Two long-time Alexandria restaurants are not only taking on new names but also whole new cuisines and atmosphere. Both are also under new ownership.
"Potowmack Landing," located just off the George Washington Parkway adjacent to the sailing marina, is now "Indigo Landing," a partnership between Star Restaurant Group and Guest Services. Closed for extensive renovation since late fall, it is scheduled to re-open April 10, according to Ameri Vermillion, director, private dining.
"The theme will be low country cooking with some contemporary twists under the supervision of executive chef Bryan Moscatello," she said. Moscatello was named one of Food & Wine Magazine's America's Best New Chefs in 2003.
Star Restaurant Group, headquartered in the District of Columbia, owns and operates several other eateries in Washington including "Red Sage." Guest Services is based in Fairfax and operates a number of cafes serving government office buildings and sites, according to Vermillion.
The now closed "Scotland Yard" located at 728 King St. will become "Eamonn's/A Dublin Chipper" with a scheduled opening sometime in late this spring or early summer, according to its new owners Cathal and Meshelle Armstrong. They also own another recent addition to the city cuisine scene, Eve Restaurant, 110 S. Pitt St., which has undergone several reincarnations in the last decade.
"The new restaurant will be on two levels with the bar upstairs," said chef Cathal Armstrong. "We will feature fish and chips." That is the extreme opposite of the very posh Eve.
Named for their son Eamonn, the new establish will remain a taste representative of the British Isles, moving from an emphasis on Scottish to Irish dishes. "The lease has been signed. But the opening will depend on how long it takes to get final city approval on everything," Armstrong said.