Just across the Potomac from the nation’s Capital, lies a jewel of a historic city as rich in culture, art, and music as it is in heritage. Once a small Virginia town with cobblestone & brick streets and faded façades, Alexandria today is a vibrant mix of old and new, with the heartbeat of community pride.

Alexandria was founded in 1749 by Scotsmen, 50 years before Washington DC. One does not need to step back in time to experience Alexandria’s history, but merely ‘round a street corner. Tour the area George Washington considered his hometown. Eat at Gadsby’s Tavern, where Martha Washington celebrated George’s birthday. Visit the  Carlyle House, where five colonial governors and George Braddock met to discuss funding for the French & Indian War. Step inside Christ Church, built between 1767-1773, attended by George Washington and Robert E. Lee. (A silver plate marks George Washington’s  pew.)

There is something to satisfy everyone. The history enthusiast can spend days walking in the path of this nations great leaders; shoppers can experience Old Town and the Boutique District Shops; art enthusiasts can spend the day at the Torpedo Factory, with three floors of artists and artisans working and selling their creations. And for the ‘foodie’... an adventure awaits!

Fontaine Caffe & Crêperie in Old Town is run by owner/ Chef Kyong Yi and her sister Sunyi . It offers fabulous savory and sweet crêpes. The savory crêpes for lunch or dinner are satisfying and delicious with generous fillings, including: Italian sausage, tomatoes and cannellini beans; smoked salmon and carmelized onions; steak, potatoes and red wine mushroom sauce and others too numerous to mention. The sweet crêpes - just as generously filled-include: carmelized peaches, vanilla ice cream, toasted almonds and peach brandy; poached pears, butter pecan ice cream, drizzled with cognac and chocolate sauce. Fontaine also offers soups, salads & starters and serves lunch, dinner and Sunday Brunch. And yes, men do eat crêpes!

Grape & Bean
This friendly and comfortable “specialty wine, coffee and food boutique” is a great place to sit and savor something new. Grape & Bean provides an epicurean adventure with their boutique wines from around the world, imported eco-friendly whole bean coffees, handmade breads, artisanal cheeses, chocolates and other gourmet delights via a new Tasting Bar. For the true coffee afficionados, it is important to mention that Grape & Bean uses the Clover Coffee Brewing System ( the only one in use in the DC area) The Clover– used by Starbucks – is a complex brewing system that extracts all the complex flavors with the coffee bean, therefore yielding the best possible flavor.

Carafe Wine Makers
Ever wanted to try your hand at making your own wine? Didn’t know how to go about it? Didn’t have the space. Didn’t want the mess. This is your kind of place! Carafe is a micro winery where you literally get to make your own wine and create your own ‘brand’ label. The process is fun and simple. First– sit at the wine bar and sample wines from around the world. Second – Choose the wine you want to make.Third–A knowledgeable staff member will take you and your party to the back room where you don aprons and make the magic happen by mixing ingredients, starting with the wine ‘juice’. The wine is then placed in containers which will be kept on premises while the fermentation process to takes place. It will take about 14 days. When the wine is ready, you – and your party – return to enjoy the bottling and corking process. Part of the fun is to design your own label. Send the jpg artwork to Carafe via email, they will print the labels and have them ready when you arrive to bottle and label your wine. Voila! Each wine ‘batch’ yields about 30 bottles.

The Vermilion
This upscale restaurant offers contemporary American cuisine with style. The cozy and intimate atmosphere is great for a casual night out or even a romantic dinner for two. The delicious menu includes entrees like: Roasted Sablefish with sweet potato ravioli, savoy cabbage, ham & balsamic brown butter; Vande Rose Striploin with caramelized onions, maytag blue, potato galette & salsa verde; Pennsylvania Duck with fresh bean "cassoulet", braised greens & pommery mustard.

The Vermilion Lounge entices its patrons with its luxurious niches allow for personal conversations away from the action.

PX
You walk down a side street to a doorway lit by a blue light. There are no signs to identify where you are. You ring the buzzer; someone peers from the iron peephole and asks if they can help you. You explain, proudly, that you have reservations. This is PX Speakeasy! Be warned, you must be dressed appropriately.

This fashionable lounge, dimly lit with candlelight and filled with posh comfortable furnishings is the combined brainchild of Cathal and Meshelle Armstrong and skilled ‘alchemist’, Todd Thrasher. It is Thrasher’s genius that makes this place legendary as his drinks are “homemade concoctions of tonics, juices, syrups and bitters”.
Already being recognized by Playboy Online for “America’s Top 10 Bartenders”, Food & Wine for “100 Tastes You Must Try in 2007”, GQ for “Best New Restaurants in Smaller Packages” and Travel Virginia Magazine for “A Taste of Adventure!”

Carlyle Club
The upscale Carlyle Club is the place to go for a memorable evening filled with live entertainment and superb dining... but it can become ‘habit forming’!

The menu features items such as Grilled Filet Mignon and Shrimp Timbale With Demi-glace´ and Lobster Sauce; Seared Diver Sea Scallops With Home Made Potato Gnocchi and Pinot Noir Glace; Ravioli of Duck Confit; Homemade Pasta with Thyme VeLoute´ and even items such as Herb Encrusted Rack of Elk with Fingerling Potatoes and Rich Elk Stock.

The entertainment is top notch and changes regularly. The Carlyle Club also teams with Brencore Entertainment, known for presenting exceptional entertainment. Brencore specialize in jazz performers and “Evenings of Elegance”. If you love jazz, be sure to catch one of Brencore’s events! The Carlyle Club is an excellent venue for special events, as well including corporate events, weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, etc.

Dandy Dinner Cruises
These fine dining dinner boat cruises offer gourmet dining, live entertainment and unparalleled views of the nation's majestic monuments. The cruise line consists of two ships: the ‘Dandy’ and ‘Nina’s Dandy. The ‘Dandy’, the smaller of the two, is an intimate, cozy beautiful ship that features an antique wood burning stove. ‘Nina’s Dandy’ features a spacious dining area, a large marble dance floor and stage with an ebony grand piano, a pianist during boarding and dinner, and a 3,700 square foot upper and outer deck for sipping beverages, strolling, or dancing under the stars! The delicious menu includes: Prime Rib, Stuffed Shrimp with Crab, Fillet of Haddock, Poached Salmon, Cornish Game Hen and two vegetarian dishes -Vegetarian Platter and Pasta Primavera. There are lunch, Sunday Brunch and dinner cruises. There are also holiday cruises and the ships can also be booked for special events.

When visiting Alexandria, bring comfortable shoes – many of the sights are within easy walking distance – and bring an appetite for adventure... because, A Taste of Adventure awaits!