Thursday, May 16, 2013
Patch brings you the most recently available local restaurant inspection reports.
Alexandria Health Department officials inspected numerous restaurants in West End Alexandria in recent weeks. We all want to know how our favorite restaurants stack up on cleanliness and sanitation. "Ideally, an operation would have no critical violations, or none which are not corrected immediately and not repeated. In our experience, it is unrealistic to expect that a complex, full-service food operation can routinely avoid any violations," according to Virginia Department of Health's website. The site continues: "Keep in mind that any inspection report is a 'snapshot' of the day and time of the inspection. On any given day, a restaurant could have fewer or more violations than noted in the report. An inspection conducted on any given …
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
City Council has many questions and little recourse when it comes to railroad company's request to expand operations.
Alexandria City Council members lamented Norfolk Southern's request to double the number of rail cars offloaded per day at its ethanol transloading facility in the West End at Tuesday night’s meeting at City Hall. Earlier this year, Norfolk Southern filed for a permit with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality to increase offloading from the current 14 rail cars to 30 cars per day. Increased emissions under the plan mean Norfolk Southern needs an air quality permit to expand the scale of operations at the facility at 1000 S. Van Dorn St. Council unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday expressing its opposition to the issuance of a permit because of “increased air emissions” and requesting an informational meeting and separate …
The latest annual report for tap water delivered to the City of Alexandria shows the water complies with state and federal requirements, but its unregulated sodium levels are high.
Alexandria’s water complies with or was better than all state and federal drinking water requirements, according to the 2012 annual water quality report from Virginia American Water, which serves Alexandria. Some interesting findings about unregulated water quality: For the full report, click here (PDF). The annual report is required by the Virginia Department of Health and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Alexandria’s water comes from two water treatment plants owned and operated by Fairfax Water – the J.J. Corbalis water treatment plant located on the Potomac River and from the Griffith Plant at the Occoquan Reservoir. Virginia American Water is a subsidiary of Voorhees, N.J.-based American Water.
Monday, May 13, 2013
Del Ray Business Association holding ribbon-cutting at coffee roastery Saturday.
The coffee bar at M.E. Swing’s Coffee Roasters on E. Monroe Avenue is officially open for business, the company announced Monday on its Facebook page. The bar held a soft opening last week. Swing’s will keep hours of 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and appease youth soccer parents at nearby Simpson Stadium Park on Saturdays with hours of 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The cafe, anchored by a long bar and featuring a variety of repurposed furniture, offers Swing’s signature blends of coffee, seasonal espresso drinks and a limited menu of non-coffee drinks. The bar includes cold-brewed iced coffee on tap. “We will be featuring pastries and a few savory items, but will not be doing any food prep,” Swing’s CEO Mark Warmuth told Patch in April…
Take a look at some of the most luxurious properties for sale in Virginia and DC.
Maybe you don't need waterfront views or woodsy acreage. Or a wine grotto, a pool or a home with a historic pedigree. Some people, though, apparently do—and they're willing to spend a lot of money to have those amenities in DC or Northern Virginia. We can all dream, can't we? In addition to dreaming, we can take a look inside some of the most exclusive, amazing homes for sale right now in Virginia and DC. Just click on the links below to see what's for sale in some of our 31 Patches around the region. WOW: Annandale $1 Million Home Features Loft WOW: $3.4 Million Clifton Home Features Wine Cellar WOW: $1-Plus Million on More Than 5 Acres in Lorton WOW: $849,000 Home on the Market in Kingstowne WOW: Chantilly Home Includes 15-Car Garage WOW…
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Patch brings you the most recent food service inspection reports in Alexandria's West End.
Alexandria Health Department officials inspected numerous restaurants in West End Alexandria in recent weeks. We all want to know how our favorite restaurants stack up on cleanliness and sanitation. "Ideally, an operation would have no critical violations, or none which are not corrected immediately and not repeated. In our experience, it is unrealistic to expect that a complex, full-service food operation can routinely avoid any violations," according to Virginia Department of Health's website. The site continues: "Keep in mind that any inspection report is a 'snapshot' of the day and time of the inspection. On any given day, a restaurant could have fewer or more violations than noted in the report. An inspection conducted on any given …
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
The Virginia Chamber of Commerce looked at growth rates from 2008 to 2011.
The Virginia Chamber of Commerce has released its "Fabulous 50" ranking of the of the fastest-growing businesses in Virginia. The 2013 list is dominated by service companies—27—followed by 22 technology companies. Northern Virginia is home to 39 companies on the list. The Virginia Chamber honored all 50 companies at a banquet on April 25 at the Westfields Marriott Washington Dulles in the Chantilly area of Fairfax County. The full list of honorees is in the May edition of Virginia Business magazine and is available online. One Alexandria business made the list, based on growth from 2008 to 2011. Culmen International LLC had a growth rate of 505 percent.
The grocery store will be Fresh Market’s 12th in Virginia.
Specialty grocer The Fresh Market plans to open a store at the Bradlee Shopping Center in West End Alexandria in 2014. Company spokeswoman Carly Dennis said the store plans to open at 3680 King St., the location of the Giant grocery store slated to close in June. According to the company’s website, The Fresh Market aims to bring a “European-style market” to the United States. The company boasts that its stores feature the best cuts of meat, the freshest produce, fresh-roasted coffee beans and hard-to-find grocery items from around the globe. “The Fresh Market provides a unique grocery shopping experience in a warm and inviting atmosphere, featuring high-quality perishables, distinctive foods and superior customer service,” Dennis said in …
38.82998
-77.09181
Giant
3680 King St, Alexandria, VA
/articles/the-fresh-market-coming-to-bradlee-shopping-center
2189431
/locations/9363718
Stores slated to close on June 6.
Two Giant grocery stores in West End Alexandria will close their doors in June, the company announced Wednesday. The stores are the Giant at the Shops at Mark Center, located at 1476 Beauregard St., and the Bradlee Shopping Center Giant, located at 3680 King St. The stores will close at 6 p.m. on June 6. The store at the Bradlee Shopping Center is slated to be replaced by The Fresh Market in 2014. There's no word yet on what will take the place of the Beauregard store. Giant spokesman Jamie Miller said the decision to close the stores was based on performance. "It was strictly a business decision," Miller said. "On occasion, we do a review of the operating performance off all of our stores, and the decision to close these two stores was …
Experts say you should order your Mother’s Day flowers sooner than later.
Mother’s Day is May 12, and on top of brunch reservations and jewelry, people will be scrambling to buy flowers for their No. 1 lady. Jenny Scala, spokeswoman for the Alexandria-based Society of American Florists, said Mother’s Day flower and plant sales are second to Christmas and just above Valentine’s Day, which is third on the list of busiest days for florists. “Mother’s Day counts for a fourth of all floral sales for holidays,” Scala said. Orchids, lillies, tulips, roses, irises and calla lillies are amongst the most popular flower choices for Mother’s Day, according to ProFlowers.com. Hydrangeas, azaleas, chrysanthemums and blooming kalanchoe plants are amongst the best-selling plants for Mother’s Day. Scala said the floral industry …
Leslie Hagan
9:26 pm on Saturday, May 18, 2013
Perhaps, as much as I hate the pollution and chance of a really terrible accident at the site, at least Council is getting a taste of how citizens who live in development zones in the City feel when they try to deal with Council, staff, or the Planning Commission. I guess it is too much to hope that Council might learn something here. more ›