Walker’s Grille: Eat, Drink, and Be Eco-Merry in Kingstowne

“I can find myself thinking more about the environment now,” said Walker’s Grille General Manager Austin Holmes, “and focusing a little bit more on things that I can do outside of work as well.”

That type of thinking is what Jason Musleh and Sam Misleh, the owners of new Franconia restaurant Walker’s Grille, want to encourage in everyone. Encouragement comes easy with Holmes’ leadership and Executive Chef David Saffell’s inspired menus.

“Our menu will be changing every season,” said Saffell. “We’ll probably scale it down a bit once the summer menu comes out, but focus solely on a lot of specials that are all fresh produce from local farmers.”

If you’re looking for mashed potatoes you’ll be disappointed. However, here you can be tantalized by Truffle Mac & Cheese, or Organic Quinoa with Roasted Corn & Black Beans. How about some tasty meat and seafood that is hormone-free, antibiotic free and sustainably-raised, accompanied by sauces made in-house with the same attention to detail? At Walker’s Grille you can have it all for less than you might think, and it’s close to home.

Every aspect of Walker’s Grille is meant to be as close to the home we all share as possible, the earth. “We’ve used all recycled building materials here, even for the tables,” said Holmes. “All of our equipment is Energy Star rated. In the bathrooms we used hand dryers. Just trying to minimize our carbon footprint.”

Open less than a month, Walker’s Grille sits on tiny Metro Park Drive. It is on the ground floor of a new building which can be seen sitting back from Beulah Road near the intersection with Manchester Boulevard. The building is Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) certified, as is the entire office park. Walker’s Grille is applying for an even higher LEED Gold certification.

 “You don’t realize until you start doing this all the choices there are out there, and how much easier it is if you basically pay attention” to environmental concerns, Holmes said.  

Saffell added that “five, ten years ago to do a concept like this, especially the green building, [the cost] would have been astronomical. There’s so many options out there now … it’s really not that much more expensive.”

Holmes joined the Walker’s Grille team from Chef Geoff’s in the District, and Saffell helped open the Gaylord National Resort Hotel in National Harbor. So, as much as they enjoy their environmental mission, their many years in the restaurant and hospitality industry help them remain clear about the bottom line.

“We want to be an attractive option to everybody,” Holmes said. “We’d like everybody to come in and have a good dining experience.” Saffell wants diners to enjoy the food, and “appreciate the fact they just helped out some small farm not too far away. Not only enjoy their meal, but hopefully get a good feeling about what they’re doing.... People like us and … other people doing the local movements are gonna keep those guys in business.”

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Walker’s Grille, 6909 Metro Park Dr., Alexandria, VA 22310, 703-922-6200

Hours: Monday-Saturday 11:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m., Sunday 10:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.

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Correction: This article originally misspelled the name of Walker's Grille owner Jason Musleh. We regret the error.