beer

Greenberry’s Becomes “Bean Good: The Coffee Pub”

By ARLnow.com

Say goodbye to Greenberry’s (1737 Wilson Blvd) and hello to “Bean Good.”

After about eight years in business as Greenberry’s, the new owner of the coffee shop between Rosslyn and Clarendon has decided to go “indie.” Out is the Charlottesville franchise that just won a “Best of NoVA” award in the latest issue of Northern Virginia Magazine. In is “Bean Good: The Coffee Pub,” a brand of owner Shain Noorali’s own creation.

Without the legal constraints of a franchise, says Noorali, the cafe will be able to offer more items, including locally-roasted coffee, locally-sourced food and, of course, beer and wine.

“It gives us the freedom to do things we wanted to do,” said the McLean resident, who grew up on a coffee farm in Tanzania.

Later this summer Noorali expects to introduce new desserts — gelato and cupcakes are both possibilities. Then this fall she expects the license to come through to serve beer and wine. At some point Noorali also hopes to introduce live entertainment — local musicians, mostly.

While the name has changed and new offerings are being added, Noorali — who has owned the store for a couple months now — says that the low-key vibe will remain.

“There are not going to be any drastic changes… we’re not going to change the culture of this place,” she said. “We really want this to be a place where everyone feels comfortable… a living room away from home.”

H/t to Lauren Hassel

Arlington: Booze Supply Route and Dumping Ground During Prohibition

By ARLnow.com

Arlington resident Garrett Peck is a nonfiction author, a self-described “history dork,” and — apparently — quite the booze enthusiast.

Following up on his book The Prohibition Hangover: Alcohol in America, Peck has just released “Prohibition in Washington, D.C.: How Dry We Weren’t.” The book chronicles the history of temperance, vice and law enforcement in the Nation’s Capital from about 1917 t0 1934. The book includes dozens of historic images and even contains 11 vintage cocktail recipes.

Peck will be participating in an author talk and book signing at Arlington Central Library (1015 N. Quincy Street) starting at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 9.  We asked him to tell us a bit about the role Arlington played in the history of prohibition. Turns out we were the place where D.C. dumped some of its contraband beer.

“As you probably know, Arlington wasn’t heavily settled yet during the era of national Prohibition (1920-1933), though it certainly was growing: the neighborhoods along the streetcar line between Clarendon and Georgetown grew up as leafy suburbs during this period.

Virginia actually started Prohibition earlier than national Prohibition: we went dry in 1916. This closed down all the breweries and distilleries in the state – including the Arlington Brewing Company that was just over the Key Bridge from Georgetown, where the Key Bridge Marriott is now in Rosslyn. Rosslyn at the time was a bit of an industrial zone, as an offshoot from the C&O Canal crossed the river to connect to Alexandria, and there was a rail yard, lumber yard, a Noland Plumbing factory, and of course the brewery. (There’s a great aerial photo of Rosslyn from 1930 in James Goode’s book “Capital Losses”; you can clearly see the Arlington Brewing Co. building, which at the time was producing Cherry Smash, a non-alcohol beverage). Another brewery – the Robert Portner Brewing Company in Alexandria, which was one of the largest breweries in the South, was also closed. Congress declared Washington, DC to be dry on November 1, 1917, and the remaining four breweries in DC all stopped their brewing operations. Only one survived Prohibition: the Christian Heurich Brewing Company, which was where the Kennedy Center now is, and operated until 1956.

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Board Approves Limited Live Music at Westover Beer Garden

By ARLnow.com

There will be concerts at Westover Market’s beer garden (5863 Washington Boulevard) this summer, after all, thanks to a unanimous vote by the County Board to approve a rare outdoor live entertainment permit — with some strict conditions.

Westover Market manager Devin Hicks has agreed to abide by 14 conditions, which were laid out by county staff in response to the concerns of residents who own homes near the beer garden. (Initially, staff recommended against the permit, but were instructed by the Board to come up with conditions more acceptable to concerned neighbors.)

The conditions include:

  • Live entertainment will take place only on Wednesdays from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., on Fridays from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. and on Saturdays from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m.
  • Music will be acoustic only — no amplifiers allowed, at least initially (see below)
  • The decibel level from the performances will not exceed 60 decibels before 9:00 p.m. and 55 decibels after 9:00 p.m. — which is consistent with the county’s residential noise control ordinance
  • Maximum capacity at the beer garden during live events will be 98
  • Performers will face Washington Boulevard, not the residential neighborhood behind the beer garden
  • Patrons and performers will be prohibited from dancing, unless the Market applies for and obtains a Dance Hall Permit
  • Westover Market will designate a “neighborhood liaison” to handle noise complaints
  • The Market will hire an acoustical expert to develop a “sound management plan”
  • The performances will be subject to random compliance checks by county staff
  • Live entertainment will only be performed between April 1 and October 31

As a show of good faith, Hicks also agreed to not use “piped in” or recorded music (e.g., a radio) in the beer garden on nights when there’s no live music, even though he would be permitted by right to do so. He will also voluntarily set up a live web cam that will display a decibel meter for residents to review.

