new restaurant

Baltimore-Based Banditos Bar & Kitchen Opening Next Year in Pentagon City

By Matt Blitz

(Updated at 10:30 a.m.) A Baltimore-based Mexican restaurant is the next buzzy eatery to open in Pentagon City.

Late last month, Banditos Bar & Kitchen announced via social media that they will be opening an outpost at Westpost, the shopping center formerly known as Pentagon Row.

This will be their third location, but the first in Virginia.

Owner Sean White tells ARLnow that they will be taking over the space that is currently Thaiphoon restaurant, likely in October. From there, the build-out should take about six months. He expects Banditos to open in March or April 2022. It was not immediately clear whether Thaiphoon will be closing in Pentagon City or moving to a new location.

White says they’ve wanted to open a restaurant in the D.C. area for sometime. Arlington is a particularly good fit for the brand, he says, due to Amazon’s continued expansion into the county.

Banditos is owned by White Oak Hospitality Group, a Maryland restaurant group with a number of ventures in Baltimore and surrounding areas. This will be their third restaurant at a property owned by Federal Realty Investment Trust, the owner of Westpost and the Village at Shirlington.

The Arlington location of Banditos will be roughly the same size as the other locations, about 3,000 square feet, according to the Washington Business Journal. There will also be outdoor seating.

On its website, the restaurant describes itself as “a TACO temple inspired by the mouthwatering flavors of Mexican street food.” The menu includes classic fare like tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and margaritas.

In recent months, a slew of restaurants have also announced impending arrivals at Westport.

James Beard-nominated local chef Cathal Armstrong is opening an Irish restaurant this spring in the former Siné space, next to the future Banditos. Northern Virginia-native Chef Tim Ma’s popular Lucky Danger is readying for a likely April opening. Johnny Spero and Scott Parker’s Nighthawk Pizza is planning to start serving in the fall.

Several notable businesses have already opened including Wild Tiger BBQ pop-up, Origin Coffee Lab and Kitchen, and Napoli Salumeria. Both Westpost and the Village at Shirlington now allow restaurant patrons to take alcoholic drinks to go, for consumption in other parts of the dining and shopping district.

Photo courtesy of Banditos Bar & Kitchen

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Pandemic Doesn’t Change Amazon’s Plans — “Schoettler, who oversees Amazon’s global portfolio of office space, said the past year hasn’t changed the way the company thinks about its office strategy… Amazon still views the office as the best place for work because of the ability for employees to collaborate, and it still envisions its footprint centered around large corporate campuses like its Seattle headquarters and its HQ2 development in Northern Virginia. ” [Bisnow, Twitter]

Sheriff’s Deputy Charged with Fraud — “India Middleton, a deputy sheriff with the Arlington County Sheriff’s Office, was indicted in Georgia by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service on conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Middleton was one of 10 defendants indicted in a multi-state scheme to submit fraudulent loan applications for non-[existent] businesses as part of the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program and the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), according to a U.S. Department of Justice release.” [Patch, Arlington County]

New Irish Pub Opening Soon — From the social media account of Mattie & Eddie’s, Chef Cathal Armstrong’s new Irish restaurant and bar in Pentagon City: “Practice test! All your grand Irish pints coming soon!” [Facebook]

APS May Cut Magnet High School from Budget — “As part of his proposed budget for the 2022 Arlington Public Schools (APS) fiscal year, Superintendent Francisco Dúran has suggested cutting funding for Arlington students to attend [Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology]. Should the proposed cut pass, current Arlington students at Jefferson will be allowed to remain, but all future classes — including this year’s rising 9th graders — will be barred from attending the school.” [TJ Today]

Lopez’s Gun Loophole Bill Signed — “Introduced by House Majority Whip Alfonso Lopez (D-Arlington), HB 2128 was one of the first pieces of legislation signed into law by Virginia Governor Ralph Northam before the end of the session. The bill expands the amount of time state police and agencies have to conduct a background check on a ‘default proceed’ gun sale, from 3 days to 5 days.” [Press Release]

View of Old Coal Trestle from New Bridge — “A new view of the 1926 W&OD Railroad coal trestle remnants next to the new Lee Hwy bridge.” [Twitter]

Chef Tim Ma Fighting Anti-Asian Racism While Preparing to Open Arlington Outpost

By Matt Blitz

After the murder of eight people, including six of Asian descent, last week near Atlanta, Northern Virginia-native Chef Tim Ma immediately thought of his parents.

