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Hank's Oyster Bar is a small, but comfortable place just two blocks from my apartment in Old Town Alexandria. From the outside look for the deep blue building. Inside you will find a nice, bright, modern restaurant with just enough original red brick exposed to add a touch of character. The only problem inside is the tight quarters lead to very little space between tables, especially when you add heavy winter coats on cold nights. They specialize in fresh oysters on the half shell, but other food options include grilled and fried seafood, as well as a small variety of meat entrees.
We ordered two dozen oysters during happy hour (or "oyster hour") when the delicious raw mollusks were just $1 each! The oysters came on an aluminum tray neatly arranged over ice. We received three different kinds of oysters, two from Virginia and one from Washington State. The tasty shellfish were also served with three slices of lemon, and three sauces: a regular tartar sauce, a shallot vinegar sauce, and a horseradish sauce. We also had draft beers for a kind of expensive price of $5 or $6 each. A great finishing touch is the tiny bowl of dark chocolate served with the bill at the end of the meal.
Oyster Hour runs Tuesday through Friday from 5:30 to 7pm.
Hank's other location is in Washington DC on 17th Street, and it was named Washingtonians's number 86 of DC top 100 restaurants in 2009.
Did you know one dozen raw oysters contains just 100 calories, and are rich in zinc, iron, calcium, and vitamin A. Leave a Comment
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I don't frequent a lot of chain restaurants, but I do enjoy barbecue, and Famous Dave's is convenient to the shopping areas south of Old Town Alexandria. We stopped in for lunch one day while shopping in the area. The dining room must have been full, because they put us at a high-top table at the nearly deserted bar.
I chose the barbecued brisket sandwich with beans and my friend had the barbecue combo with brisket and another meat. The food took longer than expected, but still not too slow for a quick business lunch if that would be your intent. When my food arrived, I was amazed by the tender and tasty brisket, probably some of the best I've ever had. The beans also had big chunks of brisket throughout and they were delicious. I added a little extra "Texas Pit" barbecue sauce from the table and my meal was perfect. I gulped down the sandwich in about five minutes because it was so good! Our two meals with no drinks were about $15.
Famous Dave's was started in 1994 in Wisconsin by an Ojibwe Indian. Today the restaurant has locations in about 40 states in the US, though they are concentrated in the Northeast between New York City and Washington DC, as well as the upper Midwest around Chicago and Minneapolis. Leave a Comment
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Overwood is a newer restaurant (opened in 2007) that occupies a former warehouse and bakery constructed in the 1800s. It is one of those place with the perfect atmosphere of being warm and welcoming without being pretentious... i.e. no frilly white table cloths, but at least a nice wine list and cloth napkins. The decor is reminiscent of the past with old wooden beams, steel pipes, and red brick alongside modern ceilings, lights, and dividers. It has a nice bar with lots of beer options and four dining rooms that can seat about 200 at mostly small, intimate, candlelit tables.
We arrived around around 7pm and were quickly seated at a table for two near the noisy and crowded bar. We were happy to learn that our Tuesday arrival meant half price bottles of wine, so we started by ordering a bottle of a Brooks Winery (Oregon) wine that was a mix of Riesling, pinot gris and bianco grapes. The bottle is normally $39, but was half price on this fine night.
Laura ordered their seasoned and roasted half chicken served with roasted garlic mashed potatoes, mushroom gravy and roasted Brussels sprouts priced at $16. I had one of the specials of the day, the oven seared scallops served with basmati rice, a salad, and tomatoes with olive oil for $20. The food arrived no more than 10 minutes after we ordered, which made our meal seemed rushed... maybe they could start off each table with bread just to slow the meal down a bit? My scallops were excellent, but only four were served, which made for a tiny meal; I ended up eating every last morsel on the plate, plus some of Laura's. Everything in Laura's meal was tasty, and the chicken was moist and full of flavor. Her meal was also big enough to share and still have some leftover.
When we finished eating we still had half a bottle of wine left, so we decline coffee or desert and sat sipping wine for another 45 minutes.
We returned again on a Sunday in summer 2009, with a few friends, and I was surprised to find the restaurant was not at all busy. On this day the four of us started with the salmon brucshetta and fried green tomatoes ($8.50) as appetizers; both were excellent! For our meals we had the "crispy iron skillet flounder" ($18); the crab cakes; the beef, veal & pork meatloaf ($14), and the clam linguine (about $15). We were all impressed with the food, even more so than last time. The flounder was gigantic with the skin scored before frying for easier eating, the crab cake was a small portion but tasty, the meatloaf was unbelievably good, and the linguine was also tasty, but not the best option at a place like Overwood.
