"...the fast-casual burger spot located next the UPS Store on Mount Vernon Avenue will open before the end of the year." No, The Dairy Godmother is located next to the UPS Store (@ 2310 Mt. Vernon Ave.) The new burger place will be next door to The Dairy Godmother ("sandwiched" between The Dairy Godmother and Pork Barrel BBQ (@ 2312 Mt. Vernon Ave.)

Any word on when/if the sushi place will open anytime soon in-between Holy Cow and Pork Barrel?

My experiences with Pork Barrel have been subpar largely due to their ordering/seating system. It's not at all customer centric or remotely intuitive. A restaurant shouldn't offer customers a confusing experience or rely on them to figure it out and then fight for tables. I understand the "casual vibe" they might be going for but it relies on customers to fight their way through a confusing gauntlet (yes, a little dramatic). On my second or third visit we had a small group at the bar - half drinking wine/beer and the other half wanting soda/tea. The half not drinking alcohol had to get up from the bar and go order their beverages at the restaurant counter. I'm hoping that issue has been resolved but as a result of these things, none of us have been back despite the decent food. I hope Holy Cow can grow beyond those issues and perhaps reconsider the customer experience. Either way, welcome to the neighborhood and I wish you much success.

Love the idea of giving back a portion to the community!!!!

I agree with Ashley! I also like that the customer will have an option as to where their donation goes.

This sounds great! A burger joint is needed. And I'm so happy to hear they'll have a gluten-free fryer for those of us that eat gf and love French fries!!

Great another fad that is only 3 years too late. In 2 years let's suggest a hot dog place to round out the place. Let's get something different instead of a old re-hashed idea. And something where that does table service.

Terrible name. Terrible menu. Terrible idea.

Almost $3 for a side of fries with your burger?! Awesome!

Does anyone know how local non-profits are selected to be part of the menu?

@Dave - did those guys do something to you personally? You appear to have some very strong (negative) feelings.

Maybe you should open a restaurant and show them how it's done.

I agree Dennis. I don't know what's up with all the negativity. Do people think Del Ray is too good for a burger joint?! Give me a break.

I would never have called burger joints a fad. Maybe the gourmet spin on it is a branding thing that people like me may not care for but burgers and fries will always have a home in my neighborhood.

The folks at Pork Barrel have been nothing but fantastic, looking forward to more great things from them.

Just when I thought a logo couldn't get more disgusting, Holy Cow has almost managed to top Pork Barrel BBQ. The illustration of a pig eating another pig makes me sick, but a cow destined for death with a halo? While I am happy to think the dead cow's soul is on its way to higher ground, the industry that put those cows and pigs on your plate is anything but holy. Ever been to a slaughter plant for cattle? Ever bothered to educate yourself about how pigs are treated in the pork industry? I am not happy to see more meat pushing businesses in my neighborhood.

Sherrie- I understand your disgust with the commercial meat industry. But local restaurants serving meat shouldn't be blamed for the way the meat industry is run. It's the government (and meat industry lobbyist) - they're the ones who let this continue without much care for the animal being slaughtered. But what one can do, other than be a vegetarian, is buy meat that is free range- these local farmers actually care about the animal and what we are putting in our body. So maybe we should request more free range meat options in our restaurants. But people have a right to eat meat- and desiring a limit on meat serving restaurants in the neighborhood is a bit extreme. after all hamburgers are about as American as you can get.

Hey Drew - can you confirm if they are supporting local farms for produce and meat? Thanks. Also, so far, there are no good burger joints I can think of in Del Ray, I hope this will be a good one. Thanks for the update Drew.

I wish their logo was a human eating a cow that ate a pig that ate a chicken (all with halos, except the chicken - they're destined for hell).

@Katie Moore: Pork Barrel was a sponsor of Spring2ACTion 2012 (www.spring2action.org) and is continuing that support at Holy Cow. If you know a nonprofit that did not participate in Spring2ACTion 2012 and wants to in 2013, they can do so here: http://eepurl.com/i-e0j

I am concerned about how we torture potatoes too. They are forced to grow up in dirt and then we skin them alive! The only solution is to eat more meat. Go burgers!!!

I had a really great burger there last night. Nicely cooked, generous toppings. Mike and Bill were very interested to hear feedback from guests. They explained the process for making the fries - it's like 47 steps long - and it exhausted me just hearing about it :) But man, are those fries great! I'm excited to go again and try some of the signature burgers. Oh - and get yours on the brioche bun. Every bite you take smells like butter.

It's already open? Sweet. Do they serve beer? I'll have to check them out at lunch. I welcome pretty much any new restaurant to the avenue.

I had a delicious lettuce wrap burger with all the toppings last night. And the fries were great too! I'm going to love this place.

Our dinner was eaten in near silence as we devoured our Angus burgers and fries - I the sweet potatoes and my husband, the potato fries ($2.45). Try the 'secret' sauce served with the sweet potato fries - recognize the flavor?! The choices include tuna, chicken, vegi and turkey, for the non-meat eaters. If you object to meat on principal, can't help you there. This place serves beef with design-your-own or gourmet choices for the hamburger. Yes, you order at the counter but the food is delivered to your table. Give them a few weeks to work out the kinks. Great staff and the best - $0.25 of each order goes to a 401(c) Alexandria charity of your choice (over 40 or so to choose from.) These local restaurants give a lot back to the community and we are lucky to have Mike Anderson and his crew so invested in our Alexandria neighborhoods.

Before the restaurant opened I googled holy cow and found that its a small franchise around the country. No big deal, but just wanted folks to know tht the logo menu etc came with the purchase so they probably didn't have much choice. I look forward to trying it and hope they use dairy godmothers ice cream.

I'm a little tired of the expression "Get a life", but it seems to be appropriate for a couple of the commenters here. If you don't like the name, or the concept, for God's sake just don't eat there. It's a free country and the owners can do what they want with their time and money. On the other hand I think criticism of things like the seating or the ordering process or the staff or the style of fries or whatever are appropriate because the owners will read and can at least give some thought to changing. FWIW, I've eaten there, didn't love it but liked it. There are things I'd like to see improved but it's a welcome addittion to the neighborhood (which to my knowledge only had one place that sold burgers a week ago).

Hi everybody,

This is Bill, one of the owners of Pork Barrel and Holy Cow. Thanks for all the interest in our new concept - it's great to see that the people of Del Ray are so passionate about the neighborhood, a factor that was instrumental in our choice to establish our restaurants here. We appreciate everyone's right to have their own opinion, and don't usually get involved with online forums. However, I thought I would clarify a few things:

- Our patties are all-natural, NEVER given hormones, NEVER given antibiotics, humanely-raised, and fed an all-vegetarian diet. Our distributor sources from local small farms in the Mid-Atlantic Region.

- We are donating $0.25 from every burger sold to the local charities that you, our customers, choose. Our list of local charities consists of the groups that registered with the Alexandria Community Trust. We encourage any local worthwhile charities to contact ACT to become part of that list http://www.actforalexandria.org/

- Though there are several other restaurants with the same name, we are not affiliated with them in any way - we simply thought the name Holy Cow was fun. Our signature burger menu was designed by Chef Beth Henrickson (a Del Ray Resident). Our logo, website, and other media were designed by Belmonster Creative, a Del Ray graphic design firm.

Thanks again for all of your support. If you have any other comments or suggestions for us, stop in and ask to talk to Mike or Bill.

- Bill Blackburn