Clarendon

Two Arlington Restaurants Score RAMMY Nominations

By ARLnow.com

The 2011 RAMMY award finalists have been announced, but only two Arlington restaurants made the list.

Clarendon’s Liberty Tavern was nominated for Best Upscale Casual Restaurant and Lyon Park’s EatBar was nominated for Best Neighborhood Gathering Space.

In a fractional victory, Tiffany MacIsaac of Neighborhood Restaurant Group — which operates EatBar, Tallula and Rustico in Arlington, along with restaurants in the District and Alexandria — was nominated for Best Pastry Chef.

Five nominees were announced in each of 14 categories. Among the categories in which Arlington did not have a nominee were Best New Restaurant, Best Mixology/Beverage Program and Hottest Restaurant Bar Scene.

Last year Arlington had four RAMMY nominees. Each went home from the award ceremony empty-handed.

Flickr pool photo by Chris Rief

Major Office Development Coming to Clarendon

By ARLnow.com

Next month the Clarendon-Courthouse Civic Association will discuss a planned office development on one of the last parcels of available high density real estate in the area.

The parcel is the block between Highland Street, Garfield Street, Washington Boulevard and 11th Street. It’s currently home to the T.A. Sullivan & Son cemetery monument business, Eleventh Street Lounge, Potomac Crossfit and a car dealership. All will be torn down to make way for a new ten-story office building with ground level retail space, according to a business owner, who did not want to be identified.

Penzance, a District-based developer, has land purchase contracts in place and hopes to start construction in either 2012 or 2013, according to the business owner.

Representatives from the development company are scheduled to discuss their plans on Wed., April 13, between 7:45 and 8:30 p.m., at a meeting of the Clarendon-Courthouse Civic Association. The meeting is being held at the Navy League building at 2300 Wilson Boulevard. Among the planned topics are the building footprint and its height, density and architecture.

Arlington Young Dems Prep for Charity Date Auction

By ARLnow.com



The Arlington Young Democrats are preparing for their biggest night of the year, not counting election night.

The Young Dems will be holding their 10th annual charity date auction Wednesday from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. at Clarendon Grill (1101 N. Highland Street). More than 100 people have RSVPed for the event, which will feature “over twenty of Arlington’s sexiest bachelors and bachelorettes,” as well as celebrity auctionees Rep. Jim Moran, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, former Rep. Tom Perriello and former DNC Chair Terry McAuliffe.

AYD has released YouTube videos featuring two of its non-celebrity auctionees. Kat, above, is a personal trainer who says she can squat 175 pounds, enough to (probably) lift her date. Be forewarned, gents: you don’t want to pay for her meal with a Groupon. Chris, seen here, will take a lucky lady on a Potomac River sailboat ride with wine and cheese. He expects to fetch at least $10 to $15 at auction.

The auction will benefit the Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network. Attendees are encouraged to bring a new pair of men’s boxer shorts — in large, XL or XXL sizes — to donate at the door for a raffle ticket.

Remy Releases New Music Video: “I’m a Caps Fan”

By ARLnow.com



Arlington rapper Remy Munasifi is out with a new music video.

“I’m a Caps Fan” is Remy’s humorous take on Capitals fandom. Much of the video appears to have been filmed in the comedian’s Clarendon apartment which, coincidentally, is not too far from the Caps practice facility in Ballston.

The video was “produced exclusively for Comcast SportsNet.”

Major Power Outage Along Rosslyn-Ballston Corridor

By ARLnow.com

Update at 1:55 p.m. — Dominion spokeswoman Le-Ha Anderson says: “Approximately 5,000 customers lost power this afternoon for about 30 minutes. We are still investigating the root cause of the outage, but in the meantime, were able to reroute the flow of electricity to get customers restored quickly and safely.”

A major power outage has been reported along the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor.

The outage seems to be centered in the Clarendon area, where numerous traffic lights are reported to be dark. There have also been several reports of stalled elevators, including one at the Arlington County police station in Courthouse. The fire department has responded to the police station to try to free an officer who’s said to be trapped in the elevator.

On its web site, Dominion says nearly 6,000 North Arlington customers are without power due to a damaged power line. Police just reported that Dominion expects to have power restored within the hour.

Soccer Fans to Kick Off MLS Season in Clarendon Tonight

By ARLnow.com

Local soccer fans will be gathering at Clarendon Grill (1101 North Highland Street) tonight to mark the start of the 2011 Major League Soccer season.

DC United goalie Bill Hamid is expected to stop by and greet fans at the event, which is being organized by the Arlington Athletic and Social League. There will be gift bags for the first 50 fans who arrive, plus raffles for DC United opening day tickets (the game will be held on March 19 at RFK Stadium) and other memorabilia.

In addition to the soccer festivities inside, organizers plan to set up pick-up games of cornhole outside on the patio.

The event will be held from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. Admission is free. It will be immediately followed by the start of the LA Galaxy vs. Seattle Sounders MLS opening night game on ESPN2.

BGR: The Burger Joint Prepares for Clarendon Opening

By ARLnow.com

BGR: The Burger Joint is preparing to open its new Clarendon location next month.

The restaurant, located near the corner of Wilson Boulevard and North Highland Street, next to Hard Times Cafe, is still in the midst of construction. But exterior signs are up and much of the interior decorating is complete. General Manager Greg Comer says he expects the restaurant to open at the beginning of next month, perhaps as soon as April 1.

