More
Post Content

Notes: Alexandria’s yellow Metro line reopens

Good Monday morning, Alexandria!

☔ Today’s weather: Passing showers. Overcast. Mild. High of 66 and low of 53.
☔ Tomorrow: Rain. Cloudy. Mild. High of 71 and low of 57. Sunrise at 6:01 am and sunset at 8:07 pm.

🚨 You need to know

After eight months, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority reopened it’s yellow line on Sunday. The line has been out of service since September to allow work on the Potomac River tunnel and bridge.

“The work included replacing over 1,000 individual steel plates held together by more than 12,000 bolts in the tunnel and replacing 88 bearings on the bridge,” according to WMATA. “The project also upgraded the fire suppression system on the 3,000-foot bridge and removed and replaced miles of critical communications cables used by multiple regional partners.”

📈 Friday’s most read

The following are the most-read ALXnow articles for May 5, 2023.

  1. Giant Food on Duke Street adapts to shoplifting increase by locking one of its front doors (858 views)
  2. Notes: APD ‘determined’ to reduce crime near Braddock Road Metro after more shots fired (829 views)
  3. ALXnow’s top stories this week in Alexandria (798 views)
  4. Just Listed in Alexandria | ALXnow (129 views)

🗞 Other local coverage

📅 Upcoming events

Here is what’s going on today in Alexandria, from our event calendar.

  • No events today. Have one to promote? Submit it to the calendar.
2 Comment

Giant Food on Duke Street adapts to shoplifting increase by locking one of its front doors

Previous Image 1/2 Next Image

An increase in crime has resulted in the Giant Food store at 3131 Duke Street locking one of its two front doors, as staff say that shoplifting has become a daily occurrence.

“It’s kids, grownups, everybody,” store manager Zaina Calo told ALXnow. “They try to steal fish, and from the whole meat and seafood department, wine. It doesn’t matter. Anything, really.”

Last month, an employee got maced when he confronted a suspected shoplifter. The suspect walked into the store wearing brass knuckles and armed with mace, Calo said. He has not been arrested, but has been banned from the store. Store staff call the police when the suspect arrives, but he leaves before they arrive, she said.

“Shoplifting happens every day,” Calo said. “It’s gotten pretty bad, but honestly it’s getting a lot safer with our door closed, with our hours reduced.”

Changes at the store include reducing store operations by an hour to 10 p.m., limiting the number of items customers can take to self-checkout aisles and locking one of two entrances. Now customers at the store have to walk past checkout counters, the customer service counter and a bank before walking out.

Shoppers at Giant Food stores are now greeted at the front door with the following message from Giant President Ira Kress:

You may notice changes to your checkout experience as you are shopping with us today. Due to a significant increase in crime and theft that we and many other retailers are experiencing across our market area, we have made several changes to our operating procedures to mitigate the impact of theft to our business. We know that these changes may cause some inconvenience or be disruptive to the experience you are used to, and I assure you we are making these changes out of necessity to prioritize the safety of our associates and customers.

We will continue to do everything in our power to ensure you receive an exceptional experience every time you shop with us and on behalf of Giant Food, we appreciate your patience and understanding.

26 Comments

Brothers want Tex-Mex restaurant ‘Dos Hermanos’ to open in Del Ray in June

Previous Image 1/2 Next Image

The brothers behind the new Dos Hermanos Tex Mex restaurant in Del Ray want to open by this summer.

On April 1, Wilmer and Elmer Cruz Villatoro signed a 10-year lease for the 4,000-square-foot space at 1603 Commonwealth Avenue. The interior renovations are nearly finished, with bright red and yellow walls adorned by colorful sombreros and prints of Mexican paintings.

Dos Hermanos is under City review for a special use permit and the public comment period for their application ends on May 11.

“It’s a family restaurant,” Wilmer said. “We are going to do real Tex-Mex. That means fajitas, enchiladas, a solid steak, burritos, chimichangas, and great salads.”

The space is the former longtime home to Monroe’s, which closed in Dec. 2015, after which it became Live Oak and Elo’s Italian, the latter two owned by The Garden‘s Justus Frank and Jeremy Barber.

