Sunday Supper, Your Place: Introducing Stomp At Home
Most people buy and read cookbooks for the recipes. My favorite part of a cookbook is the writing. Chefs tuck little gems of wit in there that you will definitely miss if you open the book only when in need of a recipe. One of my favorite cookbook lines is in Chef Jessica Koslow’s Everything I Want to Eat. She says “a great restaurant makes a neighborhood. And a neighborhood is defined by its favorite restaurant.”
I do not suffer the illusion that Stomping Ground makes Del Ray the unique neighborhood that it is, but I love the sentiment of this quote. My vision for Stomping Ground, however lofty, has always been to create a safe and fun place to go. Alexandria, and Del Ray in particular, was a natural location for us to open given the premium this neighborhood places on community. We don’t make Del Ray what it is, but our food has become a conduit for this community to gather. You can wander into Stomping Ground every day (except Mondays because we need to sleep) to see who’s around and what’s going on. Stopping by for a solo lunch or dinner? You won’t eat alone because suddenly you are dining with your friends, many of whom you just made.
Our Stomp community first developed over breakfast biscuits. Friday mornings became filled with a group of women gathering to eat biscuits and discuss kids, neighbors, and teachers. Parents brought their kids in for daily scrambled eggs and lemony avocado. And then there were our many Veggie Hash devotees. Our staff learned the names of these regulars. We learned their kids’ names. We memorized their orders and their special requests. Over time, as you came to Stomp you came to support our philosophy about food – seasonal, local, made from scratch, and biscuits! – and our philosophy about humans – everyone (from guests to staff) deserves a place where they feel safe and supported. Those morning groups are going strong three years later.
A few months after opening we started offering full service dinners on Thursday and Friday evenings where we ditch the counter service and offer our guests a rotating, seasonal menu – with mini biscuits, of course! Those morning groups started showing up for dinners. In fact, I’m never quite sure who arranged to meet for dinner or who just ran into each other and dined together.
Naturally, I’m partial to the food, but what makes dinner at Stomp so unique is Stephanie Swick, a local restaurant veteran you’ll meet during your dinner here. Steph seems to know every guest. A casual observer would have a hard time distinguishing the guests she knows from those she doesn’t given the warm greeting she extends to everyone. She seems to have a soft spot for our younger guests, many of whom she embraces with a hug before walking them to their table hand-in-hand, parents trailing behind.
You can imagine my surprise when more than a handful of our regulars started asking if we were able offer dinner on additional nights. But wait! They wanted the food to go?! What?! You don’t want to hang out with us? But that is our schtick! See how great we are?! And how many of your friends are here?! Don’t want you to see your people? I was reminded by these folks that they had very busy schedules filled with families, jobs, etc. They loved their Thursday or Friday night ritual but they wanted more of the food. At home.
So introducing…Stomp at Home dinner bags! A changing three- to four-course menu that feeds two adults. You can order a bag online anytime during the week and pick it up between 5pm and 7pm on Sunday at Stomping Ground.
And now that I think about it, what a better way to be a part of a community than to have Sunday supper with you and yours?
- About the restaurant
If you wander down Del Ray’s, “The Avenue,” you won’t miss the farm-red building with a rustic fence bordering the patio. Stomping Ground opened two years ago and quickly became popular for its made-from-scratch biscuits and its neighborhood vibe. On weekends, excited guests line up before Stomping Ground opens hoping to be the first to get a just-out-of-the-oven biscuit or a fresh salad. Stomping Ground is mostly known for its fast casual breakfast and lunch but on Thursdays and Fridays they provide a full dinner service after 5:00pm. All meals are built from local, seasonal food that is organic whenever possible.
2309 Mt Vernon Avenue
Alexandria, VA 22301
703.567.6616
