More Pop-up Restaurants in Del Ray?
According to a Northern Virginia Magazine report, the Neighborhood Restaurant Group is considering sprucing up the former Barkley Square patio for a rotating lineup of pop-up restaurants.
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Neighborhood Restaurant Group owner Michael Babin is considering hosting month-long pop-up restaurants featuring NRG chefs in the patio space in front of the former Barkley Square building, according to Northern Virginia Magazine.
Babin is considering building a utility kitchen “in a small building in the back of the patio” and filling the patio with picnic tables and covering them with a retractable awning, according to the report published Wednesday on the magazine’s Gut Check blog.
No word if the “small building” is the Barkley Square space.
Babin purchased several of the buildings in the 2000 block of Mt. Vernon Avenue last year, including those that held his Evening Star Cafe and Planet Wine as well as the Barkley Square building and the Exotic Planterium and Card and Comic Collectorama.
In the Gut Check report, Babin said the rotating pop-up idea is to highlight not just the NRG chefs, but also some of the sous chefs and the different things they're working on.
The Neighborhood Restaurant Group includes Evening Star Cafe, Vermilion, Tallula, Eat Bar, Rustico, Buzz Bakery, Columbia Firehouse, Birch and Barley and Churchkey, among other offerings.
The logistics of the pop-up are still being determined, but ”it could happen quickly,” Babin said in the report.
Former Evening Star chef Will Artley opened a pop-up called Project 2312 in February that proved popular before moving on to the kitchen at Pizzeria Orso in Falls Church.
Pop-up fever in Del Ray has extended beyond just the restaurant scene, too; Banana Tree will hold a pop-up homewares sale in the Lofts of Del Ray for much of May.
In This article
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Evening Star Cafe
2000 Mount Vernon Ave, Alexandria, VA -
Daily Planet Wine & Gourmet
2000 Mount Vernon Ave, Alexandria, VA -
Comic & Card Collectorama
2008 Mount Vernon Ave, Alexandria, VA -
Vermilion
1120 King St, Alexandria, VA -
Rustico
827 Slaters Ln, Alexandria, VA -
Buzz Bakery
901 Slaters Ln, Alexandria, VA
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Columbia Firehouse Restaurant
109 S Saint Asaph St, Alexandria, VA -
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Joseph M.
5:01 pm on Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Given all of the recent issues with the permit at Del Ray Pizzeria, it will be interesting to see how a pop-up is handled by city planning and zoning. Will this be considered an extension of Evening Star? With a separate kitchen and building, seems like it should not be considered an extension. Of course, while I hope there is due diligence, I also hope the city quickly and efficiently addresses concerns and Babin is able to handle them.
Stephen Scott, Sr.
9:17 am on Friday, April 27, 2012
Not just Planning & Zoning, what about Health requirements, Fire Code, etc.
L
5:14 pm on Wednesday, April 25, 2012
If it draws some of the people away from the currently overcrowded (due to the ridiculous seating reduction) Del Ray Pizzeria, I'm all for it - maybe I'll finally be able to eat there again.
John Arbuckle
6:11 pm on Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Sounds like an awesome idea.
Irene
7:10 pm on Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Can't wait.
Paula Hoelzel
10:39 pm on Wednesday, April 25, 2012
I think it will be fun!
McBrinn
7:21 am on Thursday, April 26, 2012
Kind of bias poll options, no?
Drew Hansen
10:26 am on Thursday, April 26, 2012
How so?
McBrinn
11:59 am on Thursday, April 26, 2012
There's an emphatic 'yes' option but no equally emphatic 'no' option. Not to be a bit nit picky (and I'm emphatically excited about any new food options in Del Ray) but I've always been annoyed by polls that steer their results throgh limited options.
Drew Hansen
1:14 pm on Thursday, April 26, 2012
My thought process was that it's just three variations of yes, no and not sure.
Joseph M.
3:54 pm on Friday, April 27, 2012
It's fine by me, Drew.