Posts Tagged ‘dining’
Celebrate the Harvest This Week in Middleburg
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Friday, September 9th, 2011
(Image Andrimka/Shutterstock)
Whenever summer ends, I always feel a little blue. But one of the reasons I look forward to fall is all the festivals and events that begin celebrating the best part of the season- the food.
Starting today and continuing through the 18th Celebrate the Harvest Week is back in Middleburg, VA and it’s your chance to sample the region’s best food and wine!
The restaurants of Middleburg, Virginia, in the heart of Hunt Country, will recognize the year’s bountiful harvest by offering special dishes on their menus featuring fresh and local produce, meats, cheeses, wines and other edibles. Celebrate the Harvest Week aims to bring together local farmers, vintners and food artisans with the town’s restaurateurs, who are excited to showcase locally produced goods. The campaign is part of an ongoing cooperative effort to promote local, fresh and seasonal foods.
“Celebrate the Harvest Week is a great way to support local restaurants and purveyors,” said Marny Birkitt, co-owner of The French Hound Restaurant and an organizer of the event. “This event will give patrons an opportunity to experience the wonderful food and wine that Virginia’s Piedmont region has to offer.”
Marny also said that this year, at the French Hound, they will be featuring a lot of fresh, local herbs within their dishes that will pair perfectly with haricots verts and roasted half-chicken from Ayrshire Farms, located right down the street. The Farm is a certified organic farm, specializing in rare and endangered breeds of livestock and heirloom fruits and vegetables. Their
Got a sweet tooth? Don’t forget dessert! Be sure to finish off your evening with a visit to The Upper Crust bakery, located on North Pendleton Street. They will be featuring their apple, walnut and caramel spice cake with locally grown Virginia apples- I’m assured it’s a true crowd-pleaser.
Here is a complete list of participating restaurants- call today to make your reservations!
Backstreet Cafe – 540.687.3122
Dank’s Deli – 540.687.3456
The Fox Den Tavern – 540.687.4165
The French Hound - 540.687.3018
Home Farm - 540.687.8882
Julien’s Restaurant -540.687.3123
Market Salamander - 540.687.8011
Mello Out - 540.687.8635
The Red Fox Inn - 540.687.6301
The Red Horse Tavern – 540.687.6443
Teddy’s Pizza & Subs – 540.687.8880
The Upper Crust – 540.687.5666
Also, during Celebrate the Harvest week, be on the lookout for Middleburg’s first Celebration Saturday event. Starting September 17, the town of Middleburg will come alive the third Saturday of each month through December. Celebration Saturdays will feature local musicians and artists as well as unique shopping and dining. Many shops and galleries in town will stay open until 7 p.m. during this special event series.
Celebrate the Harvest Week and Celebration Saturdays are hosted by Middleburg businesses and sponsored by the Middleburg Business and Professional Association. Visit www.townofmiddleburg.org today for more information!!
– Jennie Whistler
Loudoun Principal Takes Down Stink Bug
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Tuesday, June 21st, 2011
Dave Michener, principal of Hilsboro Elementary School, is clearly a man of his word. A virtual Horton the Elephant (“I meant what I said, and I said what I meant, an elephant’s faithful, 100%”), he promised his students that he would eat stink bug tacos if they met their goal of reading 15 to 20 minutes per day during the last school year.
And eat stink bugs he did. At last Thursday’s assembly, Michener enthusiastically downed the insect-filled tacos as gleeful students chanted, “Eat it! Eat it!” in the background. Chef Derek Luhowiak, the so-called “Stink Bug Fryin’ Expert” featured prominently in the Loudoun Times video below, describes the stink bug flavor as reminiscent of “cilantro.” Hmmm.
Not only is Principal Michener Loudoun County’s own version of Andew Zimmern; his consumption of steak tacos garnished with stink bug salsa may have helped in small measure with the region’s infestation. According to the Washington Post, stink bugs caused $37 million of damage to last year’s mid-Atlantic apple crop alone, not to mention the damage caused to local peach, grape, and soybeans crops.
One Maryland homeowner removed in excess of 20,000 stink bugs from his home in January of this year!
This isn’t Michener’s first school house dare. In the past, he allowed students to shave his head. Another year, he slept on a roof. Stay tuned for next year’s spectacle . . . I’m sure that so-called “Instigator” and PTA President Ken Stewart will delight in finding new means of torture for his willing principal.
