Around Town

(Updated at 2:20 p.m.) Fans of the New York-based bakery Mah-Ze-Dahr can now enjoy breakfast, lunch and dinner daily at its offshoot in Crystal City.

The restaurant at 1550 Crystal Drive broadened its menu offerings this past Thursday — two years after opening with a more limited menu of pastries, baked goods and coffee drinks.

The Crystal City outpost was initially supposed to serve breakfast through dinner, though those plans were derailed by Covid, co-owner Michael Reginbogin told ARLnow.

Since the bakery opened a year into the pandemic, when most workers were still remote, he and his partners chose to stick to baked goods — including donuts some say are New York City’s best and Oprah-endorsed pastries.

“We scaled the menu to a bakery only because the guests just would not have been there enough to enjoy them,” Reginbogin said.

Thankfully, he said, the café survived Covid and, with the expansion, can cash in on the return to in-person work and the recent opening of the first phase of its Arlington HQ2.

“We’re moving in the right direction,” he said.

Mah-Ze-Dahr, rechristened Mah-Ze-Dahr Café, now serves bread pudding french toast, salads, sandwiches, quiches, steak frites and more, all day long.

Reginbogin said Mah-Ze-Dahr Café had a successful (re)opening day last week.

“Everything has been going well. We have already sold out of a few items. The demand is definitely there,” Reginbogin said. “The all-day flexibility of the new menu seems to be hitting a homerun with locals and office workers returning to the area.”

No changes to the space were necessary beyond hiring more staff to serve more customers, Reginbogin said.

Across the river in D.C., Mah-Ze-Dahr has a bakery and a bistro called Bistro Du Jour, according to its website.


Opinion
A row of townhouses in Portland, Oregon (courtesy of Portland’s Bureau of Planning and Sustainability)

Arlington didn’t start the ‘Missing Middle’ fire — localities across the country and around the world have been trying to figure out how to deal with rapidly rising housing costs.

While Arlington’s approval of new zoning regulations allowing small-scale multifamily housing in previously single-family-detached only neighborhoods was not the first time a major jurisdiction made such a move, the underlying debate is still raging in certain pockets of cyberspace.

ARLnow’s comment section aside, one place where the fire is still burning is on Twitter. (The social network was recently renamed “X” in a bid to incorporate additional features, arguably making it the National Landing of tech companies.)

On Twitter, a persistent anonymous account named Arlington Transparency has been posting side-by-side images of older homes set to be redeveloped as Missing Middle housing, next to speculation about how much those new units may cost given the price of existing, similar homes in the area.

In each case, the detached home set for demolition is less expensive than a newer townhouse or other multifamily home.

On the other side of the debate are local housing advocates like Jane Green, who point out that, yes, the resulting Missing Middle homes will likely be more expensive than the tear-down that’s being replaced, but they’re much less expensive than the “McMansions” that would otherwise be going up.

Plus, the more affordable homes being replaced would need “significant work” to be viable for buyers seeking to live there.

https://twitter.com/janefgreen/status/1681404933902327808

https://twitter.com/lidija_sekaric/status/1681443049698918407

Unsurprisingly for Twitter, there’s a counter argument to the counter argument: that $900k+ townhouses benefit “elites” and not buyers in need of greater affordability.

Given the arguments above, who’s got the winning team, in your view? (With apologies to those who feel that this debate has been burning since the world’s been turning.)


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https://listings.blueskyemedia.com/videos/0199cef4-7c51-7244-a953-e84ce3580c1c

Listed by:
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[email protected]
(703) 405-1016


News
Looking north above Glebe Road in Ballston (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Man Accidentally Shoots Self — “4100 block of S. Four Mile Run Drive. At approximately 7:01 a.m. on July 24, police were dispatched to the report of a shooting. Upon arrival, it was determined that an armed security officer was in a backroom preparing for the day when he allegedly accidentally discharged his weapon, striking his hand. He was transported to an area hospital with injuries considered non-life threatening. No other injuries or property damage were reported.” [ACPD]

BurgerFi Coming to Rosslyn — “A franchisee for Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based fast-casual restaurant BurgerFi has inked a deal for a new location in Rosslyn. The hamburger chain, with a half-dozen locations in Greater Washington, has leased a roughly 2,500-square-foot space at 1735 N. Lynn St. formerly occupied by two other retailers, Brown Bag and The Perfect Pita. It’s slated to open in late September or early October.” [Washington Business Journal]

Dweck Ramping of Nat’l Landing Activity — “Dweck Properties Ltd. is gathering steam as a competitor to JBG Smith Properties (NYSE: JBGS) in the redevelopment of National Landing, with plans to consolidate and expand acquisitions and development activity in Northern Virginia. Dweck’s been around for decades, having become a major apartment owner and manager, with nearly half of its roughly 7,000 units now in National Landing.” [Washington Business Journal]

Swanky Rosslyn Condo for Sale — “They don’t call it Waterview for nothing. Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. Board Chairman Ralph Shrader and his wife, Janet, have listed their 29th-floor Rosslyn condo for $6.95 million. The Waterview unit offers 270-degree views of D.C. and Northern Virginia.” [Washington Business Journal]

Heat Wave on the Way — From Ready Arlington: “A #HeatWave is likely to affect the region starting Wednesday (July 26). #BeatTheHeat with the tips below.” [Twitter]

Camp Cancellations Possible — From Arlington’s Dept. of Parks and Recreation: “If you or your child are signed up for summer camp or classes, please keep an eye out for any weather related cancellations due to a heat index of 105 degrees or above. You will be alerted via email and/or phone call/ text the day of your program.” [Twitter]

It’s Tuesday — There is a 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm today, with patchy fog before 9am. Expect mostly sunny conditions, with a high near 89°F and light southwest winds in the afternoon. Tuesday night brings a 30% chance of evening showers and thunderstorms, with a low around 67°F and calming east winds. [Weather.gov]


Around Town

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 — Jul 24, 2023.

📅 Upcoming events

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

⛈️ Tuesday’s forecast

There’s a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms after 3pm today, with patchy fog before 10am. Expect mostly sunny skies and a high near 89, with a calm wind turning south at 5-7 mph in the afternoon. Tonight, there’s a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms before 9pm, followed by partly cloudy conditions and a low around 67 with a calming northeast wind. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe.”
– Albert Einstein

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

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