Crystal City

Good Stuff Eatery Holds Party in Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

Spike Mendelsohn brought some glitz and glamour to Crystal City Friday night at the private opening party for his newest Good Stuff Eatery location.

Between the the celebrity DJ inside (Josh Madden), the Ferrari parked outside (it belonged to one of Spike’s investors), and the reality show production crew that filmed the whole thing (we were told they were working on “Life After Top Chef”), the party was more Hollywood Boulevard than Crystal Drive. Taking in the excitement — and the beer, fries, burgers and milkshakes — was a capacity crowd that included young partiers, local notables, and Mendelsohn family members.

The restaurant, at 2110 Crystal Drive, is set to open to the public on Wednesday.

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DelMarVa’s Southern Cafe Coming to Crystal City

By Katie Pyzyk

Some comfort food is coming to Crystal City. DelMarVa’s Southern Cafe and Taphouse is apparently moving in at 2450 Crystal Drive, according to its website.

The restaurant touts itself as serving comfort foods traditional to the Delmarva Peninsula. Some menu items include the “Chesapeake Chicken” sandwich, which is topped with crab dip, and the “Eastern Shore” fried egg sandwich. The drink menu features wines and beers crafted in the Delmarva area.

The website says the restaurant, which will offer a casual atmosphere, hopes to be open this fall. A location in Baltimore is scheduled to open sometime this spring.

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.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

May Day — It’s the first of May and, after a relatively cool April, the weather is finally expected to warm up today. [Capital Weather Gang]

Worries Over Westover Farmers Market Parking — As part of a compromise between the organizers of the new Westover Farmers Market and the Arlington County Board, the market will close at noon (instead of 1:00 p.m., as originally proposed) and will provide attendants to direct patrons to designated parking areas. Still, some businesses and residents are worried that market-goers may cause parking woes in the neighborhood. [Arlington Mercury]

Defense Contractor Relocating to Arlington — DRS Technologies, a military contractor, is relocating its corporate headquarters to Crystal City from New Jersey. The move is expected to bring at least 75 new jobs to Arlington, on top of the 26 employees who already work in an existing DRS office in Crystal City. Gov. Bob McDonnell reportedly initiated talks with DRS about moving to Virginia while attending an air show in England. [Washington Business Journal]

Photos: Children Reading to Dogs — The library has posted some photos from a recent Paws-to-Read session at Westover Branch Library. The Paws-to-Read program, which is now in four Arlington libraries, gives children an opportunity to practice reading aloud to a cuddly, non-judgmental audience. [Arlington Public Library]

Crystal City Fit Week Kicks Off a Season of Events

By Katie Pyzyk

Today marked the start of Crystal City’s “Fit Week,” a series of events “designed to keep the community fit, healthy, and green.”

It began this morning with outdoor yoga at the Crystal City Water Park (1750 Crystal Drive). The free yoga sessions will continue every Monday through September, starting at 7:00 a.m.

Tomorrow, the FRESHFARM Farmers Market returns with a variety of items from local growers and producers. The market is open from 3:00-7:00 p.m., and will be held every Tuesday through November on Crystal Drive between 18th and 20th Streets.

On Wednesday, another outdoor class will get participants moving. A Zumba class will be held at noon in the courtyard at 2121 Crystal Drive. This class will take place every Wednesday through September. Anyone who takes part can freshen up afterward with a free shower at the nearby Sport & Health club.

A “Fit Fair” will be held at Crystal Drive and 18th Street from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Thursday. A number of health screenings will be available, including blood pressure, stress test, body mass index, and a gait analysis for runners. Attendees can get information on smoking cessation or receive a chair massage. A blood donation station will also be set up.

Thursday night, a new season of street hockey will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the parking lot adjacent to 220 20th Street. Matches run for 11 weeks on Thursday evenings or Sunday mornings. Individuals pay a $25 fee and teams pay a $250 fee.

The final Fit Week event, called the Floral Frenzy, is on Friday. Residents and workers are invited to dig up the thousands of tulip bulbs along the sidewalk in front of 2121 Crystal Drive. The bulbs can be replanted at home and should continue to bloom for several years.

More information about Crystal City Fit Week can be found online.

Disclosure: Crystal City BID is an ARLnow.com advertiser.

Crystal Drive to be Converted into Two Way Street

By Katie Pyzyk

Crystal City’s main drag will be getting a major facelift. A contract has been awarded to convert Crystal Drive from a one way street into a two way street.

During its meeting on Saturday, the County Board voted unanimously to award the $1.9 million contract to Ardent Company, LLC. In addition to the street conversion, the three phase project will improve intersections along Crystal Drive with new traffic signals and ADA compliant ramps and crosswalks. A southbound bicycle lane will also be added.