The chef, on the verge of opening a Pentagon City location of his popular D.C. restaurant Lucky Danger, grew up in Centreville and is the son of Chinese immigrant parents.

“My parents don’t leave the house because of the pandemic,” he tells ARLnow. “And now they don’t leave the house because of fear of retaliation for looking a certain way. It’s really heartbreaking.”

As hate crimes against Asian-Americans have increased in our country and region over the last year, Ma knew he had a “responsibility” to help. He is the co-founder of Chefs Stopping AAPI Hate, a collective of D.C.-area chefs committed to creating awareness of anti-Asian and Pacific Islander racism and working on ways to stop it.

“We are using our skills to do what we can. And our skills are cooking,” says Ma. “We are using our platform as chefs to bring awareness and raise money to affect change.”

That includes a weekly dinner series, with a significant portion of proceeds going to the organization Stop AAPI Hate.

“A lot of what people know about Chinese culture is actually due to our food,” he says.

Ma admits that, while he’s still targeting an April opening for Lucky Danger at Westpost (formerly known at Pentagon Row), his activist efforts have taken time and bandwidth. He acknowledges it has led to a potential delay for the restaurant’s opening.

“Part of our delay is part of those efforts as well. We’ve accelerated a lot of things [at Chefs Stopping AAPI Hate]… because of the frequency and the severity of what happened in Atlanta,” he says.

But the events of the past few weeks were not the only time Ma says he felt threatened.

On January 6, he made the decision along with executive chef Andrew Chiou to shut down Lucky Danger’s location in D.C. despite a large number of pending orders.

“We’re five blocks from the Capitol and hearing sirens constantly for three, four hours,” Ma says. “As a Chinese-American take-out… we feared being targeted. So, we shut down. We were sold out, but we refunded everyone. All the guests were very understanding. We drove [our employees] home and left the city.”

Lucky Danger’s pop-up location in D.C. is massively popular, so much so that food often sells out. Ma believes this is because they’re bringing a modern take to a beloved cuisine.

“Chinese-American food is unilaterally loved in America,” he says. “But Chinese take-out tends to be ignored, while everything else has been updated. This has really been this exploration of staying true to what the food is in America and updating it.”

Menu items include well-known fare like cashew chicken, shrimp fried rice, and orange beef.

“It’s not Kung Pao ‘insert trendy meat here,'” he says. “It’s chicken. It’s sweet and sour pork.”

He thinks that the appeal will absolutely play across the river. The Westpost location makes it more adaptable for delivery and carry-out, providing enough parking spots for drivers and the ability for customers to walk-up and order.

“I think for the guests it will be more accessible. So, there’s not like this mad dash to make your order at 10 a.m. every morning,” Ma says. “That’s not great for anybody.”

(more…)

El Rey in Ballston Aiming for May Opening

By ARLnow.com
1/3

El Rey is finally under construction in Ballston — and eyeing a May opening date.

We first reported in July 2019 that the taco shop was branching out from its U Street NW location in D.C. and opening a Ballston outpost at 4201 Wilson Blvd.

Thanks at least in part to the pandemic, it’s a year-and-a-half behind schedule, but Ian Hilton — one half of the brother duo behind it and a number of other local restaurants and watering holes — tells ARLnow that the owners are “hoping” to open in May, if all goes well.

A peek inside yesterday revealed that interior construction is still in the early stages, with the space still mostly an empty shell.

In D.C., El Rey offers tacos, tequila-based cocktails, wine, sangria, beer and weekend brunch. The new location just applied for a Virginia ABC permit to offer beer, wine and mixed drinks, so expect more of the same in Ballston.

The permit suggests El Rey will have more than 150 seats — some may be outdoors, among other outdoor dining at the Ballston Exchange office complex, across from Ballston Quarter mall — and will be formally known as “El Rey Filling Station.”

