Around Town

Columbia Pike’s Mpanadas finally getting a grand opening later this month

By Matt Blitz
New restaurant Mpanadas on Columbia Pike (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Mpanadas on Columbia Pike finally appears to be opening.

The small “South American-inspired cafe” at 2602 Columbia Pike is planning a soft opening for Thursday, June 15 and a grand opening that weekend, a restaurant spokesperson confirmed to ARLnow. The opening date is also listed on the restaurant’s Facebook page.

In addition, a “very special guest” will be in attendance. If posted images are any clue, that special guest may be of the animal variety. The restaurant’s logo features a llama eating an empanada.

The restaurant has been a bit of a mystery ever since new signage and brown paper covering the windows appeared on the 724-square-foot storefront last summer.

It was in July 2022 when ARLnow first reported that the Peruvian carry-out was making the move into the former home of a Boost Mobile. However, since then, details have been scarce.

Over the past 11 months, we have received a number of emails from hungry neighbors wondering when the eatery next to Domino’s might open. Now, the answer appears to be just in a matter of weeks.

A few other answers were also provided to ARLnow by Gabriela Rojas, the restaurant’s “brand designer” and the owner’s niece. Mpanadas is owned by Marcelo Herbas, with several of his family members also helping. This is his first restaurant; he previously owned a number of mobile phone stores on Columbia Pike.

The menu will have Bolivian and South American influences, with a focus on empanadas. Rojas said that there will be a variety of flavors, making it more them more “spin offs”of traditional empanadas. The full menu and website should be live in the next couple of days, said Rojas.

Mpanadas will be open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

It’s taken almost a full year to open the eatery due to permitting “struggles,” Rojas said, echoing the challenges of numerous other recently-opened restaurants.

Adoptable Pet of the Week: Aliena

By ARLnow.com
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Meet Aliena, a feisty white rabbit who is the newest Adoptable Pet of the Week!

This sweetheart is up for adoption at the Animal Welfare League of Arlington and her friends had this to say:

Aliena is full of personality!

She is a very outgoing and feisty bun. She loves to nap in a sunny spot in a loaf position and munch on greens. She is accepting of pets from people she trusts, but is not a big fan of being picked up.

Her special talents include building her dream home out of cardboard, keeping her space neat and tidy, and parkour-status zoomies!

Aliena would love a home that can offer her space to roam and explore to her heart’s content.

Is Aliena the white rabbit you’ve been searching for? Be sure to check out her entire profile to learn more!

Want your pet to be considered for the Arlington Pet of the Week? Email [email protected] with a 2-3 paragraph bio and at least 3-4 horizontally-oriented photos of your pet. Please don’t send vertical photos — they don’t fit in our photo gallery!

ARLnow Daily Debrief for Jun 2, 2023

By ARLnow.com

Good Friday evening, Arlington. Today we published articles that were read a total of 5266 times… so far.

📈 Top stories

The following are the most-read articles for today — Jun 2, 2023.

  1. Morning Notes
  2. NOW: Rescue in progress after intoxicated person falls down creek embankment
  3. Preliminary review wraps up for new apartments planned near Courthouse
  4. Construction wraps up on second apartment tower in Pentagon Centre redevelopment

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

  1. BREAKING: W-L senior and standout soccer player killed in Fairfax County double homicide (57847 views)
  2. ‘Nation’s only fast casual chicken salad restaurant’ to open Arlington location (13051 views)
  3. Arlington public safety call center to start using Amazon AI system for non-emergency calls (6157 views)
  4. Metro stations to close for Orange Line rail replacement work (4250 views)
  5. Florida man tries to bring handgun into DCA as banner year for confiscations continues (4098 views)
  6. Seven years after speaking out, a few residents of an affordable housing building say problems persist (3908 views)
  7. Peter Chang set to open new restaurant in Crystal City (3894 views)
  8. Arlington County responds to lawsuit alleging Missing Middle changes decided illegally (3616 views)
  9. Local eighth-grader to compete in Scripps National Spelling Bee finals tonight (3359 views)
  10. JUST IN: Police union endorses challenger for Commonwealth’s Attorney (2488 views)
  11. County Board member says delay of HQ2’s second phase likely only a year (2349 views)

