Founder, president and CEO Kevin Harron announced the March 2016 anticipated opening of Burtons Grill & Bar, an upscale-casual restaurant featuring contemporary American cuisine. Located within the Hilltop Village Center at Telegraph Road and Beulah Street in Alexandria, Virginia, Burtons Grill & Bar hopes to be a welcome addition to the Northern Virginia community. Neimitz Design Group is responsible for designing the 6,200-square-foot space, which will open for lunch and dinner and debut weekend brunch in the coming weeks.

The restaurant will have a 200 total seating capacity including 168 dining room seats and 32 seats at the bar. An outdoor patio complete with fire table will also be available during the spring and summer months (weather permitting) and can accommodate an additional 50 guests.   

Committed to using only the freshest ingredients showcasing creative cooking techniques, Burtons Grill & Bar is also a leader in allergy awareness as the restaurant continues to develop menus that provide exceptional dining experiences for all guests. The restaurant will showcase vegetarian and gluten sensitive menus, and its kids menu uses the USDA’s newest guidelines for nutrition. This affords parents the opportunity to choose from a list of ingredients and cooking methods when preparing their child’s menu.

“We have always believed in the strength of the metro D.C. market,” says Harron says. “Finding locations has been a challenge, but we will open two locations in Northern Virginia this year. Our business model has always been simple ‘be best in class.’ Which means we need to consistently meet or exceed our guest expectations for the overall dining experience. Taking care of guests who have special needs or diets just feels right to us. We are delighted to be here.”

Burtons Grill & Bar’s vice president of operations Denise Baron Herrera has tapped Dylyn Coolidge to serve as executive chef. A native of Burlington, Vermont, Coolidge began his culinary career working as a junior sous chef at Coyote Cafe under James Beard award-winning chefs Mark Kiffin and Mark Miller in 1994. He has cooked at five-diamond hotels such as the Four Seasons Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona, and worked with James Beard award-winning chef Todd English’s Kingfish Restaurant. In December 2008, he become head chef at Commissary, a D.C. neighborhood café focused on seasonal, local, all natural American comfort food, part of the Eatwell DC Restaurant group, which includes a 13 acre naturally raised fruit and vegetable farm in La Plata, Maryland. Then in April 2011, Coolidge moved to become executive chef at the Beacon Hotel, overseeing the culinary program for their food and beverage outlets the Beacon Bar and Grill, and the rooftop Sky Bar, as well as their banquet operations. Accolades include being ranked among Open Table’s Top D.C. Brunches from 2011 to 2013, and The Blade’s Top Brunch in 2012. In September 2015, he accepted the position of executive chef to open Burtons Grill & Bar in Alexandria.

Burtons Grill & Bar will be a family friendly newcomer to this area of Virginia, offering a diversified menus incorporating traditional American fare along with a sampling of creative, innovative, chef-driven dishes. One can look forward to a selection of small plates, created plancha-style on the grill, or in the restaurant’s fire-burning oven. Featured tapas include “Deviled” Avocado, grilled avocado, jumbo crabmeat, jasmine rice and horseradish crema; Grilled Cheese, cheddar, pear and Applewood smoked bacon, served on cinnamon raisin bread; Kimchi Latkes, pulled pork, radish, yellow curry and sriracha lime cream; Poutine, duck confit, duck fat béchamel, cheddar cheese curds, served over hand cut fries; Dolmas, grape leaves, snapper, roasted tomato, jasmine rice, feta cheese, tomato sauce, as well as Duck Confit Tacos, roasted beets, radish, cilantro and blood orange aioli.

Appetizers include Firecracker Shrimp with sweet chili Sriracha sauce, Roquefort cole slaw; Philly Spring Rolls, tender sirloin, onions, provolone, American cheese, crispy onion straws, spicy ketchup. Opening soups and salads include Crab Bisque with crabmeat, sherry and Old Bay seasoning; Roasted Beet Salad with goat cheese, roasted sweet onions, candied walnuts and mustard vinaigrette, and the Mediterranean Salad with cucumbers, grape tomatoes, peppers, red onions, feta, mixed olives and oregano vinaigrette.

Highlights off the sandwich section of the menu include Fish Tacos, bronzed chef’s catch with tomato jalapeno relish, lettuce, guacamole, Baja sauce, served with an arugula salad; MAXX Burger, certified angus beef, American cheese, shredded lettuce, tomato, house-made pickles, Burtons special sauce and crispy onion straws, served on a griddled bun with hand cut French fries; the Rachel, oven roasted turkey breast, coleslaw, imported Swiss and Russian dressing, served on griddled marble rye with hand cut French fries, and the Steak Sandwich, grilled tenderloin, caramelized onions, provolone and BBQ ranch dressing, served on griddled ciabatta with hand cut French fries.

Entrée standouts include American staples such as Burtons Imperial, chef’s catch with crab meat stuffing, served with herbed jasmine rice and seasonal vegetables; Vegetable Rosa with cremini mushrooms, fresh tomatoes, snap peas, parmesan, fettuccine and tomato cream sauce; and a Ribeye, Greater Omaha certified angus beef, served with mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables and charred tomato butter. Prices range from $12.95 to $14.95 for appetizers, $5.95 to $10.95 for soups and salads, $12.95 to $16.95 for sandwiches, $13.95 to $36.95 for entrées and $6 to $10 for desserts.

The bar program at Burtons Grill & Bar will offer an eclectic wine list emphasizing the major regions of the world including France, Spain, New Zealand, Mendoza, California, Washington, Oregon and Virginia. A selection of 47 wines will be available by the bottle, along with 19 wines by the glass. Prices range from $7 to $ 12 by the glass, and $24 to $90 by the bottle. 12 beers will also be available on draft and by the bottle.

Additionally, 15 house-made, specialty cocktails will be available in four different categories: shaken, stirred, muddled and crushed.  Standouts include the Dublin Mule with Jameson Black, lime and ginger beer; Cucumber Limoncello Collins, Greenall’s Gin, limoncello, cucumber essence, lemon juice and cane syrup; Barrachina, Bacardi Silver, Myers Dark, house made piña colada mix, and pineapple coconut sorbet and the Brazilian Sangria, Leblon Cachaça, Emmolo Sauvignon Blanc, lime juice, cane syrup, merlot and raspberry puree. Signature cocktails are priced from $9 to $12 each. 

Kevin Harron collaborated with Neimitz Design Group to design the space, which is centered around a 32-seat island bar made of stone and wood. The restaurant offers an open floor plan offering visibility into the exhibition kitchen from every seat in the house. Design elements include natural, dark-stained oak floors, rich walnut walls, a granite bar top, and manmade materials such as glazed brick columns, plush carpeting, and encaustic tile. The color scheme incorporates rich deep browns and blues, accented by lighter shades of taupe. The seating is a combination of low, lush, lounge furniture, backed upholstered barstools, and communal high-top seating. The dining room exhibits classic fully upholstered chairs and tufted fixed seating. The lighting drops down from a fully exposed ceiling emphasizing the grand height of the space. Each area of the restaurant has unique lighting with oversized dome lights over the communal tables and handsome brass table lamps reminiscent of the 1930's throughout the bar. The artwork chosen for the restaurant is a mix of contemporary and iconic imagery, exhibited through photography and abstract fine art and hung "salon style.”