Fort Hunt Couple Hopes to Open Bistro at Old Village Wharf Site

A local couple wants to bring an American bistro to Hollin Hall Shopping Center to replace .

Bill Ross told Patch he and his wife, Caroline, would like to open a restaurant, but they haven't signed a lease yet.

"We have agreed upon the terms of a lease, but we haven’t signed it yet because we haven’t come up with the funding that we need," Bill said. "We're conversing with numerous investors in the Alexandria area."

If Bill's plan for the restaurant comes to fruitition, Ross's wife, Caroline, would be the primary owner of the restaurant. Caroline has more than 25 years of executive chef experience, according to Bill; she has been in the kitchen at D.C. restaurants, such as  in Georgetown and both  and  in Old Town Alexandria.

Currently, Caroline is the general manager of Rick's Wine and Gourmet on Duke Street in Alexandria.

Bill's vision for the restaurant includes dining for about 64 patrons and a small bar with about 10 seats.

"It will be a bar that serves wine, beer, and spirits, but it’s not going to be a saloon," Bill said. "It’s a restaurant."

If a lease is signed, Bill said he "would hope to open within three or four months."

The Village Wharf occupied two sites within the shopping center, according to Bill. He wants the Village Wharf's original site, a roughly 3,000 square-foot portion that's set back further from Fort Hunt Road. The restaurant eventually annexed the south side of its final store parallel to the . 

A call Wednesday morning to Hollin Hall Shopping Center president Doug McPherson was not returned.

Editor's Note: This is the second part of a two-part series on the status of the Village Wharf storefront in Hollin Hall Shopping Center. Check out our story from Thursday morning about a store.

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