Hilton revealed no other details about the latest plans for El Rey, but did offer that the brothers’ other Arlington restaurant, Cafe Colline at the Lee Heights Shops along Lee Highway, will reopen its dining room today after a takeout-only winter.

Chick-fil-A in Pentagon City Opening Next Week

By Matt Blitz

New Chick-Fil-A In Pentagon City (Photo via Instagram)

(Update 3/6/21) A new Chick-fil-A is opening soon in Pentagon City, at 710 12th Street S.

Doors are currently set to open at the chicken nugget and sandwich eatery one week from today, on Thursday, March 11 at 7 a.m.

It’s located on the ground floor of the Whitmer apartment building at the corner of S. Hayes Street and 12th Street S.

The fast food restaurant is right at the top of the Pentagon City Metro escalator on the east side of S. Hayes Street, next to the CVS. It’s also two blocks from Amazon’s future HQ2 and the 25,000 employees it’s expected to bring to the area.

Signs for Chick-fil-A first appeared in July 2019; construction permits were up in the windows a year later. The location now has a webpage and its own Instagram account.

“We are gearing up to open our Pentagon City location very soon and can’t wait to see you!” said a recent Instagram post.

This will be the third Chick-fil-A location in Arlington, joining the locations on Crystal Drive in Crystal City and in Ballston Quarter.

The Crystal City and Pentagon City locations share a common owner, George Demetriades, who took over the Crystal City location in 2015. The new restaurant, one mile away from the first, “expands our reach” in the rapidly redeveloping National Landing area, an employee tells ARLnow.

While the corporate office chooses the locations, operators are allowed to bid and apply to run individual Chick-fil-As, the store employee explained.

Coupons for a free chicken sandwich or biscuit at the new location were recently sent to residents in nearby zip codes. The coupon only is available for redemenation at the Pentagon City location and expires May 31.

Photo via @cfapentagoncity/Instagram

Columbia Pike Ethiopian Restaurant ‘Overwhelmed’ with Community Support

By Vernon Miles

In the weeks after opening, new Columbia Pike Ethiopian restaurant Greens N Teff (3203 Columbia Pike) said the response from the community has been better than they could have hoped.

The restaurant, which features an entirely vegetarian/vegan menu, sold out twice in February, following ARLnow’s coverage of its opening.

“Everything has been good,” said Hanna Elias, one of the restaurant co-owners. “The neighborhood response… it’s been overwhelming. We’re happy to be here, and every customer has been happy to be here.”

Elias said that one of the biggest surprises so far has been that most of the customers order the “extra large” selection on the menu: a base with three proteins and four greens for $14.99. Elias said customers ordering extra large options said they’ve been getting take-out meals for for their family to share and tasting a variety of options.

“Mostly that’s been how they’re ordering: for families,” Elias said. “People were also happy that we have gluten-free injera.”

Injera, a spongey flatbread made from the eponymous teff, serves as the base for many Ethiopian dishes. Elias said the restaurant has also gotten positive feedback on its entirely animal-free menu.

For those who visit, Elias said she recommends the collared greens with the spicy lentils and mushrooms, which she said pairs nicely either with rice or injera.

Photos via Greens N Teff

‘Irish Farm-to-Table’ Concept from Cathal Armstrong to Replace Siné

By ARLnow.com
1/4

Siné may be no more, but its expansive former Pentagon Row location will remain a destination for Irish food and drink.

Renowned local chef Cathal Armstrong is planning to open a new restaurant concept in the Siné space this spring. Called Mattie & Eddie’s Irish Bar and Restaurant, it will off “a full Irish farm-to-table menu, a signature style of the chef,” according to a press release.

The name of the restaurant holds special meaning for Armstrong, a native of Dublin.

“In addition to being Armstrong’s grandparents, the restaurant’s namesakes — Martha and Edward — were also drapers, a nod made through the appearance of scissors and well-dressed caricatures in the restaurant’s logo, designed by Armstrong’s brother,” the press release says. “As their story reads, they handmade curtains for a living, but their lives revolved around food.”

