as is the menu, but Blackburn said that renovations will be extensive.

News

Del Ray bar Hops N Shine wants live outdoor music 10+ hours a day

By James Cullum

Published April 8, 2024 at 10:45AM

Hops n Shine (photo via Hops N Shine/Facebook)

A popular bar on the border of Del Ray and Arlandria is looking to expand with expanded hours and live entertainment.

Hops N Shine at 3410 Mount Vernon Avenue is asking the city to approve a plan to extend its outdoor patio hours, allow outdoor cooking, and have “amplified soft background” music with a live musician.

News

ALXnow’s top stories this week in Alexandria

By ALXnow.com

Published April 5, 2024 at 3:45PM | Updated April 6, 2024 at 2:50AM

If you have a friend who buys Powerball at this Safeway at 8646 Richmond Highway, the next round at the bar is on them (photo via Google Maps)

What a busy week in Alexandria.

This week’s top story was all about money, with a $1 million Powerball ticket getting sold in the Alexandria area of Fairfax County.

News

What’s Up in Alexandria This Weekend: ALX275 Kick-Off Celebration, Race For Communication, & more

By Ryan Belmore

Published April 4, 2024 at 2:30PM

ALX275 logo (image courtesy City of Alexandria)

The City of Alexandria will kick off its 275th Anniversary celebration on Saturday at noon at Waterfront Park. Festivities will include an official proclamation by Mayor Justin Wilson and performances by the City of Alexandria Pipes and Drums and Community Little Big Band. Visitors can also explore historical exhibits and attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the “Buried Ships of Robinson Landing” exhibit at Robinson Landing.

At Windmill Hill Park at 1:45 p.m. on Saturday, Mayor Wilson and the City Council will dedicate the first of 275 trees to be planted across the city.

News

Del Ray’s ‘Aspen on the Avenue’ popup bar is closing Saturday, and they’re selling all their skis

By James Cullum

Published April 4, 2024 at 9:30AM

The gondola outside Aspen on the Avenue at 2312 Mount Vernon Avenue in Del Ray (staff photo by James Cullum)

Del Ray’s ski lodge is closing after this Saturday night, and its owner says he’ll be throwing a party like snowbody’s business.

Aspen on the Avenue popup bar owner Bill Blackburn of the Homegrown Restaurant Group says that Saturday night will be the last chance for customers to enjoy delicacies like the ski lemon meringuetini.

News

Newly renovated ‘Piece Out Del Ray’ pizza parlor reopening in April

By James Cullum

Published March 21, 2024 at 3:30PM

Newly renovated Piece Out Del Ray at 2419 Mount Vernon Avenue (staff photo by James Cullum)

After nearly a year of extensive renovation and expansion, Piece Out Del Ray is reopening next month, it’s owner tells ALXnow.

The expansion from 2,700 to 4,600 square feet includes a large, center-focused bar area, a brand new dining room in what was previously a neighboring yoga studio, booths, dart boards and 21-and-up-only shuffleboard. A small area for outdoor seating is still being leveled and rails need to be put in place, but otherwise the restaurant was ready enough to open for a March Madness pop-up event on Wednesday night.

News

Behind the scenes at the West End’s new ax-throwing bar

By James Cullum

Published March 13, 2024 at 3:30PM

Bad Axe Throwing at 617 S. Pickett Street in Alexandria's West End (staff photo by James Cullum)

Nothing punctuates your feelings like throwing an ax, and now there’s a new place to do it while drinking a beer in Alexandria’s West End.

Bad Axe Throwing opened at 617 S. Pickett Street in October, offering walk-in and appointments for customers to hone their axe and knife-throwing skills. After signing a waiver, it costs between $30 and $40 per-person to hurl the sharp objects at the wooden targets.

News

Free Lyft rides return for Saint Patrick’s Day in Alexandria

By Vernon Miles

Published March 12, 2024 at 9:55AM

SoberRide program for St. Patrick's Day (image via WRAP)

The Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP) is bringing back its St. Patrick’s Day SoberRide program this weekend.

From noon on Sunday, March 17 (St. Patrick’s Day) until midnight, residents 21 and older who have been drinking can input a SoberRide code into their Lyft app and receive a no-cost (up to $15) trip home.

News

There’s a gondola outside the ‘Aspen on the Avenue’ popup in Del Ray

By James Cullum

Published February 15, 2024 at 10:45AM

The gondola outside Aspen on the Avenue at 2312 Mount Vernon Avenue in Del Ray (staff photo by James Cullum)

There’s nothing like numbing your aching body with a hot toddy after a long day on the slopes.

That’s the vibe that the owners of the Aspen on the Avenue popup (2312 Mount Vernon Avenue) have in mind. There’s a two-seat gondola parked outside the restaurant and bar greeting customers as they walk into a warm environment with a fake fireplace, a fake brick wall, lots of skis and two giant backlit photos of idyllic snowy scenes.

News

Theft from Alexandria’s Virginia ABC stores jumped more than 200% in 2023

By James Cullum

Published January 25, 2024 at 3:45PM

The Virginia ABC store at 3815 Mount Vernon Avenue in Arlandria (via Google Maps)

Liquor store thefts jumped more than 200% in Alexandria in 2023, according to the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority.

There are six Virginia ABC stores in Alexandria. The store with the most incidents is the Arlandria store at 3815 Mount Vernon Avenue in the Del Ray North Shopping Center, which saw 43 incidents of theft last year, up from just eight reported incidents in 2022. The store with the highest amount of theft is at 501 Montgomery Street in Old Town North, which saw 23 incidents.

News

Cold? Del Ray’s pop-up bar is going to resemble an Aspen ski lodge

By James Cullum

Published January 24, 2024 at 9:30AM

Skis for sale at Aspen On The Avenue at 2312 Mount Vernon Avenue in Del Ray (staff photo by James Cullum)

If you need a break from those harsh winter conditions, Del Ray’s seasonal popup bar will resemble a ski lodge in Aspen, Colorado, when it opens early next month.

“Aspen On The Avenue” is the latest effort from Homegrown Restaurant Group owners Bill Blackburn and “Mango” Mike Anderson. The bar and restaurant is being outfitted with skis on the walls, fake fireplaces and more.