OCCOQUAN, Va. — The Blue Arbor Café has spent 10 years in Occoquan, and after all of that time the restaurant has never used an oven.

“It’s all soups, salads, and sandwiches,” said owner Steve Power. “We don’t even have a flattop grill or microwave.”

As part of their anniversary celebration, the eatery will roll back prices of all of their sandwiches this weekend to what they cost 10 years ago – $7.50, including a side dish. That’s a $1.75 less than what they cost today.

And there will be music, too, from The Prince William Youth Orchestra, The Back Alley Blues, Mike Soule, and Ray Sheehan. And giveaways from small businesses in Occoquan, including an introductory scuba lesson from Patriot Scuba.

The tiny town has been a good home to the restaurant, and is home to a score of friendly shop owners.

“It’s kind of isolated from the rest of the sprawl and crawl of the rest of the area. It feels like a family here… all of the merchants are friendly and there is no fighting or competition happening amongst us,” said Powers.

He has, however, outgrown his small restaurant space and would someday like to expand to serve more customers.

“We can seat 28 people inside but if there is inclement weather we can’t keep up with the amount of people who want to eat here,” he said.

While Powers admits it’s a nice problem to have, he says he’d rather have a space that could accommodate about 70 guests.

DUMFRIES, Va. — Since coming to the U.S. more than 15 years ago, owning his own restaurant is something Francesco Leone has dreamed about.

Leone lives in Woodbridge with his wife, a his daughter, 6, and two sons ages 2 and 4, and recently made his dream come true. He purchased the Montclair Family Restaurant on Va. 234 outside Dumfries.

After spending the past 13 years working under this father-in-law at Armetta’s Restaurant on Minnieville Road in Dale City, getting an eatery of his own was the next logical step.

“Little by little, if I put a lot of hard work into this we will continue to be successful,” he said.

Hard work is something Leone is no stranger to. I worked with him, in what seems like another lifetime, at Tony’s Pizza on Va. 234 in 2001 (Armetta’s and Tony’s Pizza are under the same ownership). Leone was often behind the grill, taking orders, and making them in the back of the restaurant helping to ensure the place never ran out of food.

At Montclair, he says he’s thankful to inherit staff that has worked at the diner for years and a customer base of familiar faces that come almost daily.

Leone says the previous owner was hesitant to sell, but he eventually brought Leone in, showed him the books, and then he agreed to sell.

Those who come and sit at one of the 19 tables inside the diner shouldn’t expect too many changes on the menu. Rooted in Greek and American fare, the gyros here are very popular and come loaded with feta cheese and thick shanks of lamb, beef, or chicken. Burgers are popular here, and Leone also takes pride in the rotisserie chicken and the green beans freshly prepared here. Breakfast is also a big hit with regulars.

“When I went into the kitchen for the first time I had to ask the cooks where the microwave was. It was so small and hidden,” said Leone. “We have one,’ they said, ‘but we don’t use it that much.’”

Leone came to live in the U.S. in 1998 and married his wife at a ceremony back in his native Italy a year later. His family has been supportive of him stepping up and running his own business, and he says his children are the light of his life.

“If I can do this job for someone else for so many years, I know I can do it for myself,” he said.

Montclair Family Restaurant is located at 17001 Dumfries Road near Dumfries and is open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Reservations, walk-ins, large groups are all welcome and take out is available.

Before he was a news reporter, Uriah Kiser was a restaurant server at several area restaurants. He still values many of the friendships made while working in the restaurant business and still likes to go out to eat.

LAKE RIDGE, Va. — A Mexican restaurant in Lake Ridge is under new management and has a new colorful way of welcoming its customers.

Los Toltecos in The Glenn Shopping Center has completely redone its dining room with new light fixtures, tables and chairs, as well as new art – from life-sized giraffes, murals, and oversized masks – all are bright and colorful, authentic items imported here from Mexico.

There’s a real tropical feel here… I literally tried to bring back the feel of the real Mexico,” said general manager Alejandro Lopez.

Since taking over in February, Lopez has made making the Los Toltecos in Lake Ridge a viable, successful restaurant. He drives to Lake Ridge each day from his home in Frederick, Md. to work at the eatery, and he says daily drink specials from 3 to 8 p.m., World Cup games on TV, and a newly revamped menu have brought in customers willing to give the place a second try.

Lopez says turning around the restaurant hasn’t been easy. The corner eatery in 2009 had developed a reputation as a nightclub and was often the scene of late-night parking lot fights, said Lopez.