The new design is expected to make the street safer and easier to navigate, as well as preparing the area for future development and a streetcar.

Construction for phase one is supposed to begin in June and is scheduled to finish by the end of this year. That covers the portion from 12th Street South to 15th Street South. Two other construction phases will follow — one from 23rd Street South to 26th Street South, and another from 26th Street South to 27th Street South.

The county will post notices about periodic lane closures before they happen. The goal is to only close down one lane at a time to minimize the impact to drivers.

Funding for the project was previously approved and appropriated in the Transportation Capital Fund.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Students Welcome Shuttle Arrival — Students at St. Thomas More Cathedral School in Arlington welcomed the arrival of space shuttle Discovery yesterday by lining up in the school’s parking lot in the outline of a space shuttle.

Budget Proposal Includes Tax Hike, Pay Raise — At a work session yesterday, the Arlington County Board agreed to raise the real estate tax rate for its new budget — set for adoption on Saturday — by 1.3 cents above the current rate. That’s well above the 0.5 cent tax rate hike in County Manager Barbara Donnellan’s proposed budget. The new budget includes increased funding for schools, libraries, housing and employee pay raises — including a 2.8 percent pay raise for County Board members themselves. [Washington Post]

Board to Consider Crystal Drive Two-Way Project — The County Board on Saturday is expected to approve a $1.9 million contract to convert the portion of Crystal Drive between 15th and 12th Streets into a two-way street with bike lanes and various other improvements. [Sun Gazette]

Renovated Residence Inn to Reopen — A grand reopening celebration is scheduled at the Residence Inn hotel on Army Navy Drive in Pentagon City. The event, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 3, will celebrate the recent “upscale” renovation of the hotel’s suites and public spaces. “The new look of our spacious suites will help our guests feel right at home and our totally reimagined lobby has wide open spaces to work and relax,” a company rep said in a press release.

Photo courtesy Chris Marquez

AGLA Prepares for Miss Gay Arlington Pageant

By ARLnow.com

The Arlington Gay and Lesbian Alliance will be holding its annual Miss Gay Arlington pageant later this month in Crystal City.

From a press release:

The Arlington Gay & Lesbian Alliance (AGLA) will once again be presenting the Miss Gay Arlington pageant. The pageant is open to all individuals, over the age of 21 who portray the female persona, regardless of where they reside. At this Mardi Gras themed event to be held on Saturday, April 28th, the current reigning Miss Gay Arlington, Diamond D. Bottoms, will make her final performances as the reigning titleholder and crown the new Miss Gay Arlington. Contestants will compete in four categories: 1) Presentation (Mardi Gras); 2) Talent; 3) Evening Gown; and 4) On-stage Question. The winner of the pageant will receive a prize package valued at $850, including a cash prize of $300.

If you are interested in competing to be the next Miss Gay Arlington or assisting in some other way with the pageant please contact pageant promoter, Daniel L. Hays at [email protected]. The contestant packet is available online at: http://www.agla.org/live/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/miss-gay-arlington-packet.pdf.

The contest is being held at Freddie’s Beach Bar and Restaurant in Crystal City (555 23rd Street S.) at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 28. There’s a $10 cover for anyone interested in attending.

Charlie Chiang’s In Crystal City Closed for Renovations

By ARLnow.com

Renovations are still in progress at Charlie Chiang’s in Crystal City (320 23rd Street S.).

With little warning, the Asian restaurant closed last month for “remodeling.” A manager at the Charlie Chiang’s location in Centreville told us that the restaurant is not expected to reopen for another week or two.

In a note on the door addressed to the restaurant’s “royal customers,” management apologized for the sudden closing.

“We are sorry for the inconvenience!” the note said. “We will be back! Better than ever!”

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.

Pole Dancing Competition Coming to Arlington

By ARLnow.com

A statewide pole dancing competition is coming to the Crystal City Hilton (2399 Jefferson Davis Hwy) later this month.

The Virginia leg of the Southern Regional Pole Dance Fitness Competitions will take place at the hotel from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 28. More than 20 women will compete for the title of Ms. Virginia.

Emphasizing fitness and form over eroticism, the competition is drawing both professional competitors and amateur competitors from pole dance fitness studios across Virginia. The finalists were chosen via YouTube video submissions.

Three women will judge the competition: pole dance instructor Jane Allen, former exotic dancer Trixie Lovett, and Torwa “Fiya Starta” Jo.

The general public is welcome to view the competition, but tickets start at $25.

Screen grab of Ms. Virginia competitor via YouTube

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