Ballston Quarter

From Baltimore to Ballston, Local Oyster Eyes Opening Next Week

By Airey
1/4

Baltimore-based seafood joint Local Oyster may open their new Ballston Quarter location as early as next week, staff say.

Founder and co-owner Nick Shauman said he’s planning a soft opening next Thursday, April 18, pending final permits (which, it should be noted, don’t always come through on time).

“We’ll definitely be shucking oysters and pouring beers,” Shauman said confidently. “Fingers crossed.”

The eatery will feature a full kitchen, beer lines, and big metal baskets awaiting oysters as well as claims, lobsters, scallops, mussels, crab legs, and catfish. Today (Wednesday) a back wall was decorated with a wall of buoys, and bright red metal stools fresh out of their packing are lined up around wooden high-top tables.

For next week’s hoped-for opening, Shauman plans to serve up a special limited menu.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BwAtIaEnj9T/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

The full menu includes cocktails, wine, beer and cider, in addition to its oysters and clams, soups, sandwiches and lobster rolls, crab cakes, and vegetable sides.

Local Oyster sources its oysters from its farm in southern Maryland, the True Chesapeake Oyster Co., in Southern Maryland. Shauman said the Ballston location will carry their house oyster, dubbed the “skinny dipper.”

“We are no frills seafood,” said Beverage Director Chelsea Gregoire. “We do it well, we do it local.”

Gregoire said she’s developing a cocktail menu that makes diners “feel like they’re at the beach” and focus on fresh fruit and tasty spirits “to go with your shrimp salad sammie.”

Shauman told ARLnow that Local Oyster has hired 16 “badass bartenders and shuckers” so far.

“This whole thing started as a pop-up about six years ago,” he said of Local Oyster’s origins in Baltimore’s Hampden neighborhood, where he says he just might know some Honfest ladies willing to journey to Ballston for the restaurant’s grand opening.

The Local Oyster is the latest addition to the Quarter Market where restaurants have opened rapid fire since March. The market is inside the renovated Ballston mall where cooking classroom Cookology opened this week.

New Cooking Classroom “Cookology” Now Open in Ballston Quarter

By Airey
1/4

Ballston Quarter just opened another culinary business, but this time it isn’t a restaurant.

The newly-renovated mall welcomed Cookology Culinary School last week to its third floor.

Cookology fills a 6,000-square-foot space with rows of stainless steel counters, sinks, bright orange mixing machines, and a large wooden table placed by a white board.

The culinary classroom hosted its first lectures this weekend, according to press releases, and taught participants to make a range of recipes from Honey Meringue and Macaroons to Spinach Fritters and Baba Ganoush.

This week, Cookology’s lists courses in sushi-making, Paleo meal-prepping, and a 5-week class called “Basic Culinary Boot Camp.” Prices range from $75 to $425 per person.

Ballston Quarter is the second location for the culinary school, which first opened in Dulles Town Circle ten years ago, according to its website.

Cookology was closed on Monday when this reporter visited, but contractors at the location confirmed to ARLnow the space had hosted events this weekend and was open for business.

The cooking classroom is the latest in a series of openings at the Ballston mall this year.

Sloppy Mama’s BBQ Open Today, Bar Opening Tomorrow at Ballston Quarter Food Hall

By ARLnow.com
1/7

The rapid-fire openings at Ballston Quarter’s Quarter Market food hall are continuing this week.

After a “soft opening” Friday, Sloppy Mama’s BBQ was open for lunch today, serving wood-smoked meats in sandwiches and platters, alongside homemade sides and barbecue sauces.

It’s the food truck’s first bricks-and-mortar location and its first major foray outside of the District — though some of its barbecue supplies are sold at Arrowine on Lee Highway.

Though it was only open for lunch today, and its hours are not yet set, Sloppy Mama’s expects to eventually be open for lunch and dinner.

Also open for a Friday “soft opening” was Ballston Service Station, which will serve as the food hall’s main bar.

