Around Town

Most and least expensive homes sold in Arlington (September 2023)

By ARLnow.com

Here in Arlington, real estate is a spectator sport. Let’s take a look at some of the most and least expensive single-family homes sold last month (September 2023).

Most expensive single-family homes sold

  1. 5231 32nd St N — Rock Spring — $2,700,000 (7 beds | 7.5 baths | 6,255 sq. ft.)
  2. 5402 31st St N — Rock Spring — $2,696,000 (7 beds | 7.5 baths | 6,739 sq. ft.)
  3. 3523 N Valley St — Old Glebe — $2,650,000 (5 beds | 7 baths | 5,773 sq. ft.)
  4. 1038 26th St S — Arlington Ridge — $2,475,000 (6 beds | 8 baths | 6,230 sq. ft.)
  5. 5615 26th St N — Leeway — $2,350,000 (6 beds | 6.5 baths | 4,857 sq. ft.)

Least expensive single-family homes sold*

  1. 3720 Kemper Rd — Green Valley — $475,000 (2 beds | 1.5 baths | 884 sq. ft.)
  2. 2111 27th St S — Long Branch Creek — $586,000 (2 beds | 2 baths | 1,310 sq. ft.)
  3. 2022 S Nelson St — Green Valley — $595,000 (3 beds | 1 baths | 1,154 sq. ft.)

*Minimum home value of $200,000 set to exclude certain land sales, retirement condos, properties with expiring ground leases, etc.

ARLnow Daily Debrief for Oct 4, 2023

By ARLnow.com

Good Wednesday evening, Arlington. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.

🕗 News recap

The following articles were published earlier today — Oct 4, 2023.

📅 Upcoming events

Here is what’s going on Thursday in Arlington, from our event calendar.

🌤️ Thursday’s forecast

The forecast for Thursday includes partly sunny skies with a high temperature near 78 degrees. In the morning, expect light and calm wind, eventually shifting to southeast at 5 to 9 mph. Thursday night will bring mostly cloudy conditions and a low temperature around 63 degrees, with southeast winds around 6 mph. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“Life is short, break the rules.”
– Mark Twain

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

Thanks for reading! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.

Adoptable Pet of the Week: Chico

By ARLnow.com
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Say hello to Chico, the newest Adoptable Pet of the Week!

This little guy is currently in foster through the Animal Welfare League of Arlington.

Here is what his friends had to say about him:

Chico is a very special boy with special needs. He has a wobble in his walk and would do best without too many stairs, but he will climb his way onto a couch if given the chance.

He was previously only fed people food, but we are working on getting him to enjoy a more balanced doggie diet. He gets along well with dogs, kids and even a parrot and will pick his favorite and find it difficult to let them go.

He voices his opinions in typical chihuahua fashion but doesn’t seem to get offended when you disagree.

Chico loves to harness up and go for walks and really gets the zoomies in the yard. He also will try to zoom out the door if his chosen person tries to leave.

Chico would probably do best in a stand alone house as he has a proclivity for long winded chihuahua speeches, particularly when out of bed in a room not with his people.

Is Chico the match you’ve been looking for? Read his entire profile to learn more about this guy and the adoption process.

Want your pet to be considered for the Arlington Pet of the Week? Email [email protected] with 2-3 paragraphs about your pet and at least 3-4 horizontally-oriented photos.

One Arlington restaurant made the Washington Post’s Fall Dining Guide

By ARLnow.com
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The prestigious Washington Post Fall Dining Guide is out and Arlington avoided the shut out of past years.

As is usually the case, the vast majority of the 40 restaurants on critic Tom Sietsema’s list are located in D.C. But one Arlington eatery made it: Ruthie’s All-Day (3411 5th Street S.).

Chef Matt Hill’s spot for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner was praised by Sietsema for its tasty Southern cuisine and for being both kid- and dog-friendly.

From the Post:

Restaurateurs can plan all they want, but not until after a business is born do they know how customers will use it. Take this all-American hot spot in Arlington, going on three years. Co-owner Todd Salvadore says he and chef Matt Hill envisioned Ruthie’s as “a parents’ date night place.” Instead, it became a magnet for young households. “We’re watching all the kids grow up!” says Salvadore.

There’s no children’s menu, but the regular list includes a roll call of dishes (chicken tenders, mac and cheese) that appeal to little ones and their minders. Want a one-patty burger or a single pancake at brunch? The kitchen can honor both requests. Ruthie’s, named for Hill’s grandmother, also stocks a score of high-chairs and a patio that welcomes four-legged companions and accepts reservations.

