Ballston

Small Fire Extinguished at Ballston High-Rise

By ARLnow.com

The Arlington County Fire Department responded to a reported fire at the Residences at Liberty Center apartment building, at 888 N. Quincy Street in Ballston, just before noon today.

Light smoke and flames could be seen coming from the balcony of an apartment on the 16th floor, according to scanner traffic.

Firefighters eventually located the source of the flames — which turned out to be an outdoor potted plant that had somehow caught on fire — and used an extinguisher to put out the flames. Most of the fire equipment that responded to the call is now packing up and clearing the scene, though some road closures may remain for another few minutes.

A fire marshal is being requested to respond to investigate the incident.

File photo

Daily Deli Closes in Ballston

By ARLnow.com

Daily Deli, a restaurant serving “New York Style Sandwiches” in Ballston, has closed after less than a year in business.

The deli, at 1000 N. Randolph Street in the former Upper Crust Cafe space, served Illy coffee and Carnegie Deli-branded meats, but received mixed reviews on Yelp, with customers complaining about the food and the service.

“I had to tell someone three times what was in a Reuben, only to have her slather mayo all over the bread,” wrote one reviewer.

A sign in the window says the restaurant space is now available for lease.

Photo courtesy Bill Colton

brgr:shack Closes, Earl’s Moving in by Weekend

By Katie Pyzyk

Talk about a quick turnaround. Just days after brgr:shack (4215 Fairfax Drive) closed its doors across the street from the Ballston Metro station, Earl’s Sandwiches is nearly ready to open in the space.

Last month, Earl’s co-owner Steve Dugan told ARLnow.com he hoped the restaurant would be able to open in early September, and a sign posted on the window sports the hand-written note “this week.” Dugan confirms the restaurant should open on Friday or Saturday.

brgr:shack, which won the 2012 Taste of Arlington Best Entree, had been at that location for a little more than a year and a half. Workers can be seen inside working on renovating the burger joint into the new Earl’s.

This will be the second location for Earl’s, which already has a restaurant in the Courthouse/Clarendon area (2605 Wilson Blvd). Dugan said the goal was to expand, but remain nearby.

“We have a following in this area, but we are maxed out in this location and can’t serve any more customers,” Dugan said. “We like Northern Virginia and wanted to stay close by.”

The menu at the Ballston location will be the same as the original Earl’s, with the addition of beer and wine. Initially, the restaurant will only be open during the day, but will eventually add evening hours.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Number of Households Growing — The number of households in Arlington grew by one percent over the past year — from 105,667 to 106,717 — a rate twice that of the 0.5 percent household growth in the Commonwealth of Virginia, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. [Sun Gazette]

New Ballston Bars Reviewed — Ballston’s bar scene has “received a shot in the arm over the last two weeks” with the openings of World of Beer and A-Town Bar and Grill, according to a review by Fritz Hahn. [Washington Post]

Flickr pool photo by Ddimick

Earl’s Sandwiches Expanding to Ballston

By ARLnow.com

Earl’s Sandwiches, located at 2605 Wilson Blvd in the Clarendon/Courthouse area, is expanding with a second location in Ballston.

The restaurant will be replacing an existing deli across the street from the Ballston Metro station. Co-owner Steve Dugan told ARLnow.com that he hopes to open in early September, after a couple days of renovations. Dugan was unable to confirm the exact address of the restaurant due to a confidentiality agreement.

Earl’s of Ballston is applying for a license to serve beer and wine, according to Virginia ABC records.

Earl’s in Courthouse offers sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs and wraps, as well as soups, chili, fries and salads. Most sandwiches are made with fresh-roasted meats and range in price from $7 to $9.

Photo via Facebook

Five Arlington Companies Make Inc. 500 List

By ARLnow.com

Five Arlington-based companies have made Inc. Magazine’s prestigious Inc. 500 list of the fastest-growing private companies in the U.S.

The highest on the list, at #80, is Innotion Enterprises, which has 43 employees, $35.8 million in revenue (as of 2011) and a 3-year growth rate of 3,500 percent. The company, based in Ballston, offers information technology services to the federal government and asset management services to real estate firms.

Another Ballston-based real estate management firm, Matt Martin Real Estate Management, ranked #116. The company had $31.4 million in 2011 revenue, a 3-year growth rate of 2,669 percent and has 110 employees across the country. It provides services to the real estate industry, and to the General Services Administration and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Evoke Research and Consulting, based in Rosslyn, ranked #283. The company had $8.9 million in revenue in 2011 and a 1,291 percent growth rate. Evoke employs 49 people and offers project management, budgeting, contract, portfolio management and business management strategy services to government clients.

Ballston-based Global Telesourcing is #441 on the Inc. 500 list, with $8.4 million in revenue (in 2011), 847 percent growth and 410 employees. The company provides outsourced inbound and outbound sales call centers, utilizing native-level English speakers at a facility in Monterrey, Mexico. “We achieve results and quality scores that typically outperform domestic U.S. competitors, but at a dramatically lower cost,” the company said in a press release today.

Courthouse-based A+ Government Solutions rounds out the Arlington list at #468. The company provides management and IT consulting services to government clients, specializing in health programs and human resource management. A+ had $24.5 million in revenue in 2011, a 821 percent 3-year growth rate, and has 128 employees.

Bill Colton, president of Global Telesourcing, said making the Inc. 500 list is an honor for growing companies.

“We are thrilled to make this list,” he told ARLnow.com. “It’s the ‘gold medal’ for entrepreneurs and is particularly meaningful to have earned the honor during one of the most challenging economic environments in a century.”

