Clarendon

‘Cajun Seafood and Sushi Lounge’ Plans to Open This Week in Clarendon

By Anna Merod

Asiatique, a “Cajun seafood and sushi lounge,” will be holding a soft opening Thursday (May 17) in Clarendon, according to a restaurant rep.

Starting Thursday until the end of May, the restaurant — located at 3225 Washington Blvd., on the ground floor of the Beacon at Clarendon apartment building — will offer restaurant-goers 25 percent off its meals.

Signs were up in January and the restaurant’s owner previously told ARLnow that it would likely open in mid-February. Recently the restaurant placed a lighted “open” sign on the window.

Food on the menu includes fried baskets, with options ranging from chicken tenders to oysters, and a wide variety of sushi offerings, which range in price from $6-$18.

The restaurant also offers blue crab, crawfish, crab legs, shrimp, mussels and steamed scallops. Alongside the seafood orders, customers can choose a sauce to accompany each dish and choose a level of spiciness.

Elite Dental’s SmileSIM Helps Patients Visualize Dental Procedures

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The specialists at Elite Dental in Arlington are known for crafting exceptional smiles.

Whether you’re in need of specific treatments like Invisalign®, veneers, crowns or dental implants, the goal of Elite Dental’s highly skilled doctors is to leave each patient feeling more confident about his or her smile.

Because their treatment recommendations are based on the aspiration of each individual, Elite Dental has become the practice of choice for those who value exceptional levels of planning, quality and craftsmanship.

One of Elite Dental’s unique features is in their use of SmileSIM™. It allows their doctors to show side-by-side comparisons of a patient’s current smile, with one that has been digitally enhanced with proposed treatment.

Their incorporation of SmileSIM™ allows Elite Dental to guide patients toward the esthetic results that best match patient aspirations. By simulating possible outcomes first, patients can see and understand results before choosing to accept and move forward with treatment.

Elite Dental has found a better way to empower its patients. By providing a higher level of understanding into what treatment outcomes will be, they have taken away much of the uncertainty involved with cosmetic treatment. This allows their patients the ability to make better informed decisions about their smile enhancements. They have successfully added transparency to the patient experience and made the ultimate goal of achieving the perfect smile, a much easier journey.

Elite Dental truly gives anyone who values excellent dentistry the opportunity to have it. They provide premium, long lasting dental care to those who want the best in skill, technology and comfort for themselves and their family members.

Ready to develop a roadmap to your new smile? Contact Elite Dental today.

Arlington’s Crime Rate Falls Again, Though Alcohol-Related Incidents Increase

By Alex Koma

Arlington’s crime rate fell for the sixth straight year in 2017, even as the county recorded some big jumps in alcohol-related misdemeanors, according to new police data.

The Arlington County Police Department released its annual report for the past year on Monday (May 14), showing that the county’s overall crime rate dropped by just over 7.7 percent in 2017.

That includes drops in the number of several types of more serious crimes, like robberies and car thefts, though the county did see a roughly 4 percent increase in aggravated assaults. Arlington police also investigated four murders last year, after recording just one in 2016, but the department has managed to close all of those cases.

Police recorded some of the largest increases in crimes related to alcohol, with a nearly 73 percent jump in liquor law violations and a more than 17 percent jump in various “drunkenness” charges. In all, the county’s 129 liquor law violations included 62 underage drinking charges and 28 charges for drinking alcohol in public, according to the report. Police also recorded confiscating 703 fake IDs last year.

The department noted that some of those increases could be attributed to officers spending more time policing downtown Clarendon, in particular, as part of its “Arlington Restaurant Initiative” to step up the police presence in the area.

County police recorded a significant increase in “officer contacts” in designated “nightlife areas,” with a 56 percent jump in the number of interactions they recorded around neighborhoods with large concentrations of bars and restaurants. However, with the department’s plans to shift its resources to cope with a staffing squeeze, Police Chief M. Jay Farr recently warned that police may not be able to station as many officers in Clarendon moving forward.

Like many other communities across the country, Arlington recorded a large uptick in the number of opioid overdoses last year. In all, police responded to 74 overdoses in 2017, with 19 of those proving to be fatal. In 2016, the county saw 45 total overdoses involving drugs like heroin and fentanyl, and 12 were fatal.

