Labor Day Weekend Turns Green–Just in Time for Fall!

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, August 29th, 2011

Feeling green?

No, not envious!  If you’re in an active, eco-friendly mood, kick off your Labor Day weekend bright and early this Saturday, Sept. 3 with the first annual Dominion Trail Mix, sponsored by Dominion Virginia Power.

This event will be huge.  It consists of three parts and spans much of the trail’s 45 miles.

Part one of Trail Mix is a charity drive and cleanup effort.  It starts at 7:30 a.m. and ends at 10 a.m.  Anyone can sign up for free at the Dominion Trail Mix website. 

The event begins at one of 10 stops along the trail, from Leesburg to Arlington.  Everyone present will help clean up trash and plant new vegetation along the trail.  This project will be the largest cleanup in the trail’s history.

Part two is a non-competitive run, walk and bike along the trail.  The gathering begins at 11 a.m. at Farmwell Station Middle School in Ashburn. 

This particular portion of Trail Mix costs money:  $20 for a five kilometer walk or five mile bike ride, $25 for a 10 mile bike ride and $10 dollars for kids 12 and under.

Part three caps it all off with another free event, starting at noon, also at Farmwell Station Middle School.  Country band Gloriana will perform, as well as a few local acts, including The Jenny Leigh Band, A+ Dropouts, and educational children’s act Billy B. 

Perhaps the best part of all is that food will be provided.  What’s that you say?  You couldn’t possibly stuff yourself with more generic festival foods like mass-produced hot dogs and bland burgers?  Well fear not, because the free food is catered by none other than Leesburg favorite Vintage 50. 

So if you’re feeling environmentally conscious, exercise-driven and by the end of it all, probably hungry, start off Labor Day weekend with an outdoor extravaganza, NoVA style.

–Matt Basheda

Cavallo Cuts Bait at Catch 52

Posted by Warren Rojas / Wednesday, August 10th, 2011

The Vintage Restaurant Group–the trade name of restaurateur Anthony Cavallo’s burgeoning hospitality empire–has officially pulled the plug on their seafood-centric experiment, Catch 52.

“We have discovered over the past few months that the seafood desired by our community was just as easily executed at Vintage 51, our ‘sister’ restaurant, located right next door,” V51 general manager Ty Allison said of the recent consolidation. According to Allison, V51 has already absorbed C52′s most popular menu items–beer battered fish and chips, calamari, fish tacos, snow crab legs–with more (oysters on the half shell) soon to follow.

“We will be relinquishing the lease,” Allison said of C52′s now-twice abandoned pad (if memory serves, a chain Italian joint failed there previously).

–Warren

Spring Wine Week Cometh

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

Not to be outdone by the now near-constant flood of event dining opportunities, local vintners hope to take center stage during Virginia Wine Week (3/22 – 3/28).

Participating restaurants/retailers are obliged to feature at least three Virginia wines by the glass.

But many hospitality purveyors we’ve spoken to are taking the opportunity to trot out a bevy of regional pours, including:

* Capital Ale House: plan to offer Afton Mountain Vineyards Gewurztraminer (bottle only), Autumn Hill Vineyard Chardonnay ($6.95), Autumn Hill Cabernet Franc Vineyard ($7.95), 2005 Blenheim Vineyards Meritage ($8.95), Blenheim Star Chardonnay ($10.95), Burnley Vineyards Riesling ($8.95) and Green Springs Winery Sweet Rose ($6.95).

* The Dock at Lansdowne: plan to offer 2008 Horton Vineyard Viognier ($8), 2006 Barboursville Vineyards Cabernet Franc ($8), 2007 Breaux Vineyards Chere Marie ($8), Breaux Equation Merlot ($8) and 2006 Prince Michel Chardonnay ($8).

* The Majestic: plan to offer Thibaut-Janisson Blanc de Chardonnay ($18), Pollak Vineyards Cabernet Franc ($13.50), Pollak Chardonnay ($11), Boxwood Winery Boxwood blend ($14) and a wine flight ($18) featuring Thibaut-Janisson, Boxwood and White Hall Vineyards Viognier. “We have featured the wine flight before and it has been quite popular,” Majestic manager Maria Chicas said.

* Vinifera: plan to offer 2006 Horton Vineyards Viognier ($9), 2006 Gabriele Rausse Cabernet Franc ($9), 2008 Loudoun Valley Vineyard Vinifera Red and Vinifera White ($28 each per half bottle).

* Vintage 50/Vintage 51: chef Aaron McCloud assured me they’ll be pouring something from Fabbioli Cellars and said they were still vetting other potential wine partners.

* The Wine Kitchen: plan to offer Kluge Estate New World Red ($3.50 – taste, $9 – glass, $31 – bottle) , 2007 Michael Shaps Chardonnay ($3 – taste, $11 – glass, $42 – bottle) and Tarara Winery Long Bomb Edition Two ($4 – taste, $7 – glass, $28 – bottle), as well as a discounted flight ($7) featuring all three.

A Virginia Wine Marketing aide said they’ve recruited over 160 participants to date and hope to cross into the 200s before registration closes on Monday, March 15.

Meanwhile, we’d like to know: does your favorite restaurant serve Virginia wine? And if not,  might this promotion entice you to sample something local?

–Warren

What Woman Most Informed Your Cooking Outlook?

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Friday, March 27th, 2009

The Women’s Show is coming to town next weekend, and we’ve got a bunch of tickets to give away (corporate sponsorship has its privileges).

A quick scan of the chefs participating in the Cooking Stage–an interactive showcase tapping the talents of local toques like Liam LaCivita of The Liberty Tavern, Aaron McCloud of Vintage 50, Chris Clime of PassionFish, Carmen Piazza of Extra Virgin and Alison Swope of M&S Grill–obliterates the outdated stereotype of cooking being strictly women’s work.

But it did get us thinking about the lovely ladies that helped shape our own culinary worldview.

The question is: what iconic female would be at the top of your list?

Alice Waters?

(Photo: Evan Sung)

Julia Child?

(Photo: Arnold Newman)

Aunt Jemima?

(Image: FDA)

Your gray-haired granny?

(Did anyone actually expect to see their sweet, grinning meemaw in this spot? That would’ve been WAY creepy.)

So, let us in on what lady helped bring the kitchen alive in your life in the comments below, and we will see about getting you into the Women’s Show free of charge.

But don’t just spit out a name and some ho-hum praise.

We want details: lovingly prepared birthday meals you’ll never forget, bizarro baking catastrophes that have become the stuff of family lore, invaluable cooking tips that have saved countless meals/your marriage from utter ruin. Well, you get the idea.

We’ll reward the 10 most interesting responses (be they heartfelt, hilarious or horrific) with a pair of passes to the upcoming show.

But you’ve got to reply by noon on Tuesday, March 31 to qualify.

–Warren Rojas