For more stink bug recipe inspiration (i.e., stink bug paté and a Oaxacan-style stink bug taco sans beef), check out WUSA.
The Infamous Stink Bug (Image: Phil Jenkins/Shutterstock)
Pressure Cookers: More than “Meats” the Eye
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, June 16th, 2011
Pressure Cooker (Image: samoshkin/Shutterstock)
So I have a confession. And I suspect I’m not the only one. While I was utterly appreciative of all the generous wedding gifts I received (almost three years ago), there are a few that have been . . . well, underutilized, despite my good intentions. What immediately comes to mind is a gift that is currently living in a large box under my bar counter. My husband and I eye it every once in a while, guiltily; and although we do quite a lot of cooking at home, we just haven’t mustered up the courage to tackle the pressure cooker.
The pressure cooker. It is, after all, an ideal gift. It is a time-saver, right? I mean, we use our slow cooker quite a lot (especially during the winter), which, despite the name, is another great time-saving device. But I don’t know what it is about the pressure cooker that is, well, slightly intimidating or inacessible to today’s generation of home cooks.
I’ve seen them on Iron Chef battles. I have also seen them on Top Chef, where they have caused some “technical issues” during heated Elimination Challenges. I’m thinking specifically of Season 6′s Eli Kirshtein and the exploding pressure cooker.
So NPR’s recent post on the pressure cooker’s comeback made me take heart. The pressure cooker enjoyed tremendous popularity in the American household during World War II as more and more women entered the workforce. The principle behind the cooker is simple. Increased pressure raises the boiling point of water from 212 Fahrenheit to about 242 Fahrenheit, which allows food to cook at a higher temperature, thus reducing the total cooking time.
Pressure cookers may have lost ground to other time-savers such as frozen dinners and microwaves in the States, but they remain “a staple across Europe [especially France], North Africa, South Asia and South America” because they economically and efficiently ”tenderize cheaper, tougher cuts of meat.” Jacques Pepin even includes pressure cooker recipes (Beef Short Rib, Mushroom, and Potato Stew; and Veal Roast) in his book “Fast Food My Way” (Houghton Mifflin, 240 pp). And I suspect they are still popular in certain portions of the United States (e.g., Aspen) where water boils at a lower temperature, therefore not allowing food to cook at a temperature high enough to break down the fibers or cellulose in meats and beans.
What is more surprising is that you can do more with this kitchen gadget than meets (or meats) the eye. A pressure cooker is not just for stews, and beans, and beef. It can be employed to make desserts such as cheesecakes and bread puddings — an idea that particularly appeals to me as a pastry student. Click here for Lorna Sass’s recipe for Chocolate Kahlua Bread Pudding. And watch Volt’s Bryan Voltaggio in action with his pressure cooker as he makes a signature cheesecake. (I have to admit, I particulary like hearing him say “dulce de leche” and “maltodextrin.”)
-Johnisha M. Levi
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, January 24th, 2011
Maple Ave team proves handy with exotic eats, longs for more elbow room
By Warren Rojas / Photography by Kate Bohler
Ma works his magic on sous vide veal cheek and grilled rapini.
It’s really easy to run out of space on these small tables,” one server sheepishly jokes while struggling to clear away extraneous menus and place settings in time to drop off our battery of dishes before they tumbled from his grasp.
Maple Ave chef/owner Tim Ma can certainly relate.
The one-time engineer cum French Culinary Institute grad bucked the advice of friends and family who warned him against launching his small plate-themed project in late 2009.
He’s been rewarded with a cadre of local followers who regularly file into the oddly shaped and tightly knit location—serviced by nine tables up front, with four more tucked away in the far rear—yet remains frustrated by his inability to properly capitalize on the rising popularity.
“It’s tough to make money here,” the recession-defying restaurateur grouses—though he clearly appreciates his unique predicament. “We’re lucky that we do need more space,” Ma offers.
The main dining room could have been assembled by someone attempting to illustrate the definition of “cozy,” its sage walls adorned with local art (most of it on loan from the neighboring Soundry) while bare wooden tables and chairs are reconfigured at will to accommodate whoever strolls through the front door.
