Clarendon

Gallery Clarendon to be Replaced with Connecticut Pizza Restaurant Colony Grill

By Vernon Miles
1/3

(Updated at 4:30 p.m on 11/02/20) Gallery Clarendon, a temporary art space at 2800 Clarendon Blvd, has announced that it will be closing to make way for a new pizza restaurant from New England.

The gallery, a project from the Arlington Artists Alliance, opened at Market Common Clarendon in June 2018 as a way to fill the space until a permanent tenant could be found. At the time, the Arlington Artists Alliance told ARLnow they expected to be open for roughly a year.

The gallery will close at the end of February, the Alliance said.

In May of 2018, with modest expectations and a solely volunteer effort, the Arlington Artists Alliance turned the empty storefront on the corner of Clarendon Blvd. and N. Fillmore into a gallery and artist studios for 50+ local Arlington artists. The positive feedback we received from the community was heartwarming and overwhelming… It was a wonderful experience for the artists and we thank each and every one of you who visited our gallery and studios or attended a class in Clarendon.

A pair of shows currently on display, called Catharsis and Kaleidoscope, will be the final exhibits at the gallery. Both shows are scheduled to have an opening reception tomorrow (Friday). Catharsis’ reception is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. while Kaleidoscope will start at 5 p.m., with both scheduled to finish around 7 p.m.

The Arlington Artists Alliance is currently hoping to find a new home in North Arlington, though its Gallery Underground location in Crystal City remains open.

Cherise Goldbach, general manager of Market Common Clarendon owner Regency Centers, said the new tenant in the space is Colony Grill, a small chain of thin-crust pizza-focused restaurants primarily based out of Connecticut.

The company’s website says it offers a one-size (12-inch) thin-crust cheese pizza, with signature spicy hot oil, and a variety of toppings. The chain also has a salad pizza — the company’s thin crust topped with salad fixings — with no cheese or sauce unless requested.

It will be the only Colony Grill location outside of Connecticut and New York, according to the company’s website. The first Colony Grill opened in an Irish immigrant neighborhood of Stamford, Connecticut in 1935.

“Everyone at Colony Grill is extremely excited to open in Clarendon later in 2020,” said Ken Martin, COO of Colony Grill, said in an email forwarded to ARLnow. “During our search, we absolutely fell in love with the greater Arlington area. It is simply a remarkable part of the country. We look forward to introducing our unique pizza to the neighborhood and becoming a part of the community fabric for years to come.”

Pete’s New Haven Pizza, which offered a different pizza style of Connecticut origin, closed in August two blocks away.

New Cafe Brings Odd New Eastern European Coffee Trend to Clarendon

By Vernon Miles
1/6

Okay, hear me out: orange juice, espresso and a dash of caramel over ice.

Reactions in the ARLnow office were mostly negative, but the reporter who actually tasted it at the new This is Fine Coffee in Clarendon now swears by it.

The small coffee shop — which replaced Blümen Cafe at 2607 Wilson Blvd. — had its soft opening today, but co-owners Jason Blevins and Anna Tsybko said they’ve already started seeing more customers than they were expecting.

Blevins chalks some of that up to his Java Shack background: he worked at Java Shack from 2012 to 2014, before the local coffee shop was taken over by Commonwealth Joe and ultimately closed last year. Blevins said he wanted This is Fine Coffee to have a laid-back vibe similar to Java Shack and to serve as a local gathering place and an exhibition space for artists, some of whom already have art on display in the cafe.

Many of the customers at This is Fine Coffee are former Java Shack regulars, Blevins said, at which point two of the customers nodded in confirmation.

The signature drink at This is Fine Coffee is bumble coffee, the aforementioned orange juice/espresso/caramel mix. This is Fine Coffee’s owners said it’s a popular drink in Russia and Ukraine, where Tsybko is from and where Blevins spent time working on a documentary.

The contents can sound off-putting, so Tsybko says she sometimes makes it for friends and gets them to try it before saying what’s in it. But Tsybko and Blevins fell in love with the drink there and decided to bring it back home to Arlington.

While it sometimes feels like you can’t shake a stick along Wilson Blvd without hitting a dozen coffee shops, Tsybko and Blevins said the intensely personal feeling of This is Fine Coffee sets it apart.

“Many of the decorations here are from our apartment,” Tsybko said.

“We’re not a chain, or aspiring to be a chain,” Blevins said.