This is a great spot with a lot of character, some creative and tasty food, and generally attentive service. On the negative side, the portions vary an awful lot, and the timing of the dishes was rushed--good for a quick business lunch, not so good at a relaxing dinner. Leave a Comment Theme: AmericanPrice: US$21-30 » Currency ConverterComparison: more expensive than averageAddress: 220 Lee Street, Alexandria, VAPhone: 703.535.3340Directions: Near the water in Old Town, just north of King Street.Website: http://www.theoverwood.com
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Once a Civil War hospital, the Fish Market Restaurant is located in an old building in old Town Alexandria, one block from the waterfront. The upstairs dining room has an early nineteenth century atmosphere, with exposed wood beams and thick wooden floors. In the summer months, tables are placed on the sidewalk outside so diners can enjoy the sunshine.
Seafood is of course the specialty here. The oyster po’ boys are great ($9.99) and while I normally prefer broiled crab cakes, the fried crab cakes here are quite good ($20.99 – platter).
Prices are reasonable and the menu offers a nice selection. This is a great place for families.
When you’re done, head next door to Pop’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream (same owners) for desert.
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Pop's Old Fashioned Ice Cream Shop is located on King Street, not far from the waterfront. The atmosphere here is exactly what you expect in "Old Town". Ice cream, sundaes and milkshakes are served. Little white tables and striped wallpaper give you the feel that you'll see a horse and buggy drive by at any moment (in Old Town, you just may). Stop here after a trip down King Street on the trolley for a cone on a hot day.
The shop is very touristy, so expect long lines on hot summer days. The owners also own the Fish Market next door. Theme: Ice CreamPrice: less than US$10 » Currency ConverterComparison: about averageAddress: 109 King Street, Old TownPhone: 703-518-5374Directions: One block up from the waterfront.
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Tim's Rivershore Restaurant ... half the fun is getting there!
For game seven of the Stanley Cup finals, we decided to meet at a friend's house in the Dumfries/Woodbridge area to watch the game. I had heard of a great crabshack in the area called Tim's Rivershore, so I offered to find this restaurant and bring dinner.
We plugged the address into our Garmin Nuvi (named Jill), and off we went. Off of Highway 1 in Dumfries, we quickly hit a snag. New development, new roads, and a confused Jill. Finally she directed us down what looked to be an almost abandoned two lane road. It started to look more abandoned after we saw much of it had been washed out, and there was a huge pool of water covering 80 percent of the driving lanes. Then we saw the boat. A boat in the road? Yup! There was also a boat in the middle of the road, with a broken windshield and graffiti painted over the outside. Soon after that, the road turned into a dirt path with no place to turn around. No signs, no detour, nothing.
Luckily Laura had her blackberry. She pulled up the website for Tim's and, after we escaped from this abandoned road, we found our way onto the correct route (Tim's website does say, "Important: Due to recent construction, GPS navigation and online direction services may be inaccurate."). Even the correct route was interesting, quickly turning into a winding rural road that resembled my hometown in Western Pennsylvania or maybe West Virginia. Then we hit a set of railroad tracks down by the water where the road ended, and our only option was to turn left and take the trail that was squished up against the railroad tracks basically on the railroad right of way. We squeezed into the last parking space before realizing there is more parking across the railroad track, if you don't mind dodging trains.
We sat at the bar and ordered our dinner for four: a dozen hard shell crabs ($45), a pound of steamed shrimp ($16), two soft shell crab dinners with fries and hushpuppies ($15 each), and an order of onion rings to top it all off ($7), plus we had a few beers while we waited. Our bill was reasonable at about $120, and the food was excellent. The soft shell crabs were the best I ever had, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. The shrimp might have been slightly overcooked, but delicious. The large hard shell crabs were a little early in season, we heard the bartender tell another customer, but the meat was sweet and tender nonetheless.
Highly recommended. Leave a Comment
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Faccia Luna began in 1989 and today it has four locations Old Town Alexandria and Arlington in Virginia, as well as Scranton and State College, PA. The Old Town location was established in 1996. Faccia Luna specialized in wood-oven pizza, and they break the mold of local pizza restaurants, by offering a modern, more upscale experience at reasonable prices.
We stopped in one night while were were shopping in the neighborhood (Ace Hardware and Joseph A. Banks are both on the same block). We called in our order for a La Capra pizza with goat cheese, spinach, and grilled chicken ($17 for a 12 inch). We arrived a few minutes before it was ready, so we sat at the bar and had a glass of wine and a beer. We took the pizza home, and really enjoyed the fresh and delicious flavors. It was plenty of food for the two of us! Leave a Comment Theme: PizzaPrice: US$11-20 » Currency ConverterComparison: about averageAddress: 823 S. Washington Street, Alexandria, VAPhone: (703) 838-5998
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Very small, unassuming Thai restaurant about half way between the River and the Metro. The workers are Thai, the decor is Thai, there's even a photo of the Thai King on the wall near the fireplace. All good signs.
