Falls Church Restaurant Week

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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

F.C. restaurant week

Merrifield Quickly Becoming One Of NoVa’s Top Dining Destinations Dolcezza Gelato

by Jody Fellows

Falls Church News-Press

Merrifield. Long known as simply the place to go to find bushes and shrubs for your yard or maybe catch a flick in a run-down movie theater, it is now on the verge of becoming a full-blown dining destination.

The crossroads of Gallows Road and Lee Highway has erupted in development over the past few years, and with the opening of the new Mosaic District, has ushered in a restaurant scene unlike any the area has seen before.

In the past six months, seven new places to eat have entered the mix at Mosaic, with three more scheduled to open later this year.

And that’s not all. Just across the street at the Halstead Square development, there’s even more dining options.

Here’s a rundown of the new and soon-to-open places to fill your belly in Merrifield:

Now Open Cava Mezze Grill

Mosaic District, Strawberry Lane Open Daily, 11 am - 10 pm Serving fast-casual Mediterranean fare, Cava Mezze Grill opened late last month on Mosaic’s Strawberry Lane. With a concept similar to Chipotle (at least when it comes to ordering), your start by picking a base (pita, bowl, salad, etc.), then a dip or spread (tzatziki, hummus, eggplant and red pepper, etc.), followed by a protein (chicken, meatballs, lamb, beef, falafel) and then from a variety of toppings and dressings.

Mosaic District, District Ave Open Monday-Thursday, 8 am - 8 pm; Friday, 8 am - 9 pm; Saturday, 9 am - 9 pm Sunday, 10 am - 8 pm

Dolcezza is an artisanal gelato and coffee shop now open on District Avenue in Mosaic.

Handmade in small batches each morning, flavors include Avocado Honey Orange, Salted Caramel, Valrhona Chocolate Amargo and the Virginia-exclusive, Peanut Butter Stracciatella.

Le Pain Quotidien

Mosaic District, Glass Alley Open Monday-Thursday, 7 am - 9 pm; Friday, 7 am - 10 pm; Saturday, 8 am - 10 pm; Sunday, 8 am - 8 pm Open since late last year, Le Pain Quotidien, or “The Daily Bread,� is a small bakery featuring homemade organic loaves, croissants, brioche and fresh pastries in addition to cafe fare including breakfast. The cafe also features a communal table, encouraging community and interaction among its customers.

Lost Dog Cafe

Halstead Square, Merrilee Drive Open Monday - Thursday, 11 am - 11 pm; Friday - Saturday, 11 am - Midnight; Sunday, 11 am - 10 pm Lost Dog Cafe, the fourth location of the popular local eatery, opened in Halstead Square last September. Known for their pizza and specialty sandwiches, their newest spot has the biggest bar of all the Lost Dog locations and features a large selection of craft beer and wine.

MOM’s Organic Market Naked Lunch Kitchen

Mosaic District, Glass Alley Open Monday - Saturday, 11 am 8 pm; Sunday, 11 am - 7 pm MOM’s Organic Market was the first food store to open in the Mosaic, debuting in September of last year. While primarily an organic and natural grocery store, MOM’s Naked Lunch kitchen serves fresh, made-to-order food.

One of the specialties are “Steam Bowls� made with seasonal vegetables on top of a bed of whole grains and served with housemade organic sauce. The Naked Lunch counter also features veggie burgers, kombucha tea and a full juice bar.

Red Apron Butcher

Mosaic District, Glass Alley Open Monday - Friday, 11 am 8 pm; Saturday, 10 am - 8 pm; Sunday, 10 am - 7 pm Right next to MOM’s is the brand new Red Apron Butcher which opened its doors just last Sunday. With a plethora of meat of all shapes and sizes available for home use, Red Apron also features a menu full of sandwiches and hot dogs. The burger is FCNP-certified excellent, but be sure not to miss the provolone-stuffed Italian dog with hot pickled pepper relish and calabrian aioli, a.k.a the “Joey Bag of Doughnuts.�

Sweetgreen

Mosaic has you covered too. The popular fast-casual salad and yogurt shop, Sweetgreen, is available to fulfill all your leafy wants and desires. There’s a lineup of signature salads here but the real fun is when you make your own, choosing from a wide variety ingredients to create that one, epic bowl of raw veggies.

Taylor Gourmet

Mosaic District, District Avenue Open Sunday - Thursday, 8 am - 9 pm; Friday - Saturday, 8 am - 10 pm Not only does Taylor bring the Philly to you with close to 40 –forty!– different hoagies to choose from, but they also serve breakfast hoagies. That’s right, you can get bacon, sausage, hash browns, eggs, American cheese and beer cheese sauce all served on a hoagie roll. Ridiculous. And we haven’t even mentioned their cheese-filled risotto balls that would make some the area’s fullservice Italian restaurants jealous.

Coming Soon Matchbox

Mosaic District Opening Late March

Mosaic District, Strawberry Lane Open Monday - Sunday, 10 am - 7 pm

Cyclone Anaya’s Mexican Kitchen Mosaic District Opening June 2013

Salad lovers, have no fear,

With locations in Houston

Halstead Square Opening April 2013

Across Lee Highway in Halstead Square, Blackfinn’s “Ameripub� concept is hoping to open its doors by the end of April. With a more casual feel than their existing Blackfinn locations in D.C. and Bethesda, the new concept will serve everything from “lasagna to pad thai,� says Ameripub rep Brittany Brodfuehrer. The new restaurant and bar will also feature 70 draft beer lines with 30% of the taps pouring out local brew.

Mosaic District Opening Fall 2013 Perhaps the most anticipated restaurant coming to the Mosaic, at least by the foodie crowd, is the new concept from Rogue 24 chef RJ Cooper. Not much is known yet about the new spot from the James Beard awardwinning Cooper, though he posted on DonRockwell.com that the food will be reminiscent of his time at D.C.’s Vidalia but with “less boundaries.� Cooper also says it will be neither cheap nor expensive and will feature different menus for the main dining room and a rooftop. We can’t wait.

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and Dallas, Cyclone Anaya’s Mexican Kitchen’s new Mosaic restaurant scheduled to open later this summer will be the first location of its kind outside of Texas. Featuring a blend of Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine, Cyclone Anaya’s will offer up fare ranging from fajitas and enchiladas to burgers and babyback ribs. We’re also pretty sure it will be the only restaurant in the entire Washington, D.C. area named after a Mexican professional wrestler.

Gypsy Soul

The popular Washington, D.C. restaurant known for its woodfired pizzas and mini-burgers will soon be serving up the goods adjacent the Angelika movie theatre in the Mosaic. Matchbox’s first Virginia location will feature 220 seats along with a 40-seat patio set to open in the spring. The fullservice restaurant will also feature a “to-go� station with full-menu available for phone-in and carryout orders.

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March 14 - 20, 2013 | PAGE 17

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