The pair said the name is an allusion to the decidedly unpretentious atmosphere of the cafe. Tsybko said it was sort of a self-aware reflection of the way people talk about where they want to meet and get coffee.

While a lot of new coffee shops are very into the science and classification of coffee and the idea of coffee mixing as an art form, Blevins said the name is a throwback to coffee shops as a community-oriented place where people can pull up a laptop and work or meet up with friends.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

HQ2 May Have Security Robots — “Amazon.com Inc. wants to keep its second headquarters safe. And it’s looking at a variety of methods like incognito barricades, a police presence on the campus, external facing cameras, and, oh yeah, ‘security robots.'” [Washington Business Journal]

More on Tuesday AM Robbery on the Pike — “The victim was in sitting in his parked vehicle, when an occupied vehicle pulled in front of him. The occupants of the vehicle engaged the victim in conversation and asked him to make change for their bill. During the exchange, the suspects gave the victim a lesser sum of money in return for the change and attempted to drive off. When the victim attempted to stop the vehicle, the suspects exited, assaulted him and attempted to steal his wallet.” [Arlington County]

CO Leak at GW Parkway Building — Arlington County firefighters responded to a possible carbon monoxide leak at the GW Parkway maintenance facility near Crystal City yesterday afternoon. Two people were evaluated for CO-related symptoms, per scanner traffic, and the leak was traced to a malfunctioning HVAC system. [Twitter]

Major Reston Property Owner Buys in Clarendon — “An affiliate Comstock Holding Cos. Inc. has acquired the Hartford building in Clarendon, extending its local footprint beyond its major outside-the-Capital Beltway developments in Reston and Ashburn. Comstock… bought the nine-story building at 3101 Wilson Blvd. from an affiliate of Chicago’s Heitman Capital Management for $128.75 million.” [Washington Business Journal, Globe Newswire]

Photo courtesy Peter Golkin

Despite New ‘Tacos’ Sign, Goody’s Is Still Selling Pizza in Clarendon

By Vernon Miles
1/3

Don’t be fooled by the signs on the building, the notoriously green shack in Clarendon is still long-time local pizzeria Goody’s.

The “Goody’s NY Style Pizzeria” sign has been taken down from the building at 3125 Wilson Blvd. and replaced with a sign that says “Tacos Mexicano,” while the windows advertise tacos and pupusas. Inside, however, there’s still rows of pizza and staff still call it Goody’s.

While Goody’s has sold tacos for nearly a year, according to their Facebook page, a manager at the restaurant said the sign change was reflective of a new emphasis on the Mexican cuisine. In addition to the classic “two slices of pizza and a soda for $5.99” deal, the restaurant also offers quesadillas, tacos, burritos and more.

The majority of the menu, however, remains various types of pizza like Goody’s Deluxe — pepperoni, Italian sausage, mushrooms, green peppers, onions — as well as subs and burgers.

Goody’s changed hands in 2018 after its original owners retired. It reopened with new owners, whose colorful new mural on the diminutive building at 3125 Wilson Blvd didn’t fly with county regulators. It was later re-painted red and two shades of green.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Developer Pitches New Clarendon Apartment Building — “Orr Partners is pitching a new mixed-use building in Clarendon, seeking to redevelop a small property behind the neighborhood’s popular Silver Diner… the project will not include the redevelopment of the nearby The Lot beer garden or the Silver Diner, though rumors have long persisted that those have been targeted for changes.” [Washington Business Journal]

Most County Offices, Facilities Closed Today — “Arlington County Government offices, courts, libraries & facilities will be closed Tues. Dec. 24 – Weds., Dec. 25, 2019, for Christmas, as well as New Year’s Day on Jan. 1, 2020… Metered [parking] areas not enforced.” [Arlington County]

Story of a Neighborhood Christmas Tree — This year, the Williamsburg Traffic Circle Christmas tree is back, thanks to contributions from local merchants. [Washington Post]

What Local Papers Were Reporting on in 1957 — “The Arlington Council of Churches was deploring grocery stores open on Sundays. A teen advice column titled ‘Help Unpopular Girls When They Cling’ was published alongside a puzzling comic strip called ‘Scorchy Smith.’ Ads touted ‘Exciting new rambler and split-level’ homes for $14,250 and 1957 Ford sedans for $239.50.” [Falls Church News-Press]

Media Spotlight on Arlington Buttigieg Supporter — “In a recent email exchange with a wealthy prospective donor, a top fundraiser for Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg made an offer that was unusually blunt — even by modern pay-to-play standards. ‘If you want to get on the campaign’s radar now before he is flooded with donations after winning Iowa and New Hampshire, you can use the link below for donations,’ the fundraiser” wrote. [Axios]

UPS Driver Saves Christmas — “Darryl found my son’s phone and saved Xmas! He reminded my son to have faith in the many good people in the world.” [Twitter]

Where to Celebrate New Year’s Eve in Arlington

By Kalina Newman

2020 is almost here, and if you’re spending the holidays in Arlington, there are plenty of local options for ringing in the new year.

