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Reserve 2216, 30-Seat, High-Top, No-Reservation, WYSIWIG Meals atop Del Ray Pizzeria with Chef Eric Reid - Open Anew in Aug, 2017


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On 8/4/2014 at 12:05 AM, DonRocks said:

Breaking News: Del Ray Pizzeria is opening a second location in Belle Haven, in the former Pat's Market space (1401 Belle Haven Road).

Congratulations to the good people at Del Ray Pizzeria for last Friday evening's opening of Reserve 2216, a 30-seat, reservation-only restaurant directly above Del Ray Pizzeria in Del Ray.

I talked with Chef Eric Reid, who was previously at Del Merei Grille, and here's the scoop about Reserve 2216 in Eric's own words (he was prepping while typing, so that explains the brevity):

"Reserve is located above DRP. It has a VERY small dining room, 24 seats plus 6 at the bar. It is reservation only - we are on OpenTable. You can still walk in and make a reservation on the spot. We have a 10-foot communal table. All the tables were built by the GM, Darrell Bernard. 5 draft lines, same craft beer program as downstairs. Higher end liquors, rail vodka is Tito's. I'm not a wine expert, but those who are have confirmed that we have a nice selection. Also installed a beautiful wine refrigerator, cabinet, closet thingy to keep the bottles at temp. I'll be changing the menu very often depending on seasonal and personal preferences.The opening menu is 4 apps, 3 salads, 5 entrees, 2 desserts. Food will not be shared between the restaurants, meaning no pizza upstairs. There is also no kids menu but children are more than welcome. We're only open Thursday- Saturday, 6-11 PM, with special events on Tuesdays, i.e.. beer dinners, wine dinners. The owners were very generous with the budget by allowing me to basically do whatever I want up there. Picking out the silverware, glasses, chairs, plates, everything. I am very excited about Reserve because it gets me back to cooking the food I enjoy. I'll still be overseeing downstairs, but will be spending my prime time cooking at Reserve 2216."

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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!

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I really enjoy this thread, and I'm bumping it because of this list that just came out in Northern Virginia Magazine. Not a lot of surprises on this list, but plenty to discuss....

I am really happy to see Reserve 2216 make the NOVA Magazine list. I've always wondered why Chef Eric Reid doesn't get more buzz. He made my list above. I have followed him since DelMeri

Currently, Reserve 2216 is closed and is going to reopen after they move to a bigger space. His Hot Chicken was sublime!

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Reserve is back open, but completely transformed. They don't take reservations anymore, the tables are all high-tops and they're open for dinner Wednesday through Saturday. 

The menu is about 10-12 items that are meant to be shared. Unfortunately I neglected to take a picture of the menu so I can't remember everything we ate. There are a number of Asian dishes, and lots of items that really pack the spice while having great flavors. 

My favorite was the duck. I believe it was Pad Kee Mao with noodles that seemed homemade. It was incredibly spicy but I couldn't stop eating it. So good and so addictive. There was also a lamb chop with Indian spices. It was a great mix in that it combined my favorite Indian flavors of a blackened lamp chop but also surrounded it with a curry sauce. There was spaetzle with fried pork cheeks that was incredibly rich in the best way. We also tried the beef tartare incorporated into hard boiled eggs. I loved that the steak wasn't over-dressed (like too many places) but there were some spices incorporated that definitely added some kick while still allowing one to enjoy the cool raw beef. 

I'm not sure I can do this meal justice, but I can encourage people to go and I will. They said Eric is changing the menu every week so there's ample reason to go back. I can't think of another place like this in Alexandria. It deserves more attention. Seriously. Go. 

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9 hours ago, JimCo said:

Reserve is back open, but completely transformed. They don't take reservations anymore, the tables are all high-tops and they're open for dinner Wednesday through Saturday. 

The menu is about 10-12 items that are meant to be shared. Unfortunately I neglected to take a picture of the menu so I can't remember everything we ate. There are a number of Asian dishes, and lots of items that really pack the spice while having great flavors. 

Thank you so much for posting this, Jim - it's great to see Eric back, with no restrictions on what he's cooking, and I'm really looking forward to trying Reserve 2216.

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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

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