Posts Tagged ‘leesburg’
Posted by Rebekah Lowe / Friday, June 3rd, 2011
leesburgfirstfriday.com
Friday, June 3, 2011
Leesburg is known for two very different things: its hectic outlet mall and its quiet historic downtown. But on the first Friday of every month, Leesburg’s downtown comes alive with art, music, wine, lots of free snackage, massages, pets, comedy and more!
Tonight from 5:30 to 10 pm, 33 downtown businesses will join forces to bring you fun for the whole family. No plans yet? Get out of the house and enjoy this amazing weather at Leesburg First Friday! Here are the events I’m putting at the top of my to-do list this evening:
Pie in the Face: Leesburg’s Town Council Members, Town Manager and Technology and Communications Commission Chairman will take a pie in the face to raise money for American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. Who doesn’t like to see a good pie toss, right? Bidding will start at $50 and the highest bidder will do the honors! / 5:30 to 6 pm. 25 W. Market St.
Outdoor Concert: The Pink Shop will host performers Josh Urban and Harris Face for an eclectic music extravaganza they describe as “Blues on Red Bull.” (I’m trying to imagine what this sounds like…) The Very Virginia shop will provide wine tastings with Notaviva Vineyards and Virginia-made gourmet food samplings. / 7 to 9 pm. 109 S. King St.
Wine Tasting: The Leesburg Vintner will host a wine tasting event with their collection of wines from around the world. Sounds classy! / 6 to 9 pm. 29 S. King St.
Heather Mae Foard: Caulkins Jewelers will feature this singer/songwriter and her ukulele. Foard is currently writing one new song every day for a year. / 6:30 to 8:30 pm. 11 S. King St.
David Davol: This acoustic guitarist/singer will perform at Doener Bistro. Pick your favorite hit from his 400 song request list. If you hear him play Rascal Flatts, that was my request! / 7 to 10 pm. 202 Harrison St.
First Friday for Dogs: (I told you this is an event for the whole family.) The Reign of Cats and Dogs will host a fun place to visit with other pet owners. Bring your four-legged friend in for a “Doggie Treat.” / 6 to 9 pm. 13 ½ S. King St.
Chicago Happy Hour: Windy City Red Hots will be celebrating summer with a “Chicago Happy Hour, with cold beers, authentic hot dogs, Polish and Italian sausages, Pizza Puffs and Chili-Cheese Fries. Mm Mmm. (Side note: I recommend their Italian beef sandwiches.) / 6 to 9 pm. 28 S. King St.
Pottery Exhibit and Live Music: The Cooley Gallery, featuring ceramics, painting, photography and more by Washington Redskins tight end Chris Cooley and other artists, will host an open house with acoustic tunes. / 6 to 9 pm. 12 S. King St.
Live Comedy Show: Tally Ho Theater presents the “Last Ham Standing,” a local improv group of comedic actors. The kids will love this show! / 8 to 10 pm. 19 W. Market St. $10.
Free Massage: Hideaway Massage will be offering free chair massages to relax away your work week. Also pick up a few coupons for massage, outdoor yoga classes and airbrush tanning. / 7 to 9 pm. 109 S. King St.
“Summer Is Here” Celebration: Cultured will have free samples of their frozen yogurt made from wholesome local ingredients. In case you want more than just a taste, my favorite topping combo is strawberries and cinnamon toast crunch. / 6 to 9 pm. 216 Loudoun St. SE
For the complete list of tonight’s events, click here.
See you there!
-Rebekah Lowe
Posted by Warren Rojas / Tuesday, April 26th, 2011
Chef Bryan Crosswhite wants everyone to fall as hard for his beloved Cajun cuisine as he has:
(Image: The Cajun Experience)
What began as a passion project housed in a ramshackle hut in Leesburg has grown into a personal quest for world domination. Crosswhite’s latest ambitions include opening additional locations in D.C. (Capitol Hill) as well as outposts both near (NYC, Boston) and far (Europe, Middle East).
WR: Salt. Pepper. What other spices/herbs could you not live without?
BC: Cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder
WR: What’s the very first dish you ever mastered? How long did it take? Do you still make it today?
BC: Crawfish etouffee. It took me about a week to perfect it and then about 45 minutes to cook. We currently have it on all our menu’s at our restaurants. It is the top seller for 2011.
WR: What seasonal ingredient(s) get your creative juices flowing?
BC: Live crawfish! We boil them, pinch the tails and suck the heads.
WR: My latest cookbook obsession is …
BC: Chef John Folse – The Encyclopedia of Cajun and Creole Cuisine
WR: What’s the most challenging dish you’ve ever attempted? Would you make it again?
BC: Maqluba from Iraq. It was tough because I couldn’t read Arabic. Yes I will cook [it] again.
WR: If I could the spend the day working alongside any local chef, I’d love to collaborate with …
BC: Michel Richard
WR: What’s the easiest/quickest–but still wholly satisfying–meal you make for yourself?
BC: French toast stuffed with chocolate and strawberries.
10 1-inch slices French bread
6 to 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
6 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups milk
2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup melted butter
6 to 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
6 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups milk
2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup melted butter
Cut a pocket in the center of each slice of bread and stuff 2-3 tablespoons of chips into the created pocket.
Place slices into a buttered 9X13 pan.
Whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon and salt.
Pour the mixture over the top of the sandwiches.
After about 20 minutes, turn the slices over, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the liquid is absorbed, at least 2 hours, or overnight.
Remove the dish from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking.
Drizzle melted butter over the tops of the slices and bake in a preheated 425° oven until golden brown and set, about 30 minutes.
WR: In the next six months you won’t want to miss my …
BC: Vermilion Parish Filet: filet blackened with peppercorn crust, topped with fresh crabmeat with etouffee sauce on top.