Ticket prices vary per event, with several opting for no cover and others starting at up to $50 per person.

For families looking to celebrate but also go to bed well before midnight, the Columbia Pike Branch Library (816 S. Walter Reed Drive) is hosting a “Ring in the Noon Year” countdown from 11 a.m.-noon. There will be games, light snacks, and a countdown to noon.

Later in the night, there are a bunch of parties big and small planned across Arlington. For those looking to pay their respects to Clarendon Ballroom, its last night in operation will be for its New Years Eve Gala — fitting, given the venue opened on the same day twenty years ago.

In Ballston, parties are planned at Punch Bowl Social, Bisto 1521, and Rustico Ballston.

On Columbia Pike, The Celtic House Irish Pub & Restaurant will celebrate with the local band Down Wilson,

In Crystal City, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, an all-out casino night is planned until 3 a.m. Close by, Freddie’s Beach Bar has two parties planned — a drag show on New Year’s Eve, and then a New Year’s Day champagne brunch the following morning. For a more relaxed vibe, McNamara’s Pub & Restaurant is offering a three-course dinner to ring in the new year for $30.

In Clarendon, in addition to the Clarendon Ballroom bash, several bars will be hosting parties including Bar Bao, Pamplona, Whitlow’s, The Renegade, Liberty Tavern, and Wilson Hardware. For a more low-key evening, Northside Social is offering a three-course dinner and wine pairing, with a live TV view of the ball dropping at midnight

A New Year’s Eve dinner similar to that at Northside Social is being held at Cheesetique in Shirlington.

Neighborhood Spotlight: Best Spots To Eat In Clarendon

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

This content was written and sponsored by The Keri Shull Team, Arlington’s top producing residential real estate team.

Let us show you the best spots to eat in Clarendon!

Today, our team members take you on a culinary tour of the Clarendon neighborhood in Arlington, showing you 4 of our favorite eateries in the area. These awesome spots all offer tasty food and drink, and the variety of atmospheres means that you’ll surely find a place to suit your style, no matter what!

Did we miss your favorite place to eat in Clarendon? Let us know your favorite Clarendon restaurant in the comments — we’d love to check it out!

Are you interested in moving closer to some of this tasty fare? Contact The Keri Shull Team today to learn how we can help you find your dream home, for a price that you’ll love — whether it’s in Clarendon, or any of the other unique neighborhoods in D.C., Maryland, or Virginia!

Do you know anyone looking to buy or sell a home in the DMV? We’d love for you to introduce us! Click here to contact us today.

UPDATED: Cyclist Struck Near Clarendon

By ARLnow.com
1/6

(Updated at 4:05 p.m.) A cyclist was struck by a driver at the intersection of Wilson Blvd and 10th Street N., near Clarendon., Friday morning.

Initial reports suggest the cyclist had severe injuries, including head trauma. The crash was first radioed in around 10:30 a.m. by a police officer who was on a traffic stop nearby.

The bicycle could be seen under a black Jeep on the west side of the intersection, in front of the Speedway gas station. A bike rack with a PeopleForBikes sticker could be seen on the back of the Jeep.

The victim was rushed via ambulance to a local trauma center.

“The cyclist was transported to an area hospital with serious injuries,” Arlington County Police spokeswoman Ashley Savage confirmed. “The driver of the striking vehicle remained on scene. The investigation is ongoing.”

The intersection was partially closed by police but reopened as of 11:30 a.m., after detectives documented the scene.

Police said later Friday afternoon that the driver will face a traffic charge in the crash.

“[The driver] was cited with failure to yield,” said Savage. “The cyclist’s injuries are considered non-life threatening.”

Six-Foot Menorah Coming to Clarendon For Hanukkah

By Kalina Newman

A six-foot menorah will be lit in Clarendon next week in celebration of Hanukkah.

This year, the Jewish holiday begins at sunset on Sunday (Dec. 22) and ends on Monday, Dec. 30.

