Ballston is close to adding another new restaurant to the mix. Leek American Bistro (801 N. Quincy Street) expects to open its doors within the next two weeks.
Owner and chef Nathan Spitall had previously owned the BBQ Bandidos food truck. He has worked in restaurants in New York and locally, such as at the former Harry’s Tap Room in Clarendon, and wanted launch a brick and mortar establishment in Arlington.
“The food truck was great, but my home is in a restaurant,” Spitall said.
Spitall said the restaurant space has been renovated and restrooms have been added in the back. Previously, visitors to the old Thai Terrace had to leave the restaurant through a back exit and use restrooms shared with the other tenants in the building.
“Yes, we lost quite a bit of seating,” Spitall said. “But it’s worth it to have bathrooms.”
There’s a focus on using sustainable and locally sourced goods, from the reclaimed wood in the bar to the local beer selections.
“We’re not going to try to compete with Rustico or World of Beer, obviously, but we want to have a nice selection of some local breweries,” Spitall said.
A number of Virginia wines will also be featured on the drink list. Each food item on the menu will have a suggested wine and beer selection noted.
“We don’t want to classify ourselves as a wine bar, but we think our wine list is nice and affordable,” said Spittal.
The food is considered American because it’s a melting pot of different varieties. The menu will include items such as mussels, falafel crusted salmon, crab cake sandwiches, braised pork shank with white bean cassoulet and one of the popular holdovers from the BBQ Bandidos days — pulled pork and biscuits. Many gluten free and vegetarian options will be available.
“We want everyone to be able to chill out, relax, eat some good food, have some wine, have fun,” Spitall said.
Leek American Bistro is expected to open during the first couple of weeks of October.