What the location lacks in aesthetic charm the kitchen more than makes up for in culinary artistry.
Maple Ave GM Joey Hernandez taking a well-deserved break.
Ma and his trusted companions, sous chef Nyi Nyi Myint, a Burmese native who spent some time behind the burners at Busaba Eathai while in the UK and is rumored to have cooked for Britain’s royal family, and Nick Seo, a Culinary Institute of America grad who Ma maintains does “a little bit of everything,” are as non-traditional as you can get. The rag-tag trio embraces daring and surprise in lieu of the familiar or formulaic, mining their personal experiences to help compose each carefully orchestrated—and occasionally jarring—dish.
Their carte has run the gamut from caramelized okra drizzled with Thai chili sauce to foie gras-stuffed figs wrapped in duck prosciutto to a sandwich of pulled Polyface pork capped with pickled slaw to a sublime torte sporting alternating tiers of chocolate mousse, homemade peanut butter, chopped pretzels and roasted peanuts. Not to mention the fun they had—think: spicy fried cauliflower, sous vide tuna salad sandwiches and bulgogi banh mi—on their short-lived food truck, Maple Avenue Express (on hiatus until further notice).
“Foie gras and funnel cake don’t [usually] go on the same menu. But somehow, it works,” Ma suggests.
And for the most part, he is right.
A southern standby goes international in a shrimp-and-grits makeover that includes spice-crusted jumbo shrimp, their puffy white flesh studded with freshly cracked black pepper, piquillo peppers-laced grains and crumbly, blueberry-spiked venison sausage.
Surplus pork jowl (a benefit/consequence of getting chummy with local pork baron Steve Baker) was alternately too fatty or tough, proving jerky-like along its thinnest expanses but more luxuriant where the piggy stored its generous padding. A pile of cinnamon-sprinkled, slow-cooked apples offers some TLC to the seared jowl.
Maple Ave’s tightly-knit front dining room.
Bulgogi lettuce wraps, the pork soaked through with orange juice, ginger ale and soy, a la Ma’s mother’s recipe, teeters on the verge of cloying—until bedecked in the caramelized kimchee salvaged from the aforementioned pork jowl platter. The pickled cabbage kicks in just enough sour to cut through the marinade and cements the Korean-ness of the dish.
Melted cheddar seeps into every thirsty crevice of a panko-crusted chicken sandwich that delivers a cocksure, bread-backed crunch that gives way to a juicy-to-the-core breast. Briny pickle chips, truffle mayo and a buttery roll round out the sandwich experience, with herb-flecked fries contributing salt and starch to the dining equation.
A quartet of deep-fried, chocolate-filled dumplings is too cute to deny—at first. Each palm-sized pastry is lightly bubbled on the outside and oozes bittersweet ganache when pierced, eliciting “oohs” and “ahhs” from those who’ve been raised in the era of the omnipresent lava cake. But just a few bites in, I was already wondering why the obviously experimental kitchen didn’t choose to unite the dumplings and side dish of plain vanilla ice cream (dumplings a la mode?). Or perhaps drizzle them with dulce de leche or honey (sopapilla-style) or something?
The sugar-dusted funnel cake, on the other hand, is an undisputed winner. Each mound of fried knottiness— think: giant apple fritters pumped up with helium—slice easily, revealing an extra fluffy, wonderfully flaky interior that you’d swear would go airborne if separated from your fork. The very vanilla bean-y ice cream adds just the right touch of the exotic to the classic carnival fare.
Ma’s passion for creative cooking is matched only by his commitment to sustainable dining. Even though he’s not entirely convinced that the evangelism is worth all the headaches.
“These products don’t come cheap. And the time investment is kind of ridiculous,” he says of the energy he’s expended scouting out regional producers like Polyface Farm and Tuscarora Organic Grower Cooperative.
“Do people come in for that? I think most people don’t. But those who do know [how to] appreciate it and thank us for it,” he says. “The moment you say Polyface … the locavores perk up.”
Still, Ma seems optimistic.
At press time, he was seriously weighing his expansion plans/relocation options.
Ma pointed to the recently shuttered Panjshir II spot right down the road in Vienna as an ideal location, but suggests that the financials haven’t yet lined up to claim that specific parcel. So he’s also scouting locations in Falls Church and near Virginia Square.