Finally, county police recorded a 7 percent drop in traffic accidents last year. However, the department did register an especially large bump in accidents involving bicycles — from 32 in 2016 to 80 in 2017 — but they believe an increased focus on bike safety last spring helped contribute to the larger number there.

Similarly, Farr believes police will also have less time to devote to traffic enforcement under the department’s restructuring plan, which took effect on Sunday (May 13).

Charts via Arlington County Police Department

Red Top Cab Redevelopment in Clarendon Could Soon Move Ahead

By Alex Koma
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Long-delayed plans to transform Red Top Cab’s properties in western Clarendon into three new mixed-use buildings could soon move ahead.

The Arlington County Board is set to consider a series of zoning changes this weekend to let Ballston-based developer The Shooshan Company start re-developing the lots, which sit behind Clarendon’s main strip of bars along Wilson Boulevard.

In all, the developer is hoping to build a total of 584 multifamily units across the three buildings, with 1,295 square feet of retail space included as well. The new development would replace Red Top’s headquarters (located where Washington Boulevard meets 13th Street N.), in addition to the lot the company once used for vehicle maintenance at 1200 N. Hudson Street.

The County Board first approved the project in October 2015. But work hasn’t moved ahead on the project as the developer has tweaked its construction plans, according to a staff report prepared for the Board.

Originally, The Shooshan Company planned to start work on the building along N. Ivy Street first. But that location is also home to a daycare center, NOVA KinderCare, and the developer wanted to let that business stay open, staff wrote. Accordingly, they want to move forward with work on the property at the N. Hudson Street — originally the second phase of the project — to kick things off instead.

In exchange for clearing the way for the development by vacating several properties in the area, Shooshan has agreed to donate four parcels of land along the 1100 block of N. Jackson Street, valued at about $3 million, to the county. That will help the county move ahead with its plans to do away with the reversible lanes on Washington Boulevard and create “a more conventional ‘T’ intersection” with 13th Street N., staff wrote.

The developer also plans to donate land to the county to help it build a park in the area, and will include at least six affordable housing units in the new buildings. Red Top plans to move its headquarters elsewhere in Arlington, if these plans go forward, and has already moved its maintenance operations to Falls Church.

County staff is recommending that the Board approve these changes. The Board is scheduled to take up the matter at its Saturday (May 19) meeting.

Anti-Abortion Protest Covers Clarendon Metro Plaza

By Anna Merod
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Anti-abortion protesters took over the Clarendon Metro Plaza for about two hours Thursday morning (May 10), greeting pedestrians with graphic images of aborted fetuses.

“We are raising awareness about the destruction of children in the womb and we are calling the community to support women to help and make a choice for life for their children,” said Jeanne Miller, one of the protesters.

The protest was a part of a day-long event to honor the late George Yourishin, described by the Baltimore-based organization Defend Life as a “pro-life hero.” Miller said there was no real reason for choosing Clarendon to protest besides the fact that demonstrators were planning to visit Yourishin’s grave in Arlington National Cemetery later that day, after mass at nearby St. Charles Catholic Church.

She added that most of the signs were provided by Defend Life to show what an abortion looks like. The practice of protesters displaying gruesome photos of fetuses in public places has been hotly debated in several court cases nationwide; some courts have ruled that the images are too disturbing to be shown in public, while others have defended the practice as one protected by the First Amendment.

Miller said she had a lot of positive interactions with passersby, but had one man who became very upset and shouted epithets at her.

Anti-abortion protesters have demonstrated in Arlington before, gathering outside the H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program in 2016 and Washington-Lee High School in 2012.

Photos by Anna Merod

Medical Emergency Leads to Disabled Silver Line Train at Clarendon Station

By ARLnow.com

Update at 6 p.m. — The disabled train has been cleared and medics have left the scene. Residual delays remain, according to Metro.

Earlier: A Silver Line train is disabled at the Clarendon Metro station at the height of the evening rush hour after a rider suffered a medical emergency.

Initial reports suggest that a passenger suffered a seizure on the train, leading another passenger to push an emergency stop switch. The passenger was taken off the train and is being tended to by medics, according to scanner traffic, but the train is now disabled.

