Del Ray’s Junction Bakery & Bistro will restart dinner service starting Monday, March 6.
Dinner was part of the original offerings but halted after only six weeks in September. “We realized that the bistro concept for the neighborhood of Del Ray probably wasn’t what the neighborhood was looking for,” says general manager Tami Hatridge.
Stopping dinner service meant time to hone the counter service concept that Junction is now known for. It also gave the bakery time to conduct a survey of the neighborhood’s needs. Over 300 responses came back, and Hatridge says, “based on what the people of Del Ray said they wanted, we created a menu. We had a lottery and invited 50 people and did a dry run.”
Some of the findings include “fresh, healthy—not so much the farm-to-table stuff, but they like the local concept,” says Hatridge, also adding affordability was a priority.
Dinner, from 5-9 p.m., will be available as counter service, just like daytime. “The menu gets a little more refined in the evenings but not a whole lot. We’ve got a handmade pasta, fish tacos and really nice big salads,” says Hatridge. Other items include a pimento cheese crostini, turkey banh mi, meatloaf and a burger on brioche. Co-owner, chef and head baker Nathan Hatfield created the menu and will also include a staff favorite: General Tso’s cauliflower.
Junction will partner with local delivery services and add to the grab-and-go section with soups. // 1508 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria
