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About goldenticket
- Birthday August 17
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leviathan (121/123)
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Some background on the current situation and an opportunity to help: https://www.gofundme.com/society-fair?teamInvite=KIi53NixSrj2pdwU1J0ieAfP5F8qJQwzjck2OxtSxyAdr2NTTNq8PINzxC7xQGk3
- 48 replies
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- Alexandria
- Old Town Alexandria
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Just saw news in the Old Town Patch that The Happy Tart has closed their location in Del Ray. According to the story, they will be expanding their online presence and offering nationwide delivery. Falls Church location remains open.
- 5 replies
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- Falls Church
- Bakery
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I'm sorry to pass along sad news just posted on Bombay Curry Company's Facebook page: "With a heavy heart, we wish to inform you that we are suspending operations at Bombay Curry Company. This was not an easy decision to make and numerous factors led to this choice: staffing challenges, a need for Balraj to focus on his health, as well as some family matters that have been put on the back burner for quite some time. We were hoping to continue to provide you with your favorite Indian foods by passing over the torch to our Chef, but unfortunately that did not pan out. You have been wonderful with all of your support and continued patronage. The friendships we have built will last for many years to come and we simply cannot thank you enough for allowing us to be a part of this amazing community. Retirement is not what it used to be, and we look forward to continuing this journey through different ventures such as cooking classes, special dinners at our home, as well as a few surprises up our sleeves. We sincerely hope you will stay in touch, contact information provided below. You can also like our Facebook page or join our mailing list by sending us an email. Namaste, Nicky & Balraj Bhasin" They will definitely be missed! I've enjoyed their food from back when they were in the old Calvert Building. Balraj joined us for DR.com picnics back in the day - wishing him and Nicky good health and an enjoyable retirement. Though I'll be looking forward to the surprises they have planned.
- 75 replies
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- Alexandria
- Del Ray
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It will be back, though of course it will never be quite the same. In the interim, the owners have brought Pearl Street Warehouse and Cantina Bambina to the Wharf.
- 6 replies
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- Southwest
- Waterfront
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After 15 years in business, Fireflies closed on Christmas Eve. The guys behind Live Oak will be bringing their 'next concept' to the space, according to their Facebook page.
- 26 replies
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- Alexandria
- Del Ray
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You may be familiar with the Master Gardener or Master Naturalist programs. The Master Food Volunteer program is along the same lines, but with a food and nutrition focus. Master food volunteers participate in a wide range of activities and events that "help others improve their lives through balanced eating and healthy living." The Virginia Cooperative Extension Service offers the Master Food Volunteer training twice a year in our area , typically October (in Arlington) and April (in Fairfax). The October session is coming up and there are still openings. The training consists of 4 Details about the program and registration information are here. (you can still apply even though the deadline has passed) If you have any questions about the volunteer aspect, send me a message; I went through the training in March 2015 and have done a variety of volunteer activities since then.
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And yet another closure on King Street - Nickels & Scheffler closed their doors on June 9 according to a post on their website. There are signs on the door saying "Coming Soon - Lori's Table" or maybe it's "Lori's Place", as according to this article from the Old Town Patch a transition has been in the works for a few months. Gary's wish above may come true: later hours (until 10 pm) are mentioned in the article.
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Carluccio's is a 'global chain' (their words) with "more than 80 restaurants in the United Kingdom, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates." With seating on 2 floors, I would have thought it was comparable, if not larger, seating-wise to several of the other spots you mentioned (Chadwick's, Union St., Virtue). Even with efforts to appeal to the U.S. market, it wasn't enough. What kind of chain would survive in that space - of the type that residents would find acceptable? The city turned down Five Guys in that space before Carluccio's came in, if my memory serves me correctly. The relocated Five Guys (in the former Bertucci's space) seems to be doing quite well. Just add it to the ever-growing list of empty storefronts on King Street from the water to the Metro...
- 52 replies
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- UK Chain
- Alexandria
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I'm surprised there's not a post yet about Hummingbird. As far as I know, it's not quite open, but should be soon. It's the latest from Cathal and Meshelle Armstrong, Todd Thrasher, and the Eat Good Food Group: the restaurant/bar at the new Hotel Indigo on the Old Town Alexandria waterfront. The bright and airy interior space looks really nice and there is a great patio area, as well. The menus are still in progress, but it sounds like there may be a seafood slant, with the occasional Irish touch, too. Some additional info at Zagat.
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- Alexandria
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Maybe too late for your planning, but just in case: I've suggested Stomping Ground before (stompdelray.com). They aren't open for dinner on Saturdays - but do host private events. A friend's husband had her 50th there, with about 20 of us. They did a buffet option, but the full service pricing isn't outrageous (& less than what you quoted above): Full Service: 4 course from $65/pp; 5 course from $85/pp for 12 to 30 guests You have the whole place to yourselves and they will work with you on the menu.
