new restaurant

Burapa Thai Opens in Clarendon

By ARLnow.com

Clarendon has a new Thai restaurant.

Burapa Thai opened its doors on Monday. Located next to Circa at 1210 North Garfield Street, the restaurant serves Thai classics like Pad Thai and Kaprow, in addition to some signature dishes like the crispy Burapa Noodle in spicy chili gravy.

The restaurant also has a sushi bar near the back, allowing it to serve fresh sushi and hybrid dishes like the bento box with spring roll and Pad Thai noodles.

The Panang Curry was particularly delicious when we stopped by last night. The Larb Gai, meanwhile, was excellent as a starter.

Burapa Thai is offering a limited-time $1 per piece sushi deal through March 15. Regular deals include a 50 percent off happy hour from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m., half-price wine on Tuesdays and Thursday and kids (10 and under) eat free on Monday. There’s also a lunch special from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.: two dishes on one plate for $9 to $12.

The restaurant offers an order-by-fax carry-out option (fax: 703-294-4104) and free delivery with a minimum $20 order (phone: 703-294-4102). It’s open from 11:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and from 11:30 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday. Management eventually hopes to bring in a live DJ on Saturday nights to create a lounge-like atmosphere.

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Illegal Immigrant Bills Killed in State Senate — Most of the bills that immigrant advocates spoke out against at a rally last week have suffered a quiet death in a state Senate subcommittee. The bills would have prevented illegal immigrants from attending public universities in Virginia and would have required citizenship checks for anyone arrested by police. [Washington Examiner]

Cyclist Gets Doored on Clarendon Boulevard — It’s a non-uncommon tale of woe from the cycling world. A bicyclist was riding in the bike lane on Clarendon Blvd when a parked motorist suddenly opened his door. A collision ensues. Police and medics are called. The next day, however, the injured bicyclist wasn’t able to get the driver’s insurance information from police. While this raises police procedure questions, there is also the larger question: Is there a way for drivers and bicyclists to share the road without injuring or cursing at each other? [TBD, Patch]

More: Native Foods Cafe Coming to Shirlington — This Craigslist ad seems to make it official. California-based vegan restaurant chain Native Foods Cafe will be opening their first East Coast location in Shirlington. Earlier, we reported that a restaurant that at least shared the same name was planning to open in the old Bear Rock Cafe space. [Shirlington Village Blog, Shirlington Village Blogspot]

Charlie Davies Signs with D.C. United — Soccer phenom Charlie Davies will be playing for D.C. United this season, on loan from the French club FC Sochaux. Davies is still trying to get up to full-speed after suffering serious injuries in crash on the GW Parkway in October 2009. The crash, which killed one female passenger, happened on the Arlington section of the GW Parkway, just past Memorial Bridge. [Washington Post, FanHouse]

Flickr pool photo by Philliefan99

Mad Rose Tavern Opening Tomorrow in Clarendon

By ARLnow.com

Update at 3:10 p.m. at 2/16/11 — Despite management giving ARLnow.com every assurance that the restaurant would open on Wednesday, TBD is reporting that Mad Rose Tavern has delayed its opening until Thursday.

Mad Rose Tavern (3100 Clarendon Blvd) has acquired all the necessary county permits and will open to the public Wednesday afternoon, management said Tuesday.

The restaurant, shown here still under construction, will open its doors at 4:00 tomorrow afternoon after some last-minute cleaning. For the rest of the the week, Mad Rose will be open for evenings only. Starting on Monday, it will also be open for lunch.

General Manager Seamus Phillips described Mad Rose as “warm and inviting, modern meets old world, affordable yet high quality.” The restaurant has been eight months in the making and is rumored to have cost owners upwards of $1 million so far. It will include a menu full of hearty dishes and an extensive beer, scotch and wine selection.

If you see people inside tonight, don’t get too excited — it’s a private event. And if you stop by this weekend, be prepared for a wait.

“I have a feeling with it being Clarendon it’s going to be a pretty busy weekend for us,” Phillips said.

The Tavern’s occupancy permit allows just over 120 people inside. In the next few weeks, it will roll out patio seating for another 50 customers. A grand opening celebration is being planned for some point in March.

Is a Vegan Restaurant Coming to Shirlington?

