Jeni’s Ice Cream is not yet open in Shirlington (staff photo)
Shirlington frozen dessert fans are getting the cold shoulder.
Frozen yogurt spot Yogi Castle at 4014 Campbell Ave appears to have closed a couple of months ago, with the interior now cleaned out and the awning removed. What’s left is an outline of a sign that once read “Yogiberry,” which was the business name prior to Yogi Castle.
ARLnow hasn’t been able to reach the business owners to confirm exactly when and why it closed. Property owner Federal Realty Investment Trust also was not able to provide details about the shop’s departure from the Village of Shirlington.
Yogiberry first opened in 2010, replacing Maggie Moo’s ice cream.
For a moment, it appeared that Shirlington was not going to have to wait long for a new frozen dessert spot.
Back in April, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream announced that it was moving into a space just down the street from Yogi Castle at 4150 Campbell Avenue. It’s replacing a Thai rolled ice cream spot, which closed late last year.
While Jeni’s stickers plaster the storefront’s windows, it remains unclear when the scoop shop might open.
There is no estimated date or timeline for the Shirlington store’s opening, a Jeni’s spokesperson tells ARLnow in an email. The location is not listed yet on the company’s main site, and interior construction appeared to still be in the early stages a couple of weeks ago.
The Ohio-based ice cream company currently has shops in Bethesda, D.C., Alexandria, and Tysons, which opened in the spring of last year.
The new Foxtrot store in Rosslyn (staff photo by Matt Blitz)
Boutique market Foxtrot‘s newest location in Rosslyn is aiming to open in mid-December.
With window stickers now up, a company spokesperson confirmed to ARLnow that the Foxtrot at 1771 N. Pierce Street in Rosslyn could open its doors within six weeks.
“We are looking at the second week of December,” District Manager Adriana Stavreva wrote in an email.
The initial estimate for the store’s opening right off of Wilson Blvd, basically next door to the year-old Fire Station 10, was “early fall,” but that’s been pushed back by at least a couple of months.
Chicago-based Foxtrot is a delivery-focused upscale corner market and cafe. It makes much of its inventory — everything from a rainbow-sprinkled crispy cake to non-alcoholic whiskey — available for delivery within an hour.
Arlington’s pickleball community hosted players from Iceland at the Walter Reed Community Center (photo courtesy of Ruth Ellis)
If conquering Arlington wasn’t enough, pickleball is now headed to Iceland thanks to two locals.
This past weekend, Arlington-based pickleball coaches Ruth Ellis and Helen White hosted a group of Icelandic tennis players at the Walter Reed Community Center to kick start a collaboration between Arlington’s pickleball community and Tennishöllin, a tennis club in Kopavógur, Iceland.
In a return volley, Ellis and White are set to head to Kopavógur next month to lead several pickleball workshops for the general public there.
The hope is to start a pickleball craze in Iceland, much like what’s happened here in Arlington.
“So many people I’m meeting have been to Iceland. So, there’s a lot of sport tourism possibilities for a place like Iceland,” Helen White, a leader in Arlington’s pickleball community and a local ambassador for the sport, told ARLnow. “Yes, you want to see the country, but if you’re a pickleball player, you also want to play with local pickleball players.”
The idea for the collaboration with the tennis club in Kopavógur came from Ellis, who was born in Iceland and goes back often to visit family. She’s an avid pickleball player and, while thinking about her next trip home, realized that it could be tough for her to find a game.
“I was trying to see if I could play pickleball while I was there, and there’s nobody playing there,” said Ellis, who actually lives in D.C. but plays mostly in Arlington. “There’s no active pickleball scene in Iceland at the moment. To me, that looked like a situation that needed to be remedied.”
While it was popular prior to the pandemic, pickleball has boomed in Arlington in recent years. Courts across the county are often full, with residents asking for more. The Department of Parks and Recreation has dedicated $2 million to build more courts and restripe tennis courts, though it might take some time before those are ready for a match.
However, not everyone loves the game. The sound of the ball hitting the paddle — the infamous pickleball pop — can be loud, so much so that the county shut down a court this summer because the pop sound was annoying the neighbors.
While the game has continued to grow in Arlington and the United States as a whole — with sports stars buying newly-formed professional teams — in Iceland tennis remains the favored paddle sport. But Ellis wants to change that.
She reached out to White, who was game for the project. Then, after emailing “dozens” of Icelanders, Ellis was put in touch with a woman who worked at the U.S. Embassy in Iceland. In turn, that person paired Ellis with the owners of Tennishöllin.