- 4 replies
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- Special Occasion
- 40th Birthday Dinner
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The Old Town location has closed - the 100 King Street Curse strikes again. Or maybe not, as the Pike and Rose location is reported to be closed, too.
- 52 replies
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- UK Chain
- Alexandria
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I discovered this morning (after a visit to the dentist ) that there is a Beard Papa's location in the Skyline office complex. It's on the street level of Sky 3 (5201 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church) and has been there for about a year, according to the woman behind the counter. Free parking (30 mins) is available in the lot behind the building. It was my first visit to a Beard Papa's and I was very happy with the original shell with original vanilla custard. A pleasant combination of crunch and creaminess. Dark chocolate and green tea filling were also available; they didn't have the 'May special' - American Cherry Pie. They didn't have the mini shells (as shown on the website). Not sure if that's a special order item, or a quirk of this particular location. Good to know they're there, but also good that they're not somewhere I regularly frequent!
- 7 replies
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- Japanese Chain
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We had a lovely first (definitely not the last) experience at Nasime last night. We sat at the counter and started our meal with a beautiful, delicate Clam & Lily Bulb Chawanmushi - so creamy, the sweet crunch of the bulb contrasting with the slightly salty clams - both of them hidden beneath the custard cloud. The sashimi course included sablefish, salmon, and tiny sweet shrimp. Next up was grilled American wagyu and asparagus with a kinome (aka Szechuan peppercorn tree - from the chef's garden) ponzu. The visual showstopper was the blue crab noodle soup - with claws poking up out from the nest of noodles in a miso broth. Similar to Escoffier, we couldn't believe we ate the whole thing! Our final course was homemade green tea ice cream atop strawberry/pinot noir and coconut (I think) jelly. Every course was carefully prepared and presented by the chef; drinks recommendations and additional service cheerfully provided by the solo server. It is a great value for the quality and care that go into each dish, not to mention the creativity it takes to present a constantly evolving menu. What a treat to have a gem like this a few blocks away! It was mentioned that they are usually able to accommodate walk-ins early in the week. And for a longtime resident of (and lifelong visitor to) Alexandria, hard to imagine such an incredible transformation of space that was previously part of Old Town institution The Lamplighter!
- 47 replies
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It's hard to believe Teaism closed a year ago. The new tenant - Sunday in Saigon - is still in the slow/soft opening phase, but we had a very pleasant and flavorful meal at the bar last Friday. They were quite busy and it was on the later side, so an item or two wasn't available. They currently have a short but interesting beer menu - including several Hitachino selections and a rice beer from Colorado on draft, along with a few specialty cocktails and wines by the glass. There is also a several-bottle Enomatic station, for which wines were still being selected at the time of our visit. We were told customers will be able to purchase a card and make their own selections shortly. There is nothing on the menu from Caphe Banh Mi (they share the same owners). We started with the Chinese sausage and shrimp roll with egg, jicama, and carrot - a nice change from the standard rolls you find a lot of places. We were quite happy with the Huế noodle soup ( Bún bò Huế) and the grilled eggplant stir-fried with pork and shrimp (cà tím nướng). The noodle soup included pork hock which had been soaked in coconut milk and cooked separately with a variety of spices (I hope I'm getting the details right). I'm not normally one to gnaw on skin/rinds, but was very glad that I was encouraged to do so - the flavor was incredible. If you prefer, you can order the soup without the hocks. The eggplant was generous, well-prepared and seasoned, if a touch oily for me. A nearby diner ordered the deep-fried whole red snapper - it was an attention-getter, but also looked like something I'd order next time out. The menu has a variety of dishes, with prices ranging from $8 for a few smaller dishes to $28 for the snapper, with lots of options in between. The space has been somewhat reconfigured from the previous Teaism layout (bar moved, some interior features removed, fun custom wallpaper installed, entrance shifted). The room has a nice ambiance (as it did before). My - the owner and chef - is very much involved in every aspect of the operation, from the interior design (and exterior - the umbrellas over the patio tables are stunning!) to the recipes. They will be serving brunch soon, too. I hope they see crowds at Sunday in Saigon similar to their other business, which is always packed. I'm not a Vietnamese food expert but the care and attention that have gone into both places is evident. I'm happy to support another tasty, local, woman-owned business in the former location of one of my other favorites that fits that description!
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While this happened a month ago, I was very sad to read about this awful accident that happened to one of the chefs at Lampo: https://www.msn.com/en-us/foodanddrink/foodnews/chef-allie-redshaw-loses-hand-in-kitchen-accident/ar-AAnQHR4 Not surprisingly, the community has shown a great deal of support: https://charlottesville29.com/2017/03/28/all-heart-the-rally-for-allie/