Metro is warning about delays on the Blue, Orange and Silver lines as a result of the incident.

Crime Report: Police Searching for Three Men in Connection with Alleged Mob Assault

By Alex Koma

Arlington County Police are looking for three men who they believe teamed up to assault a man near a Clarendon dog park early Sunday morning.

Police say a man was walking along N. Herndon Street at its intersection with 13th Street N. early Sunday morning (May 6) near the James Hunter Dog Park, when “three slim, light-skinned South Asian” men accosted him because they believed he was attempting to break into their car, according to a crime report.

One of the three men “grabbed an object the victim was carrying and threw it at him, causing a laceration,” police say. Spokeswoman Ashley Savage told ARLnow that the police department’s homicide/robbery unit is investigating the incident as a “malicious wounding by mob,” and is still searching for the suspects.

More from this week’s Arlington County Police Department crime report:

MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 2018-05060043, N. Herndon Street at 13th Street N. At approximately 2:13 a.m. on May 6, police were dispatched to the report of an unknown situation. Upon arrival, it was determined that the male victim was walking in the area attempting to locate his vehicle, when three unknown male suspects approached the victim and accused him of attempting to break into their vehicle, which the victim was standing near. The victim walked away from the vehicle and the suspects continued yelling profanities at him. One suspect then grabbed an object the victim was carrying and threw it at him, causing a laceration. The three suspects then fled the scene in a vehicle prior to police arrival. The suspects are described as three slim, light-skinned South Asian, possibly Indian males, all in their mid 20’s with black hair. One suspect was wearing a black tank top. The vehicle is described as a dark gray or black Toyota Prius, possibly with Maryland license plates. Arriving officers canvassed the area with negative results. The investigation is ongoing.

The incident was one of three “malicious woundings” reported on May 6.

More on those incidents, and other highlights from the ACPD weekly crime report — including some that we’ve already reported — after the jump.

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ACPD Seeking Two Suspects Following Late Night Rumble at Clarendon Restaurant

By ARLnow.com

Two people are wanted by Arlington County Police after a fracas at a Clarendon restaurant early Sunday morning.

Police say the incident started after 2 a.m. when a customer “became irate over the quality of service provided by the business,” then went behind a service counter and struck an employee in the head. A second suspect struck an employee who came to the aid of the first, according to police.

Officers on the Clarendon bar detail responded on foot to the scene after observing “a large crowd and loud noise inside a business.”

The police department generally does not release the name of the business in which a crime takes place, and a police spokeswoman would only describe the business as a restaurant located on the 3100 block of Clarendon Blvd. Restaurants on that block include Mister Days, Bronx Pizza, Bar Bao and Pamplona.

More from an ACPD crime report:

ASSAULT & BATTERY (Significant), 2018-05060044, 3100 block of Clarendon Boulevard. At approximately 2:21 a.m. on May 6, officers assigned to the Clarendon Detail observed a large crowd and loud noise inside a business. Upon investigation, it was determined that a customer became irate over the quality of service provided by the business and went behind the service counter. After being escorted back to the customer area, the suspect returned to the area behind the counter and struck one employee in the head. Additional employees came to the aid of the victim, resulting in a physical altercation and a second suspect then struck an aiding employee in the neck. Warrants for Assault and Battery and Disorderly Conduct were issued for the two suspects.

New Escape Room on the Way for Market Common Clarendon

By Alex Koma

(Updated at 5:45 p.m.) Arlington is getting another escape room, this time in Clarendon.

Fairfax-based Bond’s Escape Room plans to open a second location in Market Common Clarendon, according to a press release. The company is aiming to open the escape room by August.

Bond’s and other escape rooms give participants the chance to solve a series of puzzles and riddles in a timed setting.

“Our goal is to give our guests an exciting, innovative experience that will leave happy memories,” Egor Bondarev, the company’s CEO, said in a release. “We will have a total of twelve rooms (six regular-size games with six miniature games), all designed by our escape room enthusiasts who create the kind of games that we’d want to play.”

Bondarev told ARLnow via email that the escape room will be located at 2800 Clarendon Boulevard, Suite 910, just above Sephora.

Bond’s first opened its Fairfax location along University Drive back in 2015. The company’s website bills it as “the largest escape room venue on the East Coast.”