If determination alone were enough, I suspect we’d be seeing Maple Ave 2.0 much sooner rather than later.
But until reality catches up to his ambition, Ma will wait. And plan.
Perhaps he’ll go a tad tonier the next time around. Just don’t expect anything too fancy.
“We’d want to make it a little more fine dining than it is here. But not so we couldn’t put a funnel cake on the menu,” Ma predicts.
Maple Ave
147 Maple Ave. W., Vienna; 703-319-2177; www.mapleaverestaurant.com
Hours: Open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday.
Prices: Average entree: $13 to $20 ($$).
(January 2011)
Eye on NoVA: Mealtime Marauders
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010
View NoVA Food Trucks in a larger map
Here’s a handy-dandy map to help you keep track of all the food (and drink) carts whizzing around our area these days.
(You’re welcome.)
–Warren
GAR Dubs 12th Resto Ozzie’s Corner Italian
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Friday, March 19th, 2010
Great American Restaurants CEO Randy Norton has confirmed that their forthcoming Italian concept–set to debut in Fairfax Corner sometime this fall/winter–will be named Ozzie’s Corner Italian, a tribute to GAR corporate chef-cum-vice president of kitchen operations Chris Osborn.
Ozzie’s will bump GAR’s Northern Virginia restaurant holdings to an even dozen. Their preexisting properties include: Artie’s, Best Buns Bread Co., Carlyle, Coastal Flats (2), Jackson’s Mighty Fine Food & Lucky Lounge, Mike’s American, Silverado and Sweetwater Tavern (3).
Although the group had flirted with crowning the highly anticipated project Patsy’s (after Norton’s wife), Norton suggested that they had received some pushback from New York eatery/online retailer Patsy’s.
Other abandoned monikers included: “Meatball Palace” (too bad) and “Majestic Meat” (porntacular).
No word yet on who will man the burners, but Norton doesn’t seem too worried.
“I am excited about the progress to date and have no doubt the menu will be ready in plenty of time,” he said.
–Warren
Additional Senior Deal Discoveries
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Friday, October 23rd, 2009
By Tiffany Peng
In our November issue, we detailed senior savings exclusive to Northern Virginia Magazine readers with proof of age. Continue below to check out where to score additional deals on dining, entertainment, travel and education for the 55-and-older crowd.
SHOPPING
On the first Tuesday of every month, seniors aged 55 and older who shop Senior Day at Belk department stores receive a 15-percent discount off their entire purchase. And every Tuesday, the same set gets a 10-percent discount at Ross stores (check for participating locations).
Other retailers don’t require shopping on a particular day. Examples: Goodwill gives seniors aged 55 and up a 20-percent discount on their entire purchase, excluding new items, daily. And, similarly, some Banana Republic locations offer a 10-percent discount to seniors aged 65 and older every day.
DINING
Some of the deals we discovered include the following: Arby’s (10 percent off for ages 55-plus), Burger King (10 percent off for ages 55-plus), Dairy Queen (10 percent off for ages 55-plus), Taco Bell (10 percent off for ages 65-plus), and McDonald’s (64 cents for coffee, iced tea or soft drinks for ages 55-plus). Again, due to a modern age of franchising, these discounts can vary depending on the location, so it’s best to call ahead of time to find out if a particular location is a participating one or not.
For those who prefer to sit and stay a while, Bob Evans restaurants offer seniors aged 55 and older a special senior menu that includes lower prices and smaller portions. Other chains that offer a special senior menu include Denny’s (for seniors 55-plus), IHOP (for seniors 55-plus) and Friendly’s (for seniors 60-plus).
Additionally, Old Country Buffett allows seniors aged 60 years or older to purchase a Senior Club Card for just $1, which grants seniors discounts on every adult buffet meal they purchase for one year. For those who do not wish to purchase the Senior Club Card at Old Country Buffet, every weekday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., seniors 60 years or older receive a discounted adult buffet meal for only $5.99. Still more dining deals: AARP cardholders receive 20 percent off at Boston Market, and seniors aged 65 and older save 10 percent at Pizza Hut.
ENTERTAINMENT
Nearly all area movie theaters offer some form of a discounted movie ticket for seniors, including local, independently owned theaters. For instance, Cinema Arts Theatre in Fairfax offers Wednesday Senior Day, where seniors ages 60-plus can watch $4 movies.
