Farewell Alize

The signs on the doors indicate that Alize is closed for renovations, but I have it on good authority that they won't be opening again, at least not as one of the Alizes that we've known over the past 22 months. Those of you who know me realize what a blow this will be to my social life since I generally had lunch there at least once a week and the bar was "my" bar. Yes, I'll miss it (and the people who worked there), and I wonder why businesses struggle in that Triangle Building location. For a long time, including while I was in college, it was a Japanese hibachi place called Sakura. After that it became A Carroll's and then Alize. You'd think the location (one block from the College, two blocks from Colonial Williamsburg) is ideal but clearly the students and tourists weren't making it over there.

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Eating has been hit or miss over the past few months. I've had some really good meals at Soya, Cities Grill, zpizza and Food for Thought, some good ones at Center Street Grill, and one truly awful one at Sweet Madeline's. Tomorrow Cosmo and I will be having lunch at Soya. Outside of the 'burg I've had a mediocre dinner at Dogfish Head Alehouse in Falls Church (but the selection and quality of beer more than made up for it) and a yummy New Year's Day brunch at Afterwords in DC. We went through a stage of making pizza with Trader Joe's refrigerated dough. Lovely and delicious but definitely not healthy.



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Tonight I'm making some garlic soup. It's hot, cheap and oh so healthy - add a good book to read and you can't ask for more on a chilly January evening.