business closing

Best Cellars Closing in Clarendon

By ARLnow.com

You only have about two more weeks to get your wine fix at Best Cellars in Clarendon.  The store will be closing mid-month.

For the past seven years, the store at 2855 Clarendon Boulevard has been frequented by customers who tout knowledgeable staff, fun wine tastings and low prices as their top reasons for shopping there.

So far, there’s no official word on why Best Cellars is closing, but we’re told employees aren’t happy about it.

The store is advertising a sale to get rid of inventory. Customers can take 25% off the price of wine, food and other various items, and 20% off of beer.

Best Cellars’ last day will be July 16.

Naked Pizza Coming to Pentagon Row

By ARLnow.com

Fast-growing all-natural pizza chain Naked Pizza is coming to Pentagon Row.

A Naked Pizza restaurant will be replacing Pizza Milano, in a storefront that faces the Harris Teeter parking lot on the northern end of Pentagon Row. Pizza Milano, which used to offer free delivery, is now closed.

New Orleans-based Naked Pizza is noted for its devotion to making positive social change — it claims to be “part of the solution to the global epidemic of obesity and chronic disease” by making fast food “healthful instead of harmful” — as well as its health-minded pizza.

Some of the “favorite” pizza recipes on the menu at Naked include the Ragin’ Cajun (sausage, chicken, garlic bell pepper onion), the Superbiotic (artichoke, spinach, bell pepper, mushroom, garlic, red onion, cliantro), the Pima (black beans, jalapeno, cheddar cheese, tomato, onion, cilantro and lime) and the Smokehouse (hickory-smoked BBQ sauce, onion, chicken).

No word yet on when the restaurant plans to open.

Photo via nakedpizza.biz. Hat tip to @RahulG86.

Local Fishmonger Closes Up Shop

By ARLnow.com

M. Slavin & Sons, a seafood seller located on South Glebe Road near I-395, has closed.

The store maintained a well-reviewed retail business of selling fresh seafood to consumers via a front counter. It also distributed seafood wholesale to local businesses.

Reached by phone, a store employee said the store had been losing business and has not been able to keep up with rising expenses. The store’s last day in business was Friday. The company is based in the New York City area and has other locations in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Rhode Island, Florida and Puerto Rico.

Around lunchtime today, a steady stream of regular customers drove into the parking lot only to be greeted with “CLOSED” signs in the window. One woman said she came to M. Slavin to pick up seafood for most major holidays. Today, she was hoping to pick up crab legs for Valentine’s Day.

“Well, off to the waterfront I go, I guess,” she said, referring to the seafood market on Maine Avenue SW in the District.

“This is a big loss,” another customer said, via email. “They had by far the best fresh fish in the area.”

Hat tips to Sue W. and Josh M.

Blockbuster Store Closes on Lee Highway

By ARLnow.com

The Blockbuster video store at 5400 Lee Highway has closed up shop.

We’re not sure when it closed — no one is answering the phone, unsurprisingly — but the store’s signs have already been taken down. A number of people could be seen inside the store today, apparently cleaning out the remaining video inventory.

The store was one of Blockbuster’s larger locations, and was noted for having a sizable video selection.

Blockbuster Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in September. It expects to close many of its 3,000 stores and focus more heavily on its rental-by-mail and digital businesses, the Wall Street Journal reported.

American Flatbread Bids Adieu to Pesky HOA President

By ARLnow.com

American Flatbread closed its doors on North Fillmore Street in Clarendon just before Christmas, five months after losing a high-stakes, tooth-and-nail fight to open an outdoor patio.

Now, the restaurant’s management has written a not-so-nice goodbye note to the most vocal opponents of the patio.

Displayed just inside the window is a sign that reads: “HEY MIKEY HOPE YOUR [sic] :) KISS MY [butt].”

The message is almost certainly aimed at Michael Hutchinson, homeowner’s association president of the Clarendon Park townhouses across the street from Flatbread. Hutchinson was among the neighbors who successfully lobbied the county board to deny the restaurant’s request to open a 24-seat outdoor patio.

Photo via ImageShack

McGinty’s Pub Closes in South Arlington

By ARLnow.com

McGinty’s Public House, in the Market Square at Potomac Yard development near Crystal City, has closed for good, an employee of the bar’s Silver Spring sister location confirms to ARLnow.com.