Overflowing trash can near the intersection of 12th Street S. and S. Eads Street (courtesy of @rdc20132/Twitter)
Arlington County has removed two apparently “abandoned” trash cans in Pentagon City.
Earlier this week, a resident posted on social media scenes of overflowing trash cans near the intersection of 12th Street S. and S. Eads Street, across the street from the Pentagon City Whole Foods.
Despite the post, the trash cans were not immediately emptied. The Arlington Dept. of Environmental Services (DES) said on social media that the offending trash cans were, in fact, not the county’s responsibility.
The pile of refuse — including many bags of dog waste — continued to grow.
DES has since decided to remove the trash cans, after concluding they were “abandoned” by their original owner.
“The Solid Waste Bureau determined that the two overflowing receptacles were abandoned and removed them this week for safety,” DES spokesperson Peter Golkin wrote in an email.
Trash should be disposed of in other nearby receptacles, he said. The closest trash can handled by the county is three blocks away at 12th Street S. and S. Hayes Street.
It remains unclear to whom the abandoned trash cans belonged. Golkin noted that “ownership has not been determined.”
ARLnow reached out to developer JBG Smith due to its ubiquitous presence in the neighborhood and the fact that the trash cans were in front of a banner bearing the company’s name. But a spokesperson there said, “it’s not theirs.”
Now, the bins and the pile of doggie waste bags, plastic water bottles and cardboard coffee cups stacked on top have gone to the great landfill in the sky.
Back in May, the neighborhood had similar trash troubles that Golkin attributed to “increased seasonal tourism and more weekend events.”
He said at the time that the Solid Waste Bureau was shifting schedules and doing weekend checks to ensure full trash cans were being emptied in a timely manner. This is still happening, Golkin noted this week.
“The Solid Waste Bureau is still continuing with weekend stops in the busy Pentagon Row area,” he wrote.
Compass Coffee on Langston Blvd is now open (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Compass Coffee on Langston Blvd is now open (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Compass Coffee on Langston Blvd is now open (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Compass Coffee on Langston Blvd is now open (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Compass Coffee has opened its first drive-thru location.
The D.C.-based coffee chain has officially started brewing at its newest location at 4710 Langston Blvd in the Waverly Hills neighborhood.
The shop’s hours are 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends.
This is Compass’s third Arlington location, joining Rosslyn and Ballston. The company also opened a cafe in Fairfax back in March. Its first location was in D.C.’s Shaw neighborhood, opening back in 2014.
Compass’s decision to open its first drive-thru was driven by the pandemic and changes in locals’ working habits, per the Washington Business Journal. The location also has an indoor cafe, similar to the other 14 Compass locations spread out across the region.
Construction started earlier this year on the new, approximately 2,700-square-foot space that formerly housed a SunTrust Bank. The bank closed in 2020.
This is not the only coffee drive-thru on Langston Blvd. Just about a mile from the new Compass, Starbucks has its own drive-thru, also located in an old bank. It attracted long lines throughout the pandemic and closed for renovations earlier this month.
Barre3 studio in Clarendon is now closed (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Barre3 studio in Clarendon is now closed (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
The Barre3 studio in Clarendon has closed after four-and-a-half years in business.
The workout spot at 2800 Clarendon Blvd in The Crossing Clarendon (formerly Market Common Clarendon) officially closed yesterday, the company confirmed to ARLnow. It blamed a conflict with the property owner and business challenges brought on by the pandemic.
“Barre3 Clarendon is closed as of yesterday 10/25/2022 due to unresolved conflict with our landlord in relation to the insurmountable losses the pandemic has brought our way,” a spokesperson wrote to ARLnow in an email.
ARLnow is awaiting a response from the shopping center owner, Florida-based Regency Centers.
Clarendon’s Barre3 first opened in March 2018 after a bit of a delay. It was a workout studio that emphasized techniques and equipment more typically used by ballet dancers. It was the only Barre3 studio in Arlington, with the next closest one now on Duke Street in Alexandria. There are more than 170 Barre3 studios across the country.
The Crossing Clarendon has seen other closings and openings recently. The fashion store Loft closed over the summer while seafood restaurant Seamore’s opened last month at the corner of Clarendon Blvd and N. Edgewood Street.
The second annual Halloween-themed dog-centric event is set to happen this Friday, Oct. 28, from 3:30-5:30 p.m at the Gateway Park Interim Dog Park in Rosslyn.
