We had plans to go to dinner to celebrate Steven's birthday over the weekend, but that changed. You must always be prepared for change because change really is the only constant in life. On Sunday we found ourselves in Old Town Alexandria and decided we would go to lunch instead. There are endless choices of restaurants in Old Town, so we parked and started walking. A short while later we found an interesting little place which turned out to be quite a good choice.
We ended up at the Rock It Grill on King Street. Being from Virginia I immediately recognized the building it was located in as being an old Virginia ABC store. When I was young and growing up in central Virginia, I remember the ABC stores where the adults would go to buy hard liquor. (ABC stands for Alcohol Beverage Control). You could only buy hard liquor from a state run liquor store in those days. Indeed, that is still the case today. I, myself, visited several Virginia ABC stores over the years. Of course, I did so after I reached the legal age to purchase alcohol. When you entered the store, there was a long counter that ran the entire width of the space. There were men standing behind the counter and you would tell them what you wanted to purchase. Behind them were many long shelves that contained bottles upon bottles of spirits, They would retrieve what you wanted, place the bottle(s) into brown paper bags, complete the sale and off you would go with your purchases. Today the Virginia ABC stores are quite different. Gone are the old familiar green stone and glass block fronts. Today's stores are much sleeker looking with a new and updated logo. You can actually browse the store and remove the bottles from the shelves yourself. I actually prefer today's stores to the ones from my youth.
Inside the diner, we quickly found a table and I got this shot of Bev with the birthday boy. It was a rainy and cold Sunday and it was rather cozy inside in our booth.
I had "Gary's Club" sandwich with fries and a diet Coke. And a bloody Mary. The best bloody Mary I've ever had. As good as my own, and that is not a distinction I throw around lightly. So you know it was a good one. My take out tray was half of the club sandwich, leftover fries and fried potatoes from Steven's breakfast plate. This sandwich was delicious, just too much to finish in one meal.
Bev had the Cobb Salad with honey mustard dressing. As you can see from above, it was a big hit. It looked delicious. Beautiful fresh avocado. A wonderful presentation. Steven's breakfast plate (which I did not photograph) was also quite impressive. He had eggs and biscuits with gravy and fried potatoes and country sausage. The sausage was divine. I have stopped eating sausage because I don't like the taste of any of it these days. This sausage reminded me of what we had growing up. Fresh, country sausage with the perfect blend of seasonings. We were quite impressed with this place. It is not fancy. But the food was very, very good. Good food prepared simply. We would go back again.
After our delicious lunch, and since it was only 5 blocks away, we went shopping at the Crate & Barrel Outlet Store in Alexandria, VA. I am never disappointed when I go to this store. I always find something that I love. And Sunday was no exception.
As a matter of fact, this picture will confirm that, yes, I always find something at the Crate & Barrel Outlet Store. My cart runneth over! I only spent $137.00. I'll share with you what I found and ultimately purchased later in the week. Bev found a few trinkets as well as Steven. I will say a good time, and a good deal, was had by all!
We ended up at the Rock It Grill on King Street. Being from Virginia I immediately recognized the building it was located in as being an old Virginia ABC store. When I was young and growing up in central Virginia, I remember the ABC stores where the adults would go to buy hard liquor. (ABC stands for Alcohol Beverage Control). You could only buy hard liquor from a state run liquor store in those days. Indeed, that is still the case today. I, myself, visited several Virginia ABC stores over the years. Of course, I did so after I reached the legal age to purchase alcohol. When you entered the store, there was a long counter that ran the entire width of the space. There were men standing behind the counter and you would tell them what you wanted to purchase. Behind them were many long shelves that contained bottles upon bottles of spirits, They would retrieve what you wanted, place the bottle(s) into brown paper bags, complete the sale and off you would go with your purchases. Today the Virginia ABC stores are quite different. Gone are the old familiar green stone and glass block fronts. Today's stores are much sleeker looking with a new and updated logo. You can actually browse the store and remove the bottles from the shelves yourself. I actually prefer today's stores to the ones from my youth.
Inside the diner, we quickly found a table and I got this shot of Bev with the birthday boy. It was a rainy and cold Sunday and it was rather cozy inside in our booth.
I had "Gary's Club" sandwich with fries and a diet Coke. And a bloody Mary. The best bloody Mary I've ever had. As good as my own, and that is not a distinction I throw around lightly. So you know it was a good one. My take out tray was half of the club sandwich, leftover fries and fried potatoes from Steven's breakfast plate. This sandwich was delicious, just too much to finish in one meal.
Bev had the Cobb Salad with honey mustard dressing. As you can see from above, it was a big hit. It looked delicious. Beautiful fresh avocado. A wonderful presentation. Steven's breakfast plate (which I did not photograph) was also quite impressive. He had eggs and biscuits with gravy and fried potatoes and country sausage. The sausage was divine. I have stopped eating sausage because I don't like the taste of any of it these days. This sausage reminded me of what we had growing up. Fresh, country sausage with the perfect blend of seasonings. We were quite impressed with this place. It is not fancy. But the food was very, very good. Good food prepared simply. We would go back again.
After our delicious lunch, and since it was only 5 blocks away, we went shopping at the Crate & Barrel Outlet Store in Alexandria, VA. I am never disappointed when I go to this store. I always find something that I love. And Sunday was no exception.
As a matter of fact, this picture will confirm that, yes, I always find something at the Crate & Barrel Outlet Store. My cart runneth over! I only spent $137.00. I'll share with you what I found and ultimately purchased later in the week. Bev found a few trinkets as well as Steven. I will say a good time, and a good deal, was had by all!