The pub shut down at some point last week, according to a customer who recently dined there. A sign in the window states that the location is “closed for business.”

“Thank you for your loyal support,” the sign says, purportedly on behalf of the pub’s Irish-born co-owners, Brian Dolphin and Greg Whelan. Dolphin and Whelan also own P. Brennan’s Irish Pub on Columbia Pike. P. Brennan’s and McGinty’s Silver Spring will remain open, according to the pub employee.

No reason was given for the shuttering, but the as of Dec. 16 McGinty’s owed Arlington County $19,751.18 in unpaid meals taxes.

The pub was an ambitious venture considering the out-of-the-way, developing corner of South Arlington in which it was located. It featured ample seating, an outdoor patio, and live entertainment.

We reported earlier this month that a new pizza restaurant is coming to the Market Square development. It’s not clear whether it will be taking McGinty’s place or opening in a different storefront.

Thank you to Doug Wendt for the tip and the photo (left)

American Flatbread Closing

By ARLnow.com

Washington restaurant maven Don Rockwell is reporting via Twitter that American Flatbread in Clarendon will be closing for good on Christmas Eve.

In an article about the pizza restaurant published earlier today, Rockwell discussed the lack of customers at Flatbread, which sits two blocks away from Clarendon’s main Wilson Boulevard drag.

American Flatbread is too honorable for the Clarendon neighborhood, quite frankly.  They walk the walk when it comes to honoring sustainable agriculture, local farming, and quality ingredients.  Unfortunately, without a critical mass of customers, American Flatbread itself may not be sustainable.

Flatbread suffered a major setback this summer when the county board denied its request to open an outdoor dining patio (limited sidewalk seating was approved instead).

Reached by phone this evening, owner Scott Vasko refused to confirm or deny Rockwell’s reporting.

Update at 5:30 p.m. — Vasko sent the following email to customers tonight:

Dear Friends & Loyal Guests,

It is with a heavy, heavy heart that I need to let you know that we will be ceasing operations at American Flatbread Clarendon Hearth as of Christmas Eve. The forced closing is the result of a number of factors including, but not limited to: severe issues with the environmental system, the dramatic loss of business from the outdoor seating debacle, and; a poor relationship with a very adversarial landlord.

Unfortunately, we do not have any options. The landlord has forced us out. The fact that they are doing it before Christmas – gives you an idea of what it’s been like to deal with them. We are hoping to get the word out quickly so we can go out with a bang. We are hoping to generate as much revenue for the staff as possible before we close – starting tonight! So please come out and send us out BIG! We plan on maintaining regular hours until we close next Friday. So, please come out to say good-bye, share some stories, share a laugh and share a tear, and a drink or…

Thank you for loyal support.

Janice, Evan, and I are deeply appreciative.

Hat tip to EatMore DrinkMore

Quarterdeck Restaurant Gets a New Lease on Life

By ARLnow.com

The Quarterdeck Restaurant has been saved.

Owner Lou Gatti, who suddenly announced last month that the 31-year-old seafood restaurant would be closing, now says the Fort Myer Heights institution will, in fact, remain open.

The dramatic reversal, sure to please legions of local crab lovers and dive bar enthusiasts, is due to a breakthrough in the restaurant’s lease negotiations, Gatti said in an email late last night.

For a while, it looked like we would have to close. This was finally settled today. We have another 15 year lease. It seems that the landlord, who has also been my friend for the last 15 years, and I had trouble reaching an agreement; it took 3 months. In retrospect, it reminds me more of a family disagreement; now, everything’s back to normal.

I want to thank all of you for the kind emails and the memories of the Quarterdeck you shared. Like you, I have always loved the Quarterdeck from my first visit, which was over 3 decades ago. The most moving story was from someone who lamented she would not be able to bring her children to the QD, as her parents had done with her.

Patrick Morrogh, a nine year veteran of the QD and a manager, will take over the day to day operations. I think the younger folks need to implement fresh ideas. At 62, I will still be in charge of something, but I don’t know what.

We will be updating our website: http://www.qdrest.com .

Thanks to all of you.

Lou Gatti

RIP Rebel Heroes, Mazel Tov Big Cheese Truck

By ARLnow.com

The insurrection has been quelled.

