PICKING A PLACE TO LIVE is hard! Sure, you could think about property value and crime statistics, but wouldn't you rather focus on revolving restaurants and other important things like that when you're thinking about what to look for in your new neighborhood?
1. COLLEGE PARK, MD.
Relive your misspent youth, and your WWII days, just off the Green Line.
You may have gone drinking at the college bars — like the cavernous Town Hall, the dive bar with pinball machines and a colorful, cheap-beer-enjoying clientele — of College Park. The neighborhood combines suburbia with cozy bungalow houses, bikes parked on the porches, all screaming of academia.
You can rent a one-bedroom place starting around $1,050, take the Green Line anywhere you want to go, take in a physics lecture at the University of Maryland, and then play pinball all day and night while swilling affordable suds. Yes, yes, yes — but you can also do something far more exciting in College Park: You can eat at 94th Aero Squadron, a World War II-theme restaurant that sits next to College Park Airport, the country's oldest continuously operated airport. There is weekly hand dancing at the 94th Squadron, too. That's D.C.'s answer to the jitterbug, in case you didn't know.
» 1 br: $1,050-$1,100
» 2 br: $1,300-$1,500
2. DEL RAY, VA.
Serenity off the Yellow and Blue lines
Del Ray is either the calmest or most stressful place on Earth, depending on what you make of the more than of six "relaxation" or "stress-relieving" shops on its small, quaint and entirely charming main street. Massage shops, day spas, a place advertising "authentic" pilates — if you need stress relief, this is your place.
But also, if you need custard, the Dairy Godmother is there to fill that need. Buy cheeses from Cheesetique, local meats (Let's Meat on the Avenue) or hats (try Tops of Old Town). Del Ray also has a number of gift shops, a gallery featuring monthly rotating exhibits of local artists, an upholsterer, a handful of tasty restaurants including the famous St. Elmo's Café and the less famous Al's Steak House ("no cell phones permitted"), a dog bakery and other amenities that make this charming neighborhood a way to live in a great small town right next to a Metro stop.
It also lets you buy comics and exotic plants from one of the greatest shops ever: the Exotic Planterium and Card & Comic Collectorama, a dusty, treasure-filled store whose owner, Dennis E. Webb, grows many of the plants from seed, and collects everything from Sweet Valley High dolls in their original packaging to old Spiderman comics. Webb has operated the shop right on the main drag for 34 years. So, go buy a plant from him. Plants are relaxing, too.
» 1 br: $1,050- $1,350
» 2 BR: $1,500-$2,200
Continue Reading "Renter's Guide: Check Out These Six Hot D.C. 'Hoods" »
JUNE 11 MARKED the opening of La Strada in Del Ray, an Italian family restaurant owned by the parents of Stephen Scott.
You may not recognize his name, but Scott worked with celeb Roberto Donna at his Il Radiccio restaurants and at Galileo, then served as the chef de cuisine at Zola.
Now, Scott's head chef at his fam's new place, serving up gnocchi alla Bolognese and penne alla puttanesca. The restaurant is currently dinner-only but will soon begin serving lunch and brunch --the latter featuring polenta sponge cake French toast and sweet Italian crepes.
» La Strada, 1905 Mt. Vernon Ave., Alexandria; 703-548-2592.
Written by Express contributor Rachel Kaufman
THE EXPRESS NEWSROOM — much like many offices around the D.C. area, I'm sure — has been atwitter over news of former White House press secretary Scott McClellan's new book, which takes President Bush and his advisers to task for, as The Post's Dan Eggen and Linton Weeks report, "abandoning 'candor and honesty' to wage a 'political propaganda campaign' that led the nation into an 'unnecessary war'" in Iraq, among other things.
Curious about how McClellan evolved from the president's spokesman into one of his harshest critics? Ask him yourself. He's live on washingtonpost.com in the noon hour taking questions.
