Eric Reid

Looks like Bon Chon is moving in. 

On 2/27/2020 at 5:28 PM, Josh Radigan said:

I hear often people say over and over "we want a place for families to stretch out.

Man, I miss Del Merei.

I've spent many a night in a kitchen, particularly this one. I would say that it was an off night based on my experiences. Not sure what happened, but somewhere along the lines, a dish was able to slip through the cracks. I know he recently lost his sous whom had been with him for years. He was one of those "lifers" who follows the chef to any restaurant he goes to. 

I would definitely recommend you take advantage of the gift card and return. Chef Jonathan is putting out some of the best food in the area, IMO. 

43 minutes ago, DonRocks said:

Change your signature file, man!

Done! 

Thanks. I actually left the restaurant group back in June though. 

Thank you so much for coming in! You are correct about the pimento cheese. Some people get geeked out about softies, so I added the cheese to familiarize guests. Whenever I have them in please feel free to ask about a sandwich the way you would like it. I’ve got no problem making that happen. 

Eric

Thanks for the kind words, Jim. We are in fact reopened. I am changing the menu every week, be it one or two or three items. The dishes are meant for sharing. I recommend 2 per person. Never been a fan of doggy bags or food comas. 

Look for the pineapple, see it, come in.

See y'all soon!

Eric

ps. reopened August 23

1.17.pdf

On 8/29/2017 at 11:42 AM, DonRocks said:

Other than Pupatella, where do people in close-in Northern Virginia go for the best pizza these days? Wiseguy?

I can tell you where *not* to go - after opening the front door in Del Ray last night, we were blasted by a 100-decibel trivia quiz, so we sat outside (incidentally, last night is the first time all summer that I've been cold outside, so autumn is coming).

The beer selection is good, but here is the pizza we were greeted with, a 14-Inch Supreme Clientele ($19):

This pizza is exactly how it looks: It's edible if you don't eat the "bones" at the end, but it's also nothing you'd return for - the very definition of mediocrity.

What didn't you like about it?

Hope to see y'all on Thursday. 

"Alexandria Restaurants Rally around Al's Steak House after Opening Day Fire" by Rebecca Cooper on bizjournals.com

Will do, kind sir.

This Sunday at Port City, my good friend Chad (Mason Social) and I (Reserve)  are having a chili cook off. Portion of the proceeds are going to Feed It Forward.  The two of us will be serving different chili as well as bbq offerings and other sides. Logan Sausages is donating 1/2 smokes. We have a large tow behind smoker grill coming with us.

Tickets are on sale here for $20. And more info about the event can be found at this one.

We've received some excellent media pickups from DC101, Washingtonian and DCBeer, amongst others. Weather is calling for sunny and 57. The brawl is inside the brewery and the tasting room will also be open.

Hope to see y'all out there!

In order to keep up with the outstanding support the Del Ray community has shown us, The Reserve will be closing its current door at 2216 Mt. Vernon Avenue for a brief hiatus while we relocate.  Come see us for a final meal in our first home before October 24th.  After that, look for the skillet along The Avenue, or follow us on twitter  to find out when & where our new home will open up to Del Ray!

RT's is my special place, my number 1 in Alexandria. The service at the bar is always on point. The food is always fantastic. I always have a tough time deciding what to order because you can not go wrong. Tend to always order the Shrimp Norman and She Crab Soup. RT's was always my parents "date night" "special occasion" restaurant. I love recommending RT's when people ask where to eat in Alexandria.

*if I didn't say it enough, ALWAYS

Actually headed there next week for a wedding, staying in Portland Wednesday night. Any recs there?

-cough-

Thanks to all who came out to Taste of Del Ray today! Winner, winner, Hot Chicken dinner!

Dad and I are in. Beer and something good.

Carlos and I started at the same time at Evening Star Cafe under Chef Brian Hooyenga.

I'm very excited for Carlos! Congratulations homie!

You all have been so generous. I can't thank you enough. The donation jars have still been on the bar since last Tuesday night. Since then, we've been able to raise an additional $1300. This is incredible! This family is large, this family is yours, this family is ours. Thank you everyone!

Thank you everyone. Grand total we were able to raise over $10,000 dollars! I type this with tears in my eyes from the generosity of this community. Thank you to all who donated. Thank you to all came in. Thank you restaurants that contributed. Thank you Del Ray Patch. Thank You Eater Dc. Thank you Washington Post.

And most importantly, THANK YOU Don Rockwell. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thank you all!

Well, we're getting a lot of views - which is great - but I'm not convinced it will translate into dollars (Washington Post and Washingtonian, would you please pick up on this?)

Let me do my part for those who want to help, but may be starving students, etc.

For every post in the Professionals and Businesses Forum between now and Saturday at noon, I'll donate $10. (Please remember that each new post needs to be 100 words; each follow-up post needs to be 50 words - all posts need to be signed with a real name, and only positive reviews are allowed.) Here's the FAQ I wrote awhile back - if you have any questions, just write me.

If someone wants to go to the dinner for free, simply post four times and send me a PM, and I'll buy your dinner (you'll still need to leave a tip, but remember, all tips are also going to the Gomez family).

This is a chance for people to help businesses they believe in, while at the same time helping the Gomez family without spending a dime.

That is so generous of you. I know you hate these links but I have no other words.

Eric, for those of us who can't come in to dine... is there a way we can contribute thru the takeout menu? Or just make a cash donation?

Don has the details. I haven't quite figured out to go orders for donations. Thank you so much for wanting to contribute.

Questions like these are why I felt it was most important to talk to Don first. This community has always been very caring and why I enjoy this forum as much as I do.

Thanks Don. Thank you very much.

In the restaurant business, we are all family. The backbone of our family is unfortunately underrepresented and most times, not spoken for.  Without that strength, no restaurant could open it's doors. Sadly, tragedy struck our families heart at DRP. One of our dishwasher's sisters was gunned down in a senseless act of violence in Honduras. More tragically, this violence plagues our brothers and sisters from Central America everyday. It touches everyone. Not just in DRP but in every restaurant. It should touch every person. That is our mission now, to make more people aware of the struggles that face our foundation every day. In that vein, next Tuesday, we will be holding a special dinner to commemorate Claudia Membreno, her family, our family and all families that face violence as part of their lives. Proceeds will be be donated to the Membreno children and a charity aimed at raising awareness and abating the violence that has become endemic in Honduras and all of Central America.

I also wanted to mention that Elder's wife is my right hand man in the kitchen, so their family is the "backbone" of our restaurant.