If you enjoy catching live acts on the cheap, check out Wolf Trap. The performing arts park offers a senior citizen discount of 50 percent for in-house tickets for those adults ages 65-plus starting a half hour prior to performances (subject to availability).
Of course, it’s always good to get out and enjoy the great outdoors, too, and seniors 62-plus can purchase for a small price the America the Beautiful Senior Pass, which provides access to all U.S. National Parks and a 50-percent discount on some Expanded Amenity Fees on facilities and services such as camping and swimming. Go to http://www.nps.gov/fees_passes.htm for more information.
The Virginia Department of Recreation and Conservation offers a variety of discounted senior citizen passes for admission to Virginia state parks as well as for parking, boat launching and amenities, which include camping, park merchandise, equipment rental and shelter/amphitheater rentals. Additional information is available here: http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/.
TRAVEL
If you happen to live in the City of Alexandria and are at least 60 years old, you may want to pay attention to this. The City of Alexandria Department of the Aging offers seniors who live in Alexandria taxi services for only $2 to visit grocery stores and pharmacies within the Alexandria city borders. They will also take seniors to medical facilities in a radius of five miles outside of the city (excluding Lorton, Woodbridge, D.C. and MD) for only $2.50. Call 703-836-1840 the DAY BEFORE to make a reservation or to apply. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (closed on weekends and holidays).
Elsewhere, the Seniors-On-The-Go! taxi program is available through the Fairfax County Department of Transportation. Seniors who are at least 65 years old and meet certain income criteria can participate in this program, which includes taxi coupon booklets that are worth $33, but only cost $20. If you apply and are eligible, you may purchase up to $528 worth of booklets a year with an actual cost of only $320 per year. (Residents of the City of Alexandria and the City of Falls Church are not eligible).
EDUCATION
Thinking about taking some classes but don’t want the headache of homework and exams? The Osher Lifetime Learning Institute (OLLI) at George Mason University offers daytime classes, lectures and special events led by qualified OLLI members and teachers from George Mason University. Classes meet for 90 minutes from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on weekdays for four terms—a total of 26 weeks per year—at locations in Fairfax, Reston and Sterling. OLLI members are entitled to a George Mason photo ID card and with it can enjoy many campus privileges. Aside from class, OLLI also offers various social and volunteer activities.
The annual fee is $350 for membership at all three sites and $150 for a Loudoun-only membership. There is also an introductory rate of $150 for one term.
(November 2009)
Feast Like a Locavore During ‘Harvest Week’
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, September 16th, 2009
The eat local movement keeps gathering steam–this time with the backing of the Fauquier County and Loudoun County hospitality merchants who’ve agreed to partake in the second annual “Celebrate the Harvest Week” (September 25 – October 4).
The dozen or so restaurants involved in the locavore lovefest have been given carte blanche to express their appreciation for homegrown ingredients and regional treasures as best they see fit. But the mission remains to showcase “farm-to-table” preparations to be paired with local wines and spirits.
Participating restaurants include:
* The French Hound (co-owner Marny Birkitt says they plan to serve a 20-ounce Fields of Athenry ribeye, Fields of Athenry lamb sausage with couscous, Ayrshire Farm merguez with spicy aioli and an heirloom tomato-mozzarella-basil chiffonade salad);
* Goodstone Inn (CtHW menu here);
* Red Fox Inn (CtHW menu here);
Chief wine and spirits partners include:
* Cirrus Vodka;
* Wasmund’s.
Hungry for more info/updates? Check out the Harvest Week Facebook page.
–Warren
Summer Restaurant Week Roll Call
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Tuesday, July 28th, 2009
After a brief hiccup (I thought it was a little weird that the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington was trumpeting the winter 2010 dining calendar, but was too busy to think straight), the latest summer Restaurant Week (August 24 – 30) participants have been properly identified.