📅 Upcoming events

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

Here are the events planned for Sunday:

⛈️ Saturday’s forecast

A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 81. East wind 7 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. At night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 9pm, then a slight chance of showers between 9pm and 3am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 55. East wind 8 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“The best revenge is massive success.”
– Frank Sinatra

🌅 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. 👋

ARLnow Daily Debrief for Jun 1, 2023

By ARLnow.com

Good Thursday evening, Arlington. Today we published articles that were read a total of 4853 times… so far.

📈 Top stories

The following are the most-read articles for today — Jun 1, 2023.

  1. Morning Notes
  2. Plans for more apartments and retail on Crystal Towers site enter home stretch
  3. Gas leak prompts partial closure of Columbia Pike
  4. Local eighth-grader to compete in Scripps National Spelling Bee finals tonight

📅 Upcoming events

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

☀️ Friday’s forecast

Sunny, with a high near 92. Light and variable wind becoming east 5 to 8 mph in the morning. At night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 66. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
– Edmund Burke

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

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

Most and least expensive condos sold in Arlington (May-Jun 2023)

By ARLnow.com

This past week saw 57 homes sold in Arlington.

The least expensive condo, single-family home or townhouse sale over the past seven days was $169,000 while the most expensive was $2,150,000.

Over the past month, meanwhile, a total of 136 condos were sold. Let’s take a look at some of the most and least expensive condos sold over the past month.

Most expensive condos sold

  1. 1881 N Nash Street #TS08 — $2,225,000 (2 Beds | 2.5 Baths | 2,039 SQ FT)
  2. 1781 N Pierce Street — $1,748,000 (2 Beds | 2 Baths | 2,022 SQ FT)
  3. 1600 Clarendon Boulevard #W307 — $1,732,000 (2 Beds | 3 Baths | 2,968 SQ FT)
  4. 1111 19th Street N #2406 — $1,625,000 (2 Beds | 2.5 Baths | 1,523 SQ FT)
  5. 3625 10th Street N #904 — $1,200,000 (2 Beds | 2.5 Baths | 1,855 SQ FT)

Least expensive condos sold

  1. 4600 S Four Mile Run Drive #133 — $157,000 (Studio | 1 Bath | 546 SQ FT)
  2. 4600 S Four Mile Run Drive #712 — $169,000 (Studio | 1 Bath | 568 SQ FT)
  3. 5101 8th Road S #413 — $180,000 (1 Bed | 1 Bath | 789 SQ FT)

Local eighth-grader to compete in Scripps National Spelling Bee finals tonight

By Anya Wareck
2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee Finalists, photo via Scripps National Spelling Bee Twitter
2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee Finalists (via Scripps National Spelling Bee/Twitter)

(Updated at 11:10 p.m.) Arlington eighth-grader Charlotte Walsh will advance to the Scripps National Spelling Bee final after taking the semis by storm yesterday afternoon.

Fifty-six spellers from across the country — ages 9 to 14 — fought for a spot in the final. Only 11 remain.

Walsh advanced after correctly spelling “anilox,” a noun Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines as “a system of printing that utilizes ceramic-coated metal cylinders to transfer consistent amounts of ink from a supply to the printing plates.”

Walsh, who is homeschooled and lives in Lyon Park, was one of the last students to spell in front of the judges. In a brief interview with ARLnow, she acknowledged how nerve-wracking this wait was, as well as the feelings of relief she experienced after getting the word right.

“Making it to the finals has been my goal since I was little — no matter what happens, I’m proud of myself,” Walsh said this morning, just hours before her last Scripps competition.

Walsh’s photo was splashed across newspapers nationally after being captured gasping during her time on stage.