“Dog costumes are strongly encouraged,” per the event’s website.
There will be vendors, activities like pet portraits and dog trick or treating, and pup-friendly giveaways like puppuccinos. There will also be a raffle to win a week of doggy daycare at Playful Pack in Rosslyn and a $100 gift card to Open Road or SALT, both located at 1201 Wilson Blvd.
Then, at 6:30 p.m., there will be a dog parade to show off that doggy Halloween costume. Winners will be named in four categories: spookiest, cutest, most unique, and “community choice.” Each winner’s humans will receive a gift card to a Rosslyn restaurant and some neighborhood swag.
To finish off the evening, there will be a special reserved “bark section” for the final movie of Rosslyn’s fall cinema series at Gateway Park. That movie, of course, is dog-themed — 2002’s Scooby-Doo. It will start just after sunset, around 7 p.m.
All of this is being put on the Rosslyn Business Improvement District (BID) in partnership with the Rosslyn Dog Owners Group (R-DOGS), the nonprofit that supports Rosslyn’s dog park.
This is the second time this event is being held “following the success and positive response received from 2021,” per a Rosslyn BID spokesperson.
Gateway Park Interim Dog Park was Rosslyn’s first dog park when it opened in early 2021. It’s technically “temporary” until a Park Master Plan is developed and funded, though that may not happen for a while.
Lacing up roller skates (Photo by Susan Weber on Unsplash)
Skate Night is coming back to Thomas Jefferson Community Center, marking its 30th year.
The family-friendly program is returning next weekend, on Saturday, Oct. 29, and going back inside for the first time since the pandemic. It will take place at Thomas Jefferson Community Center and is set to happen most Saturdays through the remainder of the fall, the winter, and into the spring. The last date scheduled is April 22.
All skate nights begin at 6 p.m. and will now run until 9 p.m., a 30-minute extension from previous years. There will also be a moon bounce, a DJ, and concessions. Roller skate rentals will be available as well.
Registration opens three weeks ahead of each date and pre-registration is recommended. Space remains for the Oct. 29 Skate Night, a county spokesperson confirmed to ARLnow.
This is a return to form for the popular program after the pandemic forced some adjustments.
“[Skate Night has] been a Saturday-night institution in Arlington for 30 years and continues to grow in popularity,” Dept. of Parks and Recreation spokesperson Susan Kalish told ARLnow in an email. “Skate Night is just one of many programs that had to be adjusted during the pandemic. We had a trimmed-down option to skate outdoors with friends and music at the Quincy Parking Deck.”
Kalish called the program “intergenerational” since it attracts all community members “from tots to seniors.”
Skate Night is also partially run by the T.E.A.M. program, out of the county’s Office of Teens. “T.E.A.M.” stands for Teen Entrepreneurial Amusement Management and it’s a program that “helps local teens learn how to run a business and develop skills for future employment,” per Kalish.
Skate Night isn’t the only place where locals will soon be able to skate. In less than two weeks, the ice skating rink at Westpost will also open for the season.
Alamo Drafthouse Crystal City (photo courtesy of Alamo Drafthouse)
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is finally making its Crystal City premiere next week.
The upscale theater chain announced today (Wednesday) that it’s opening its Crystal City location on Monday, October 24. The theater first revealed its move to Arlington more than five years ago.
The nearly 50,000-square-foot complex at 1660 Crystal Drive is framed by an exterior marquee and a lit-up vertical sign. Inside, it has 9 theaters and 915 seats, all equipped with swivel tables, power recliners, and server call buttons. There’s one particular large theater called “The Big Show,” essentially a large format screen with lots of speakers.
The Crystal City location is also aviation-themed, taking its cue from the theater’s proximity to Reagan National Airport.
“Each Alamo Drafthouse location has a unique interior theme, and the D.C. team was inspired by the theater’s proximity to the historic Washington National Airport when designing Alamo Drafthouse Crystal City,” says a press release. “From aviation design elements throughout the lobby and hallways, to a horde of snakes attacking a plane at the entrance to The Big Show, the theme continues throughout the building and completely takes flight in the theater’s specialty bar, Departures.”
The 50-person second-floor, airport-themed bar overlooking Crystal Drive “evokes the feeling of a vintage lounge found within an airport gate.”
Departures’ blue and white coloring, wallpaper, and design of the round booths adjacent to the bar itself are intended “to transport guests back to the heyday of air travel.” It also will have a menu full of “signature aviation-themed cocktails.”
Flight-inspired movie posters and props decorate the entire theater as well.