WR: It’s quitting time. I’m pouring myself …
BC: Water (trying to lose weight)
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Your stuffed French toast sounds amazing, chef. But the etouffee-topped, blackened filet has this hired mouth craving dinner more than breakfast.
Come back next Tuesday for another helping of Red Meat.
–Warren
Posted by Lynn Norusis / Thursday, March 3rd, 2011
Falls Church, a haven for displaced diplomat children
Sign language now an official foreign language in VA schools
Local architect helping to rebuild Pakistan
Police cruiser crashes through front door of Leesburg business
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, January 13th, 2011
FFX future vision? Biotech and conference centers
Careful Leesburg, driving is dangerous out there
Going to outer-space is now a local’s option
Here comes Circa, Arlington
NoVA leaders request to expand Metro Board
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Tuesday, October 26th, 2010
Got a handful of new restaurant openings to report, including a couple that are rolling out the welcome mats this very morning:
* Michel began serving breakfast at the Tysons Ritz just a few hours ago and will be welcoming dinner guests this evening. A receptionist suggested that lunch service is likely to follow in a few weeks (early to mid-November was her best guess);
* Ballston diners can check out the new Rustico (4075 Wilson Blvd. Arlington; 571-384-1820)–which promises a few menu tweaks (homemade ricotta doughnuts, a Bibb salad with shaved apples, smoked cheddar and almond granola) and broader brew selection (400+ bottles, and counting) than the original–beginning at lunch today;
* Daniel O’Connell’s alumnus Colin Abernethy will be working his culinary magic as executive chef of Travinia Italian Kitchen in Leesburg, set to debut November 1; and,
* Chef Jacques Haerigner will be shaking things up at L’Auberge Chez Francois by unveiling Jacques’ Brasserie at L’Auberge–a more casual, a la carte alternative to the restaurants’ traditional multi-course service–on November 9. “I’ll be serving some of my favorite dishes, the ones I grew up with,” Haeringer said of his plans to delve into Alsatian comfort food, adding, “Many of these recipes come from a notebook of handwritten recipes my father brought with him when he moved from France to the United States.” Tentative additions include: Tarte Flambée (Alsatian-style pizza), organic chicken in riesling, traditional and fish choucroute, and pinot noir-braised ribs.
Let’s eat.
–Warren
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, September 16th, 2010
The Wine Kitchen in Historic Downtown Leesburg always has great specials going on. Wednesdays are taco night at The Wine Kitchen and for $12 you can get two tacos made of homemade tortillas, shredded short ribs, and avocado cream. For a lunch special, they are offering fondue for two and two glasses of wine for $8. This is in addition to their regular lunch special and is available 11:30 a.m.- 3 p.m. every weekday for the rest of September! The Wine Kitchen is closed on Mondays.
7 S. King St.
Leesburg, VA 20175
-Liz Stevenson
(Image: The Wine Kitchen)
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, December 28th, 2009
(Does GPS work indoors?)
Lord knows the Wegmans folks have done their part to foster a fiercely loyal constituency here in the Commonwealth, launching six titanic stores in almost as many years–with another monolithic shopping depot planned for Fort Belvoir.
But when I saw Chowhounder Joe Heflin’s rant about Leesburg’s dizzying new addition, I decided to do some digging.
Sorry, Joe, but Leesburg ain’t the biggest lot in Wegmans’ 75-store (and counting) empire.
Fairfax continues to wear that crown.
A Wegmans spokesperson confirmed that the Fairfax location currently boasts the most square footage (143, 957) in the grocery chain, with Fredericksburg (139, 398) and Leesburg (138, 655) rounding out the top five biggest stores.
The Wegmans aide declined to provide any sales figures for our local stores (against company policy), noting only that “our stores in Northern Virginia are among our busiest.”
–Warren
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Friday, December 4th, 2009
In the world of amateur restaurant reviewing, boundaries can be a wonderful thing.
Just ask local food sleuth Jim Webb.
The Leesburg resident has been cranking out one-shots about visits to area restaurants (chains and their multiple locations, included) for 20 months as part of his personal quest to critique every hometown eatery.
The biggest obstacle to date? Restaurant turnover.
“Lots of new ones keep popping up,” he noted. “So maybe I’ll never be done.”
The IT professional claims no culinary training–”I’m not a gourmet or anything,” he openly admitted–but does have a passion for Asian cuisine.
And while Ruby Tuesday remains a family go-to (“It’s somewhere we can all agree on,” he said), Webb has added many new favorites to his mental Rolodex, including:
*homemade pastas from Galetta’s (“That was really good,” Webb shared)
*curry creations from Thai Pan (“It’s tiny and in this weird location, but fairly authentic.”)
*deli delights from Puccio’s (“Really good sandwiches.”)
*spicy fare from the Cajun Experience (“Tiny but great.”)
To date, he’s injected about $2,700 into the local economy and has crossed circa 80 places off his original list–with another three dozen still to go.
What’ll he do if he ever does cross the dining finish line?
Webb’s not entirely sure. But he did leave the door open to devising another regional challenge.
“Maybe visiting every winery in Loudoun County,” he mused, quickly adding, “There’ll be something in the future.”
–Warren
LoCo Works to Take Wine Kitchen Viral
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009
Leesburg’s Wine Kitchen gets some love from the Loudoun Convention & Visitors Association via a new web video:
(Video: Visit Loudoun HD)
I particularly enjoyed WK co-founder Jason Miller’s explanation of their reverse-engineered architectural vision:
“Parties always end up in a kitchen. So we’ll just build a kitchen and the party will start here.”
If you’ve not yet been, scoot on over for one of chef Chris Carey’s seasonally inspired ice cream sandwiches (homemade ice cream pressed between fresh-baked cookies) before he puts his summer desserts back on the shelf.
–Warren