Another Arlington eighth-grade semifinalist, Nathaniel Hersey, will not be moving forward to the finals. He was thrown for a loop when given the silent-P-word “psalterial.”

“[Going into the competition] I was familiar with the majority of the 4,000-word list for rounds one and two,” Hersey, who lives in Bluemont, told ARLnow. “I heard that the words in the final rounds would be more obscure and less often studied.”

Judge Mary Brooks acknowledged his graceful efforts in the competition and wished him the best as he begins high school this fall. He currently takes classes through Virginia Virtual Academy.

A third Arlington participant, Kenmore Middle School student Ruby Kadera, was eliminated in the third round of the competition, their mother, Arlington School Board member Mary Kadera, confirmed to ARLnow. 

Walsh will represent Arlington County in the final competition tonight at 8 p.m. on the ION television network, available over the air and on several streaming platforms.

Photo via Scripps National Spelling Bee/Twitter

A new veterinarian urgent care in Buckingham is pawing for an opening this weekend

By Matt Blitz
1/2

A new pet urgent care is hoping to open this weekend in Buckingham.

Urgent Animal Care of Arlington at ​​249 N. Glebe Road hopes to start caring for furry best friends by the weekend, per co-owner Kayleen Gloor. The business claims it’s the first “sole dedicated [animal] urgent care in any capacity within Arlington,” though others like Bond Vet in Clarendon bill themselves as combination urgent and primary care for pets.

The veterinarian urgent care is from the team behind Clarendon Animal Care, which has locations in Clarendon and on Columbia Pike.

ARLnow first reported the pet urgent care was making its move to Buckingham back in January. It’s in the space once home to a SunTrust Bank branch, which closed more than four years ago. Following the style of the shopping center, the clinic is topped by art deco neon signage that glows at night.

While initially the opening was planned for the winter, the need to upgrade power led to a push.

“Delays were due to increased power needs due to the equipment we have (new HVAC and X-ray machine), so we were waiting on the power upgrade in order to get final inspections,” co-owner Natasha Ungerer told ARLnow via email.

An urgent care clinic for a pet differs from an emergency room in terms of the severity of the issue and what can be treated. The clinic is intended for “pets in stable condition that cannot wait to see their regular veterinarian,” per the website, with issues “that fall between a primary veterinarian practice visit and an emergency.”

The conditions that can be treated at a veterinarian urgent care include:

  • Serious cuts
  • Vomiting and diarrhea
  • Trouble walking
  • Difficulty urinating
  • Prolonged low appetite
  • Limping
  • Mild injuries
  • Ear and skin problems

The clinic is appointment-based but walk-ins are often still available. The hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays, and Mondays with weekend hours running from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The hope is to go to seven days a week, so adding Tuesday and Wednesday hours, starting in mid-July, Ungerer said.

ARLnow Daily Debrief for May 31, 2023

By ARLnow.com

Good Wednesday evening, Arlington. Today we published articles that were read a total of 14291 times… so far.

📈 Top stories

The following are the most-read articles for today — May 31, 2023.

  1. ‘Nation’s only fast casual chicken salad restaurant’ to open Arlington location
  2. Florida man tries to bring handgun into DCA as banner year for confiscations continues
  3. Morning Notes
  4. Metro stations to close for Orange Line rail replacement work

📅 Upcoming events

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

☀️ Thursday’s forecast

Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, sunny through mid morning, then becoming mostly cloudy, with a high near 84. Northeast wind around 7 mph. At night: Mostly clear, with a low around 60. East wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
– Wayne Gretzky

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

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

ARLnow’s reporting is making a difference. Your support could boost it.

By ARLnow.com

ARLnow has been providing independent, in-depth coverage of Arlington since 2010.

We are committed to keeping readers informed about the issues that matter most to the community, including those that help to keep local officials and organizations accountable. Sunlight really is the best disinfectant.

