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Bistrot Royal, In The Old Bastille Space in Alexandria - Chef Salvador Alvarez on N. Royal Street - Closed Apr 30, 2016


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"Bastille To Open Second Location In Alexandria" by Rebecca Cooper in bizjournals.com
 
"The new restaurant, which will keep the name, while the original changes monikers [to Bistro Royal], will be located on the ground floor of the Asher Building ... at Pendleton and Fayette streets in North Old Town."
 
Contratulations to the Poteaux family and to Mark Slater. This restaurant was too good for its tiny environs for quite some time now, and deserves a better space.
 
Mark, is there anything else you can add?

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 Glad it's another location!

Not me!  I like it right where it is.

I'm a little confused though.  Is current location (which will be renamed) going to keep the same menu?  Will the new location (with the current name) have a different menu?

I know nothing of the restaurant business or marketing, but wouldn't be easier to keep the current successful restaurant where it is and with the same name, and open a new place in a new location with a new name?

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Not me!  I like it right where it is.

I'm a little confused though.  Is current location (which will be renamed) going to keep the same menu?  Will the new location (with the current name) have a different menu?

I know nothing of the restaurant business or marketing, but wouldn't be easier to keep the current successful restaurant where it is and with the same name, and open a new place in a new location with a new name?

Not to speak for Mark, but I suspect the order is 1) real estate specifics 2) menu details - my guess is that there's a broad-stroke business plan, but that's about it, especially if it's a year out. Mark please confirm as you can.

You know, we should see if we can close off Bastille for a dr.com dinner at some point. The demand for community dinners has dropped off in recent years (leaving me not just a little worried about Amoo's), but given enough advance notice, we can still rally.

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It's official: Bastille will move next month to a bigger space in Old Town, and la famille Poteaux will revamp the current space into "Bistrot Royal", a more casual concept.  Congratulations!

¨New Details Unveiled for Bastille, Bistrot Royale Restaurants in Alexandria¨ by Mary Ann Barton on patch.com

(sorry about the blank initial post - McDonalds seriously redecorated, but their WiFi still has issues)

Note that this is true given a rather generous definition of "Old Town" - it's at the corner of Fayette and Pendleton, a couple of blocks from the Braddock metro.

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Per Don's request, here's a menu at the opening of a place.
 
My wife and I stopped in last night to check out the new place and sat at the bar.  The sit-at-the-bar special is not quite at good as it was previously.  Now you get half priced wines by the glass until 7:00 and after 7 you get 15% (?) (some discount) on the food.  I think previously you got a discount on the food and drinks at the bar. 
 
Anyhow, we had a really nice time.  Staff was very friendly and accommodating (extra bread, and extra spoon for the French onion soup, nice banter).  The menu is smaller than it was at Bastille and gone is the wonderful burger with foie gras and (I think) duck confit.  Hopefully that one is still on the Bastille menu.
 
We got French Onion Soup, Boeuf Bourguignon, Mushroom Risotto, and Mussels and fries (Moles Mainierres, Pommes Frites)

French Onion soup was good, but not at good as the one I made at home last week.  ;-)

Boeuf Bourguignon was way better than the one I made last year. The meat was super tender and would fall apart at the slightest touch.

Mushroom Risotto was much better than our homemade attempts. More creamy and liquidly

Mussels were huge! We could only eat about half. They piled out of the bowl higher than the bowl was deep (if you know what I mean)

It was a really nice impromptu stop.  I look forward to more of these since it's on the way home from work!

post-3390-0-22371000-1422451553_thumb.jp

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On ‎3‎/‎5‎/‎2014 at 2:35 PM, Bart said:

I know nothing of the restaurant business or marketing, but wouldn't be easier to keep the current successful restaurant where it is and with the same name, and open a new place in a new location with a new name?

I asked this question two years ago, and now I guess I have the answer. 

What a shame.  I really liked this location and menu, and it was always packed whenever we went there when it was still Bastille. 

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On 4/26/2016 at 8:08 AM, Bart said:

I asked this question two years ago, and now I guess I have the answer. 

What a shame.  I really liked this location and menu, and it was always packed whenever we went there when it was still Bastille. 

Makes absolutely no sense to me.. 

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