The conditional live entertainment permit will be reviewed by staff in September. At that time, if the county determines that “the owner has complied with all conditions… to that point,” the beer garden may be granted approval for amplified music. The permit will come up for County Board review in February 2012.

“The Board is striving for a balance here that will both allow limited live entertainment outdoors at this neighborhood restaurant and protect the surrounding neighborhood,” County Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman said in a statement. “In the coming months, we will be monitoring the situation carefully.”

District Taco Gets ABC License; Will Expand into D.C.

By ARLnow.com

Big news for District Taco fans.

The restaurant, at 5723 Lee Highway, received its state alcoholic beverage permit today, according to owner Osiris Hoil. That means the eatery — which has thus far been limited to serving soda, juice, water and coffee — will be able to celebrate Cinco de Mayo tomorrow (Thursday) with cold cervezas.

We also learned today that District Taco is planning on opening a second brick-and-mortar restaurant by the end of the year. The restaurant will open somewhere in D.C. proper, Hoil confirmed.

Hoil says they haven’t settled on a location, but hinted that he hopes President Obama will drop by one day. On its web site, District Taco says it also has plans to expand outside the Washington area.

Taste of Arlington Adds Craft Beers to the Menu

By ARLnow.com

Arlington’s largest food festival is adding a selection of craft beers to its menu.

Taste of Arlington features dozens of local restaurants and draws a crowd of thousands to the stretch of Wilson Boulevard in front of Ballston Common Mall. In years past the beer selection at the event has been limited, but organizers say they’re now “trying to make the drink selection as diverse as the food selection.”

A craft beer distributor will be bringing ten different brews to the festival, including varieties of Sam Adams, Sierra Nevada, Newcastle, Ommegang, Saranac, Franziskaner, Breckenridge, Gordon Biersch, Shiner and Magic Hat. As before, wine will also be available.

Now in its 24th year, Taste of Arlington will be held from noon to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 22. Admission is free but tickets are required to sample the food and drinks. Tickets are currently for sale online for $20. Tickets sold on the day of the event are $25.

See a list of participating restaurants, after the jump.

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Westover Beer Garden Update

By ARLnow.com

The Westover Market is moving forward with plans to make its popular beer garden conform to county regulations.

Arlington County recently approved a building permit that will allow the market to build Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant bathrooms — one step in the beer garden approval process. The other step will come on May 14, when Westover Market goes before the county board to ask for a live entertainment permit, which is necessary in order for the beer garden to host musical acts.

At the moment, the market is only permitted to seat nine people in the beer garden, which used to host large neighborhood gatherings.

Not everybody supports the market’s effort to become an entertainment and drinking venue, however. Before the county clamped down, a cadre of anonymous complainers would call authorities to kvetch about noise from the garden and smoke from its fire pits.

Mad Rose Tavern Opening Tomorrow in Clarendon

By ARLnow.com

Update at 3:10 p.m. at 2/16/11 — Despite management giving ARLnow.com every assurance that the restaurant would open on Wednesday, TBD is reporting that Mad Rose Tavern has delayed its opening until Thursday.

Mad Rose Tavern (3100 Clarendon Blvd) has acquired all the necessary county permits and will open to the public Wednesday afternoon, management said Tuesday.

The restaurant, shown here still under construction, will open its doors at 4:00 tomorrow afternoon after some last-minute cleaning. For the rest of the the week, Mad Rose will be open for evenings only. Starting on Monday, it will also be open for lunch.

General Manager Seamus Phillips described Mad Rose as “warm and inviting, modern meets old world, affordable yet high quality.” The restaurant has been eight months in the making and is rumored to have cost owners upwards of $1 million so far. It will include a menu full of hearty dishes and an extensive beer, scotch and wine selection.

If you see people inside tonight, don’t get too excited — it’s a private event. And if you stop by this weekend, be prepared for a wait.

“I have a feeling with it being Clarendon it’s going to be a pretty busy weekend for us,” Phillips said.

The Tavern’s occupancy permit allows just over 120 people inside. In the next few weeks, it will roll out patio seating for another 50 customers. A grand opening celebration is being planned for some point in March.

District Taco Applying for Licence to Serve Cerveza

By ARLnow.com

District Taco (5723 Lee Highway) hopes to have a permit to serve beer in time for some warm-weather cerveza drinking.

The popular new restaurant just applied for an ABC license from the state.

