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New Pilates Studio Opens Its Doors in Ballston

By Alex Koma
1/4

A new pilates studio has just opened its doors in Ballston, led by an instructor who formerly taught classes at a now-shuttered studio in Shirlington.

Praxi Pilates started offering classes over the last few weeks after moving into a space at 4141 N. Henderson Road late last year, owner and lead instructor Carey Galst Cavalcante told ARLnow. The studio is located in a mixed-use building off of N. Glebe Road, near the neighborhood’s Harris Teeter store.

Cavalcante says she’s been teaching pilates since moving to the D.C. area from California back in 2012, with the bulk of her classes located at the “My Thrive Pilates” studio in Shirlington.

But when the pilates chain shuttered last spring, closing locations in Courthouse and Falls Church as well, Cavalcante said she started “looking for places to continue teaching” and increasingly became convinced that she should simply strike out on her own.

“The majority of my clientele had lived in Arlington, North Alexandria, those kinds of areas, so Arlington made sense,” Cavalcante said. “And this new space is a little bit hidden, but it’s really ideal.”

Cavalcante concedes that the 3,400-square-foot studio lacks “street presence,” considering that it faces a courtyard off the street, but that makes it ideal for participants looking to center themselves during classes.

She’s already offering both group and private classes in the space, with reformer, mat and circuit pilates on offer.

“We’ve got a good group together from the other studio already, simply because many of these folks have known each other for many years and come to class together,” Cavalcante said. “Now, we’re just trying to build from there and get clients in the door.”

To that end, Cavalcante plans to hold an “open house” for curious potential clients. The event will run from 1-4 p.m. on Jan. 27.

JUST IN: Former A-Town Space in Ballston Set to be Transformed into German Food Hall

By Alex Koma

The owners of the recently shuttered A-Town Bar and Grill in Ballston now say they’re transforming the restaurant into a German food hall.

The space at 4100 Fairfax Drive will soon become “Bronson,” offering up craft beer and traditional German fare, co-owner and chef Mike Cordero announced in a news release today (Wednesday).

Cordero and his partners opted to shut down A-Town late last year, after opening its doors back in 2012. Co-owner Scott Parker chalked the change up to the fact that the bar’s lease was set to expire when 2019 rolled around and the building’s landlord was interested in giving the location a bit of a refresh.

The swap will involve the full renovation of the space, including the addition of “large communal tables” and expansion of its seating capacity to hold about 250 people in all.

“We’ve had seven great years at A-Town Bar and Grill but it’s time for a change,” Cordero said in a statement. “We look forward to the new year with introducing the new Bronson business model, innovative design and fun atmosphere and serving the Arlington community.”

Bronson “will offer German-American casual cuisine, specialty cocktails and craft draft beer, which can be served at the restaurant or for sale as a take away in traditional German growlers,” the release said. The bar will also include “popular taproom games, including foosball, cornhole, darts, bocce and shuffleboard.”

Cordero said that construction on the new eatery is kicking off right away, and he hopes to have it open by “early April.”

Parker and Cordero are partners on a whole host of other popular Arlington night life spots, from The GOAT and Don Tito in Clarendon to Barley Mac in Rosslyn.

Photo courtesy of Mike Cordero

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Christmas Tree Pickup Underway — For residents eligible for Arlington County’s trash collection service, the special curbside Christmas tree service is currently underway. Trees will be hauled away on the regular trash collection day through Jan. 11 and turned into mulch. [Arlington County]

Shutdown Could Hurt Local Businesses — “In Greater Washington, that could mean about 40 percent of approximately 362,000 federal workers — about 145,000 — would not receive roughly $15 million per day in pay, according to rough estimates… The shutdown is likely to hit industries that depend heavily on the discretionary spending of federal workers and contractors.” [Washington Business Journal]

Would-Be Local Amazon Locations — Among the places Amazon could have gone to in Northern Virginia, if it did not pick the Pentagon City and Crystal City area for its new office campus, were Alexandria near the Eisenhower Metro station and Rosslyn, with a prominent skyline view along the Potomac. [Washington Business Journal]

Ads on Virginia School Buses? — “Advertising on the back end of school buses? It could be coming to the Old Dominion. The state legislature again this session will consider a proposal by Del. Israel O’Quinn (R-Bristol) allowing school districts to place commercial advertising between the rear wheels and the rear of the bus.” [InsideNova]

Metro Touts Fewer Fires — “Metro will end 2018 with the lowest number of insulator-related smoke/fire incidents in years – 66 percent fewer compared to 2016 – despite record rainfall this year. Water infiltration in Metro’s tunnels has historically been the leading cause of such incidents.” [WMATA]

Pre-Boarding Snafu at DCA — “A couple says their holiday trip to Virginia was ruined by a traumatic incident on their flight home. A disabled husband was forced to pre-board alone, while his sick wife had to stay behind at the gate” for a Southwest Airlines flight at Reagan National Airport. [Fox 5]

Flickr pool photo by Maryland Nomadic

Columbia Pike’s Twisted Vines, BrickHaus Both Set to Close Next Week

By Alex Koma
1/5

A pair of bars along Columbia Pike will soon shut down, as restaurateur Tony Wagner consolidates his South Arlington eateries into one location.

