The Fish Market Throws Open its Doors after a $3.4 million Facelift

Photo by John Arundel/Local Kicks The Fish Market's new co-owner and fearless leader Noe Landini has shaken things up a bit on Lower King Street, with conga lines, pajama parties, Malibu Rum Girls and oyster-eating contests. The fun begins Wednesday at 4 pm with a grand opening celebration.

When the Fish Market re-opens in Old Town Wednesday with a splashy ribbon cutting and oyster-eating contest, The Schooner will again be the main attraction.

As will the massive new lobster tank, and about a dozen flat panel TVs.

Photo by John Arundel/Local Kicks The Schooner Returns.

With new owners from next door and a $3.4 million purchase and facelift recently completed, The Schooner will still be a central figure at the bar, but upgraded. The big 32-oz. glass with a Stanley Cup-looking bowl will be the same but the beer options are being raised a notch or two to include Budweiser, Corona, Sam Adams and Carlsberg.

This is one of the changes that's come to this Old Town institution that new co-owner Noe Landini thinks will bring in the masses that once frequented the place.
 
“It’s what the people want,” he said, noting that the rest of the redesigned interior will be customer-friendly and more open. “We’re going to widen the appeal while maintaining the current clientele."
 
The project is a two-phase renovation that has also upgraded the dining area and bar, which is now called the Anchor Bar, which is Phase I. Everything has been finished with copper, brass and oak.

The much anticipated grand opening of the Fish Market and the new Anchor Bar in Old Town Alexandria is set for Wednesday, September 2. A percentage of the proceeds from the grand opening event will benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.  
 
Doors open at 11:30 and the party kicks off at 4:00 p.m., admission is free. Guests will enjoy various samplings of the new Anchor Bar menu prepared by Executive Chef Cory Fey.

Highlights will include an oyster eating contest, an auction of new and old Fish Market treasures and raffles to win prizes including free food and drink. Nashville Superstar David Vincent Williams will be appearing in the Sunquest dining room and party jams will spin in the Anchor Bar by local DJ Lyric.

Photo by John Arundel/Local Kicks Fun with Crustaceans at the Anchor Bar.

At 5:00 p.m., the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce and Mayor Bill Euille will perform an official ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Anchor Bar.
 
What they'll encounter is a world of changes. Inside the front door, the bar's on the left, with a custom made tap called the Anchor Draft Tower, created by Howard Sterling, the famed beer tap architect from Maryland.
 
The bar has at least 14 stools, and 12 booths with four seats at each, and the flat panel TVs are strategically located and tuned in to the sport of the day.
 
The new raw bar, located right inside the main window, has been redesigned to include the big lobster tank like the ones in the back of old grocery stores, and stools for patrons to sit at the bar. The bar stretches three feet towards King Street.  “The city made us keep the doors but we pushed it out front,” Landini said.
 

Photo by John Arundel An over-eager patron attempts to snack before boiling.

This was the only part that had to go before the Board of Architectural Review, because it changed the footprint of this historic 200-year-old building. “The city was real cooperative,” Landini said.
 
The interior changes did have to go through some review, according to Richard Bray of the city's planning and zoning office. The fire and air handling units had to meet the code, and the general essence of the establishment had to be consistent.  “The Fish Market is a historical building here, and if you change it too much you lose the integrity,” Bray said.
 
On separate occasions, the city has been viewed as being difficult to work with, especially when it comes to small businesses, but this wasn’t the case here. “We like to see successful enterprises,” Bray said, noting that the Fish Market is a must on many vacation curriculums.  “Both of these rooms will bring out the essence of Old Town,” Noe Landini added.
 
With its proximity to Union Street and the Potomac River, the Anchor Bar was built with the floods in mind. The floor is all-cement, and it was engineered to withstand sitting in water for a day or so, like has happened in the past. The 200-year-old brick walls and refurbished timbered ceiling supports are still part of the fabric.

Photo by John Arundel/Local Kicks A two-pounder prepares to meet his maker.

Landini embarked on the project with his father Franco, the legendary founder of Landini Brothers Restaurant, a few doors up. Landinis has been in the family since 1979, before Noe was born.
 
The Anchor Room opened in June, just in time for the busy summer tourist season, and on Wednesday the Landinis plan to lift the curtains on Phase II, the dining area, called “Sunquest.” It has a gold-colored tin ceiling, brass lamps, solid oak booths and flagstone floors. The menu was upgraded to cater to the new wants of the people as well.
 
A DJ plays music on Friday and Saturday nights, and for those that will miss the cheap, non-designer beer that the college crowd digests, they will still offer Anheuser Busch Natural Light. A schooner or two has been known to mess with the digestive system.
 
“We’ll still have gut rot,” Landini admitted. And it's still “dirt cheap,” he said.
 
Sometimes change can only go so far.

Photo by John Arundel/Local Kicks Properly served, with drawn butter.

Photo by John Arundel/Local Kicks Happy Hour at the Anchor Bar.

Photo by John Arundel/Local Kicks Many of the kitchen staffers have been at The Fish Market for 20 years or more.