Crystal City

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Storm Shopping Clears Shelves — Residents are taking the advice of emergency officials and shopping for essential items in advance of Hurricane Irene. At the Potomac Yard Target store last night, shopping carts were at a premium, milk was running low and bottled water was completely sold out.

Two Candidates Challenge Brink — Del. Bob Brink will have to work a bit harder to keep his 48th District House of Delegates seat. Brink is facing general election challenges from Independent Green candidate Janet Murphy and from McLean resident Kathleen Gillette Mallard, who has ties to the Tea Party. [Sun Gazette]

Major Crystal City Employer Purchased — Bloomberg LP has purchased the Bureau of National Affairs, a specialized industry reporting outfit headquartered in Crystal City. Bloomberg says it plans to run BNA, which has more than 600 employees, as a “stand-alone subsidiary.” [Washington Post]

Office of Emergency Management Video — Rest assured that Arlington County is ready for Hurricane Irene. But be a bit worried about the county’s ability to properly operate a video camera. [YouTube]

Fairfax Times Rips Off ARLnow.com Quote — The Washington Post-owned Fairfax Times has copied, verbatim, a quote from an ARLnow.com article on the 31st District state Senate primary without proper attribution. The quote from Betsy Wildhack only appeared on ARLnow.com — we were the only news outlet there at the time — but yet now appears at the end of a Fairfax Times article without any sort of credit or acknowledgement.

Work Starts on ‘Memphis BBQ’ in Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

Interior and exterior construction has started on Memphis Barbeque, a new BBQ restaurant in Crystal City.

The restaurant is taking the place of the now-shuttered Mackey’s Public House on 23rd Street, between Crystal Drive and Jefferson Davis Highway. The official word is that the restaurant will open in “late summer,” but ARLnow.com projects a later fall or winter opening.

According to the Washington Business Journal’s Missy Frederick, owner and restaurant veteran Chris George is planning to spend $750,000 renovating the 5,500 square foot space into a proper barbeque joint, complete with a large outdoor patio.

“Meats will be prepared with the help of smokers and a hickory wood grill,” WBJ reported. Traditional barbeque dishes will be supplemented with new creations like barbeque egg rolls.

Photo courtesy of ‘Terry’

Crystal City Plans Wine-Filled September

By ARLnow.com

Bummed out about the approaching end of summer? Crystal City’s Business Improvement District hopes to ease the transition to cooler weather with a little vino.

Crystal City will be holding six wine events during the month of September, including its popular annual ‘Vintage Crystal’ wine and jazz festival on Sunday, Sept. 18.

The wine-filled month will start on Sept. 2, with the first of five ‘Wine in the Waterpark’ events. The Washington Wine Academy will pour $5 glasses of wine and $4 beers in the Crystal City Water Park (across from 1750 Crystal Drive) while Crystal City’s Jaleo restaurant serves up free snacks and while DJ Adrian Loving spins “mood-setting, ambient music.”

Wine in the Waterpark will take place from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. It will continue every Friday through Sept. 30, when Pacers will host a special ‘5K Friday’ race. The race will start at 6:30 p.m. and will count the night’s Wine in the Waterpark event as its official after party.

The marquee Vintage Crystal event on Sept. 18 will feature tastings of 30 different wines from Spain, Argentina and Chile. More than 20 local restaurants will be there, handing out free samples. Latin jazz group Trio Caliente will perform, as will dancers from Columbia Pike’s The Salsa Room.

Tickets to the event — which will take place from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. — are $20 and include a free wine glass.

Disclosure: Crystal City BID is advertising its September wine events on ARLnow.com.

Crystal City Claims Bathroom Bragging Rights

By ARLnow.com

The new Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel in Crystal City has one of the best bathrooms in the country, according to a contest sponsored by restroom management and maintenance provider Cintas.

The hotel’s ground floor restroom is one of 10 swanky bathrooms from around the country selected for the tenth-annual America’s Best Restroom contest. This year’s contest includes loos from restaurants in New York City, a casino in Las Vegas, a museum in Chicago and a mobile trailer used by President Obama.

Cintas describes the Renaissance’s bathroom with the kind of aesthetic admiration one might use to describe to a work of art.

The hallway leading to the restrooms is darkened with shadows of leaves, some blurred, some sharper, projected on the floor. The designer creates a sense of adventure as one journeys through this passage with its tree-patterned wall coverings and play of shadow and light. Once inside the restrooms, one wall is ablaze in the oranges and golden tones of a sunset and the dark silhouettes of birds in flight. Mirrors above the vanity feature bird silhouettes that are lit and when a guest turns on the faucet, water flows in a sparkling red stream if it’s hot and a blue stream if it’s cool, thanks to ingenious lighting within the fixtures.

The public is encouraged to vote for any number of the finalists.

Pedro & Vinny’s Opens on the Pike, Plans Crystal City Burrito Cart

By ARLnow.com

A legendary D.C. food cart is expanding its brand to South Arlington.

Over the weekend, Pedro & Vinny’s opened in the tiny (repainted, non-mobile) building that once housed Santa Ana Restaurant on Columbia Pike, in the parking lot between the CVS Pharmacy and the new Penrose Square apartments.

Pedro & Vinny’s Pike outpost is not owned by cart proprietor John Rider. Rather, it’s the first Pedro & Vinny’s franchise, owned and operated by the owner of the former Santa Ana Restaurant.