Both the Twisted Vines Bar and Bottleshop and BrickHaus beer garden will shut down after hosting New Year’s events on Dec. 31, Wagner told ARLnow.

Wagner owns both businesses (which sit just steps away from each other at 2803 Columbia Pike and 2900 Columbia Pike, respectively), and the closures will leave him with just the newly opened Josephine’s Italian Kitchen in the Penrose Square shopping center still operating in the area.

Twisted Vines first opened under different ownership in 2010, and Wagner took over the eatery in 2015. Then, he set to work on opening the beer garden, a first for the Pike, and was able to get it up and running just last year.

Wagner says he made the “difficult” decision to shutter BrickHaus after concluding that it “never took off the way we expected and hoped it would,” a development made all the more painful by the months of permitting and construction woes he endured to open the bar.

He said Twisted Vines remains quite popular on the Pike, however, but he started to feel its current space didn’t have enough room for it to grow. And with its lease up at year’s end, and a new restaurant just down the road, he saw an ideal opportunity to regroup.

“We have a great new venue in Josephine’s and figured it was a great opportunity to take Twisted down there until we can find it a new home,” Wagner said. “Twisted has been part of the Pike community for a long time and it should be back.”

Wagner dubbed his new Italian eatery, which first opened in late October, as a “home away from home” for Twisted Vines during the transition. He plans to move much of the wine shop’s offerings to the restaurant, and will keep hosting the bar’s wine club and regular wine dinners at Josephine’s.

“Josephine’s is Twisted with value added, basically,” Wagner said. “It’s a better space, with a lot more room for us.”

He’s hoping to find a new location for Twisted Vines sometime in the coming months. But, in the meantime, all the shop’s whiskey will be half off over the next few days, then all wine be marked down by 50 percent this weekend. The location will also play host to one final dinner on New Year’s Eve to celebrate the restaurant.

Wagner will also hold a “New Year’s Eve blowout” at BrickHaus, with 50 percent off all checks. He said he wouldn’t necessarily be opposed to bringing back a similar beer garden to the Pike going forward, but given the challenges he faced at BrickHaus, he’s not optimistic about the prospect.

“We’re always interested in new opportunities,” Wagner said. “We listen to people and find out what people want and give it a try. If that doesn’t work, then we keep trying. The ultimate goal is to find a concept that resonates with the community.”

H/t Jessica Strelitz

‘Rolls By U’ Sushi Restaurant in Rosslyn Shuts Down

By Alex Koma
1/3

A create-your-own sushi restaurant in Rosslyn has now shut its doors.

Sign posted at Rolls By U, located at 1713 Wilson Blvd in the Colonial Village Shopping Center, indicate that the eatery is now closed.

Yelp reviewers and ARLnow readers reported that the location seems to have shut down in early December.

Rolls by U opened in 2015, serving up bowls, rolls and even sushi burritos. Its owners also backed a Courthouse restaurant, the Guarapo Lounge, but that also shuttered in 2016.

The restaurant also has a location in D.C.’s Foggy Bottom neighborhood, which seems to still be open.

New ‘Anytime Fitness’ Gym Coming to Rosslyn

By Alex Koma
1/3

A new, 24-hour gym is on the way for Rosslyn.

Construction is now underway on a new “Anytime Fitness” location at 1919 N. Lynn Street, in the base of an office building near the road’s intersection with I-66 and Lee Highway.

Club owner Russ Sharafeyev told ARLnow that he managed to start work on the new gym about two weeks ago, and is currently “looking at opening closer to [the] end of Q1 2019.”

The gym will offer 24/7 access for its members, and is set to become the first Anytime Fitness location in Arlington — the chain currently has two other gyms in Alexandria.

Sharafeyev hopes to start offering pre-sale deals starting on Jan. 2, and is planning a host of events in the coming months.

“We are looking to do some cool things like giveaways of electric scooters and raising money for good causes with community help,” Sharafeyev wrote in an email.

The building the gym will be located in was once home to Caffe Aficionado, which shuttered after its owners were charged with money laundering and conspiracy to commit credit card fraud.

New 7-Eleven Opens Along Lee Highway

By Alex Koma

A new 7-Eleven convenience store along Lee Highway in Northwest Arlington is now open for business.

The store is located at 5747 Lee Highway in the Leeway-Overlee neighborhood, and now has signs posted in its windows looking for new employees.

The 7-Eleven replaces the longtime Lee-Lex Service Center, a fixture in the neighborhood dating back to 1978. The auto shop closed for good back in 2016.

