burger

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Career Fair Coming Next Week — Registration is now open for the second annual Arlington Employment Center Fall Career Fair. The career fair will allow job hunters to “meet with over 50 area top employers with jobs in IT, administration, education, construction, banking, retail, healthcare, transportation and more.” It will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 23, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at George Mason University’s Founders Hall (3351 Fairfax Drive). Registration is free. [Arlington County]

Liberty Tavern Makes Fall Dining Guide — Clarendon’s Liberty Tavern is the sole Arlington entrant on food critic Tom Sietsema’s 2012 Fall Dining Guide. The guide lists 40 of Sietsema’s favorite restaurants around the region. [Washington Post]

Elevation Burger Still Expanding — Arlington-based Elevation Burger is celebrating the opening of its 30th store. The burger chain’s main corporate office is located in Ballston and an Elevation Burger restaurant is located at 2447 N. Harrison Street, in the Lee-Harrison Shopping Center. [Restaurant News]

Flickr pool photo by Mark C. White

Good Stuff Eatery to Hold ‘Great Burger Debate’

By ARLnow.com

Good Stuff Eatery in Crystal City (2110 Crystal Drive) is holding a “burger debate” just in time for election season.

The restaurant is challenging customers to see if their politics line up with their taste buds by unveiling two new burger offerings: a James Carville burger and a Mary Matalin burger.

The famous political couple, who live in Alexandria, have lent their likenesses to what the restaurant is calling the “Great Burger Debate.” Starting today until Election Day (Nov. 6), Good Stuff will be offering the two burgers at its Crystal City and Capitol Hill locations. Each day, the eatery will tally how many of each burger have been ordered so far.

The Carville burger will match the Democrat’s “spicy personality.” It’s described as “a burger topped with a roasted creole onion slice, southern fried pickles, cheddar cheese and our Ragin’ Cajun Chipotle & Chili BBQ sauce.”

The Matalin burger represents the Republican’s “sophistication and sharp-wit. It’s described as “a burger topped with grilled, organic Portobello ‘shrooms, a goat cheese, fresh tomato and red onions, peppery arugula & a dollop of Peppadew Pepper Mayo.”

A final tally will be announced when the “polls” close on Election Day. Good Stuff held a similar contest for the 2008 presidential election.

‘Burger 7’ Coming Soon to Lee Highway

By ARLnow.com

 

A new burger restaurant is coming to Arlington.

“Burger 7” is coming to the 2500 block of Lee Highway, next to a 7-Eleven store in the old Chickpeas Restaurant space. Burger 7 has an existing location at 7505 Leesburg Pike, in Falls Church and, in addition to the Arlington location, will be opening an Alexandria location later this year.

Burger 7 bills itself as a restaurant that’s “committed to bringing you a juicy gourmet burger that will take you to burger heaven.” According to the company’s website, Burger 7 uses certified Angus beef, which is ground fresh daily. The beef is said to be sourced from humanely-raised cattle that has been fed an all-vegetarian diet and which has never been given hormones or antibiotics.

Other menu items at Burger 7 include french fries cooked in olive oil, sweet fries, onion rings handspun shakes made with organic milk and grass-fed all-beef hotdogs.

No word yet on when the Lee Highway location is expected to open. Calls to the phone number listed for the company were not answered.

Good Stuff Eatery Announces Opening Date

By ARLnow.com

Good Stuff Eatery will be holding its grand opening in Crystal City on Wednesday, May 9.

The gourmet burger restaurant, helmed by former Top Chef contestant Spike Mendelsohn, produced a video (above) to tout the fact that Virginians no longer need to cross the Potomac to go to Good Stuff’s Capitol Hill location. The new Arlington eatery is located at 2110 Crystal Drive, about two blocks from the Crystal City Metro station.

Though the public opening is scheduled for next week, Good Stuff will be holding a private VIP opening party, complete with a performance by DJ Josh Madden, on Friday night.

Good Stuff Eatery to Open Next Month in Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 12:00 p.m.) Good Stuff Eatery, former Top Chef contestant Spike Mendelsohn’s gourmet burger restaurant, is about a month away from opening in Crystal City.

Good Stuff, which is still under construction at 2110 Crystal Drive, will be holding a private VIP opening party on Friday, May 4, complete with a performance by DJ Josh Madden. Madden is a Waldorf, Maryland native and the older brother of Joel and Benji Madden of the band Good Charlotte.

Good Stuff began interviewing prospective managers for the restaurant today, according to Chef Spike’s Twitter feed. The restaurant will be opening at some point in early May, after the opening party, a spokeswoman said. The location will include a 12-seat “farm table” and a large, 60 person capacity party space.

“We are excited to open,” Good Stuff Eatery marketing manager Jordyn Lazar told ARLnow.com. “Crystal City is a great neighborhood and we can’t wait to start serving burgers.”

This will be Good Stuff’s second location, after the original eatery at 303 Pennsylvania Avenue SE in D.C. A third location, in Georgetown, is expected to open by the end of this year.