Ease in with some songs of the South: pink folds of rich Surryano ham arranged with craggy buttermilk biscuits, pimento cheese and red onion jam on what looks like a slice of tree trunk. The bestseller is brisket, smoked overnight and seasoned with paprika, garlic and onion powder, what the kitchen knows as TCB, or Taking Care of Business. The meaty delight comes with tender milk bread, house-made pickles and a choice of two or three sides. Make sure one of them is dirty rice tossed with charred kimchi.

Arlington has seen some banner years for its food scene in the Fall Dining Guide, such as in 2019 when Thai Square on Columbia Pike, Sfoglina in Rosslyn and Buena Vida in Clarendon all made the cut.

Notable Arlington-adjacent restaurants on the 2023 list are the Bethesda outpost of The Salt Line, which also has a Ballston location, and Rice Paper, located in the Eden Center, just across the county line in Falls Church.

Despite Arlington’s meager showing this year, it could have been worse: no restaurants from Alexandria made Sietsema’s latest list.

ARLnow Daily Debrief for Oct 3, 2023

By ARLnow.com

Good Tuesday evening, Arlington. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.

🕗 News recap

The following articles were published earlier today — Oct 3, 2023.

📅 Upcoming events

Here is what’s going on Wednesday in Arlington, from our event calendar.

☀️ Wednesday’s forecast

Expect patchy fog to clear by 10am, followed by a sunny day with a high near 84°F and calm winds turning southeast at 6 mph in the afternoon. On Wednesday night, patchy fog returns after 4am, with mostly clear skies and a low around 58°F. The south wind of around 5 mph will become calm after midnight. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“Chase the vision, not the money, the money will end up following you.”
– Tony Hsieh

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

Thanks for reading! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.

New European-inspired bakery and cafe ‘coming soon’ to Ballston

By James Jarvis
‘Coming Soon’ signs in the windows of Roggenart Bistro and Café, set to take over the space previously occupied by Republik Coffee Bar (staff photo by James Jarvis)

Maryland-based bakery and coffee retailer Roggenart Bistro & Café is set to make its Arlington debut in Ballston.

It is moving into the previous home of Republik Coffee Bar, at 4401 Wilson Blvd, next to restaurants Big Buns Damn Good Burgers and Nando’s PERi-PERi. Republik and its Tysons counterpart permanently closed earlier this year.

Details about Roggenart’s opening remain sparse but the company, which operates four locations in Maryland, filed a permit with Arlington County on Thursday to start work on the space

The café’s owners did not respond to ARLnow’s request for additional information. Roggenart has existing locations in Columbia, Ellicott City, Savage, and Towson, Md.

The menu for the European-style café and bistro includes a range of breakfast and lunch items, including eggs benedict to a cast-iron grilled reuben. The establishment also offers baked goods such as croissants and danishes and espresso-based drinks.

Roggenart joins a growing list of coffee options in the Ballston area, including newcomers like the outdoor stand Ballstonian and, just across Wilson Blvd from the future café, Slipstream.

Hat tip to Jeff Keith

ARLnow Daily Debrief for Oct 2, 2023

By ARLnow.com

Good Monday evening, Arlington. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.

🕗 News recap

The following articles were published earlier today — Oct 2, 2023.

📅 Upcoming events

Here is what’s going on Tuesday in Arlington, from our event calendar.

☀️ Tuesday’s forecast

The forecast predicts a sunny day with a high temperature around 83°F and calm winds turning east at 6 mph in the afternoon. Tuesday night will be mostly clear, with temperatures reaching a low of 59°F, and southeast winds at 5 mph calming down in the evening. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly.”
– John F. Kennedy

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

Thanks for reading! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.

Celtic House plans to open new whiskey and bourbon bar later this fall

By James Jarvis
1/4

Celtic House on Columbia Pike says it plans to unveil its new whiskey and bourbon bar beneath the existing restaurant “later this fall.”

In an Instagram post on Wednesday, the pub said the centerpiece of the new bar will be a handcrafted, solid red oak bar, offering a range of rare whiskeys and bourbons. The additional dining space will also add 60 seats to the main restaurant’s current capacity of 90-100 patrons.

Celtic House initially hit a snag when it filed for a permit in March to renovate its newly leased basement unit — previously a defunct dry cleaning business — because the shopping center is located in a historic district.

Despite these hurdles, the permit was approved in August and construction started downstairs that same month.

General Manager Chris Devenney told ARLnow the new bar will be a seamless extension of the existing restaurant. A staircase will connect the two units but the new downstairs bar will have a separate entrance, too.