On Alexandria's Wish List: 2 New Metro Stations
Map It:
Braddock Road Eisenhower Avenue King Street Van Dorn Street
METRORAIL RIDERS who head through Alexandria might someday have to stop at two new stations being proposed for the Blue and Yellow lines at Potomac Yard and in the Eisenhower Avenue corridor. The city council has given approval to a plan that would have developers near the proposed sites help finance the construction of the two stations, as the Examiner reported on Monday:
City Council members have instructed staff to add language to Alexandria's draft master transportation plan that would bar the city from approving development ... unless the development clearly contributes to the funding and building of a Metro station.Blue and Yellow Line trains run through stretches of track where stations can be miles apart, as is the case with Eisenhower Avenue, King Street, Braddock Road and Reagan National Airport.
But don't expect stations to materialize in the near term: They cost about $100 million a piece and would take years of planning to make a reality.
Continue Reading "On Alexandria's Wish List: 2 New Metro Stations" »
PART OF THE NEW MONROE AVENUE bridge for Route 1 in Alexandria is now open to traffic, and the shift means two Metrobus routes will be changing with it.
The two routes in question, 9E and 10E, will now use the new bridge and service the Braddock Road Metrorail station as their southern terminus. Previously, both routes terminated at Monroe and Leslie streets in Alexandria's Del Ray neighborhood. The northern terminus for both routes will remain at the Pentagon station.
» "Metrobus Routes 9E and 10E Extended to Braddock Road Metrorail Station" [WMATA]
» EARLIER: "Route 1 to Shift to New Alexandria Bridge" [Free Ride/Express]
Rendering courtesy Potomac Yard Development LLC
IF YOU'RE PLANNING to travel on Route 1 between Crystal City and Old Town Alexandria this weekend, prepare for a traffic shift at the Monroe Avenue bridge construction site. The roadway, which makes two tight turns while crossing over railroad tracks, is being realigned as part of a redevelopment project at Potomac Yards.
At mid-day on Sunday, a new three-lane bridge will open at the Monroe Avenue site. The structure's completion will allow the demolition of the old bridge and the construction of a second span. To accommodate rush-hour traffic, the center lane on the new bridge will be reversible during the second phase of construction, the bulk of which is supposed to be completed by July.
For complete details, click here.
» "First Span of New Route 1 Monroe Avenue Bridge Set to Open" [City of Alexandria]
Rendering courtesy Potomac Yard Development LLC
ENZO ALGARME and Anastasiya Laufenberg weren't kidding when they said they know pizza.
The name of Ballston's new Pupatella Food Cart — "pupatella" is slang for doll in Naples — is a reference to Algarme's grandmother who inspired his love of cooking. Although they've only been open a week and are making do with a standard oven as opposed to the wood-burning one that's becoming the standard in the area's top pizza joints, Algarme and Laufenberg turning out an impressive thin-crust margherita pie. It's well-cooked, but not too brittle, and topped with basil, mozzarella and a glaze of sauce with a hint of sweetness.
The duo's range of offerings in addition to pizza is ambitious, as passers-by acknowledged in our recent visit when they read the specials board, which included fried calzones, stuffed rice balls, potato croquettes, ravioli and tiramisu and cannolis for dessert. Although the cart is only open from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Algarme and Laufenberg are hoping to extend hours to 8 p.m. by Oct. 15.
You can find the cart at N. Stuart Street and 9th Street N., near Ballston's Orange Line station.
TUNA TARTARE IS SO LAST YEAR: Inspired by Anthony Bourdain's Overrated Food menu, the writer behind the Apples & Bananas blog today asked The Post's Tom Sietsema in his weekly dining chat about which dishes he thinks are overrated. Sietsema's answer? Tuna tartare and molten chocolate cake.