“We think it’s going to be a couple of months” until the license is granted, District Taco founder Osiris Hoil said. “We hope to have it by the summer.”

“A lot of people are asking for it,” Hoil added. “Our salsa makes people sweat… it would really go well with some beer.”

Hoil says he’ll keep the beer list small so that that he can keep the beer as fresh as possible. Among the brews he plans to serve are Negra Modelo, Modelo Especial, Pacifico, Sol, Corona and Tecate — all Mexican beers.

“No Coors Light,” Hoil said with a laugh.

Meanwhile, District Taco is offering special deals for public safety and military personnel. The restaurant is offering 50 percent off for police and firefighters and a free drink for members of the military.

Mad Rose Tavern to Bring High-End Drinking to the Masses

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 4:10 p.m.) Mad Rose Tavern, a new restaurant and watering hole coming soon to Clarendon, will be many things to many people.

It is a Modern American-style restaurant with Irish, Italian, French and Asian influences. It is a restaurant, bar and lounge that will have extensive outdoor seating. It is a place to get small plates and half bottles of wine, or hearty entrees and tall glasses of beer. What it is not, according to dining room manager Scott Arnold, is a place where only the wealthy will be able to enjoy the finer things in life.

“We’re going to be providing a high-end product at a moderate price,” Arnold said enthusiastically. “I want to give you the best freaking product out there, within reason, for the same price everybody else is charging for crap.”

The best example of Arnold’s luxury-for-the-masses concept is wine. He says the restaurant is going to great lengths to have the best wine available for any price. But the biggest difference will be with high-end wines. Instead of marking a wine that costs $100 wholesale up to $300, like many restaurants do, he said the Mad Rose price might be around $150.

Arnold said his goal is to provide the absolute cheapest price for high-end wines — retail included.

“In-store or online, I will be cheaper,” he said.

With two fulls bars, drinks will be the main attraction at Mad Rose Tavern. The bar will feature 20 beers on tap, all of which will be artisan or craft brews, with the exception of Guinness. Miller Light, Amstel and other “mainstream” beers will only be available by the bottle.

Mad Rose will feature about 20 Irish whiskeys and 40 Scotches. The wine list will hover around 100 different wines, at least at first.

“It’s all about shock and awe,” enthused Arnold, adding that he would have stocked 200 wines had there been enough storage space at the restaurant’s prime 3100 Clarendon Boulevard location.

Alcoholic beverages won’t be the restaurant’s only focus, however.

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Brgr:Shack Opens in Ballston

By ARLnow.com

Arlington’s latest burger joint has opened for business.

Brgr:Shack serves 100% natural grass fed beef burgers in a light-filled, modernist setting across from the Ballston Metro at 4215 Fairfax Drive.

In addition to nine types of burgers, the restaurant serves fresh cut french fries, sweet potato fries, two types of salads, seven types of beer, shakes, ice cream and — coming soon — cupcakes.

(For those keeping score, burgers, salads, beer and cupcakes make up four of the six Arlington food groups. Only froyo and pizza are missing.)

Come spring, the restaurant is expected to start opening the garage door shown in the photos.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Arlington Preschool Makes Headlines — Claremont Elementary’s Montessori preschool program is receiving lots of attention for its decision to suspend a three-year-old who has “difficulty making it to the toilet on time.” The Wall Street Journal opines: “Potty training poses a tough challenge for dual working-parents.” [Washington Post]

Virginia Primary Will Be Held in August — Virginia’s primary date has been pushed back to Aug. 23 to allow more time for the state to complete its contentious redistricting process. Normally, primaries are held on the second Tuesday in June. [Washington Post]

Cuccinelli Suing Bank on Behalf of Arlington Retirement Fund — Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli is suing the Bank of New York Mellon Corp., accusing the financial giant of ripping off several state retirement systems, including the Arlington County Employees’ Retirement System Fund. The complaint alleges that BNY Mellon overcharged for foreign exchange transactions. [Wall Street Journal]

Draft Beer at the Clarendon Whole Foods — You can now get 32- or 64-ounce growlers filled up with draft beer at the Clarendon Whole Foods. Recently, the selection included Avery Brown Ale, Lagunitas IPA and Eggenberg Pils. Sorry, Whole Foods diners, “sales are for takeout only.” [Patch]

Transportation Group Calls Out Arlington — The pro-HOT lanes Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance is taking a dig at the county in response to our article about the anti-Arlington budget amendments proposed by Fairfax Republican Del. Tim Hugo. Says the NVTA: “It is unfortunate that the Arlington Board’s actions could cause Arlington citizens and businesses to lose state revenue and potentially pay even higher taxes. However… Bad Decisions Can Have Bad Consequences.” [NVTA]

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