Walk down Mount Vernon Avenue on any summertime weekend, and if the weather’s even remotely nice, you’re sure to see a crowd congregating on a patio two doors down from the Evening Star Café. Take a closer look and you’ll find a microcosm of Alexandria — young families, millennials, retirees, and everyone in between — relaxing together, having a beer, and acting like the neighbors that they are at heart.
You’ve come upon the Front Porch, a seasonal spot to kick back and casually watch the world go by. An extension of Evening Star (although that’s not readily apparent at first glance), it’s grown in popularity since its debut three years ago even as the patio space remains static.
“I think the Front Porch is such an energetic environment. People are engaged; they’re happy to be there,” said Evening Star Executive Chef Keith Cabot. “… That kind of energy, I love.”
To be sure, the Front Porch aims to be a home away from home. When you want to get away from the norm but still remain comfortably part of the community, it’s there, offering picnic tables and Adirondack chairs to sink into. If you’re lucky, you’ll snag one of the seats providing a front-row view to the happenings on Mount Vernon Avenue; prop up your feet on the stone wall and take it all in.
“It’s really about somebody coming to our house and sitting on the front porch. … We just want a place for people to come, relax, have a drink, a bite,” Cabot said.
And the bites and drinks are worth waiting for. Both the menu and the beer list offer something for nearly every taste.
“Eighty percent of the menu is the same (as Evening Star’s),” Cabot said. “The Front Porch gets more of a snack atmosphere, so the shrimp hush puppies, the hummus, and the watermelon and tomato salad are some of our biggest hits. … Lately one of our bigger sellers has been our Korean Fried Cauliflower — we call it the KFC.”
While the food is popular, the beers and other drinks are perhaps the crown jewel. The Front Porch has an extensive beer list that rotates incredibly frequently and features some rarities along with some standbys. Some you’ve heard of; some you surely haven’t. And that’s part of the point.
“For beer lovers, it gives them new opportunities to see every beer at the peak of its season,” Cabot said.
While summer is slowly coming to a close, the Front Porch will remain open as long as the weather holds up, Cabot said. That usually puts its closing date in October, when the space will host an end-of-season party toast the year.
“We try to take it as far as we can — but it is an outdoor space,” Cabot said.
If You Go
The Front Porch, 2006 Mount Vernon Ave.
Hours: 5-10 p.m Monday-Friday; 4-10 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.
Try this: The bourbon slushie, aka the “Slushmonster.” “It’s amazing. It’s been there from the beginning. It’s a recipe that (Evening Star founder Neighborhood Restaurant Group co-owner) Michael Babin’s grandmother had. It’s bourbon, orange juice, lemon juice, sugar, tea, and it all goes into the slushie machine.”
Hope Nelson owns and operates the Kitchen Recessionista blog, located at www.kitchenrecessionista.com. Email her any time at hope@kitchenrecessionista.com.