Alexandria Restaurant Partners (ARP), the group behind Virtue Feed & Grain in Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia, Lena’s Wood-Fired Pizza & Tap in Alexandria, Virginia, and the recently opened Palette 22 in Shirlington, Virginia, announced the May 23 opening of The Majestic, located in Old Town, Alexandria, at 911 King Street, 22314.  Housed in an historic and iconic storefront, the newly refurbished restaurant will open for dinner service, with lunch and weekend brunch to debut later in May.

Guests can anticipate a new and fresh culinary direction with Executive Chef/Proprietor Gaby Hakman at the helm, with a diverse, seasonal, and vibrant, protein and vegetable-forward menu. Hakman has worked to create a contemporary seasonal bistro menu with ingredient-focused dishes showcasing quality olive oils, herbs, garlic, and other influences that reflect her Mediterranean palate, as well as rotisserie meats, which will add deep flavor and variety to the restaurants signature dishes. The newly renovated 85-seat dining room features a comfortable and sophisticated setting that is still approachable. Extensive updates were made to the finishes, fixtures, and furnishings making for a completely new dining experience.

“Memorable food is essential in a local restaurant, and with this new renovation and new slate, I want to use the setting of The Majestic as a background for an authentic and very flavorful dining experience,” says Gaby Hakman. “It is my hope that The Majestic will become the ‘go-to’ spot for locals to enjoy a wine-filled evening among friends and for visitors to the region, it will be a ‘must-do’ for the cuisine and great vibe.”

For dinner, diners can savor Nibbles and Starters such as Fried Olives with pimenton aioli; Market Crudité with green goddess dressing; Tuscan Chicken Liver Toast with fennel mostarda and pickles; Baby Beets with citrus, whipped goat cheese, and pistachios, and Steak Tartare with cornichons and grilled bread. Entrée selections include Spit-Roasted Chicken with panzanella and au jus; Grilled Whole Fish, market fish, fingerling potatoes, salsa verde, and olives; NY Strip with roquefort butter, spring onions, and forest mushrooms; Striped Bass with asparagus, green garbanzos, farro, and almond gremolata, or a Pot of Mussels with tomato, wine, Calabrian chiles, and frites. Guests can also select from Sides, which include Asparagus with pangratto; Broccolini with chiles and garlic; Fingerlings with garlic and rosemary; Carrots with hazelnut dukkah and Greek yogurt; Frites with coriander and cumin salt; Cauliflower, spit roasted, and Parmesan Polenta. Dinner items range in price from $10 to $32.  Within the coming weeks Hakman will add Daily Specials to the menu, which will be available on specific nights of the week.  Highlights include Burger Night (Mondays); Prime Rib (Fridays), and Chicken & Ribs (Sundays).

For lunch, guests at The Majestic can look forward a balanced selection of dishes highlighting rotisserie-driven items and healthy options for middle of the day dining. Standout Starters include Deviled Eggs, chef’s whimsy; Chicken Liver Toast with a pancetta crouton; Baked Feta with za’atar, chiles, and flat bread; Charred Octopus with chickpea purée, olives, and harissa vinaigrette, and Little Gems, shaved vegetables with Meyer lemon, and herbs.  Salad and Sandwich highlights include Steak Salad with mint, basil, chile dressing, and peanut; Kale Salad with chickpeas, cauliflower, farro, feta, raisins, and pine nuts; Chicken Panzanella with spring vegetables, eggs, avocado, and ricotta salata; Porchetta Sandwich with rosemary aioli, caramelized onions, and arugula, and the Majestic Burger, aged beef with smoked cheddar and bacon onion jam. Entrées of note include the Pot of Mussels with tomato, wine, Calabrian chiles, and frites, and the Swiss Chard Ravioli with lemon, herb, ricotta, and walnuts, and Salmon with lentils, quinoa, spinach, and spiced yogurt. Lunch items range in price from $6 to $22.

For Brunch, guests will be tempted by creative breakfast classics highlighting seasonal ingredients such as Brûléed Grapefruit with vanilla bean; Beet Cured Salmon with crispy potato cakes and horseradish-dill crème fraîche; Fried Chicken & Waffles with cheddar-chive waffle, red chile-honey-butter, Dutch baby lemon, ricotta, and blueberries; Eggs In Purgatory with fiery tomatoes and chickpeas; Egg White Omelette with garden vegetables and goat cheese, and Cheesy Polenta Poached Eggs with sautéed greens. Salad and sandwich highlights include Breakfast Sammy with fried egg, smoked bacon, and cheese; Wild Mushrooms with soft scrambled eggs, ricotta, and toasted sourdough; Kale with strawberries, house-made granola, pumpkin seeds, and goat cheese, and Pastrami Turkey Reuben with red cabbage slaw and “comeback” sauce. Sides include Smoked Bacon; Fingerling Hash; Chunky Monkey Buns; Creamy Polenta, and Turkey Sausage. Brunch items range in price from $10 to $24, and scratch-made, crafted Weekend Libations from the bar will round out the offerings for an ideal weekend meal.

For the perfect pairing with any menus, The Majestic offers a full bar featuring classic cocktails with a twist, as well as seasonal prohibition-style craft cocktails.  Highlights of the new drink list include Smoking Jacket, Bulleit Rye whiskey, blood orange bitters, house smoked black cherries and tangerine zest; The Capone, bacon and habanero-infused tequila, heirloom tomato juice, olive juice, pepperoncini juice and an ‘everything salt’ rim; Rosie’s Riveting, Grey Goose vodka, Grand Marnier, hibiscus syrup, scratch lemonade and peach purée; Summer Spice, Bacardi Dragon Berry rum, grilled watermelon, strawberry and jalapeño purée and citrus, garnished with a citrus sugar rim; Mighty Joe, Van Gogh espresso vodka, Frangelico, chocolate milk, graham cracker rim, torched bananas and marshmallows, as well as the Majestic G&T, Citadelle gin, Jack Rudy small batch tonic, scratch lemonade, blueberries and mint.  An eclectic selection of wine varietals spanning both the states and the globe will also be available. There are 48 different reds, whites, and sparkling wines will be available by the bottle with more than 20 wines available by the glass. A selection of local and seasonal brews from four draft lines along with domestic bottled beers will be available as well.

The new interior of The Majestic was designed with interior architecture by Paul Beckmann, of Beckmann Architects, and interior design by David Chennault, both of Old Town, Alexandria. The design pays respect to the art deco roots and elements that were retained in the renovation, while adding modern updates and layers of interest through color, texture, a contemporary mix of high and low, articulated through fabrics, finishes, textures, lighting, and an assortment of artwork of all kinds. Inspiration came from intimate supper clubs, art salons, and a collector’s gallery/library/conversation space, and the walls will be adorned by salon-style installations of two-dimensional artworks of all types, including photographs, prints, paintings, drawings, framed and unframed, to add to the composed, yet casual feeling of the restaurant.

Rich jewel-tones throughout the space are enhanced by ambient lighting, and at the individual booths along one side of the space, small lamps create even more mood and dining ambiance. The open display kitchen takes center stage, while at the opposite end at the storefront and entrance area, the bar offers guests a chance to linger and enjoy a classic or signature prohibition-style or two.