“I buy very good quality meat,” Elmer said. “You won’t hear any complaints about our chicken fajitas. I pay four times more for chicken breasts than anyone else around here.”

Wilmer moved to Alexandria from El Salvador when he was 18 years old in 1999, getting his first restaurant job at the former Chicken Out in Old Town. He learned more about the industry working at California Pizza Kitchen in Arlington and then as a cook at Hops Bar & Grill in Potomac Yard. In 2004, Elmer followed his big brother to Alexandria, and got a job as a dishwasher at Hops. Two years later, Elmer transferred to a Hops in West Palm Beach, Florida, and then worked for seven years at Mexican/Spanish restaurant La Bamba in North Palm Beach.

Wilmer later started working at Dos Amigos when it opened 535 E. Braddock Road near the Braddock Road Metro station in 2013. In 2019, he partnered with the company’s owners and they opened a Dos Amigos at 7375 Boston Boulevard in Springfield. He even convinced Elmer to return to Alexandria to help run the family business. Then the pandemic hit in 2020, putting the breaks on positive growth.

“It was hard to make a living,” Elmer said. “But things got busy again. We had a lot of business until we had to close.”

The Springfield Dos Amigos closed on March 31, after the partners were bought out of their lease due to Costco wanting to install a gas station on the property. The buyout had Elmer consider moving back to Florida, and he even tried talking Wilmer into tagging along.

“I have a 14-year-old son and I need to be here for him,” Wilmer said. “I told him I’d love to go, but I cannot move right now. Then we found this place and I convinced him (Elmer) to stay.”

The brothers plan on employing about 15 people to work in the restaurant, and to be open from 11 a.m. to 1o p.m. Sunday to Thursday and until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. They also plan on having daily happy hour specials from 3 to 7 p.m. daily and then bar menu includes a dozen margaritas, Central and South American wine and signature drinks like a mojito with mezcal, piña coladas, flavored daiquiris and sangrias.

The restaurant will also feature a $11 kids menu with enchiladas, tacos and quesadillas.

“The menus are all ready,” Elmer said. “We have until May 11 to see if the city has to say something about our application. Once they approve, we’ll open soon after. We’re hoping for June.”

3 Comments

PIES Fitness Yoga Studio owners look to expand with Connect & Sip Cafe in Old Town

Previous Image 1/3 Next Image

Do you take your yoga with coffee or tea?

By this summer, the Harold family of Alexandria want to add a third business in Old Town — Connect & Sip Cafe at 1320 Prince Street. The proposed cafe would be located next door to their PIES Fitness & Yoga Studio at 1322 Prince Street. If all goes well with the permitting process, they’d like to open up by mid-summer.

“The building is completely gutted right now,” owner Marsha D. Banks-Harold told ALXnow. “Our yoga studio is very unique and that we’re a community, so people come here, they sit before class and each other, check in on how everyone’s family is doing. We’re really about connecting and that’s where the wellness piece comes in. Especially post pandemic where people have been so isolated, it’s really an opportunity for people to come together sit down sip on a cup of tea, or a cup of coffee and really get to know their neighbors.”

The property is located on the corner of Prince Street and N. West Street, directly across the street from popular knitting shop fibre space (1319 Prince Street).

The cafe would sell coffee, tea, small plates of food, pastries and CBD products. The 2,100-square-foot property is envisioned to seat 50 people inside and 12 outside on a 600-square-foot area in the rear of the property. Their proposed operating hours during the week would be from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Wednesday, from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday and Friday, from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday and from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Public comments on their special use permit application expire on May 4.

Last October, Banks-Harold, her husband Jefferey and son Gabriel reopened PIES Fitness & Yoga in Old Town. The move came after the family lost the least to their studio at 33 S. Pickett Street, which first opened in 2008. Also last year, the family launched a CBD business, Daydreamers Oasis, and started selling those products in the studio.

The problem with the new Old Town space, Marsha said, is that it lacked a waiting area for people to hang out before and after workouts, crushing the vibe fostered in the previous West End location.

“With the cafe, they’ll have a place to continue those conversations,” she said. “It gets a little crowded in the studio.”

Incidentally, Marsha and Jefferey are both full-time patent supervisors at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. They got married in 1992 in Shiloh Baptist Church, which is about a block away from the building they now own in Old Town.

