Marino’s Pizza and Subs at 3100 Richmond Highway* could soon become a Middle Eastern restaurant with a carry-out focus.
Owner Talat Omar filed a special use permit with the City of Alexandria to turn the now-closed pizza place into Omar’s Pitas & Platters.
“We are transitioning to a carry-out Middle Eastern restaurant with revised cuisine/kitchen equipment and different hours,” Omar said in the application. “We will be serving pitas and rice platters with a variety of toppings.”
The permit said the new business will operate from 11 a.m.-11 p.m. from Sunday to Thursday and 11 a.m.-1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
*That might be Lynhaven rather than Potomac Yard, but that’s not as alliterative.
Image via Google Maps
Mediterranean restaurant La’Baik should open in the next several weeks in the former Rubia’s Tacos at 2309 Mount Vernon Avenue in Del Ray, its owner tells ALXnow.
Rubia’s, which was previously Stomping Ground for eight years, closed in January, and new restaurant owner Mohammad Abdel-Hay is keeping the interior and equipment and tables and chairs as-is, only changing the menu, staff and signage.
“If we get a couple more city approvals, I’m hoping to open in the next two-to-three weeks,” Abdel-Hay said.
La’Baik translated from Arabic means “at your service.”
Abdel-Hay, who lives with his family in Lorton, said that he’d been looking for the perfect location for six months. He signed a five-year lease with two options for extensions, and he said that the menu will include gyros, chicken, falafel, pita pockets, flatbread pizza and wraps.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he said. “Hopefully I’ll be there for 10-to-15 years.”
He also said that customers should be able to get their food within three minutes.
“It’s going to be exactly like an assembly line,” he said. “The lamb, chicken, beef and the falafels are going to be pre-made and it will be ready to serve.”
It will be the first solo restaurant for Abdel-Hay. His family owns the New York Grill in northwest D.C., and he worked in the family business for most of his life. Abdel-Hay took a break from restaurants for the last eight years, and is co-owner of an auto body shop and dealership in Fairfax County.
Abdel-Hay says that diners should expect so spend less than $20 per visit. He also wants the restaurant to be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week.
He’s not remotely Irish, but Alexandria restaurant owner “Mango” Mike Anderson is the grand marshal of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Saturday.
A local celebrity of sorts, Anderson will lead the parade down King Street and to the reviewing stand on Royal Street in the heart of Old Town.
“I have been devoted to Alexandria for more than 50 years, not only as a homeowner but as a business owner,” Anderson said. “I hear there’s going to be 25,000 people there. It’s just terrific to have this kind of honor. I truly consider Alexandria to be my hometown.”
Turns out that this is the second consecutive parade where Anderson is the grand marshal, since he’s a Living Legend of Alexandria. All of the Living Legends were honorary parade marshals at the George Washington Birthday Parade earlier this month.
“Alexandria is the greatest,” Anderson said. “You’ve got history, proximity to the nation’s capital, and the great variety of people who live in the city. Almost everybody who lives in Alexandria is pretty passionate about it, which you can see at the city council meetings. This stuff creates a great community, and I also happen to be a proud member of this city’s restaurant community.”
Anderson is co-owner of the Homegrown Restaurant Group, which includes Pork Barrel BBQ, Holy Cow Del Ray, Del Ray’s pop-up bar, Whisky & Oyster, Sweet Fire Donna’s and Tequila & Taco. He moved to Alexandria in the early 1970s and opened his first restaurant, Irish-themed Shooter McGee’s in 1979. He later owned and operated the Caribbean-themed Mango Mike’s in the West End for nearly 20 years.
Bill Blackburn is Anderson’s partner, and said that he doesn’t like to do things small, or simply.
“One of Mike’s favorite sayings is, if you’re going to be a bear, be a grizzly,” Blackburn said. “I think he lives by those words. He doesn’t like to do anything small. From 30-foot-tall palm trees at Mango Mike’s to 30-foot tall Christmas trees in Del Ray, he’s always going bigger.”
Anderson, who is married to Donna (of Sweet Fire Donna’s), is known for creating outlandish spectacles, including scouting for the Del Ray Christmas tree by air (he’s a pilot and owns two small planes) and paying for it to get cut down, delivered and erected every year. His itch to open new restaurants is tempered, he says, by the seasonal transformations at the Del Ray pop-up bar. Right now it’s an Aspen-themed ski lodge with a gondola parked out front.
Few city events, however, are as spectacular as a parade, and Anderson said that he was always jealous of Pat Troy, the founder of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and owner of the now-closed Ireland’s Own bar in Old Town.
“I was always pretty jealous of Pat,” Anderson said. “He was able to put together this terrific parade that’s transcended him and has lasted 41 years. I’m just so pleased to be a part of it this year.”
The Ballyshaners announced Anderson as parade marshal in January.
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.
“Our gondola doesn’t go to Arlington,” joked popup owner Bill Blackburn of the Homegrown Restaurant Group. “It doesn’t go anywhere, but it’s great for selfies.”
“Mango” Mike Anderson, who owns the popup with Blackburn, found the gondola for sale at HomeGoods in Potomac Yard.
The popup is located between HRG’s other Del Ray restaurants, Pork Barrel BBQ and Holy Cow. It was previously The Sushi Bar for eight years before closing at the end of 2021. Since then, the space has changed concepts as a popup every few months.
“We get to create new concepts and decorate new restaurants and brands without having to deal with the back-of-the-house regulatory, mundane stuff that comes with opening a new restaurant,” Blackburn said. “I think it keeps us fresh.”
The bar menu includes craft cocktails, like the ski lemon meringuetini, a concoction made from Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Meyer lemon, Grand Marnier, lemon curd, Simple and brulee meringue, which is toasted at the bar with a torch. There are 11 appetizers on food menu, the most filling of which is the chicken chili bread bowl — Pork Barrel BBQ’s white chicken chili served in a bread bowl.
The seasonal popup will be open until late March and will reopen as a new concept in early April, Blackburn said.
Aspen on the Avenue is open Sunday to Wednesday from 4 to 10 p.m. and Thursday to Saturday from 4 p.m. to midnight.
New pizza restaurant Benny Diforza’s (1504B Mount Vernon Avenue) has been popular since opening last week. The restaurant was well attended this weekend, and according to an application with the City of Alexandria, there could be more space for diners soon.
Benny Diforza’s is part of a Benny’s Pizza chain with locations across Virginia, the Carolinas, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wyoming.
The application said the restaurant is opening to add 8-10 seats out in front of the restaurant.
There’s currently limited seating (15 seats) inside the restaurant; where the kitchen fills most of the building.
The application also noted that the Benny Diforza’s could be selling beer and wine soon, pending an ABC permit.
Washingtonian recently included three Alexandria restaurants in their food critic’s list of 19 favorite pizzas right now.
Washingtonian’s Executive Food Editor Ann Limpert included in her list “Stracci Bianca” at Stracci Pizza (106 Hume Avenue), the vodka pizza at Emmy Squared (124 King Street) and the white clam Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana (3231 Duke Street).
According to the Washingtonian review of Stracci Pizza:
This Del Ray gem makes its own stracciatella cheese—hand-pulled mozzarella soaked in cream—and it’s best shown off on this Roman-style white pizza, simply accented with olive oil and flakes of Maldon salt.
According to the Washingtonian review of Emmy Squared, which also has two locations in D.C.:
The thick, soft, Detroit-style pizzas from this Brooklyn transfer can be a little…extra. This version is relatively straightforward—just sweet, creamy vodka sauce, basil, and pecorino. The sauce is also good on the Big Ang, which adds ricotta, Italian sausage, and banana peppers to the party.
According to the Washingtonian review of Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana:
I’ve lined up outside this century-old New Haven institution for its coal-fired sheet-pan pizza countless times. And now there is one at Westfield Montgomery Mall! And in Old Town! This particular pie—one of their most famous—is thin, crispy, garlicky as hell, and loaded with fresh clams.
Got dinner plans for Super Bowl Sunday? Benny Diforza’s 28-inch pies will be available in Del Ray starting this week.
The restaurant has been in the works since last summer in the former home of Sicilian Pizza at 1504B Mount Vernon Avenue. Manager Hayden Ko says the restaurant is waiting for one more permit approval from the city before the pizza oven gets fired up. She also said that the restaurant will open this week.
“I’m really excited to start working,” Ko said. “I have 15 employees and last week and we had a staff dinner with their families, and it was great to meet everyone and get the vibes up.”
The restaurant is well known for selling 28-inch pies that go for $5 to $6.50 per slice.
Benny’s first opened its Blacksburg location in 2011, and now has dozens of locations throughout Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wyoming. Each location has a different last name, with Del Ray’s Diforza literally translating to “of strength.”