Since then, a glass partition was erected to separate the non-smoking bar from the restaurant. It keeps out the noise of sports on TVs and loud music from the dining room while allowing bar guests to enjoy a fun atmosphere filled with salsa music.

The restaurant manager says he printed menus and took them to area businesses and schools and asked people to give his restaurant a second try. He said the push has won over a few new fans.

One of the best new dishes on the menu is the Toltecos Parrillada – two pieces of carne asada, chicken, covered in cheese and chorizo sausage, served with rice, beans, and corn or flour tortillas for $15.95. It’s one of over 50 menu options all made with fresh ingredients that cost more but taste better, said Lopez.

While Lopez is from Mexico and returns every few months to see family and brush up on recipes, he comes Northern Virginia from Wisconsin where he says there is fierce competition in the Mexican restaurant business.
“You go to Chicago and Wisconsin and there are Mexican restaurants on every corner,” he said. It’s not like that here in Northern Virginia, he adds.

There are five Los Toltecos locations in Northern Virginia including Lake Ridge, one in Winchester, and one in Maryland. The restaurant hopes to expand into the fine dining market with a new concept called “Senor Tequila’s” and into the fast-food market with their take on something like Chipotle called “Mr. Burritos.”

Los Toltecos in Lake Ridge is located at 4120 Merchant Plaza.

DALE CITY, Va. -- DAKS Grill on Minnieville Road will close today.

The owner of the business in a statement to Potomac Local News noted the restaurant will reopen soon in another location, but did not state why this location of 23 years would close.

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Potomac Local Leaders 

The owner and chef of Pizza Spot in Manassas Park first got his hands into the dough at just 16 years old.

After completing culinary school, Rajeev, who prefers to go by the last name “C,” pursued a Bachelors Degree in hotel and restaurant management. Upon graduation, he quickly moved up to fine dining and service learning from renowned chefs at several leading hotel chains in Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia including The Omni Hotel and The Four Seasons Hotel, all while completing an MBA.  

After 15 years, he was eager to return to the fast pace of restaurant work. Being inspired by a family of great cooks and a successful catering business, he knew he was born to cook. On July 4, 2010, he realized his life long dream and opened Pizza Spot in Manassas Park. As a resident of Manassas with his wife and daughter, the location and timing was perfect.

Vickers: Why is your pizza so good and can you describe your top three selling pizzas?

Rajeev: As authentic as pizza gets, we are not your average pizza joint. Offering the best in ingredients, we make our own dough and sauces fresh in the restaurant. We serve lunch and dinner seven days a week. Many of our regular customers call ahead for take-out or take advantage of free delivery (within 3 miles). Pizza Spot is known to have something for everyone. Our menu consists of a large variety of signature pizzas, calzones, pasta, salad, Panini and our wings. Our handpicked colossal wings range from sweet chili to fiery hot. Our chicken wings are prepared with a homemade seasoned marinade and feature several unique sauce flavors.

We offer 20 toppings for you to create your own pizza – hand tossed, deep dish or thin crust. Our top-selling Signature pizzas include:

The Godfather

Pepperoni, Italian sausage, ground beef, bacon, green peppers, onion, mushrooms and olives

The Greek Macedon

Pesto sauce, chicken, green peppers, onion, olives and feta cheese

The Margherita

Fresh basil, tomatoes and fresh mozzarella

The Hawaiian Hercules

Pineapple, ham, chicken and bacon. Topped with chef’s special sauce

As a chef and food critic, I take pride in making each pizza as it is my passion. All my pizzas are creatively inspired by international flavors and cooked the traditional way on brick stones. My secret recipe comprises of 3 key factors – Ingredients, Temperature and Touch.

Vickers: What type of community work have you done in the past?

Rajeev:  Over the past few years, the ManassasPark community, residents and local businesses have been extremely supportive and in return, we take pride in providing delicious food as well as friendly service to everyone. As a local family owned restaurant, we are active in the Manassas community supporting several events and charities – Manassas Park National Night Out, local sports teams and bands, student discounts etc.

Vickers: who are your best costumers?

Rajeev:  We also participate in several marketing programs to keep our customers informed of new menu items, coupons and other specials. We encourage our entire customer base to join our Loyalty Program – The Pizza Spot Rewards, for additional savings and free food items.

Vickers: what’s your vision for your business based in the Manassas  park community ?

Rajeev:  As we grow, we would like to attract and serve crowds from well beyond city limits. It is my simple philosophy that food should be fresh, fun and easy to prepare and healthy to fit the American lifestyle. Our food is sure to keep our customers coming back for more.

Want to go?

