Shoppes at FoxChase, on Duke Street and Jordan Road in West Alexandria

[DonRocks]

On 3/14/2015 at 4:22 PM, DonRocks said:

Ravensworth Shopping Center is managed by Stewart Commercial Realty Services, LLC. Restaurateurs: See below (*).

Shoppes at FoxChase is manged by KLNB Retail - it's now the primary retail center on Duke Street, between I-395 and Alexandria, now that Landmark Mall is a shadow of its former shadowy self (which I expect to change, given its prime location).

Harris-Teeter is the hub of this modern shopping center, which has added several new restaurants in recent years.

Some of you may recognize this center as the home of La Casa, the pizzeria owned by the family of Komi's Johnny Monis: 

Of particular note is that a large Cava Grill opened on the Eastern corner of the center a month ago:  

A note to the owners of Cava Grill and Cava Mezze: Whether you know it or not, you're in the middle of an identity crisis. It's difficult for Joe Average to distinguish between the two, and you'll be saving yourselves a lot of long-term pain if you suck it up and merge the brands, or more clearly delineate the brands, *now*, instead of waiting until you're nationally known, which is coming sooner than later.

There's also a third pizza house going up within about a one-hundred-yard strip, which (according to the permits) is spending some pretty hefty dollars getting itself ready to compete with its next-door neighbor - Pie 360, a Baltimore operation opening three outlets in the DC area (here, Rockville, and DC). Pie 360 has a sister pizza chain, Coal Fire, also expanding to the DC area, and apparently using ovens actually fired by anthracite (however, Pie 360's picture in their link clearly shows a gas-fired oven). Folks, please feel free to post about either of these chains, and I'll start separate threads for them: 

Many of us remember when Burger 7 opened in Falls Church near Whole Foods - it really wasn't bad - then, a surprising second location in that dumpy little Chickpeas space on Lee Highway between Spout Run and Rosslyn, and the third location is here: 

That about does it for the places of culinary interest, but you'll also notice a Samurai Hibachi & Sushi Bar: 

If I'm going to mention Samurai, I should direct your attention back up to the first picture, of La Casa, and point out Hong Kong Express (when you go to allmenus.com for your link, that means you're desperate) - it serves chicken wings with mumbo sauce, and may (or may not) deliver.

Finally, there's a Subway, Chipotle Mexican Grill, and a Papa John's, which I won't waste digital pictures on (plus, you'll be better off at Harris-Teeter's deli).

And that's the way it is on this Monday, Jul 4, 2016.

[Tweaked]

So you're saying the adult theater, dinner theater, and Amish furniture store are now all closed?

there use to be a pretty divey live music bar in that plaza too.

glad to see La Casa is still there, i use to eat way too much La Casa circa late 90s. 

[DonRocks]

29 minutes ago, Tweaked said:

So you're saying the adult theater, dinner theater, and Amish furniture store are now all closed?

there use to be a pretty divey live music bar in that plaza too.

glad to see La Casa is still there, i use to eat way too much La Casa circa late 90s. 

Here's some information about the FoxChase 3: The last pornographic movie theater in the DC area - it's funny, I remember reading the name as a kid in the Washington Post movie section (fascinated by the porno ads), but never put two-and-two together until I read your post just now.

La Casa originally opened in 1977 (it's amazing how many restaurants I've recently added to the Oldest Restaurants in Washington, DC list), and it moved into newer digs - when, I'm not sure, but this entire shopping center seems relatively new: It must have been demolished and rebuilt (or it had one heck of a facelift).

[Simul Parikh]

That Cava is big and beautiful... But it's a fast casual/Chipotle style place, not a sit down Cava. This La Casa place sounds awesome.

[DonRocks]

29 minutes ago, Simul Parikh said:

That Cava is big and beautiful... But it's a fast casual/Chipotle style place, not a sit down Cava. This La Casa place sounds awesome.

*That* is a fast-casual restaurant? It's *huge*. From the outside, I thought there was absolutely no way it could be 100% counter service.

Wow, that is ... impressive.

La Casa is not awesome by any means. Honorable; not awesome.

[Simul Parikh]

Yah, fast casual is just losing meaning as a definition. Have no idea what it really means.

I just mean it's the "chipotle style" Cava, not like the ones where you have a waiter and menu and wine bottles. 

[alexandria1]

1 hour ago, DonRocks said:

La Casa originally opened in 1977 (it's amazing how many restaurants I've recently added to the Oldest Restaurants in Washington, DC list), and it moved into newer digs - when, I'm not sure, but this entire shopping center seems relatively new: It must have been demolished and rebuilt (or it had one heck of a facelift).

They did a major renovation of the shopping center about ten years ago, around the time the Harris Teeter opened. Not sure when La Casa consolidated the separate pizzeria into the restaurant.

[DaveO]

In the early 80's I spent many evenings in that area and FoxChase was the local supermarket/drugstore anchored strip shopping center.  I don't know how old it was at the time.  I recall a good Americanized Chinese restaurant that my gf and other Alexandrians applauded but for the life of me I can't recall its name. 

It was sold to local real estate investors WRIT in '94 for a less than high price and I imagine it's a cash cow now.  I think the condo canyon residents further up Duke make the Cava quick serve a smart choice.

If La Casa was there in the early 80's I sure as hell don't recall it and I'll eat pizza anywhere.

[Eric Ziebold]

Being a huge fan of the Cava in Ballston/Clarendon I was quite excited to see that Cava was opening in Fox Chase.  Their fast casual here means basically everything is coming out of a steam table.  I haven't been back.

 

[Escoffier]

21 hours ago, Tweaked said:

there use to be a pretty divey live music bar in that plaza too.

The singer in residence in that "divey live music bar" was Shirley Horn and if you don't know who she is, she was one of the finest jazz and blues singers who ever came out of the DC area.  Completely unappreciated while alive and now almost forgotten, I'd suggest you get one of her albums (You Won't Forget Me or Close Enough For Love come to mind) and give it a listen.  Pardon the digression but I was friends with the lady and I'd hate to see her legacy die.

[Tweaked]

The divey live music bar was Zig's Bar and Grill (and that took a lot of sleuthing to find!).  Looks like the owner is/was affiliated with the Comedy Zone DC.

Can't find any confirmation that Shirley Horn was the singer in residence at Zig's

[DaveO]

21 hours ago, Tweaked said:

So you're saying the adult theater, dinner theater, and Amish furniture store are now all closed?

there use to be a pretty divey live music bar in that plaza too.

glad to see La Casa is still there, i use to eat way too much La Casa circa late 90s. 

20 hours ago, alexandria1 said:

They did a major renovation of the shopping center about ten years ago, around the time the Harris Teeter opened. Not sure when La Casa consolidated the separate pizzeria into the restaurant.

2 hours ago, Tweaked said:

The divey live music bar was Zig's Bar and Grill (and that took a lot of sleuthing to find!).  Looks like the owner is/was affiliated with the Comedy Zone DC.

Can't find any confirmation that Shirley Horn was the singer in residence at Zig's

The shopping center was around in the early 80's when I probably spent about 25% of my evenings in the area.  This Post article from '83 references it, as do these recollections from residents.  Damn....there I was on many an evening and I don't have the faintest memory of an x rated theater in the neighborhood.  (I must have been in love). 

I guess it sat on the side perpendicular to Duke Street where the Harris Teeter now sits.  As Alexandria1 referenced the owners must have significantly redid that side of the center.  I don't have any knowledge of particulars, but they could have taken down the entire side of the center and rebuilt one large supermarket. 

KLNB is the leasing agent for the owners, WRIT.  If one looks at the leasing flyer for the center one might notice that the income averages in the nearer 3 mile radius and lower, are less than the more affluent areas in Northern VA to the North.  The high rises further up Duke Street remain an area with lower housing or rental costs.  Just from an income perspective the fast casual dining choice at Cava might be a more rational perspective.  Too bad Mark Bucher of Medium Rare hasn't commented in a long time.  As a food operator he came from a real estate background and had great experience in choosing locations and understanding demographics.  As an outside third party he'd give a healthy and educated perspective on that location and the choices behind the restaurant.

But back to the early 80's.   I don't recall the theaters, I don't recall an x rated theater,  I don't recall a music bar.  My GF at the time wouldn't have been into any of those things.  (Jesus was I a complicit wuss!!!!)

 

 

[Tweaked]

23 hours ago, Tweaked said:

The divey live music bar was Zig's Bar and Grill (and that took a lot of sleuthing to find!).  Looks like the owner is/was affiliated with the Comedy Zone DC.

Can't find any confirmation that Shirley Horn was the singer in residence at Zig's

And we have confirmation!  Per an e-mail response from the former Managing Director (from 1998-2007) of Muggs LLC, which owned Zig's.

"[Shirley Horn] only performed occasionally with others but was regularly there to watch music. I thought she had moved to Foxchase [that's the large nearby apartment complex] from DC. Legend had it that Lena Horne was a regular back in the 70s as Zig’s had history back to the 40s as a bar."

So now I guess we need to figure out if Lena Horne was a Zig's regular! 

[Genevieve]

The dinner theater there did pretty decent theater, and some kids' matinees - took my kid there with friends at around age 2 for his first ever live theater, a Winnie the Pooh story.

[StarStraf]

you say Zig's I think of Zigfields down at Buzzard Point.  

[DonRocks]

1 minute ago, StarStraf said:

you say Zig's I think of Zigfields down at Buzzard Point.  

Not for long!