We sat in the cramped and silent front dining room, afraid to even whisper because the neighboring tables were so close and occupied throughout our meal. Comfortable place, nice decor, but some Thai music would be nice.
Apparently their liquor license has lapsed due to a change in ownership, so we stuck with Coke and Thai iced tea for our drinks. We tried the garden roll for our appetizer, and Kee Mao Gai and Talay Thong for entrees.
The garden rolls ($6) are a pair of long rolls, sliced into ten bite-sized pieces, containing fresh bean sprouts, scallions, cucumber, and scramble egg, rolled in rice sheet, steamed, and served with Thai tamarind sauce and mustard. Very tasty, except for the mustard, I don't think I've ever seen that in Thailand.
Kee Mao Gai ($11) is chicken sauteed in a delicious spicy garlic basil sauce with onion, bell pepper and basil leaves stir fried with wide rice noodle. The rice noodles are to die for and the sauce has an excellent taste and just enough kick.
Talay Thong ($15) contains black tiger shrimp, squid, scallops, and mussels, stir fried with bell pepper and onion in a creamy coconut sauce. The ingredients were great, but the sauce was not to my liking at all; in my opinion coconut is not a typical or good Thai flavor. Leave a Comment Theme: Pan-Asian and Pacific RimPrice: US$11-20 » Currency ConverterComparison: about averageAddress: 1019 King St. Alexandria, VA 22314Phone: (703) 548-3736Directions: On King between Patrick and Henry Streets (Route 1).Website: www.masayathaicuisine.com/
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Old Town has many options for dining so I wasn't surprised that it took us so long to try Laylas. It was a rainy Saturday ngiht so not many people were out and the restaurant was not particularly busy. The servers and hostess struck us as young and seemed a little annoyed that they were at work. This immediately gave me the impression that this a ma-and-pa place and the kids were holding up the fort for the evening. Instead of being awkward, it ended up being entertaining. You could hear the girls complaining about something in the kitchen, in Lebanese.
We ordered stuffed kibbeh (excellent!) and "Layla's Special Mixed Grill." The food was delicious and the ingredients smelled and tasted exceedingly fresh. I was quite impressed. We topped it off with a bottle of wine.
This is a charming restaurant that I thoroughly enjoyed. The decor is relaxing and subtle. The prices were standard for Old Town without being excessive.
Hours:
Sunday-Wednesday11:30-9:00
Thursday 11:30-10:00
Friday & Saturday 11:30-11:00
The stuffed kibbeh was much lighter than I had expected. Very good!
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Ernie's is located near the King Street Metro Station, next to the Hilton. it's a great location for business folks so we figured it would be busy at lunch, but it was dead when we walked in around 12:30pm. We ordered 2 crab cake sandwiches and while the crab was tasty, it was very bready (a big no-no over in Maryland). The crab cakes were served on plain buns and we ordered some fries to go with it all. Not awful but not something I'd get again.
The decor looks like a crab house. No big frills. Tile floor and plain tables I could definitely see a big pile of steamed blue crabs piled up on the table, mallet-ready. I've heard good things about the steamed crabs, so I'll be back to check it out. Theme: SeafoodPrice: US$11-20 » Currency ConverterComparison: less expensive than averageAddress: 1743 King StPhone: (703) 836-0046
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- Red Roof Washington, D.C. - Alexandria
5975 Richmond Highway, Alexandria, VA - Travelers Motel
Saumerstrasse 37, Alexandria, VA - Holiday Inn Telegraph Road
2460 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria, VA - Bw Mount Vernon
8751 Richmond Highway, Alexandria, VA - Sheraton Suites Alexandria
801 North Saint Asaph Street, Alexandria, VA - Best Western Old Colony Inn
1101 N Washington St, Alexandria, VA - Washington Suites Alexandria
100 South Reynolds Street, Alexandria, VA - Comfort Inn Landmark
6254 Duke St., Alexandria, VA - Econo Lodge
8849 Richmond Hwy., Alexandria, VA - Homestead Alexandria
200 Blue Stone Rd., Alexandria, VA - Morrison House
116 South Alfred Street, Alexandria, VA - Sheraton Pentagon South
4641 Kenmore Avenue (formerly Sheraton Pentagon), Alexandria, VA - Courtyard By Marriott Alexandria
2700 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria, VA - Hawthorn Alexandria
420 North Van Dorn Street, Alexandria, VA - Comfort Inn Alexandria
5716 South Van Dorn Street, Alexandria, VA
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on July 2, 2009
on June 28, 2009
