The Salt Line in Ballston is now “looking at a September opening,” restaurant representatives tell ARLnow.
This another push back from the restaurant’s initial opening in spring 2020. Pandemic-related delays caused that to be moved to 2021. Then, construction delays shifted it again to summer and, now, opening appears to be set for late summer or early fall.
Current construction does appear to be further along than it was two months ago, with ARLnow observing several people working on the outdoor bar.
When the restaurant was first announced in January 2019, the Arlington County Board had to approve the building of the outdoor portion of the restaurant since the plan was for it to be permanent.
The Salt Line is located at the base of 4040 Wilson Blvd. in Ballston, the tallest building in the neighborhood.
The seafood spot comes from D.C-based Long Shot Hospitality and will be the second location of the popular Navy Yard restaurant. That location was the Washington Nationals’ unofficial party spot during their World Series run in 2019, partly due to Ryan Zimmerman being an investor and part-owner.
The 3,800-square-foot space in Ballston will include spread-out booths, a large patio, and outdoor bar and lounge area in response to “COVID-conscious guests requests for more space,” we’re told.
The kitchen will be managed by executive chef Matt Singer and Kyle Bailey of Long Shot Hospitality. The Ballston restaurant will have a menu similar to that of the Navy Yard location, including clam chowder, lobster rolls, rockfish, and clams. The seafood is sourced from a New York-based cooperative supplemented by local, freshly caught fish from Maryland.
There will also be house-made pastas, daily lunch service, and an “expanded selection of crudos.”
Long Shot also just opened a New Orleans-style eatery called Dauphine’s in D.C. in May.