The Week's Top Story: Mexican and Peruvian Restaurant Planned for North Del Ray

Proposal calls for overhaul of Mount Vernon Avenue building.

Early Look: Pork Barrel BBQ Restaurant

A peek inside Del Ray's long-awaited barbecue joint.

No, we don't know when it will open. All Pork Barrel BBQ restaurant proprietors "Mango" Mike Anderson and Bill Blackburn will say is "soon." But if you've recently pressed your hands and face against the windows of the Mt. Vernon Avenue restaurant, you'll notice the long-awaited, much-anticipated barbecue joint is getting closer to completion. Del Ray Patch received a sneak peek inside the restaurant during last week's First Thursday celebration. It was quickly apparent that Anderson and Blackburn aren't sparing any expense on the place, from ceiling to floor. The stacked-stone pillars separating the bar from the dining room, as well as the honest carpentry on display throughout the restaurant, give the place a very unique vibe.  The …

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Cheesetique Getting More Space, New Menu

Owner Jill Erber expanding offerings with some heartier choices

If the wait to get a table at Cheesetique has been a maddening endeavor in the past, well, things might be looking up. Del Ray’s favorite cheese and wine shop is about to get a lot bigger. Owner Jill Erber is putting the finishing touches on a new 40-seat dining room in the rear of the current restaurant. The new room features the familiar yellow, red and black color scheme but with a more rustic feel. The space will include a variety of different sized tables and a large shelf-lined wall for wine storage. The renovation, which doglegs behind HomeMade Pizza Co., also doubles the size of Cheesetique’s kitchen and will allow Erber to create a new vibe. “We’ll be pulling a table out and putting a sofa in the corner,” Erber said. “I wanted to …

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