“This whole part of town has gone through gentrification,” Jefferey said. “Just for us to be able to get back into town and have a place here is special.”

2 Comments

Goodies Frozen Custard and Treats reopens on spring weekends in Old Town

If the weather is nice this weekend, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to get frozen custard at Goodie’s Frozen Custard & Treats in Old Town.

This month, owner Brandon Byrd reopened on weekends with sunny, warm weather — soft openings for his soft serve custard, so to speak.

“It’s good to have a couple soft openings after a winter hiatus to get back into the swing of things and refamiliarize yourself on things,” Byrd told ALXnow. “Whenever the weather breaks, for me in my mind it’s time to reopen. I’m looking forward to it, and to seeing familiar faces and new faces.”

Byrd operates Goodies from the 1930s-era ice house at 200 Commerce Street. He started the business more than a decade ago in his custard truck, Gigi. The shop sells one flavor of Wisconsin-style custard — vanilla — and customers choose from a myriad of toppings, all for $8 to $10.

Prices are staying the same, a pledge that Byrd made last year.

“It’s the same price point as always,” he said. “I’m a man of my word. Is it easy? No.”

Goodies was named one of the top 40 ice cream shops in the country this year by Thrillist.

“It’s great to get back into the flow of things before my season officially opens on Memorial Day weekend,” Byrd said. “We’ll be open until Labor Day, and we’ll stay open on nice weekends in the fall if the weather is nice.”

Follow Goodies Frozen Custard & Treats on Instagram to see when they are open between now and Memorial Day weekend.

3 Comments

Alexandria food delivery driver busted after allegedly stealing Amazon package

Police car lights (file photo)

A 47-year-old Alexandria man was arrested last month for allegedly stealing an Amazon package after delivering food to an Arlington apartment complex.

On Saturday, March 18, the victim reported to APD that a pink Amazon package containing a silver Apple keyboard was stolen from the mailbox area of an apartment in the 2900 block of S. Columbus Street in Arlington.

Police reviewed security footage “that clearly shows a delivery driver entering the complex at approximately 0100 hours and exiting with the package in question,” police said in a recently released search warrant affidavit.

The suspect was identified “after viewing a mugshot from a previous arrest that matched with the suspect in the video,” police said in the search warrant affidavit.

Police then met the suspect on March 19, and he wore an outfit that matched what he allegedly wore the previous night. The suspect was arrested on March 24, charged with petit larceny and released on $1,000 unsecured bond.

The suspect goes to court for the misdemeanor on April 28.

2 Comments

Z-Burger owner says new joint corners the fast-casual burger market in Alexandria’s West End

Z-Burger at 684 S. Pickett Street in the Pickett Street Plaza shopping Center (staff photo by James Cullum)

Z-Burger recently opened on the corner of Pickett Street Plaza, and its owner says the joint also corners the fast-casual burger market in Alexandria’s West End.

Peter Tabibian says Z-Burger is performing better than expected since opening at 684 S. Pickett Street on February 11. The restaurant is visible to drivers on S. Van Dorn Street and S. Pickett Street, but it’s more than just traffic

“We’re really killing it with DoorDash and Uber Eats,” Tabibian told ALXnow. “We can’t keep up with it, and sometimes we just shut it off. I love it. I think it is a very good location. It’s in a corner and based on my experience and all the restaurants I’ve opened, the corner locations always do very well.”

There are nine Z-Burgers scattered throughout D.C., Maryland and Virginia. This is the first location in Alexandria and another is planned to open within a month at 509 23rd Street in Arlington, Tabibian said.

The burger chain features hamburgers, hotdogs, Philly cheesesteak subs, chicken sandwiches and 75 hand-spun milkshakes and malts.

“The Crystal City (Arlington) location is going to cater to the hotels in the area, the nightlife and bars,” he said. “That location will be open late until 3 a.m. on weekends.”

Tabibian also owns Maman Joon Kitchen in McLean and a number of My Own Pizza locations, the newest of which opened two days ago in Tysons Corner Center.

“Because of covid, I think this is the best time to open a business,” Tabibian said. ” People can name prices for their rents. If you have a good concept and reputation in the marketplace, landlords will work with you.”