Pizza Spot

9107 Andrew Drive,

Manassas ParkVA20111

MANASSAS, Va. — The Prince William Chamber of Commerce is preparing for one of its most popular events, the Cuisine de Commerce.

Taking place at the Continental Event Center, 9705 Liberia Avenue in Manassas, 11:30 am on Sept. 17, this “taste of the town” will feature samples from 15 area restaurants and caterers.

A food drive will also take place at the luncheon, with donations accepted at the event and at Burke & Herbert Bank locations throughout greater Prince William. September is Hunger Action month.

“We encourage everybody in the community to come out, discover new restaurant favorites and bring something for the food drive,” said Chamber Chief Operating Officer Debbie Jones. “This event is all about Prince William: highlighting local businesses and supporting the community. Quite a few of our members use it as an ’employee appreciation’ luncheon, bringing their whole staff along.”

Last year, the drive collected more than 250 pounds of food. This year, Jones said the Chamber hopes to top that with Food Bank Sponsor Burke & Herbert Bank accepting donations at area branches now through Sept. 17.

This event benefits SERVE/Northern Virginia Family Service, and is sponsored by Internet Ad Management and Burke and Herbert Bank.

Tickets for Cuisine de Commerce are $40 for Chamber members, $50 for non-members and include lunch. Visit pwchamber.org/events or call 703-368-6600 to purchase. A complete list of participating food vendors is also available online.

STAFFORD COUNTY, Va. -- It’s a small store and deli with a lot to offer.

The “By the River Convenience Store and Cafe” is one of the few stops found along rural Brooke Road in Stafford County. It takes it’s name after its location, by the Potomac River and the Aquia Landing county park.

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NORTH STAFFORD, Va. — It sits tucked away along U.S. 1 in Stafford County. Not like many roadside attractions, this quaint destination has a small bridge that carries cars across a stream into a gravel parking lot. The stone facade of the house and wooded surroundings denotes the uniqueness of the venue.

And then, as if almost you’ve been transported overseas, the sight of people wearing traditional German clothes not often seen outside of Oktoberfest, and you know this is not your normal chain restaurant.

The Rheingarten Restaurant has been serving up a taste of Germany since 1990. With hand painted murals on the wall, miniature hand puppets that mimic those seen on old episodes of Mr. Rogers, and a full bar, the authentic restaurant is where we made our fine dining experience Saturday night.

I began with beer (what else would you order at a German restaurant?) and ordered a glass of Weihenstephan Hefeweizen. The 16-once glass was tall, and it was presented with an orange peel which gave the beer the of Blue Moon. The taste, however, was much better, light and refreshing.

Then onto the appetizer: Fried breaded cauliflower in a Thai sauce. It tasted as the name suggests, like cauliflower, breaded over, and then fried. It was something I had never had before nor seen on other menus lately, so trying new things is always worth it. The sauce gave the started a nice touch.

For my main course, I ordered the Zwiebelrostbraten (sirloin steak) for $23.95. Yes, I could’ve went for something more German like the Brat & Bauernwurst Teller like my father in-law had, but hey, but steak sounded great.

It was cooked a perfect medium well and had a very tender center. Some portions around the edges were a bit tough to chew, but the garnish of tiny minced onions and carrots more than made up for that in the dish’s overall presentation. A bit dry, the steak could’ve used some more sauce. It was served with pommes frites and wonderfully seasoned vegetables that were nearly my favorite portion of the meal.

While it was my first time at Rheingarten, many who work at nearby Quantico Marine Corps Base have made this place a lunchtime destination. Now that federal furloughs have been ordered for civilian defense employees, the restaurant hopes to capture more bar business with a special “Furlough Fridays” happy hour starting each Friday at 11 a.m.

“The federal contractors have to go to work for a couple of hours, but then after that, they need something to do and somewhere to go,” said Katherine Hornig, whose managed the restaurant for 17 years.

Rheingarten was founded by a since retired German couple. Horning took over managing for them, and her husband became the executive chef.

Dinner prices range from $17 to $28, and lunches range between $8 and $13. Appetizers and desserts are offered on both menus.

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By STEPHANIE TIPPLE

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LAKE RIDGE, Va. – The restaurants in and around Lake Ridge are tasty, and the organizers of the annual “Taste of Lake Ridge” want you to come out and take in what community has to offer.

The neighborhood event will feature food from area restaurants like The All-American Steakhouse, Tim's Rivershore, Langiappe on the Bayou, Glory Days Grill, Rita's Ice, Harbor One Comfort Snack Mix, Oscar's BBQ, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, and and Confections Cupcakes.

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