Around three dozen Virginia properties have signed on for the bi-annual discount dining crush–three-course meals can be had for $20.09 at lunch or $35.09 for dinner (tax, tip and drinks not included)–including:
* 2941 (offering both lunch and dinner; the restaurant has also extended the $20.09 lunch deal throughout the month of August)
*Argia’s (lunch and dinner)
* Bastille (dinner)
*Chef Geoff’s – Tysons (lunch and dinner)
* Chima (dinner)
* Columbia Firehouse (lunch and dinner)
* Del Merei Grille (dinner)
* El Manantial (lunch and dinner)
* Fleming’s (dinner)
* fyve (lunch and dinner)
* The Grille at Morrison House (dinner)
* Harry’s Tap Room – Clarendon, Pentagon City (lunch and dinner)
* Indigo Landing (lunch and dinner)
* JR’s Stockyards Inn (lunch and dinner)
* Jackson 20 (lunch and dinner)
* Jaleo (lunch and dinner)
* La Bergerie (lunch and dinner)
* La Sandia (lunch and dinner)
* La Tasca -Alexandria, Arlington (lunch and dinner)
* Laporta’s (lunch and dinner)
* McCormick & Schmick’s – Crystal City (lunch and dinner)
* Me Jana (lunch and dinner)
* The Melting Pot – Arlington, Reston (dinner)
* The Palm (lunch and dinner)
* PassionFish (lunch and dinner)
* 3 Bar & Grill (lunch and dinner)
* Tallula (dinner)
* Vermilion (lunch and dinner)
* Vinifera (lunch and dinner)
* Willow (lunch and dinner)
* Yaku (dinner; the restaurant is also offering a $35, 4-course meal and glass of wine deal from August 3-29)
I tend to lie low during these promotional blitzes, for obvious reasons (it’s more for tourists and first-timers), but would love to hear about some of the places you all are excited to try/return to.
-Warren
NoVA Restaurant Scene Explodes this July
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, July 6th, 2009
Really wishing I’d gone the restful route this past weekend. Because it looks like the hospitality industry is gearing up for a big July.
Trummer’s on Main
Victoria and Stefan Trummer have devoted the last year of their lives to transforming the former Hermitage Inn into their new restaurant, Trummer’s on Main. And we’ll finally get a peek at the fruits of their labor when they formally open their doors on Monday, July 13.
The Trummers have entrusted chef Clayton Miller with helping to realize their epicurean dreams, a responsibility he takes quite seriously. Miller describes views his cooking style as modern American, which means he’s only too happy to draw inspiration from all over the globe in order to weave exotic flavors into local ingredients.
He’s also a fan of carving out separate dining experiences within a single venue, which is why Trummer’s will feature gourmet snacks at the bar (available by request in the main dining room), seasonal a la carte offerings as well as a fluid multicourse tasting menu (3-5 courses or chef’s choice) in the main dining room and a 3-course brunch (coming soon) predicated on fresh pastries, homestyle favorites and snappy petit fours.
“I want the guests to have flexibility,” Miller suggests.
Kora
Though he just shuttered Farrah Olivia a few weeks back, telegenic toque Morou Ouattara is ready to jump right back into action with Kora–a family-friendly Italian project taking over the old Bebo spot. Morou and older brother Amadou (last seen behind the burner’s at Middleburg’s Salvia restaurant) will lead a kitchen dedicated to quick, comfortable eats.
“It’s not going to be too far away from casual Italian,” Morou said, listing homemade pizzas and gourmet paninis as Kora cornerstones.
Morou remains committed to resurrecting Farrah Olivia in the near future (within the next year and a half, anyway), but has not yet fixed on a new location. “Whatever comes at the right time, we’ll take it,” he said of his open-ended real estate shopping philosophy.
Columbia Firehouse
The Neighborhood Restaurant Group is hoping to rekindle interest in the old Bookbinders space by launching their own dual-natured venue, Columbia Firehouse, in the next few weeks. Orlando Hitzig (most recently attached to the now-defunct Mark & Orlando’s near Dupont Circle) is still fine tuning the Columbia Firehouse menu, but estimates it will revolve around “comfort food that you can do at home, but don’t want to.”
The first floor will feature said staples, including: smoked chicken wings with buttermilk-blue cheese dressing, Maryland crab cakes and gourmet burgers. The upstairs–tentatively set to open this August–will follow more of an upscale chophouse format.
“That’s where we will be trying to draw in folks from across the river,” Hitzig estimates.
Maestro 2.0 (?)
I’ve just about given up on this industry parlor game. But if you are still interested in what will become of the once fabled Tysons’ dining palace, the cut-off for all placeholder functions is July 31.
–Warren