The Light Up Arlington event will take place in Clarendon Central Park (3140 Wilson Blvd) on the evening of Wednesday, Dec. 25 — also known as Christmas Day. Sponsored by Chabad Lubavitch of Alexandria-Arlington, the lighting of the menorah will begin at 6 p.m.

Hot potato latkes will be served, and traditional chocolate gelt and dreidels will be given out. The event is free to attend, and there will be a live musical performance.

The following evening, the same organization plans to host a Hanukkah festival in Old Town, Alexandria, where they will similarly light a giant menorah.

Alexandria Man Arrested After Clarendon Stabbing

By ARLnow.com

A “verbal dispute” led to a late night stabbing in Clarendon over the weekend.

The incident happened on the 3100 block of Clarendon Blvd, in the heart of the neighborhood’s nightlife district, around 12:30 a.m. on Sunday.

Police say a large group of people were leaving a restaurant when officers found a victim who had been stabbed multiple times. A 33-year-old Alexandria man was subsequently arrested and charged with the stabbing.

Police say an argument led to the violence. The victim suffered serious injuries but is expected to recover.

More from an Arlington County Police crime report:

MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 2019-12150013, 3100 block of Clarendon Boulevard. At approximately 12:31 a.m. on December 15, officers working the Nightlife Detail responded to assist with dispersing a large group of people exiting a business, when they encountered a victim who was suffering from multiple lacerations. During the course of the investigation, it was determined that the victim and suspect were engaged in a verbal dispute, which escalated when the suspect allegedly produced a knife and stabbed the victim multiple times. Arriving officers located the suspect and took him into custody without incident. The victim was transported to an area hospital with serious, but non life-threatening injuries. Theodore Li, 33, of Alexandria, Va., was arrested and charged with Malicious Wounding.

Clarendon Ballroom Is Closing

By ARLnow.com
1/4

(Updated on 12/13/19) Clarendon Ballroom will be closing after one last New Year’s Eve Bash on Dec. 31.

The long-time Clarendon nightlife venue announced via social media Wednesday night that it will be shutting down for good after ringing in the new year (and the new decade).

“It has been our pleasure to be part of the Clarendon community for the last 20 years,” the business said on Instagram. “This area has changed a great deal since we first saw a furniture and fabric store built in the 1930’s as a Woolworth Department store and thought that it would make an excellent music and events venue.”

The Ballroom was perhaps best known as a live music venue and a nightclub with a popular rooftop, but it was also a private event venue that hosted everything from weddings to ceremonies to community events.

Peter Pflug, one of the owners of the Ballroom, declined to give a reason for its closure.

“For now we are not commenting further than the fact that we are closing,” Pflug told ARLnow. “Instead we are focusing on making the last weeks fun and memorable.”

The business appears to be preparing to auction off its gear in early January.

“Iconic night club is shutting its doors and making a complete liquidation,” says a page on a local auction company’s website. “Audio equipment, very large kitchen, catering equipment, several bars & much more. Arlington, VA local pickup only.”

More on the closure from the Instagram post:

To our Clients, Vendors, Patrons, and Friends:

After over 19 years in business, the Clarendon Ballroom will be closing in January. Our 20th New Year’s Eve Bash on December 31st, 2019 will be the last night that we are open for business.

It has been our pleasure to be part of the Clarendon community for the last 20 years. This area has changed a great deal since we first saw a furniture and fabric store built in the 1930’s as a Woolworth Department store and thought that it would make an excellent music and events venue.

A big thank you to all of the special event clients, nightclub patrons, vendors, and most of all, the staff (seems like a poor word – after you work with the same people for 20 years, you feel much more like family) that joined us and supported us in this adventure.

To go out with a bang, we have planned a couple special closing events leading up to our New Year’s Eve Bash. Please come out and help us say goodbye:

On December 27th, one of the greatest bands to every play the room, Mr. Greengenes, is playing a final show for us. Please see Here for details and start resting up now!

On December 28th, our House DJ and the man responsible for way too many legendary nights, DJ Lil Fos is playing with some of his other DJs, so you can show off your dance moves on the floor one last time (No cover for this show). And if you really want to say goodbye the way it all began–our first night open to the public was New Year’s Eve in 2000–get your tickets now for our big gala. We will be featuring an awesome band–Liquid A–and DJ Lil Fos. This one has sold out every year for 19 years, and we hope you can join us, so get your tickets now.

Thank you again for helping us become a part of the community, and we hope you come see us before our “last call.”

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