“It’s coming along pretty well,” he said outside the store today.

The restaurant will employ 20-25 people and seat about 40. The menu will be similar if not identical to other BGR locations. Comer said he’s still hiring for a few positions, adding that details are available on Craigslist.

He said he’s not afraid of competition from the similarly-named but otherwise unrelated Brgr:Shack restaurant up the road in Ballston. In fact, he said, he’s hired a few of their employees.

This is BGR’s sixth location. The company’s Lee Highway location — its fourth — opened a year ago.

Comer said that the company has been learning how to handle the large crowds its restaurants seem to attract. He promised that wait times for burgers won’t be as long as they were shortly after the Lee Highway location opened.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

New Bar Coming to Columbia Pike — William Jeffrey’s Tavern will be a 6,500 square foot bar and restaurant on the ground floor of the Siena Park apartment complex, across the street from Bob & Edith’s Diner. The tavern, owned by the team behind Ragtime and Rhodeside Grill, is expected to open this fall. [Pike Wire]

Arlington Funds Slugging Web Site — Each year, Arlington allots $10,000 out of its $8 million commuter services budget to fund Slug-Lines.com, a privately-run internet resource for the area’s unique, grassroots carpooling system. [Miller-McCune Magazine]

Recalling Java Shack’s Nazi Past — Of course, nobody at Clarendon’s Java Shack has any Nazi affiliation. But the cafe’s building does. TBD recalls the days when the building was the headquarters of the American Nazi Party. Another reminder of the building’s infamous past: the occasional appearance of nostalgic Nazi fliers. [TBD]

New Wakefield High Will Have Lots of Bike Parking — The new $115 million Wakefield High School will include 304 bike parking spaces, up from the old school’s 45 spaces. The Sun Gazette’s Scott McCaffrey wonders if that’s a bit optimistic of school planners. [Sun Gazette Editor’s Blog]

Falls Church (Hearts) Arlington — In an editorial, the Falls Church News-Press addresses redistricting rumors that the 31st State Senate District — which now encompasses Arlington County, Falls Church and a slice of eastern Fairfax County — will be shifted north into McLean and Great Falls, leaving tiny Falls Church to be folded into the Fairfax-centric 32nd State Senate District. That’s frowned upon by the FCNP. “Falls Church is the spiritual sister of Arlington, far more than Fairfax County,” the editorial says. [Falls Church News-Press]

Calling All Mullets to the Clarendon Metro Station

By ARLnow.com

A local woman is hoping to round up area mullet-wearers for a photography project in Clarendon this weekend.

The woman, who would only identify herself as “Irene,” posted an ad on Craigslist to publicize the event.

“I think mullets are interesting and I think, although not in line with popular opinion, that mullets look great on those that choose to have them,” Irene wrote on the site. “I want to take your picture and ask you a couple of questions about why you have your mullet and what you think about mullets and yourself.”

The posting asks mulleteers to show up at the fountain in the park next to the Clarendon Metro station, between noon and 1:00 on Saturday.

“Be there or be square!” the ad beckons.

We asked Irene via email why, of all the possible subjects for artistic exploration, she chose mullets.

“I have been thinking about mullets for I would say 3-4 years now,” Irene wrote back. “I don’t know why I decided on mullets except that I kind of feel like so many people are stereotyped and hair has a lot to do with it, you know?”

“Mullets I feel are totally funky but I bet the people are varied and probably have a lot to offer and we all just see them as honky tonks,” she continued. “I really want to know the mullet wearer and what they are all about and hope to have it exhibited in some way in the future, assuming anyone shows up.”

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Fat Tuesday Events Within Walking Distance of the Parade

By ARLnow.com

If you’re heading to the Clarendon Mardi Gras/St. Patrick’s Day parade tonight, you might also be considering heading out to the bars afterward. Here are a few places where you can find some festive Fat Tuesday fun within walking distance of the parade.

Ragtime (1345 North Courthouse Road) — Ragtime is holding its 10th annual Mardi Gras party tonight. The restaurant is serving a special Cajun menu all day, Hurricanes and Cyclones are on special, and the Le Bon Temps Krew will be playing New Orleans jazz music from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. And yes, there will be beads.

Iota Club & Cafe (2832 Wilson Blvd) — Iota is hosting a parade viewing party on its front porch. After the parade, local southern acoustic rock outfit Brother Shamus will take the stage. Admission is $5 after the parade, free before.

Bayou Bakery (1515 North Courthouse Road) — The Louisiana-themed eatery in Courthouse is decked out in purple, gold and green for the holiday. Tonight the restaurant will be holding a “Bayou Gras” celebration with $7 plates including Chicken and Andouille Gumbo, Shrimp and Sausage Jambalaya, Crab Boil “Peppa Weenies” and Muff-a-Lottas. Abita is on tap at Bayou Bakery, but last we checked they were sold out of homemade King Cakes.

Screwtop Wine Bar (1025 North Fillmore Street) — For those looking for a more low-key atmosphere before or after the parade, Screwtop will be serving $7 Mardi Gras mimosas throughout the evening.

Four Courts/Ri-Ra/Kitty O’Shea’s — These Irish pubs along Wilson Boulevard won’t be holding any pre-St. Patrick’s Day specials or entertainment to coincide with the parade. However, each says they will be offering their normal Tuesday specials, which means beer as low as $2.50.

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