Good Stuff Eatery serves various varieties of burgers, fries, shakes, floats and salads.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Death Penalty Sought for Torrez — Former Marine Jorge Torrez, who’s already serving a life sentence for raping and abducting an Arlington woman, is now facing a separate murder trial. Prosecutors say they’re seeking the death penalty for Torrez, who’s accused of murdering Navy petty officer Amanda Jean Snell in her barracks on Fort Myer in 2009. [WTOP]

Involuntary Bankruptcy for Market Tavern? — Creditors are trying to force newly-renovated Clarendon restaurant Market Tavern (formerly Harry’s Tap Room) into bankruptcy, claiming the eatery owes them at least $77,000 in unpaid debts. Owner Michael Sternberg says the proceedings won’t have an impact on the restaurant’s operations. [Washington Business Journal]

Elevation Burger Expanding — Arlington-based organic burger chain Elevation Burger is expanding. The restaurant now has 29 locations worldwide, but is planning to have 50 locations by the end of the year. The concept is proving especially popular in the Middle East. Meanwhile, the company is testing out two new burger toppings — hardwood smoked bacon and sauteed mushrooms — at its Arlington location (2447 North Harrison Street). [Nation’s Restaurant News]

Historic Designation for Tiny Cemetery — A tiny, historic cemetery plot at 5000 Lee Highway, in the Hall’s Hill community, is getting some attention as Arlington County moves to designate it as a local historic district. The oldest grave in the 7,100 square foot cemetery is that of Margaret Hyson, who died in 1891 and was a former slave on the Hall’s Hill plantation. [Washington Post]

Columbia Pike Burger King Offers Delivery Service

By ARLnow.com

The Burger King at 3627 Columbia Pike is currently one of few Burger King restaurants in the United States offering an experimental delivery service.

The Columbia Pike Burger King is offering delivery between 11:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. seven days a week, for a $2 delivery charge. The minimum order is $10 and tip is not included in the delivery charge. Customers in a limited delivery area around the restaurant can order burgers, fries, bottled drinks and other lunch/dinner items via a new “BK Delivers” website or by calling 855-OrderBk (855-673-3725).

Burger King has told national news outlets that it’s planning to expand the delivery trial to 16 U.S. locations by next week. The company’s delivery experiment is currently limited to restaurants in the D.C. area and a “Whopper Bar” concept restaurant in Miami Beach.

Burger King says the delivery service is being made possible by a “proprietary thermal packaging technology” the company has developed, which allows burgers to be delivered hot and fresh and fries to remain hot and crispy.

A sign outside the Columbia Pike Burger King indicates that the restaurant is still hiring delivery drivers.

Hat tip to @shtickstickler

Good Stuff Eatery to Open in Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

‘Top Chef’ contestant Spike Mendelsohn’s Good Stuff Eatery is announcing its impending arrival in Crystal City.

A photo posted on Facebook over the weekend shows big, colorful signs covering the doors and windows of the future burger-and-milkshake joint’s prime, 3,300 square foot space on Crystal Drive’s restaurant row.

This will be Good Stuff’s second location. Its original location on Capitol Hill opened in 2008.

Washingtonian reported earlier this year that Good Stuff Eatery was hoping for a January opening. So far we’ve been unable to reach anyone associated with Good Stuff for confirmation, but a review of permit applications for the restaurant’s location at 2110 Crystal Drive reveals that it’s still without a building permit. That means an opening would likely be at least a couple of months away.

“Ray’s Hell Burger III” Now Hiring in Rosslyn

By ARLnow.com

“Ray’s Hell Burger III” is getting closer to opening in Rosslyn.

Interior construction on the new restaurant, located at 1650 Wilson Boulevard, appears to be complete. A permit for 22 outdoor tables and 44 outdoor seats was approved by the county late last month. And “now hiring” signs (for managers, bartenders, servers and hosts/hostesses) are currently posted in the windows.

The Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control is still processing an application to serve wine, beer and mixed drinks at the restaurant. According to the permit application, “Ray’s Hell Burger III” will seat at least 150 people.

Little else is known about the restaurant, which is located a block away from Ray’s Hell Burger I and II. “Ray’s Hell Burger III” is now the name on all of the restaurant’s permits, but the ABC permit used to list the name as “The Lobster Pot” — hinting at a possible seafood restaurant. A Washington Post article from 2010, however, may shed some light on the true plans.

“[Ray’s Hell Burger II] will move across the street to an even bigger location that will accommodate more people more comfortably,” the article said. “It will also have a kitchen large enough to turn out house-made french fries, instead of the frozen ones customers largely have deemed unworthy of the burgers.”

At the time, the article predicted that the move would take place within a matter of months, which obviously hasn’t happened (yet). This afternoon, Ray’s Hell Burger employees told us that they had not been told anything about the plans for the restaurant across the street, whatever it may be.

Good Stuff Eatery Coming to Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

The tipster who in March spotted Top Chef contestant Spike Mendelsohn chatting up the manager of the Chick-fil-A in Crystal City was apparently on to something.

Washingtonian Magazine’s Best Bites Blog reports that Mendelsohn’s Good Stuff Eatery is expanding to Crystal City. The burger joint will be located in the middle of the Crystal Drive restaurant row and will include a special “milkshake station” where “customers can watch the custard-spinning process up close.”

The restaurant is aiming for a January opening.

Deal of the Day: Burger for a Buck

By ARLnow.com

If you like juicy burgers and ridiculously inexpensive food, our partners at WTD have an offer for you.

WTD is offering $7 worth of burgers, shakes or fries at Ballston’s brgr:shack restaurant (4215 Fairfax Drive) for one dollar. Haven’t been yet? Check out brgr:shack’s menu, including their specialty burgers, shack salads, sweet potato fries and thick shakes.

The offer is on sale for the next five days. Already, more than 1,400 vouchers have been sold.

If you’re not hungry for burgers yourself, the Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network is asking locals to consider donating the voucher so that the organization’s homeless clients can enjoy a nice meal.

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