Featuring 20 taps of beer — from local brews to cheap classics and popular imports — plus six wines and two cider on tap, the bar strives to provide “something for everybody.” Customers can drink at the bar or take it with them elsewhere in the food hall.

“We want to to be able to get whatever you want, so you can walk around and pair it with something to eat here,” said Andrew Dana, the co-owner of Ballston Service Station and also the co-owner of another Quarter Market vendor, Turu’s by Timber Pizza.

As it must to comply with Virginia ABC regulations, the bar will also serve food: paninis and chips.

Dana said Ballston Service Station will re-open Tuesday. Its regular hours will be 4 p.m. to close.

Timber Pizza, Rice Crook Join the Crowd at Ballston’s Quarter Market

By Airey
1/8

Two more restaurants are serving up dishes for diners in Ballston: pizza restaurant Turu’s by Timber Pizza Co. and Korean fast casual eatery Rice Crook.

Customers formed long lines at both joints today (Thursday) in the food hall of the newly redeveloped Ballston Quarter mall.

Rice Crook is creation of Scott Chung, who started Union Market’s Bun’d up. His new fast casual eatery serves wraps, salads and rice bowls.

Bowls were the only items on the menu today. Options included Korean BBQ beef, BBQ pork, tofu or mushrooms, or Thai chicken.

Chung said the restaurant takes its name from a Korean saying about food so good it makes people into rice thieves

“Basically everything that you see on the menu is stuff that I eat on the daily,” said Chung, who told ARLnow he hopes the restaurant will introduce Arlington to Korean cuisine. Chung himself is a relatively new Ballston resident, after moving to the area last April in anticipation of Rice Crook’s opening.

Chung’s grandmother from New York travelled down to Arlington for the opening and was helping customers at Rice Crook today, while emphatically recommending the addition of hot sauce.

Nearby in the 10,000 square-foot space of Quarter Market’s food hall, Turu’s by Timber Pizza Co. was holding soft opening from 11-2 p.m. today (Thursday) featuring giant slices of pizza with all the classics — as well as a jalapeño and spice honey recipe.

The pizzeria is a brick-and-mortar venture from Petworth food truck Timber Pizza that will continue the tradition of Neapolitan-style pizza cooked with a wood-fire oven.

Turu’s staff told ARLnow that the pizza eatery will re-open tomorrow (Friday) from 11-2 p.m. again and said the plan is open with “expanded hours” next week.

The Quarter Market’s food line-up has fluctuated over the past year as the development project was beset by multiple delays but as today Hot Lola’s, Ice Cream Jubilee, Copa Kitchen and Bar, and Mi & Yu Noodle Bar were also serving customers.

Hot Lola’s Now Open at Ballston’s Quarter Market

By Airey
1/3

A new restaurant specializing in spicy chicken is now open in Ballston Quarter’s food hall.

Hot Lola’s is the one of the newest additions to the mall’s Quarter Market food hall and is helmed by Chef Kevin Tien from Petworth’s Himitsu. The menu features chicken sandwiches in four levels of spiciness, from mild to eye-watering. Each is $7.50 and topped with slaw, pickles and a special sauce.

Chicken tenders with slaw, pickles, and toast are available for $8.50 those who want to go bun-less.

Tien previously told Eater he use Sichuan chili oil and spices to flavor the signature sandwiches, making for a style that’s akin to Nashville hot chicken, but unique.

“The only question is, how hot do you want it?” reads Ballston Quarter’s website for the eatery.

Patrons can indeed order on a scale from “TOO HOT” down to “O.G. HOT” down to “Warm + Numbing,” according to the menu. A non-spicy version is also on the menu.

A 4 percent “Fair Wage + Wellness Provision” that pays for employee health insurance, as well as dental and vision, is added to the price.

“After careful research, we have come to the conclusion that this is the best way to reduce wage disparity and provide health benefits for all full time employees,” the restaurant wrote in an open letter about the fee. “No portion of this Hospitality Provision will go to ownership wages or investor dividends.”