The shop is now one of six 7-Eleven locations along Lee Highway alone, according to the chain’s website.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Arlington Employee Inspires New Child Care Policy — Lanette Johnson, an employee at the Pentagon City Best Buy store, is “the inspiration behind Best Buy’s new backup child-care benefit for all full-time and part-time employees. Workers at nearly 1,000 U.S. stores, distribution centers and corporate headquarters have access to 10 days of subsidized care each year through a Best Buy partnership with Care.com.” [Washington Post]

Weekend Rain Drenched Arlington — Arlington was among the parts of the region to see the most rainfall over the weekend. [Twitter]

Small Business Lender Active in Arlington Courts — “On Deck Capital Inc., a publicly traded online small business lender based in New York… which also has Arlington office space… accounted for 7 percent of all [small business] debt collection cases brought to that Arlington County courthouse through September.” [Washington Business Journal]

New Leadership for Arlington NAACP — “The Arlington branch of the NAACP will enter 2019 with a new leadership structure and a commitment to building on recent growth. ‘I’m all about community activism – we will go out and do good things,’ said Julius Spain Sr., who on Dec. 17 was sworn in to serve as president of the 78-year-old local civil-rights organization.” [InsideNova]

Arlington GOP Chief Steps Down — “The Arlington County Republican Committee will enter 2019 on a hunt for prospective candidates – and a hunt for a new chairman, too. Jim Presswood, who has chaired the GOP for nearly three years, announced recently he would be stepping down halfway through his second two-year term due to commitments at work.” [InsideNova, Facebook]

Photo courtesy Crystal Comiskey

After Additional Delays, Yume Sushi Ready to Open Today in East Falls Church

By Alex Koma
1/4

After a few more months of delays, a new sushi restaurant is now set to open today (Monday) in East Falls Church.

Yume Sushi plans to hold a soft opening today at its location at 2121 N. Westmoreland Street, according to spokeswoman Isobel Leandra. She said the eatery then expects to hold a more formal grand opening sometime in “mid-January.”

The restaurant has been working to open since last fall, but has consistently run into permitting and construction challenges. Yume originally hoped to start serving up sushi in late October, but Leandra says that “a combination of permitting and a few other changes behind the scenes to ensure we could roll out all the stops” prompted the additional delays.

The eatery is backed by executive chef and co-owner Saran Kannasute, who was previously the executive chef at Alexandria’s The Sushi Bar.

He plans to serve up not only a large collection of sushi roles, but will also offer “Omakase dining,” stemming from the Japanese phrase that roughly translates to “I shall leave it up to you.” The two-hour sessions give chefs complete creative freedom in creating specially tailored menus for diners.

Yume will be located in the same building as a South Block juice bar, and will be just down the street from the East Falls Church Metro station.

Mike Isabella’s Three Ballston Restaurants Have Shut Down, As ‘Top Chef’ Star Dissolves Company

By Alex Koma
1/5

Three Ballston restaurants owned by chef Mike Isabella have now shuttered, marking the latest fallout from a scandal that has helped sink Isabella’s once-expansive network of D.C. restaurants.

Signs posted at Kapnos Taverna, Pepita Cantina and Yona inform would-be diners that all three eateries have closed, as of this morning (Monday). Eater first reported that the restaurants, all located in the base of an apartment building at 4000 Wilson Blvd, shut down this weekend.

“We are closed,” a sign on Kapnos’ door reads. “Thank you for the love and support. We will miss you all.”

The Arlington eateries have faced an uncertain future ever since Isabella’s company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in September, after one of the “Top Chef” star’s former managers filed a sexual harassment suit against his company.

Though Isabella settled the suit this spring, revelations about the company’s business practices damaged Isabella’s reputation tremendously. He decided to shutter some of his restaurants in D.C. and Tysons alike in the aftermath, including Graffiato, Isabella’s first restaurant in the District.

Last week, Isabella revealed in court filings that he’d shutting down his entire company, suggesting that most of his remaining restaurants would close up shop by Dec. 27. But within days of the news breaking, people living nearby told ARLnow that they heard rumors that the Ballston restaurants would be closing much sooner than that.

All three restaurants in the building, known as The View at Liberty Center, opened back in 2015. Kapnos offered Greek fare, Pepita served up Mexican food and Yona cooked up ramen and Asian small plates.

At least one eatery with a location nearby is already offering to help out employees displaced by the closures.

It’s been a difficult year for retailers operating in the base of the high-rise — Taylor Gourmet also shut down its location in the building back in September.

Baja Fresh in Clarendon Appears to Have Closed

By Alex Koma
1/3

The Baja Fresh Mexican Grill in Clarendon now seems to be closed.

The restaurant hasn’t been open during normal business hours since at least Wednesday (Dec. 12), and a variety of boxes and furniture are now strewn about the eatery, located at 2815 Clarendon Blvd.

No one answered the phone at the restaurant yesterday or today (Friday), making it unclear if the closure is temporary or permanent.

Baja Fresh’s future has frequently been in doubt over the last few years, as the owner of its building as eyed a major redevelopment of the whole block.

The County Board signed off on plans earlier this year to transform the area, calling for the renovation and expansion of several buildings along the 2800 blocks of Wilson and Clarendon Blvds, and the creation of a “ground level arcade” along the nearby N. Edgewood Street. The property owner, Regency Centers, has also overseen the “Market Common” redevelopment across Clarendon Blvd.

Should the restaurant indeed be shutting down, Arlington would be left without a Baja Fresh location. One in Rosslyn shut down back in 2013.

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