This announcement comes just a few weeks after Richmond-based Ravenchase Adventures revealed plans to open an escape room along Columbia Pike. The company’s website says that venue will likely open in June.

File photo

Police Seek Public’s Help Identifying Repeat Indecent Exposure Offender

By Bridget Reed Morawski

(Updated at 8:05 p.m.) The Arlington County Police Department is asking for tips from the public to identify a man they say has repeatedly exposed himself in the Radnor-Ft. Myer Heights neighborhood, near Courthouse and Clarendon.

The suspect is reported to have approached several victims while exposing himself.

Police describe the suspect as a Hispanic male in his 20s or 30s, standing at 5’8″ to 5’10” tall with a medium build. The suspect, during several incidents, reportedly wore “dark clothing with a hat or hood pulled tight around his face.”

Police have linked five separate indecent exposure incidents on four different days to the same suspect “based on witness interviews and evidence collected.”

The incidents, according to police, occurred at the follow dates, times and locations:

  • January 26, 2018, 10:35 p.m., N. Rolfe Street at 16th Street N.
  • February 9, 2018, 9:48 p.m., 1800 block of 16th Street N.
  • February 13, 2018, 11:00 p.m., 2700 block of Clarendon Boulevard
  • March 3, 2018, 11:58 p.m., 16th Street N. at N. Rhodes Street
  • March 3, 2018, 11:35 p.m., 1900 block of Clarendon Boulevard

The incidents all occurred within approximately a mile of one another, more or less along Clarendon Boulevard. Other indecent exposure incidents have been reported nearby in recent weeks, but were not included in the ACPD press release. However, a police spokesperson tells ARLnow that detectives’ preliminary investigation leads them to believe these two most recent incidents will also end up being included in the same case based on the location and suspect description.

More from the press release:

The Arlington County Police Department is sharing these crime prevention tips to help keep you safe as you travel in the area. Remain alert and aware of your surroundings at all times. Whenever possible, walk with another person and stay in well-lit, high traffic areas. Limit your use of devices that may distract you or impede your vision or hearing. If you see something suspicious or are the victim of a crime, contact the Emergency Communications Center as soon as possible by calling 703-558-2222 or 9-1-1 in an emergency.

If anyone has information on the identity of this individual or details surrounding these incidents, please contact Detective J. Echenique of the Arlington County Police Department’s Special Victims Unit at [email protected]. To report information anonymously, contact the Arlington County Crime Solvers at 866.411.TIPS (8477).

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Arlington Among Top Cities for Recent Grads — According to rankings from the website Livability, Arlington is the No. 2 best place for recent college graduates. Champaign, Ill. was ranked No. 1 and Jersey City, N.J. ranked No. 3. [Livability]

Major Water Main Replacement Approved — “The Arlington County Board [on Saturday] approved a $1.9 million contract (including contingency) to Sagres Construction Corporation to replace a nearly century-old water main along South Arlington Ridge Road, between 23rd Street South and South Nash Street. The existing 8-inch water main was built in 1927 and has experienced frequent breaks in recent years.” [Arlington County]

Cemetery Investigates Suspicious Package — On Saturday Arlington National Cemetery’s main entrance was briefly closed to vehicles and pedestrians while a security team investigated a suspicious package in the Welcome Center. The package was determined to “pose no threat” and normal operations resumed at 4:50 p.m. [Twitter]

Yorktown Grad in NFL Draft — M.J. Stewart may be the first Yorktown High School grad selected in the NFL Draft: “The 6-foot, 205-pound defensive back, who played at the University of North Carolina the last four seasons and was a three-time all-Atlantic Coast Conference selection, has been projected to be chosen in the second or third round. The draft begins the night April 26 with first-round selections and last through April 28.” [InsideNova]

Heated Dispute Over Amazon Fire Stick — “Overheard on the scanner: Police responding to a man and a woman arguing over which person owns an Amazon Fire stick.” [Twitter]

Yarn Bomb Featured in Video — A new video shows the creation of the “yarn bomb” in Clarendon. In captions, it explains that a yarn bomb “is a type of graffiti or street art of knitted or crocheted yarn rather than paint or chalk.” [YouTube]

Flickr pool photo by Dave Bentley

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