By ARLnow.com

The good news is that a new restaurant is apparently coming to Shirlington.

The bad news is that we’re pretty thin on details.

A restaurant called Native Foods Cafe has registered for a license to serve beer and wine. The license seems to suggest the restaurant will be in Shirlington, in the old Bear Rock Cafe space.

If you go to Google, you’ll find out that Native Foods Cafe is a chain of Vegan restaurants in Southern California. Is this restaurant going to be the company’s first east coast location, or is the name merely a coincidence? We don’t know, since the company’s Director of Marketing has declined to respond to an emailed request for information and since the address of the holding company listed on the ABC application comes back to a UPS Store in Henderson, Nevada.

There’s also a “Mitsitam Native Foods Cafe” in the National Museum of the American Indian in D.C., but so far we haven’t been able to establish a connection there, either.

Will Shirlington be getting a Vegan restaurant? Stay tuned.

Signage, Outdoor Seating Proposed for American Tap Room

By ARLnow.com

American Tap Room, which will be taking the place of the now-shuttered Sette Bello Italian restaurant at 3101 Wilson Boulevard in Clarendon, is asking the county board to approve an outdoor cafe and new signage along North Highland Street.

The board will consider the proposed site plan amendment at its meeting on Saturday. County staff is recommending the changes be approved.

American Tap Room is proposing a sizable outdoor cafe with three fire pits and seating for about 75 people, according to architectural drawings.

The cafe, though large, would still allow an 8.5 foot passage between the patio and the sidewalk tree pits. County regulations require a minimum 6 foot passage.

Instead of one large sign across the long facade, American Tap Room is requesting a blade sign, an entry sign and several low-key awning graphics. The entrance would also feature a firebowl, like the type that graces the front of Matchbox restaurant in D.C.’s Chinatown.

In November, an American Tap Room employee told us the restaurant would be “upscale comfort casual dining,” similar to its current Reston and Bethesda locations.

Mad Rose Tavern to Bring High-End Drinking to the Masses

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 4:10 p.m.) Mad Rose Tavern, a new restaurant and watering hole coming soon to Clarendon, will be many things to many people.

It is a Modern American-style restaurant with Irish, Italian, French and Asian influences. It is a restaurant, bar and lounge that will have extensive outdoor seating. It is a place to get small plates and half bottles of wine, or hearty entrees and tall glasses of beer. What it is not, according to dining room manager Scott Arnold, is a place where only the wealthy will be able to enjoy the finer things in life.

“We’re going to be providing a high-end product at a moderate price,” Arnold said enthusiastically. “I want to give you the best freaking product out there, within reason, for the same price everybody else is charging for crap.”

The best example of Arnold’s luxury-for-the-masses concept is wine. He says the restaurant is going to great lengths to have the best wine available for any price. But the biggest difference will be with high-end wines. Instead of marking a wine that costs $100 wholesale up to $300, like many restaurants do, he said the Mad Rose price might be around $150.

Arnold said his goal is to provide the absolute cheapest price for high-end wines — retail included.

“In-store or online, I will be cheaper,” he said.

With two fulls bars, drinks will be the main attraction at Mad Rose Tavern. The bar will feature 20 beers on tap, all of which will be artisan or craft brews, with the exception of Guinness. Miller Light, Amstel and other “mainstream” beers will only be available by the bottle.

Mad Rose will feature about 20 Irish whiskeys and 40 Scotches. The wine list will hover around 100 different wines, at least at first.

“It’s all about shock and awe,” enthused Arnold, adding that he would have stocked 200 wines had there been enough storage space at the restaurant’s prime 3100 Clarendon Boulevard location.

Alcoholic beverages won’t be the restaurant’s only focus, however.

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Bronx Pizza Coming to Clarendon

By ARLnow.com

Signs are now up in the windows, announcing that Bronx Pizza is coming to a small storefront at 3100 Clarendon Boulevard.

The New York-style pizza joint was supposedly hoping to open in December when the Washington Business Journal first reported on its existence. At this point, it appears that the store may open this summer.

Bronx Pizza is the brainchild of Caribbean Breeze owner Mike Cordero, who is channeling his Bronx roots to help amp up the restaurant’s authenticity.

“As many of you know, I grew up in the South Bronx, working at a Mom and Pop pizza shop and became quite the pizza maker through the years,” Cordero wrote to friends in December. “I am bringing that originality to VA.”