Among the ARLnow stories that have had a real impact on the community, we were the first to report extensively on the problems at the Serrano Apartments, which — as recounted in a commission report — led the county to take action.

Arlington Landlord-Tenant Commission report on the Serrano Apartments (via Arlington County)

We also reported on the deaths of seven inmates over seven years at the Arlington County jail, which led to an outcry, calls for reform, and changes in protocols.

Our reporting helped to bring public attention to the series of deaths, according to a candidate for Arlington County Sheriff, in an interview with Patch.

Excerpt from a Sheriff’s candidate interview (via Patch)

We want to do more reporting like this but need your help.

The cyclical nature of the advertising business, and its susceptibility to economic downturns, means that we need to be cautious when it comes to adding more reporting positions.

But the steady support of ARLnow Press Club members helps us to weather the vicissitudes of the ad market. With more members, we can add to our reporting resources and cover even more important local stories.

Join the Press Club today, help keep our community informed, and you’ll also get the following exclusive benefits.

  • A weekday morning email that brings you news summaries and a look at the news of the day before it’s published
  • A monthly newsletter that brings you early versions of feature stories and in-depth reporting projects
  • Text message alerts the minute a significant, time-sensitive or breaking story is published
  • In the works: online chats with our journalists and participation in live newsmaker interviews.

A sincere thank you for your support, Arlington, including to our 250+ existing Press Club members.

Sincerely,

The ARLnow Team

‘Nation’s only fast casual chicken salad restaurant’ to open Arlington location

By Matt Blitz
1/2

The “nation’s only fast casual chicken salad restaurant” is coming to Arlington.

Atlanta-based Chicken Salad Chick is set to open a location in Arlington next spring, a spokesperson tells ARLnow. So far there’s no word on exactly where in the county it would be opening.

“At this moment we don’t have an exact location available to announce,” the spokesperson wrote. “However, a new Chicken Salad Chick is coming to Arling[ton] in spring 2024.”

And that isn’t the only Chicken Salad Chick set to debut locally in the coming years. The chain is bringing eight restaurants in total over the next half-decade to both Arlington and Fairfax Counties, according to a press release.

Then, the plan is to open even more locations further north in Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania.

The chicken salad franchise’s menu consists of a dozen different flavors of chicken salad that be scooped or made into a sandwich, plus a variety of soups and pimento cheese dips.

Chicken Salad Chick first began in 2008 in Auburn, Alabama after founder Stacy Brown was warned by the local health department to stop selling chicken salad out of her house. She opened her first restaurant shortly after. In the 15 years since the company has significantly expanded to include more than 200 restaurants across 17 states.

The closest current location of Chicken Salad Chick is in Glen Allen, Virginia, just north of Richmond.

The franchisees behind the new D.C. area restaurants have local and family ties.

“Behind the development agreement is Devon Chamberlin, her father, Patrick Cavanaugh, and her father-in-law, Barry Chamberlin. All have close ties to the community, born and raised across Arlington and Fairfax Counties,” said the press release. “Patrick and Barry’s relationship dates back well over 20 years when they met through mutual friends. Over the years, their families have spent a lot of time together. Barry’s son, Milton, and Devon began dating a few years ago, which has culminated in their recent wedding on November 5, 2022.”

ARLnow Daily Debrief for May 30, 2023

By ARLnow.com

Good Tuesday evening, Arlington. Today we published articles that were read a total of 19674 times… so far.

📈 Top stories

The following are the most-read articles for today — May 30, 2023.

  1. BREAKING: W-L senior and standout soccer player killed in Fairfax County double homicide
  2. Morning Notes
  3. Peter Chang set to open new restaurant in Crystal City
  4. JUST IN: Police union endorses challenger for Commonwealth’s Attorney

📅 Upcoming events

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

☀️ Wednesday’s forecast

Mostly sunny, with a high near 78. Northeast wind around 6 mph. At night: Mostly clear, with a low around 58. East wind 3 to 6 mph. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.”
– Charles R. Swindoll

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

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

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