Regardless, many of the elements that led Zagat to declare Pedro & Vinny’s 15th and K Street cart “one of the ‘best cheap lunches Downtown'” — including fresh ingredients and signature sauces — can now be found on the Pike. Just don’t expect much beyond the raved-about food. The (outdoor) dining area, which sits in a parking lot with views of a cement wall and of the CVS parking lot, is as no-frills as the Pedro & Vinny’s web site.

Rider’s daughter, Kristen, who once ran a second Pedro & Vinny’s cart at 19th and L Street, is helping to get the old Santa Ana crew up to speed on her family’s way of doing things. She expects to be on board long enough to see the location’s grand opening, which should take place in 2-3 weeks. Then, Kristen will work to get the second cart up and running in a new location: Crystal City.

Rider expects the Crystal City cart to be serving customers at some point this fall. She said that she’s excited to be doing business in Arlington, since it was “red tape” in the District that prompted her to shut down the cart last fall.

The restaurant, at 2599 Columbia Pike, plans to stay open until 11:00 p.m. on weekdays and 3:00 a.m. on weekends. More photos after the jump.

Hat tips to Jordan H. and Rebecca K.

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Video: More Changes Coming to Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

Crystal City is changing, and thanks to the new Crystal City Sector Plan it will change dramatically over the next 40 years.

But what does the plan mean for residents? Why is there going to be a new streetcar line, an increase in density and more affordable housing?

The county-run Arlington Virginia Network has just released an interview with County Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman that attempts to answer some of those questions.

Good Stuff Eatery Coming to Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

The tipster who in March spotted Top Chef contestant Spike Mendelsohn chatting up the manager of the Chick-fil-A in Crystal City was apparently on to something.

Washingtonian Magazine’s Best Bites Blog reports that Mendelsohn’s Good Stuff Eatery is expanding to Crystal City. The burger joint will be located in the middle of the Crystal Drive restaurant row and will include a special “milkshake station” where “customers can watch the custard-spinning process up close.”

The restaurant is aiming for a January opening.

“Shred-It” Truck Catches Fire in Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

A “Shred-It” paper shredding truck caught fire in Crystal City early this afternoon.

Firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze, which apparently started in the paper shredding machine within the truck. The shredded documents within the truck were doused with water, creating a sticky-looking mess but otherwise preventing the fire from spreading. No injuries were reported.

All northbound lanes of S. Eads Street were shut down between 18th Street and 20th Street while firefighters battled the flames. The road has since reopened.

Examiner Blasts Arlington’s Streetcar Project

By ARLnow.com

The plan to build a rapid bus line in Crystal City and Potomac Yard, and then eventually replace it with a streetcar line, is drawing criticism from the Washington Examiner’s editorial board.

“This colossal, unjustified waste of tax dollars has been deliberately concealed from the public,” the Examiner alleges. However, the plan to convert the transitway into a streetcar line has been discussed in public meetings.

The Examiner editorial also alleges that the planned streetcar line along Columbia Pike will hinder traffic, especially during rush hour. The paper says the county should release the results of a simulation that attempted to find out how much vehicle travel times would be affected by the streetcar.

“A previous study showed that streetcars on the pike will turn an easy 15-minute commute to a 50-minute marathon,” the editorial board wrote, adding that the planned narrowing of traffic lanes along the Pike will present a safety hazard for drivers and cyclists.

‘Melody Tavern’ Coming to Potomac Yard

By ARLnow.com

A new bar/restaurant is coming to the Market Square at Potomac Yard development (3650 S. Glebe Road) near Crystal City.

“Melody Tavern” will serve healthy, modern American fare and will host live music and comedy acts, according to owner Michel Daley. It will target the more mature “professional set,” he said.

Daley, formerly the co-owner of D.C. waterfront hotspot Zanzibar, says the restaurant will be opening in the large, 7,000 square foot space once occupied by the now-shuttered McGinty’s Pub. He anticipates a September or October opening date.

The restaurant will have fewer flat screen TVs than McGinty’s, Daley said, but will still show sports and other programming during times when no live entertainment is booked. There will be a weekly, live jazz brunch on Sundays as well as occasional live jazz and blues performance at night.

Daley said he’s confident Melody Tavern will be a “destination” that will attract customers to the relatively new retail square, which he admitted is somewhat “off the beaten path.” He said two other new restaurants in the square — the Asian fusion eatery Heebeen and pizza-and-pasta joint Paisano’s — will be opening soon and will also help to add vitality to the area.

“I couldn’t be happier,” Daley said. “I couldn’t have found a better spot.”

At first, the restaurant will only be open at night on weekdays. It will eventually open for lunch during the week when tenants start moving into a new office building across the street, Daley said. Like McGinty’s, Melody Tavern is expected to seat more than 150 people inside the restaurant and outside on its 1,000 square foot outdoor patio.

Crystal City Hotel to Host Angry Birds Tournament

By ARLnow.com

If you thought Angry Birds was a game that one only plays alone while killing time on the Metro, think again. A local hotel is turning the popular puzzle video game into a full-fledged, multi-day tournament.

The new Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel in Crystal City (2800 S. Potomac Avenue) will be hosting “Angry Hours” — a weekly series of live Angry Bird tournaments — every Thursday from July 14 to Aug. 25.

The tournament will be held from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at SOCCi, the hotel’s modern Italian restaurant and bar. Players will compete for prizes including hotel stays, free dinners and an iPad. The tournament will also feature its own menu of signature cocktails, with names like “Mighty Eagle,” the “Rio” and the “Golden Egg.”

Registration for the tournament is free, but players must be at least 21 years of age. Call 703-413-1300 for more information.

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