The S. Pickett Street Z-Burger is near McDonald’s (505 S. Van Dorn Street) and a Wendy’s (229 S. Van Dorn Street), but has no nearby competition in the fast-casual burger market, Tabibian said.

“There’s no Five Guys of Shake Shacks around that area,” he said. “I love locations like this because we’re dealing with a lot of blue collar workers, hungry people, folks going to Home Depot, and it’s easy access. Easy in, easy out.”

A native of Iran, Tabibian got his first job at Burger King when he was 14 years old, and worked for 12 years as a general manager of a Jerry’s Subs & Pizza in Capitol Heights, Maryland, before branching out on his own.

Tabibian also says there’s no official expansion plan for his restaurants.

“The plan is giving customers good food and providing  good service, doing one restaurant at a time and choosing good locations,” he said.

Z-Burger at 684 S. Pickett Street is open every day from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., except Saturday when it’s open until 11 p.m.

8 Comments

Notes: Alexandria named ‘one of the best places to travel’ by Money Magazine

It’s a beautiful spring morning in Alexandria!

Today’s weather: Mostly sunny with a high of 72 degrees during the day, and cloudy with a low of 56 degrees tonight.

🚨 You need to know

Alexandria has been named one of the best places to visit, Patch first reported.

Money Magazine listed the city as a top destination, and called the city a “lux jumping-off point for D.C.-area visits.“

According to Money Magazine:

Along the King Street Mile in Old Town, you’ll find charming cobblestone streets lined with lanterns, outdoor cafes, Instagram-worthy murals and trendy bars. There’s also a vibrant art community — explore the many galleries or peek in at artists at work at the Torpedo Factory Art Center.

Other local coverage

Tweets of note

0 Comments

Scoop: ‘Call Your Mother’ back on for Alexandria sometime this summer

(Updated 3/31) One year after a plan to open at 128 N. Pitt Street seemingly fell through, hyper-popular D.C. bagel shop Call Your Mother Deli says an Alexandria location in Old Town is back on the menu.

Currently, “somewhere” is the best the company can say for the exact location, but a store representative ruled out one location: 128 N. Pitt Street.

“Call Your Mother’s second VA location will be in Alexandria / the historic Old Town district, but it will not be at 128 N. Pitt Street,” said Carly Connor, a public relations manager with a firm representing Call Your Mother Deli, in an email.

Neighbors told ALXnow the new location is likely the new development at 1300 King Street.

Connor said the aim is to open sometime this summer.

“The lease is not yet final,” Connor said, “but it’s looking like mid-summer for the opening!”

The news came alongside an announcement that a new location will also be opening in McLean.

Photo via Call Your Mother/Facebook

0 Comments

Where to get Girl Scout cookies around Alexandria

Samoas artwork (image via Girl Scouts Nation’s Capital/Facebook)

It’s that time of year: Girl Scout cookies are back in season.

Cookie both sales are starting to pop up around Alexandria starting today. You could chance stumbling across one, but if you want to be more methodical, here’s a list of Girl Scout cookie stands around Alexandria for the next two weeks.

Around the 22314 zip code:

  • Duke Street Giant (3131 Duke Street)
    Saturday, Feb. 4, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
    Sunday, Feb. 5, Noon-4 p.m.
    Saturday, Feb. 11, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
    Sunday, Feb. 12, Noon-4 p.m.
  • Made in Alexandria (533 Montgomery Street)
    Saturday, Feb. 4, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
    Sunday, Feb. 5, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
    Saturday, Feb. 11, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
    Sunday, Feb. 12, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
  • Meridian at Eisenhower (2351 Eisenhower Avenue)
    Saturday, Feb. 4, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
    Saturday, Feb. 11, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
  • Old Town Farmer’s Market (301 King Street)
    Saturday, Feb. 4, 8 a.m.-Noon
    Saturday, Feb. 11, 8 a.m.-Noon
  • Mint Condition (103 S. Saint Asaph Street)
    Sunday, Feb. 5, 1-3 p.m.
  • Carlyle Place (2251 Eisenhower Avenue)
    Saturday, Feb. 11, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
  • Parc Meridian (750 Port Street)
    Saturday, Feb. 11, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
  • Ten Thousand Villages (515 King Street)
    Saturday, Feb. 11, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
  • Comfort One Shoes (201 King Street)
    Sunday, Feb. 12, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
  • Lincoln Old Town (401 Holland Lane)
    Sunday, Feb. 12, Noon-3 p.m.

