Good Thursday morning, Alexandria!
☀️ Today’s weather: Frost will clear by 10 a.m., making way for a sunny day with a high near 51. A northwest wind will shift to a westerly direction at approximately 6 mph in the afternoon. The night will be clear, with temperatures dropping to around 34 and a south wind at 5 mph.
The former manager of Hank’s Oyster Bar faces years in prison after pleading guilty to embezzling $680,000 from the restaurant.
Claude Ibrahim, 53, pleaded guilty in the Alexandria Circuit Court to nine counts of felony embezzlement and eight counts of misdemeanor embezzlement.
Thousands turned out in costumes for the 27th annual Del Ray Halloween Parade on Sunday.
This year, the parade was named one of the top 10 Halloween Parades in the country by USA Today.
Alexandria’s David Martin has spent the last 35 years making the city brighter, from creating jewelry at his Old Town shop to convincing city leaders to keep the holiday lights up year-round along King Street.
In 1989, Martin saw Old Town as a sleeping giant, especially on the block where his shop Gold Works USA would be located at 1400 King Street. The King St-Old Town Metro station had opened a few years before, and he sensed that the area would get busier.
While most of Washingtonian’s Best Brunch Spots in the region are on the wrong side of the Potomac, one Alexandria location made the cut.
Matt & Tony’s All Day Kitchen + Bar (1501 Mount Vernon Avenue) is the sole Alexandria location on the list, which lauds its dog-friendly patio and upscale versions of brunch classics.
After more than a dozen complaints of outdoor grills sending smoke into neighboring Del Ray homes, City Council on Saturday unanimously approved a modified plan to allow Hi/Fi Tex-Mex BBQ to operate behind Evening Star Cafe.
The approval expands the concept’s hours of operation from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. (previously 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.), more outdoor seating (from 50 seats to 124 seats), live outdoor music Wednesday to Saturday, as well as permission to cook food from two outdoor smoker grills and selling the food from a temporary food trailer.
There’s a new outlet to get your kicks in Old Town.
Atlas Muay Thai Gym opened two weeks ago in the former CrossFit gym at 215 N. Payne Street. The location is shared by The Link coworking office, and is owned by Muay Thai world champion Amine “The Lion” Ballafrikh.
(Updated 10/13) Chris Harvey is retiring and hopes to sell his hardware store in Del Ray as-is before the end of the year. If that doesn’t happen, he plans on selling all his merchandise at deeply discounted rates.
Chris and his brother Gary Harvey opened Executive Lock & Key Service at 2003 Mount Vernon Avenue in the mid 1990s. Chris runs the business now and Gary says he’s been trying to get his brother to retire for years.
On Oct. 4, after nearly a decade at 1909 Mount Vernon Avenue in Del Ray, sushi restaurant KAiZEN Tavern closed and reopened as Zuki Moon.
“Embark on a culinary adventure as we bring you beloved gastro bar food from Japan, and the Philippines,” the restaurant says on its website. “Our vibrant Asian menus and craft cocktails stem from our favorite culinary travels and adventures from the back alley street food stalls to the vibrant and colorful markets.”
Saturday morning rain wasn’t enough to dampen this year’s Art On The Avenue in Del Ray.
As expected, thousands of visitors descended on Mount Vernon Avenue for the annual festival. The Visit Del Ray event featured more than 300 artist booths, live music on three stages, a pie baking contest, as well as a kids corner to create art at Pat Miller Neighborhood Square. City leaders and local business owners also cut a ribbon recognizing new Del Ray businesses.
(Updated 10/6) A Hawaiian shave ice trailer at Fort Belvoir is looking to open a new location in Del Ray.
Owner Jaafar Ouardi filed a special use permit to open the new location for Le Petit Ananas Shaved Ice outside Bagel Uprising (2307 Mount Vernon Avenue).