According to the Benny’s website: “Order a whole pie and feed 2 families. We limit our toppings and we don’t count pennies so everything stays simple.”
Old Town Deli at 109 N. Washington Street will be joining the regional chain Capo Italian Deli sometime over the next month.
A special use permit was filed with the City of Alexandria to rebrand the deli as Capo Deli. The Alexandria location will be the second Capo Deli location in Virginia after one in Tysons.
The application said there will be few other changes at the site, just interior painting and new flooring/tiling.
The Capo Deli menu features a mix of cold and hot subs with a variety of Italian meats, along with salads, Italian pasta dishes and meatballs.
Old Town Deli owner Andrew Seligman told ALXnow the plan is to convert the restaurant to a Capo Deli at some point in the next 30 days or so, depending on when the special use permit is approved.
Photo via Capo Italian Deli/Facebook
George Washington’s history with cherries will be honored this month, as 18 Alexandria restaurants will compete in this year’s GW Cherry Challenge.
The challenge, which is sponsored by George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate, pits the restaurants against each other to create the best “cherry-oriented appetizer, entrée, beverage, or dessert,” according to the city.
The challenge ends at the city’s annual George Washington Birthday Parade in Old Town on President’s Day, Feb. 19.
“This unique event helps generate buzz for Alexandria restaurants, encourages chefs to get creative, and boosts customer traffic,” said Kristen Eastlick, GW Birthday Celebration committee member and chair of the event. “The #GWCherryChallenge lets us offer a tasteful event that keeps George Washington’s memory alive in his hometown. We’re thrilled that historic Mount Vernon has graciously sponsored this whimsical event.”
When George Washington turned six, he was caught red-handed chopping down his father’s cherry tree. Legend says that his father angrily asked him what happened, and the future president said: “I cannot tell a lie…I did cut it with my hatchet.”
Here’s how it works:
Diners—whether dine-in or take-out—will receive QR codes to vote electronically for their favorite cherry entries based on three criteria: taste, presentation, and creativity. Diners will rate each item from one to three cherries for a maximum score of 9 on each ballot. Point totals for each dish are divided by the number of ballots to get the average score. The highest average in each category wins.
Participating restaurants:
- Bastille Brasserie & Bar
- BRABO Brasserie
- The Crazy Mason Milkshake Bar and Ice Cream Shop
- Dishes of India
- Don Taco
- Evening Star Café
- Jula’s on the Potomac
- Kiwi Pie Shop
- Lost Boy Cider
- Mae’s Market and Café
- Murphy’s Irish Pub
- River Bend Bistro
- Taqueria el Poblano
- The Italian Place
- The Light Horse Restaurant
- The Tasting Room
- Trattoria da Franco
- Whiskey & Oyster
Guests are also encouraged to share photos and descriptions of the cherry items on Instagram or X with the hashtag “#GWCherryChallenge” or by posting them to the George Washington Birthday Celebration’s Facebook page.
Two Alexandria restaurants were ranked in Washingtonian’s The 100 Very Best Restaurants in Washington, DC.
At number 15 on the ranking was Japanese restaurant Nasime at 1209 King Street.
Washingtonian’s review said:
This unassuming Old Town storefront houses one of the area’s most underrated and best-value Japanese restaurants. Chef/owner Yuh Shimomura works the kitchen solo, turning out a seven-course $95 feast for no more than 20 diners at a time. Seasonal hits might include yuba-wrapped sea bass in dashi with slippery nameko mushrooms, but the menu always features pristine sashimi (with tongue-tingling “buzz button” flower, when available). The meal culminates in a bubbling pot of noodle soup, recently with oysters and matsutakes. The $60 sake pairing is a generous deal.
Only the Top 25 spots on the list were ranked, but Americana restaurant Virginia’s Darling (277 S Washington Street) also made the top 100 list.
According to the Washingtonian review:
“Our nightly dinner party” is the tag line at this Old Town wine bar, adjacent to owner Nicole Jones’s daytime cafe, Mae’s Market. Indeed, the mood in the dining room is low-key and convivial, and the wine list, which highlights women makers, is written in a breezy, conversational tone. Snack on salt-and-vinegar pistachios, charred dates, or an abundant charcuterie board, then move on to larger plates, which include a hefty “Frenchie” burger on an English muffin and an extra-lemony sole meunière that was so good we convinced the neighboring table to get it.
Alexandria had one fewer than Arlington, which had three locations. There were ten restaurants on the list in Fairfax County.