The eatery is part of the 25,000 square-foot “food hall” in the newly-renovated Ballston Quarter mall, where only about half of the planned restaurants are open amid construction delays.

Ice Cream Jubilee opened in the space last Friday, following Hot Lola’s and Spanish small plate restaurant Copa Kitchen and Bar earlier this month. Mi & Yu Noodle Bar was the first Quarter Market eatery to open, on March 4. Korean rice bowl restaurant Rice Crook also appeared to be open earlier this week.

Second photo via Hot Lola’s Menu

Ice Cream Jubilee Opens in Ballston

By Airey
1/3

Ice Cream Jubilee has opened its new location in Ballston Quarter’s food hall.

The ice cream store, on the mall’s concourse level, is serving 16 unique flavors of ice cream, ranging from Thai Iced Tea to Honey Lemon Lavender to Banana Bourbon Caramel.

Owner Victoria Lai told ARLnow that she’s been pleasantly surprised by the number of customers they’ve had on their first day. She added that she’s excited to be among Ballston Quarter’s bevy of local food vendors.

“Every single day there’s something new down here,” she said. “There’s so much to look forward to.”

https://twitter.com/icecreamjubilee/status/1109077436325683201?s=21

The opening comes at the same time as some other Ballston businesses were experiencing a power outage, across the street from the mall.

Dominion Energy spokesman Chuck Penn said the outage was caused by a nearby car accident and that Dominion crews were on the scene performing repairs.

“We expect to have all that done in about an hour,” Penn said at 2 p.m.

At 12:45 p.m. Dominion’s live outage map showed three customers affected by the outage.

Cava and Philz Coffee, which are both located at 4121 Wilson Blvd, posted signs on their front doors at noon Friday alerting customers they had closed due to the lack of power.

South Block Opening New Ballston Location Monday

By ARLnow.com
1/3

South Block, the growing juice bar chain that started its expansion in Clarendon, is planning to open its newest location to the public on Monday.

The new 1,300 square foot location, next to BASH Boxing in the outdoor row of businesses at Ballston Quarter mall, will offer raw, cold-pressed juices, along with toasts, acai bowls, and smoothies.

A “soft opening” for the new Ballston location will be held starting on Monday. The location’s normal weekday hours will be 7 a.m.-8 p.m., with weekend hours of 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

South Block will be holding a “block party” in two weeks to celebrate its grand opening, with proceeds from the event benefiting the Arlington Food Assistance Center. More on that, via a press release, below.

Locally owned South Block, northern Virginia’s first juice bar known for amazing acai bowls, smoothies and juice, celebrates its ninth location with a Grand Opening “Block Party” on Saturday, April 6 in Ballston Quarter. South Block first opened in 2011 in a 700 square foot space in Clarendon on a mission to “Build Healthier Communities…One Block at a Time!” The Ballston location is more than 1300 square feet and is located next to the future Ballston BASH Boxing in the newly renovated Ballston Mall on N. Randolph Street.

“When I graduated from Virginia Tech I lived in Ballston before I opened the first South Block. It’s where the seed was planted, and now, more than 15 years later I am so excited to go back to my roots and open our ninth location. I have a strong connection to this community and am honored to be a part of the flourishing neighborhood,” said South Block’s Founder and CEO, Amir Mostafavi.

South Block’s “good vibe tribe” will be out in full force at the Grand Opening “Block Party” on Saturday, April 6 at 9:00 a.m. The first 100 “Block Party” attendees will receive a swag bag complete with a reusable smoothie cup and sunglasses plus the chance to win a $100 South Block gift card. A live DJ and boxing demonstrations by BASH boxing will keep the good vibes rolling!

WHO: South Block Ballston
WHAT: South Block Ballston’s Grand Opening “Block Party”
WHEN: Saturday, April 6, 2019 at 9:00 a.m. (Store opens to the public on Monday, March 25).
WHERE: South Block | 700 N Randolph St, Arlington, VA 22203

All proceeds on April 6 will go to South Block’s new fundraising initiative, Fruitful Planet, to support the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC), a community-based non-profit that provides supplemental groceries to Arlington neighbors in need. South Block created Fruitful Planet as a way to give back to those in need and build healthy communities. “We believe that small acts can make a big impact! The Arlington community has been so great to South Block… we want to do everything we can to support the community and show love back. We are ‘One Block!'” said Mostafavi.