In the 22301 zip code:

  • JeffersonPlayground (301 Hume Avenue)
    Friday, Feb. 3, 4-6 p.m.
  • Bellies and Babies (1913 Mount Vernon Avenue)
    Saturday, Feb. 4, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
    Sunday, Feb. 5, Noon-4 p.m.
    Saturday, Feb. 11, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
    Sunday, Feb. 12, Noon-4 p.m.
  • Del Ray Farmer’s Market (2311 Mount Vernon Avenue)
    Saturday, Feb. 11, 8 a.m.-11 a.m.

In the 22305 zip code:

  • Giant (621 E. Glebe Road)
    Saturday, Feb. 4, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
    Sunday, Feb. 5, Noon-4 p.m.
    Saturday, Feb. 11, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
    Sunday, Feb. 12, Noon-4 p.m.
  • Four Mile Run Market (4109 Mount Vernon Avenue)
    Sunday, Feb. 5, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
    Sunday, Feb. 12, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
  • The Reserve at Potomac Yards (3700 Jefferson Davis Highway)
    Saturday, Feb. 11, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

In the 22302 zip code:

  • Robcyn’s (3660 King Street)
    Friday, Feb. 3, 4 p.m.-6 p.m.
    Saturday, Feb. 4, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
    Sunday, Feb. 5, Noon-4 p.m.
    Friday, Feb. 10, 4-6 p.m.
    Saturday, Feb. 11, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
    Sunday, Feb. 12, Noon-4 p.m.
  • Safeway (3526 King Street)
    Friday, Feb. 3, 4 p.m.-7 p.m.
    Saturday, Feb. 4, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
    Sunday, Feb. 5, Noon-4 p.m.
    Friday, Feb. 10, 4-7 p.m.
    Saturday, Feb. 11, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
    Sunday. Feb. 12, Noon-5 p.m.
  • Cafe Pizzaiolo (1623 Fern Street)
    Saturday, Feb. 4
    Saturday, Feb. 11
  • Klein Home (1401 Kenwood Avenue)
    Saturday, Feb. 4, 10 a.m.-Noon
  • Presto Valet of VA (1623 Quaker Lane)
    Saturday, Feb. 4, 2 p.m.-5 p.m.
    Saturday, Feb. 11, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
  • St Elmo’s Cafe (2300 Mount Vernon Avenue)
    Saturday, Feb. 4
    Sunday, Feb. 5
    Saturday, Feb. 11
    Sunday, Feb. 12
  • St Elmo’s Cafe – Fairlington (1536 Kenwood Avenue)
    Sunday, Feb. 5
    Sunday, Feb. 12
  • USPS (340 S. Pickett Street)
    Saturday, Feb. 4, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
    Friday, Feb. 10, 4-6 p.m.
    Saturday, Feb. 11, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
  • Whistle Stop and Hobbies (1719 Centre Plaza)
    Saturday, Feb. 11, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

In the 22304 zip code:

  • Safeway (229 S. Van Dorn Street)
    Saturday, Feb. 4, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
    Sunday, Feb. 5, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
    Saturday, Feb. 11, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
    Sunday, Feb. 12, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
  • SSSAS US Gym (1000 St. Stephen’s Road)
    Thursday, Feb. 9, 5 p.m.-8 p.m.
    Friday, Feb. 10, 5 p.m.-8 p.m.

In the 22311 zip code:

  • Taqueria Picoso (1472 N. Beauregard)
    Sunday, Feb. 5, Noon-4 p.m.
    Sunday, Feb. 12, Noon-4 p.m.
  • Guidepost Montessori (3475 N. Beauregard Street)
    Tuesday, Feb. 7, 4-5 p.m.

In the 22312 zip code:

  • Washington International Academy (6408 Edsall Road)
    Friday, Feb. 3, Noon-3 p.m.

Image via Girl Scouts Nation’s Capital/Facebook

0 Comments
View More Stories
×

Subscribe to our mailing list