Restaurant Spotlight of the Week

Stray Cat Cafe

By Katie Braden

Northern Virginians have come to expect great food and a good time from The Lost Dog Café in Arlington. However, they never expected this cozy and friendly hometown café to multiply, and especially not mere steps from the original itself. Leave it to the Lost Dog to make their new endeavor just as tasty and relaxed, but completely different at the same time.

Last month, exactly twenty years after the opening of the Lost Dog Café, the Stray Cat Café opened its doors to people anxiously awaiting the delicious food, great atmosphere, and, of course, the good cause. Along with the Lost Dog, Stray Cat works with the Lost Dog and Cat Foundation to find a home for hundreds of homeless animals each year. Now there are two restaurants to support this cause instead of only one. Above the bar, home to the Stray Cat Ale, framed pictures of cats who have been saved by the Lost Dog and Cat Foundation adorn the wall to encourage adoption. The menu also encourages people to adopt or donate to the foundation.

The Stray Cat shares the same upbeat and friendly environment, with an obvious emphasis on cats rather than dogs. The bright colors, lamps, wood benches, and tile floors evoke a Southwestern American feel. The multicolored abstract paintings on the walls are by local artist Jessica Lovelace, depicting—you guessed it—cats. The food is anything but ordinary, offering a change of pace. The menu offers a wide range of food, including burgers, sandwiches, salads, soups, fish, tacos, and smoothies. Vegetarian meals are also available, such as The Cha-Cha Bean Burger.

Unlike the Lost Dog, the bar is fully stocked with not only beer but also different wines and mixed drinks. Their spin on the cosmopolitan—the catmopolitan—shows that they are not only willing to experiment with food, but also with drinks. Their specialties include the burger The Bison, No Bull which is a buffalo burger, providing for a change from the everyday cheeseburger. Another favorite here at the office is The Philly Cat, Stray’s take on the original Philly Cheese-steak. Other inventive, cat-inspired names include The Calico Club and El Grande Gato, which means “the big cat” in Spanish.

The food is great, the dress is casual, and a good time is guaranteed when you step in the door, even if you just want to sit at the bar with your buddies, you’ll have a blast. The owners—Pam McAlwee and Ross Underwood—are extremely dedicated to their new undertaking. Both were in the kitchen cooking with the staff when I went to pick up my food, and Ross is actually from here in Falls Church. If you find yourself missing the original, you can always walk to the Lost Dog—it’s only ten yards away.

Go beyond getting a bite to eat. If you want to help out with the Lost Dog and Cat Foundation, donate, or adopt, log on to www.lostdogrescue.org.