South Block’s Ballston Quarter location will have a soft opening starting March 25 and will be open weekdays 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and weekends 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Download South Block’s mobile app to access their secret “Underground Menu” and order-ahead. South Block has partnered with another locally growing business, MightyMeals, to deliver their juices. Visit www.southblockjuice.com  for juice delivery options!

Two New Restaurants Open in Ballston Quarter’s Food Court, With Others Nearly Ready for Diners

By Alex Koma
1/8

Slowly, but surely, restaurants in Ballston Quarter’s food court are opening to diners.

When the development opened up its “Quarter Market” to customers earlier this month, just one restaurant (Mi & Yu Noodle Bar) was open for business. In the days since then, two more have joined the club.

The first was Copa Kitchen and Bar, a Spanish restaurant serving up small plates, flatbreads and sangria from its “sangria garden.”

Copa opened for business last week, according to Ballston Quarter’s social media accounts, and the restaurant space is now adorned with all manner of soccer-themed apparel. Eventually, Copa also plans to offer outdoor seating in the development’s plaza.

Next up was Hot Lola’s, a fast-casual restaurant offering spicy, fried chicken sandwiches. The eatery opened last weekend.

Chef Kevin Tien, who also backed the Petworth restaurant Himitsu, plans to use Sichuan spices to flavor the sandwiches, which should pack plenty of punch. Diners will also be able to order chicken tenders, but those aren’t available on the restaurant’s menu just yet.

Ice Cream Jubilee, a local chain offering exotic ice cream flavors of all kinds, could well be the next shop to open. The stand is mostly set up, and an employee there said the eatery could be ready to serve up scoops as early as next week.

Workers also seem to have made plenty of progress on Turu’s, a restaurant from the creator’s of D.C.’s Timber Pizza Company, though no employees were at the stand Wednesday afternoon.

Nearby, another restaurant backed by Timber Pizza’s owners, the Ballston Service Station, also seems to be nearing an opening.

Details are still scarce about what, exactly, the location will serve up, but a quick glance behind some construction screens revealed what appeared to be a line of beer taps. State records show that the restaurant is asking for a permit to serve both beer and wine at the location.

It’s been a series of false starts for Quarter Market, and the development as a whole, though shops at Ballston Quarter did start opening slowly this fall. A project to build a new pedestrian bridge linking the development to the area’s Metro station via the Ballston Exchange building has also faced some hold-ups.

County Could Soon Allow Installation of Large Media Screens Above Ballston Quarter’s Plaza

By Alex Koma
1/2

Ballston Quarter could soon win the county’s approval to install large “media screens” above its public plaza.

The newly renovated Ballston Common mall’s developers, Forest City, have been hoping to construct the new screens ever since the fall. But the company’s lawyers soon realized that the county zoning code wouldn’t allow for the sort of design they envisioned.

Now, the County Board is gearing up to tweak zoning rules ever so slightly to let that construction move ahead. The Board is contemplating changes this weekend that would allow “urban regional shopping centers” like Ballston Quarter to install the screens up to 55 feet off the ground.

“Large media screens are an appropriate tool for use by urban regional shopping centers to create a vibrant sense of place, to enhance outdoor community gathering spaces and to stimulate economic competitiveness,” county staff wrote in a report for the Board. “The signs can infuse increased interest and activity in areas of pedestrian and retail activity at urban regional shopping centers.”

Previously, the county limited such screens to a height of 40 feet off the ground. When Forest City submitted its first round of plans for the screens, the developer and county staff realized the designs called for the screens to be just over 49 feet high.

Accordingly, Forest City asked for a delay in advancing those plans until county officials could come up with a zoning code amendment to allow the higher screens.

