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Shawn Malone’s Bistro@The Porch Opens to Raves
Shawn Malone’s Bistro@The Porch Opens to Raves
By Laura Longley
“I never thought I’d be running a restaurant again at age 64, but I’m loving it and think I could put in another 10 years,” said Shawn Malone, the new owner of The Plains beloved Front Porch, which he’s brought back to vibrant life as Bistro@The Porch.
It’s clear the locals hope he will stick around at least that long.
For Malone, a fixture in Loudoun County restaurants over three decades, “it’s been surreal… Streams of people from around here walk in and say, ‘Hey, Shawn, we didn’t know you’d bought The Front Porch!’ The people are phenomenal, and business has been great!”
Shawn brings a lifetime of experience to the table. He’s worked in the business since he was 16, starting as dishwasher at J.R.’s Steak House in Fairfax, where he and his late brother, Kevin Malone, were mentored by owner Jim Wordsworth.
After stints at a variety of restaurants in the region, in 1993 he joined Kevin at Tuskie’s (as Tuscarora Mill is fondly known), the Leesburg landmark Kevin launched in 1985. In 2006, Shawn established FireWorks pizza next door, and when that took off, he expanded to locations in Cascades and Arlington. Meanwhile, he and Kevin founded Magnolia’s in Purcellville in 2004.
“But it had problems,” Shawn said, “so Kevin and I went in there in 2009 to right that ship and stayed until we sold in 2020.”
By then, Covid had arrived, so he took the time to spend with his aging mother, who passed away at 100 in August, 2023, just a month after Kevin died. After working with Kevin for 27 years, Shawn figured it was time for him to stay out of the kitchen for good. And then opportunity came knocking. The longtime owner of The Front Porch, who spent years battling his next-door neighbor over parking and trash and, ultimately, zoning and politics, approached Malone to see if he’d buy.
Before long, Malone was renovating the building, refreshing the wine cellar, updating the menu with foods from local farms, and making certain his twist on the nachos Front Porch patrons loved would pass muster. Clearly, they have.
As for the menu, he added, “I’ll probably move into lighter things. Lots of fresh vegetables from local farms. And hamburgers—they’re a big hit.”
Kinloch Farm in The Plains supplies much of his beef. He’s also investing in a meat smoker, which comes as good news to two key employees—cook Ed Kellams and Gus Malone, Shawn’s son.
Reviews posted on Open Table have been 99 percent positive, with comments like “great kitchen, charming staff, redecorated and cozy space…The owner even stopped by to ask about our meals and was super friendly!”
One that made Malone laugh came from KirkG from Dallas.
“This is a must stop for a wonderful dining experience,” he wrote. “We had the crab dip as an appetizer and it was out of this world. I grew up on the Chesapeake so I am a crab snob and this would have made my mom proud. The owner … is such a great guy and he is working his patootie off.”
“Yep,” Shawn said, “I’m working my patootie off, and it’s a blast!”
Details: Bistro @ The Porch, 6483 Main Street, The Plains Open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday 11 a.m.–8:30 p.m.; Sunday Brunch 11 a.m.–4 p.m. bistroporch.com.