Arlington’s Rebel Heroes truck has closed for good, reports Tim Carman.

The banh mi sandwich truck launched to critical acclaim and long lines in April. It apparently did not generate enough business to justify its existence for another year.

Carman, who just defected from Washington City Paper to the Washington Post, says that Rebel Heroes served its last customers on Oct. 8. A month later, the business was closed and the truck was sold, without so much as a tweet announcing the move.

Like Che Guevara, the Rebel Heroes brand will live on in the memory of its followers. The truck itself, however, is soldiering on. It was sold to a local restaurant manager who has converted it into The Big Cheese — a gourmet grilled cheese sandwich truck.

We’ve been following the truck on Twitter as it prepares to launch in Arlington. When it does, be sure to pour out a little of whatever gourmet soda it sells, in memory of our fallen comrade.

Update on 12/9/10 — From the Rebel Heroes Facebook page:

Hi Rebels, As some of you have heard from the media today, we’ve had to take the rebellion back underground. We’re all working on other projects and between everything that’s happening with our own projects (such as graphic design work/ consulting forme and babies arriving in the Spring for some of us–we are a family business after all) and the amount of resources (time being a major one) it requires on many levels, it’s best to go out on top! I can’t express how much I’ll miss seeing all of our regular customers. That’s really what kept me and the frontline team (Liz & Eileen) going all those crazy days on the hot truck. But I don’t want to say there won’t be another revolution! Anything can happen! Thanks so much for your support and patronage. We won’t forget all of you! You all rock! Please feel free to hit me up at [removed] :) — xoxo, TAN

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Quarterdeck May Remain Open, After All — TBD is reporting that the owner of Quarterdeck has reopened lease negotiations with the property’s landlord. Last week it was revealed that owner Lou Gatti was telling Radnor / Fort Myer Heights residents that the restaurant would be closing after 31 years in business.

Plastic Bag Tax May Have to Wait — The county board’s desire to impose a 5-cent tax on plastic grocery store bags — similar to the tax currently in place in the District — may have to wait until another year. At Wednesday’s work session between the board and Arlington’s state legislative delegation, bag tax proponent Del. Adam Ebbin said getting Virginia lawmakers to grant Arlington the authority to impose such a tax would likely be “a multi-year effort.” More from the Sun Gazette.

Long-Time Parks Employee Dies — Long-time Parks and Recreation Department supervisor Alan W. Brady has died. Brady, who ran a landscaping business in Arlington after retiring from the department, will be remembered at a memorial service in Ranson, W.V. on Monday. He was 58. More from the Martinsburg Journal.

Flickr pool photo by Patryce

Quarterdeck Restaurant Closing

By ARLnow.com

The Quarterdeck Restaurant is closing after 31 years of serving seafood, beer and American cuisine in the Fort Myer Heights neighborhood, according to an email distributed to the Radnor / Ft. Myer Heights Civic Association.

Last week, it was reported that the restaurant had agreed to a 15-year lease renewal. But now owner Lou Gatti says that has fallen through.

Gatti wrote the following email about the impending closing.

After 31 years, the Quarterdeck Restaurant is closing. I was at the helm for the last 15 years. For the last 2 ½ months, I have been trying to get a new lease that we could live with. On numerous occasions, I understood that we had an agreement only to be surprised later with a lease that said otherwise. It’s a long story, but we are finished. The building, which is almost 70 years old, needs major repairs and updates; the landlord expects us to do them all. Not happening.

We will be closing soon and everything is for sale. We will be giving the food to a shelter of some sort. Might have a few extra key lime pies.

It was a good run, and I will miss all of you. I have a lot to do, so for this week, don’t call me, but send an email if you wish. You can call the restaurant if you wish…

Lou

Radnor / Ft. Myer Heights Civic Association President Stan Karson called the closure “sad news,” in an email to residents.

“The Quarterdeck has a long and proud history in our area,” Karson wrote. “We are losing an important neighborhood fixture.”

Update at 2:35 p.m. — Local food blog Capital Spice talked with the restaurant’s landlord, who says that the property will likely remain a restaurant, possibly even retaining the current seafood format.

“The only thing I know for certain is that a restaurant will remain in operation in some form” at the location, the property owner told the blog.

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