The proposed changes would limit the construction of the screens only to shopping malls, and only to those within a quarter-mile of a Metro station or “major bus transfer station.” The Board will also maintain the ultimate discretion to hand out use permits to allow the screens’ installation, and staff write that they could become “one of the most regulated sign types” in all of the county’s zoning code.

The signs will be allowed to display “still, scrolling, or moving images, including video, media broadcasts and animation,” per the report.

The Board will only consider whether to set public hearings on the matter Saturday (March 16). So long as the Board signs off, the Planning Commission will hold an April 8 hearing on the matter, setting up a Board vote on April 23.

If the zoning change passes, Forest City would still need to obtain a use permit to build the screens, so it could be months before shoppers notice them there.

Ballston Quarter has been slowly opening stores to customers since last fall, most recently opening up its new food court for business.

Weeknight Lane Closures for Ballston Quarter Pedestrian Bridge Construction Bumped to Mid-March

By Alex Koma
1/5

Construction work on the Ballston Quarter pedestrian bridge will prompt yet more road closures tonight (Friday), but the more extensive work set for weeknights is on hold for a bit.

For the second straight week, workers plan to close Wilson Blvd between N. Randolph and N. Stuart streets starting at 8 p.m tonight through Sunday at 6 p.m.

Workers lifted the bridge’s frame into place over Wilson last month, where it will eventually connect the newly revamped Ballston Quarter development with the neighborhood’s Metro station, running through the Ballston Exchange development at 4201 Wilson Blvd.

However, the four months of work set to snarl traffic in Ballston on weeknights is on hold, county officials announced this week. They’d originally planned to start closing the eastbound lanes of Wilson Blvd to allow for more glass installation on the bridge starting Monday night.

“Due to recent inclement weather, installation work on the pedestrian bridge was delayed,” Will Voegele, senior vice president for mixed-use development at Brookfield Properties (the company that bought Ballston Quarter developer Forest City) wrote in a statement.

“Barring any additional weather-related delays, construction will continue to move forward as scheduled,” he added.

The county says that weeknight closures will now begin on March 17. From 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. each night, the eastbound lanes of Wilson Blvd will be off-limits to drivers for the next eight weeks. Then, they’ll close the westbound lanes for another eight weeks.

This is far from the first delay for this project, or Ballston Quarter as a whole. Forest City had originally hoped to have the bridge open in time for stores to begin opening at the development this fall, before pushing back construction for months.

The developer has also missed its own targets for opening some stores to customers, and it’s currently unclear where things stand with its new food court. A few restaurants are now open in the new “Quarter Market,” but it’s unclear when the full, 14-restaurant food hall will be ready.

Photo 1 via @ArlingtonDES

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Experts See More Amazon Jobs Heading Here — “Given Amazon’s Northern Virginia incentives allowing for as many as 38,000 jobs over 15 years, CoStar Managing Consultant and Senior Real Estate Economist Paul Leonard expects it will absorb much of the planned New York payroll, despite Amazon’s company line that ‘nothing has changed’ for National Landing.” [Bisnow]

More on I-395 Incident — Arlington County Police say it was a juvenile suspect, driving a stolen car without a driver’s license, who caused a big crash on I-395 before leading police on a foot chase during Tuesday’s evening rush hour. [Arlington County]

Inside Look at Memorial Bridge Work — Workers are laboring to restore the Arlington Memorial Bridge to its former glory, one piece of 90-year-old granite at a time. [NBC Washington]

Copa Kitchen & Bar Opening Today — The latest restaurant to open at Ballston Quarter is Copa Kitchen & Bar, which is expected to serve customers from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. today, according to a social media post. [Instagram]

Where’s the Weather? — Our faithful weather bar, which has graced the top of our site for many years, is out of commission, for now. IBM, in its infinite wisdom, killed the source of our data. Why, Watson, why? We’re working to restore the current conditions display with a new data source, but it’s probably going to take a few months. [Weather Underground]

Flickr pool photo by Tom Mockler

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