1) PEI MUSSELS – coconut broth, grilled baguette, coriander aioli 🥥 🥖
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Chef Yuan Tang and Managing Director Carey Russell Tang, the duo behind @roosterandowl, have a hatchling in @elliebirdva. The couple’s second and youngest daughter is the namesake behind the new restaurant recently opened in Falls Church, Virginia. Much like I imagine the real Ellie to be, this place is sweet and earnest and charming all at once. My first visit weeks ago delighted as much as two subsequent follow-ups. As befitting the name, the bright dining room incorporates whimsical avian elements like canary-yellow booths that resemble oversized birdcages and owl motifs sporting multi-colored light bulbs for eyes 🦉

Despite the unapologetic cuteness, Ellie Bird is no kid’s playground. Adults would feel comfortable here whether coming for a casual weekday meal or a dressed-up celebratory dinner on the weekend. À la carte offerings and dialed down prices differentiate the restaurant’s more casual style and atmosphere from her refined sister in Columbia Heights. But don’t mistake lower prices for less quality. If you have dined at Rooster and Owl, you’ll definitely recognize some of the same specific touches of the contemporary, chef-focused cooking that nabbed that restaurant a Michelin star. Keep your other senses keen, and you’ll also notice the attentive service is reminiscent of many fine-dining establishments in Washington, DC 🍽️

One might wonder why Yuan and Carey would choose to plant a second restaurant a distance away from their first. The location is no accident. Both grew up in Falls Church and got their hospitality start in chain restaurants here. With their parents living nearby, they’ve found their way back home where their nascent culinary offspring can roost and blossom with and into the surrounding community 🏡

Many devoted parents can attest to the joy of watching a beloved child develop and mature as Ellie Bird is expected to do in the months and years to come. But they—and happy guests who have visited to date—likely would also say, “Please, please, please! Just don’t grow up too quickly.” 🐣 Less