Ballston Office Building to Be Vacated, Renovated

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 12:40 p.m.) The Webb Building, a 10-story office building at 4040 N. Fairfax Drive in Ballston, is being renovated.

The building’s current tenant, the Department of Defense, will be moving out in December as a result of the Base Realignment and Closure Act (BRAC). In anticipation, the building’s owner is embarking on a major renovation project to “re-position” the 1960s-era building for occupancy by a new tenant.

“The building… will be fully renovated, with a new lobby, landscaping, façade improvements, fitness center, updated common areas, updated HVAC and fire and life safety systems, and a roof deck with extensive views,” according to a press release. “We see a unique opportunity to deliver a fully refreshed, high quality work environment at a price point substantially lower than the new buildings being delivered in the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor.”

To fund the $5 million renovation project and the leasing efforts, owner RESI Management has raised $21.2 million from Chevy Chase-based Federal Capital Partners, along with a $33.5 million loan from Wells Fargo. The renovations are expected to be complete by mid-2013.

The 184,216 square foot building first opened in 1966. Located two blocks from the Ballston Metro station, the building has been serving as the headquarters for Department of Defense Education Activity, which manages  schools for military children.

GOP VP Pick Paul Ryan Coming to Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), the vice presidential pick of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, will be coming to Arlington this week for a private fundraiser.

Ryan will headline a private fundraiser at the Westin hotel in Ballston at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. The fundraiser will benefit the Romney presidential campaign.

The stop is one of three planned Virginia events for Ryan this week. He will also be attending a fundraiser in Richmond on Thursday with Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, and will be attending a rally at Deep Run High School in Glen Allen, Va. at 11:00 a.m. on Friday.

Ryan’s wife, Janna, was living in Arlington and working as a tax attorney for PricewaterhouseCoopers when she first met Ryan in 1999.

FroZenYo Store Opens in Ballston, More on the Way

By ARLnow.com

A new frozen yogurt store has opened in Ballston.

FroZenYo opened last week in the old Smoothie King location at 850 N. Randolph Street, across the street from Ballston Common Mall. The store offers more than a dozen flavors of frozen yogurt and nearly three dozen toppings. Frozen yogurt flavors include original tart, vanilla, chocolate, cookies and cream, red velvet cake, cake batter, coffee, butter pecan, dulce de leche, mango, coconut, kiwi strawberry, and raspberry pomegranate tart.

The store is open from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 10:00 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday. We’re told the store is in the process of applying for an outdoor seating permit.

The store is owned by Kevin Grevey, Jr. and his father, retired NBA star Kevin Grevey. Grevey played for the Washington Bullets from 1975 to 1983 and helped the Bullets (now the Wizards) win their only NBA championship.

The junior Grevey tells ARLnow.com that he’s currently working on a lease for a FroZenYo store in Rosslyn. He’s also exploring the possibility of opening a store in Clarendon.

At least two other frozen yogurt shops are currently in the works in Arlington. A Menchie’s frozen yogurt store is under construction on Columbia Pike, in the Penrose Square development. A Sweet Frog Frozen Yogurt store is under construction in the Arlington Ridge shopping center on S. Glebe Road.

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Bronx Pizza, A-Town Bar & Grill to Open Next Week

By ARLnow.com

Update at 2:25 p.m. on 8/17/12 — Bronx Pizza is now expected to open on Wednesday, Aug. 22.

Local restaurateur Mike Cordero is planning a culinary one-two punch next week, with official openings scheduled for two Arlington restaurants in successive days.

First up is A-Town Bar & Grill, the renovated successor to Caribbean Breeze in Ballston (4100 Fairfax Drive). Cordero says the restaurant will likely start serving customers this coming Wednesday as part of a quiet “soft opening,” but will hold its official opening on Friday, Aug. 10.

A-Town will feature an expanded beer list; an “eclectic” menu including sushi, sandwich creations, flatbread pizzas and steaks; a redone outdoor patio; a birchwood bar; historic photos of Arlington on the walls; and lots of flat screen TVs.

Cordero says former Caribbean Breeze patrons “are not going to recognize the restaurant” when they walk in. He acknowledged that he’s taking a risk by replacing the successful Caribbean Breeze, but insists “the odds are in our favor to succeed here and increase our sales.”

“One of the reasons we switched from Caribbean Breeze to A-Town is that Caribbean Breeze was more of a specialty operation,” he told ARLnow.com. “I figured we could support the locals and cater to Arlington, not just to Miami… It will be a place you could eat at every day.”

Bronx Pizza (3100 Clarendon Blvd), which has been “coming soon” to Clarendon since February 2011, will open the doors to its first customers on Saturday, Aug. 11, according to Cordero.

Cordero, who grew up in the South Bronx and started working in a mom-and-pop pizza place at the age of 13, says the opening will feature something unique to Arlington: actual Bronx pizza makers.

“Old friends of mine who have been in the pizzeria business for 20 years, they’re going to come down and help [with the opening],” he said. “The reason we call it Bronx Pizza is I am from the Bronx, two blocks from Yankee stadium.”

In addition to bona fide Bronx natives, the shop will feature plenty of other touches from the northernmost New York City borough, including photos of the Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth, Michael Corleone (from the filming of The Godfather), and the George Washington Bridge.

Cordero is expecting late night food to be a big component of the shop’s business.

“It will be a big bang,” he said of the planned Saturday opening, “considering all those bars and clubs are going to get out at 2:00 a.m. and we’ll be open until 4:00 a.m.”

Interior construction on both restaurants is expected to wrap up by Monday.

Flickr pool photo (top) by Maryva2

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