The main dining area will remain open throughout the renovation, Devenney said.

“Our main pub and restaurant is still fully operational. We’re hoping it will remain fully operational during construction,” he said.

Devenney envisions the new bar doubling as a space for hosting events such as birthdays, rehearsal dinners, funeral wakes and showers.

Although he could not confirm an exact opening date, the general manager said he hopes it will be in the next few months.

“I don’t want to give false hope in case we run into an issue with construction or it’s going to take us longer just getting things ready,” he said.

ARLnow Daily Debrief for Sep 29, 2023

By ARLnow.com

Good Friday evening, Arlington. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.

🕗 News recap

The following articles were published earlier today — Sep 29, 2023.

Since it’s Friday, we’ve also compiled a list of the most-read articles of the week, below.

  1. Wakefield High School sees second student death this year (33077 views)
  2. UPDATED: Large power outage after reported substation fire (21669 views)
  3. Revamped, food-centric Crystal City Water Park set to open next week (20186 views)
  4. Clarendon Day, Celtic Festival and Oktoberfest to prompt road closures this weekend (14071 views)
  5. JUST IN: Large police response at Yorktown HS after threatening phone call (13876 views)
  6. A $4 million renovation of Ballston Wetlands Park is officially complete — and beavers returned for the occasion (11939 views)
  7. More Arlington properties are now located within floodplains, county says (9264 views)
  8. New study sees surge of people living alone in Arlington (8617 views)
  9. Metro 29 Diner faces uncertain timeline for reopening due to faulty sewer line (6326 views)
  10. Here are ten local businesses listed for sale in Arlington (5976 views)
  11. NEW: Shooting threat outside Washington-Liberty HS leads to arrest (5910 views)
  12. UPDATED: Arrest made after shooting on Columbia Pike (5575 views)
  13. Clarendon’s Bar Ivy now open ‘morning, noon and night’ with new breakfast options (4446 views)

📅 Upcoming events

Here is what’s going on Saturday in Arlington, from our event calendar.

Here are the events planned for Sunday:

🎙️ This week’s podcast

ARLnow’s reporting crew talked about some of the week’s stories and discussed why we make certain decisions. Subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Amazon, Spotify, iHeart, Audacy or TuneIn.

🌥️ Saturday’s forecast

The forecast for Saturday indicates mostly cloudy weather with a high temperature near 71°F and a north wind at around 9 mph. During Saturday night, expect patchy fog to develop after 5am and partly cloudy skies, with a low temperature around 58°F. The north wind will decrease to around 5 mph before becoming calm. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone.”
– Ronald Reagan

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

We hope you have a great weekend, Arlington! Feel free to discuss the most-read stories of the week, the upcoming weekend events or anything else of local interest in the comments. 👋

Metro 29 Diner reopening after sewer line repairs

By James Jarvis
Metro 29 Diner (staff photo by James Jarvis)

Metro 29 Diner says it is reopening today (Friday) following a closure that lasted several weeks due to plumbing issues.

Earlier this week, ARLnow reported the restaurant could remain shuttered for up to a month, as it awaited a permit to repair a clogged sewer line located along N. Albemarle Street, adjacent to the restaurant.

The local staple at 4711 Langston Blvd was forced to close after the plumbing issue caused grease and other liquids to flood the parking lot from the restaurant’s grease trap, creating a health hazard.

Arlington’s planning department granted the necessary permit on Tuesday, within hours of ARLnow’s initial story publishing, Metro 29 Diner owner Peter Bota told us.

Construction started Thursday morning and concluded by 1 p.m. Bota said the restaurant has been “given the green light to reopen by the health department.”

“I want to thank the county for their prompt attention and I’d like to thank our loyal patrons and staff for their patience, understanding and well wishes while we were closed,” Bota said.

ARLnow Daily Debrief for Sep 28, 2023

By ARLnow.com

Good Thursday evening, Arlington. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.

🕗 News recap

The following articles were published earlier today — Sep 28, 2023.

📅 Upcoming events

Here is what’s going on Friday in Arlington, from our event calendar.

🌧️ Friday’s forecast

Expect patchy drizzle and scattered showers before 2pm, followed by isolated showers and fog later in the day, with a high of 69°F and a 30% chance of precipitation. Friday night will see possible isolated showers before 2am and fog after 11pm, accompanied by a low of 60°F, an 8 mph north wind, and a 20% chance of precipitation. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”
– Henry David Thoreau

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

Thanks for reading! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.

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