Continue Reading "Eating Around: Ballston Gets New Pizza Cart" »
JOIN IN THE FESTIVITIES celebrating the James Beard Foundation's 20th anniversary. High-rollers may want to book a seat at Vidalia for dinner on Sept. 28, 
during which past Beard award winners Ann Cashion of Johnny's Half Shell, Roberto Donna of Bebo Trattoria, Jeff Buben of Vidalia and Bistro Bis, Bob Kinkead of Kinkead's and Ris Lacoste, formerly of 1789, will cook with one of this year's award winners, R.J. Cooper, who shared the "Best Mid-Atlantic Chef" title with Palena's Frank Ruta, at right. Tickets are $250 and include wine pairings. Details here.
Sunday's free event, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., will be held at Mazza Gallerie's Williams Sonoma. Guests can sample locally made foods, meet past winners, and learn from cooking demonstrations throughout the day.
» Vidalia, 1900 M St. NW; 202-659-1900. (Farragut West)
» Williams Sonoma, Mazza Gallerie, 5300 Wisconsin Ave. NW; 202-237-1602. (Friendship Heights)
» A BOTTLE AND A SIX-PACK: Tuesday is the weekday to shop Del Ray's Planet Wine. From 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., the store offers tastings of a top-shelf vino, as well a 10 percent discount on the day's offering. Sample a 2004 Domaine Giraud Les Gallimardes or a Peter Howland Australian Shiraz, along with nibbles of the month's featured six-pack of cheeses to go ($35).
» Planet Wine and Gourmet, 2004 Mt. Vernon Ave., Alexandria; 703-549-3444.
» A CRUDO WITH TEETH: Though barracuda isn't the fish that's most readily associated with super-fresh crudo, it's one of the offerings on the menu at Hook in Georgetown this season. "There's a ton of it in the waters off Tobago where it's caught," said chef Barton Seaver of the exotic fish. "It's amazingly good — sweet, tender and just assertive enough."
What about the fish's menacing reputation, both in the water and on the plate? Like grouper, barracuda can be harmful to eat. Hook asserts it is safe. "Where we're catching it, the waters are tested every two weeks to ensure it's free of toxins that build up in the fish that are harmful to people."
» Hook, 3241 M St. NW; 202-625-4488.
Photo courtesy Palena
WHEN TEMPERATURES GET really steamy, The Dairy Godmother, Liz Davis, sells more sorbets than her signature custards. The former pastry chef likes sorbets because they're fun to make and remind her of her days working in fine dining. "There's no reason to dumb down flavors simply because this isn't a fancy dining room," she said.
Throughout the season, the Del Ray store offers between six and eight flavors from pineapple and cilantro; fig, black pepper, and local honey; and West Indian lime made with lime, fresh bay leaves, and clove. "The West Indian lime tastes especially fresh and green," she said. Recently, Davis also offered lemon lavender, mango lassi, strawberry with sweet woodruff, and raspberry.
Davis recommends sorbet for people who can't eat dairy products, such as her own children who are lactose intolerant. "Despite that we're called the Dairy Godmother," said Davis, "we want to offer something for everyone who comes in."
» The Dairy Godmother, 2310 Mt. Vernon Ave., Alexandria, 703-683-7767
Photo by Lisa Helfert
JILL ERBER of Del Ray's Cheesetique has never fallen for a locally made cheese. Until recently.
She (and some local Whole Foods Markets) discovered Diane Kirsch of Cherry Glen Farms, who makes artisanal, small-batch goat cheeses. Kirsch also raises award-winning goats on a 58-acre Montgomery County farm in Boyds, and recently built an in-house cheese factory for making chevre, but it's her Monocacy line, named for the nearby river, that aims to please aficionadoes.
So far, Kirsch makes Monocacy Gold — a dense, mushroomy, high-acid cheese — and Silver, which is fresh-tasting and creamy. Her third selection, the Monocacy Ash, is coated with plant material, which balances the acidic goat's milk. Should you pick up a sliver and are willing to let it age, gauge the stages of ripeness by its creamy outside and its chalky interior.
» Cheesetique, 2403 Mt. Vernon Ave., Alexandria; 703-706-5300.
Photo by Melissa McCart for Express
Addison Road