Alamo Drafthouse is known for its special programming and events and the Crystal City location is planning its own assortment, including brunch screenings and “Terror Tuesdays.”
“Terror Tuesday uncovers an eclectic mix of horror and strange discoveries from the genre fringes,” notes the release.
The theater in Crystal City has been a long time coming. It was initially supposed to debut in the spring, but supply chain challenges and “construction feasibility” pushed the opening back about six months. ARLnow first reported over the summer that the plan was to open in October.
This will mark the fourth Alamo Drafthouse in the region, with other locations in D.C., Ashburn, and Woodbridge.
“After more than five plus years of looking for the right location and another five plus years of development, we are happy [to] be opening the doors to our part of the transformation of Crystal City and National Landing as a whole,” wrote co-owners Anthony Coco and Joseph Edwards in the press release.
“The theater’s theme, lobby bar Departures, and The Big Show spaces have come together to create something special and unique to this location, the co-owners continued. “Add on the Alamo Drafthouse’s top-of-the-line audio/visual presentation, unique programming, and unparalleled food and beverage service, and the Crystal City theater will provide an unrivaled out-of-home experience that we can’t wait to deliver to our guests.”
The first screening is set for 4:30 p.m. on Monday. It will be “Black Adam,” a superhero movie starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Ghin Na Ree Thai at Lee Harrison Shopping Center (photo by Jay Westcott)
Ghin Na Ree Thai is currently closed at the Lee Harrison Shopping Center, having been sold to a “new family.”
The two-decade-old Thai food restaurant near the Yorktown neighborhood shut down within the past few days, with both its website and phone message announcing its closure.
“Thank you for 21 years of great food! Ghin Na Ree has been sold to a new family and will reopen under another name in the future,” reads the restaurant’s website.
Ownership began telling regulars of the impending closure several weeks ago, saying in a note that “our parents are retiring and we’ve made the decision to sell the restaurant.”
The note also says that a “wonderful Thai family will be taking over in the next few weeks” while asking customers to “please continue to support this restaurant.”
The best Thai restaurant in Arlington for decades, Ghin Na Ree Thai has been sold ☹️ super happy they have sold it to another Thai family – here’s to the next family hopefully carrying on the Samla Family tradition of deliciousness! pic.twitter.com/zXWBKy12g5
ARLnow was in touch with the now-former owners last week — when the restaurant was still open — but they have so far declined to share who that new family might be.
The restaurant was generally popular with locals, earning 4 out of 5 stars on Yelp, with recent reviews calling the owners “beyond nice” and mentioning how large the portion sizes were.
(Updated at 2:30 p.m.) A Filipino food festival is coming to Pentagon City this weekend.
“Filipino Chef’s Night Out” is set to take place this Friday, Oct. 21 from 6-10 p.m. inside Sparrow Room. That’s the cocktail bar and dim sum restaurant located behind Bun’d Up at Westpost (formerly Pentagon Row) on S. Joyce Street.
The festival is a collaboration between local restaurateur Scott Chung and six Filipino chefs in honor of Filipino American History Month. It will feature the six chefs serving a “specially curating tasting box” to each attendee to go along with a night of karaoke and mahjong.
The line-up of local chefs includes James Beard nominees, the executive chef from one of America’s best restaurants, and RAMMY award winners. They’ll be cooking up traditional Filipino dishes with a modern flair like pork belly kare kare, beef tapa, and biko.
Filipino Chef’s Night Out (image via Scott Chung)
The evening event costs $75 per person. Both Sparrow Room and Bun’d Up will be closed to the public starting at 6 p.m for the duration of the night.
Chung, who co-owns Sparrow Room and Bun’d Up, told ARLnow that this is the first time he’s doing something like this, though he was inspired and encouraged by last weekend’s night market at Westpost.
“[Our festival] is the same idea, giving chefs a platform outside of the restaurant to celebrate their culture,” Chung said.
The chefs will be putting together about 150 boxes and Chung expects them to sell out.
Bun’d Up first opened in late 2019 and, about a year later, added Sparrow Room to the back. It’s styled as a “speakeasy” cocktail bar with a focus on the resurgent 19th-century Chinese game of Mahjong. The bar also offers classes to teach the game.
Between the night market and “Filipino Chef’s Night Out,” Chung says the popularity of these events makes it clear there’s an appetite for these types of festivals in Pentagon City.
“It really gives me ideas for what can be done with the space,” he said. “We can have a lot of success here. “