“Décor will be very NYC, think Babe Ruth, Micky Mantle with a touch of Sopranos,” Cordero added.

Operating in an area already chock full of pizza joints, Bronx Pizza hopes to win customers with its late night business. The store may stay open as late as 5:00 a.m.

Brgr:Shack Opens in Ballston

By ARLnow.com

Arlington’s latest burger joint has opened for business.

Brgr:Shack serves 100% natural grass fed beef burgers in a light-filled, modernist setting across from the Ballston Metro at 4215 Fairfax Drive.

In addition to nine types of burgers, the restaurant serves fresh cut french fries, sweet potato fries, two types of salads, seven types of beer, shakes, ice cream and — coming soon — cupcakes.

(For those keeping score, burgers, salads, beer and cupcakes make up four of the six Arlington food groups. Only froyo and pizza are missing.)

Come spring, the restaurant is expected to start opening the garage door shown in the photos.

Pizza Autentica Opens in Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

Pizza Autentica has opened up at Crystal Drive and 23rd Street in Crystal City.

The location is the South Arlington counterpart to the rapidly-growing pizza chain’s Ballston restaurant, which opened in October.

The Crystal City Pizza Autentica will serve breakfast on weekdays, starting at 8:00 a.m. It will remain open until midnight.

In addition to pizza, paninis and strombolis, the store expects to start serving homemade gelato starting next week.

Pizza Autentica should attract a largely workday crowd. So far the restaurant has not applied for a liquor license, unlike the Ballston location, which serves beer and wine. However, the Crystal City location does feature a sizable outdoor patio, which could attract after-work diners during the summer.

H/T Doug Wendt

Mad Rose Tavern Previews Beer List

By ARLnow.com

Clarendon’s Mad Rose Tavern is “getting close to opening day,” according to a new update on the bar’s Facebook page.

Once it opens, managers say the bar will feature a “legendary liquor selection,” including an emphasis on Scotch and Irish whiskeys.

General Manager Seamus Phillips told TBD that the extensive renovation of the bar’s space on the ground floor of 3100 Clarendon Boulevard has cost more than a million dollars. Pending county inspections, the tavern should open in early February, Phillips said.

As part of last night’s Facebook update, Mad Rose gave beer geeks something to look forward to with a sneak peak of its work-in-progress beer list. Selections included:

  • Full Sail Bump In The Night
  • Lagunitas Brown Shugga
  • Left Hand 400 Lb Monkey
  • Rogue Chocolate Stout
  • Sam Smith Oatmeal Stout
  • Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold Lager
  • Gulden Drak
  • Lagunitas sumpin sumpin
  • Tuppers Kellar Pils

More Details on the New Artisphere Restaurant

By ARLnow.com

Expect the new restaurant inside Artisphere (1101 Wilson Blvd) to open in early March, according to a staff report attached to a sublease that the county board is expected to approve this weekend.

It was revealed last month that Barroso, Inc., which owns Guajillo on Wilson Boulevard in Rosslyn and Casa Oaxaca in Northwest D.C., was chosen to run the restaurant, bar and catering operations in Artisphere, which opened in October. The board’s approval of the sublease will make the arrangement official.

In addition to some of Guajillo’s signature Latin dishes, the restaurant will serve “sandwiches, salads, pizzas, small plates, desserts, and assorted other lunch and dinner offerings,” according to county staff.

Barroso will be leasing from the county a total of 1,129 square feet of space, which includes a bar area, a commercial kitchen and a walk-in beer refrigerator. Additionally, the lease “provides Barroso with a non-exclusive license to use the lower (8th) level and upper (9th) level ‘town square’ portions of the Artisphere for occasional table service, bussing, and cleaning activities related to its food and beverage service.”

The five year lease, which comes with renewal options for two consecutive five year periods, calls for the county to be paid the greater of either a minimum base rent or a percentage of the restaurant’s total sales.

The minimum base rent starts at $6,000 per month and will increase 3 percent per year. If it exceeds the base rent, the restaurant will pay 2.5 percent of its gross receipts. If sales surpass $1.5 million, the restaurant will pay 15 percent of gross receipts.

The county and Barroso will agree on a name for the restaurant prior to its opening.

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