The menu includes Irish classics, prepared with a more modern touch. Among the offering are shareable Irish sausage rolls, a black pudding with onions and crusty bread appetizer, and a house cured corned beef with cabbage confit and parsleyed potato entree.

Also on the menu: Eamonn’s fish and chips — centerpiece of the late, lamented Old Town Alexandria eatery of the same name — with seven “secret sauces.”

“This restaurant is particularly personal for me, as it honors the very people who created my sense of place and purpose,” Armstrong said in a statement. “The menu will feature my version of familiar Irish dishes, with modern ingredients. We’re eager to create an Irish comfort food experience, paired with a great beer or glass of wine, in the company of the people you love. In honor of the people I love.”

Pentagon Row, now rebranded as “Westpost,” has seen considerable turnover recently, shedding old favorites while adding buzzy new options.

Among the recent closures of note are Siné, Aabee Express, A Deli, Bed Bath & Beyond, Champps, Starbucks, World Market, and Unleashed. New additions include:

“As we look towards the impending arrival of Amazon’s HQ2 along with the continued evolution of National Landing, we are focused on delivering a true destination, an outpost, that exceeds the expectations of the long-time residents and the newcomers that call National Landing, and the greater Arlington area, home, work, and all things in between,” said Stuart Biel of Westpost owner Federal Realty Investment Trust. “Westpost’s location is ideal, with just a short walk west from Amazon’s campus, but a world away as far as amenities and offerings.”

Armstrong’s other current restaurants include Kaliwa and Tiki TNT at the Wharf in D.C. and Hummingbird in Alexandria. His former concepts include Restaurant Eve and Society Fair.

No exact date was given for when Mattie & Eddie’s might open. The LLC associated with the restaurant in a recent Virginia ABC filing was formed a few weeks after Siné closed. A construction permit for the restaurant could be found, suggesting that Armstrong will be using much of the existing space as currently built, with perhaps new paint and furnishings.

New Restaurant ‘Maison Cheryl’ Coming to Clarendon

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 3:50 p.m.) A new restaurant appears to be coming to the former Heritage Brewing spot in Clarendon.

The brewpub closed its doors at 2900 Wilson Blvd in November, citing the difficulties of making ends meet during the pandemic. A restaurant called Maison Cheryl is set to take its place, according to a recent permit filing.

No contact information was listed in the filing, but a job ad for a General Manager, posted in late December, sheds some light on what type of restaurant Maison Cheryl will be.

“We will be offering refined New American cuisine with a French influence as well as top shelf cocktails, beer and wine,” the ad said. “Our restaurant will have around 70-80 seats, a large bar with a staff of 15-20. The menu is incredibly refined, often changing and hits many price points.”

The ad says the restaurant is owned by the chef and was, as of its posting, planning to open in a few months.

Photo courtesy Joseph Morrell

Pop-Up Eatery ‘Tom Bones BBQ’ Launches in Crystal City

By Jo DeVoe
1/7

Every day, Executive Chef Lindsey Ayala fires up a smoker outside the Crowne Plaza hotel in Crystal City and feeds the fire with hickory wood.

She is smoking meats “low and slow,” slathering them with scratch-made sauces and serving sides such as mac and cheese, collard greens, and cheddar cornbread for a new pop-up restaurant concept within the hotel called Tom Bones BBQ.

The food is available for delivery through on GrubHub and UberEats or can be picked up from Potomac Social Tavern at 1480 Crystal Drive. It is how Potomac Social Tavern, managed by B. F. Saul Company Hospitality Group, is looking to weather the limitations on indoor dining while still cooking food for restaurant patrons and hotel guests.

Ayala, a pastry chef by training who came to barbecue later in her career, said she tries to be faithful to regional barbecue styles from in Memphis to Missouri. Even Baltimore, her hometown, has its own horseradish sauce, although people may not realize it, she said.

“Anywhere you go on the map, I have the sauce for that,” she said.

She delivers region-specific tastes through her sauces, whether it is a South Carolina-style mustard sauce or an eastern North Carolina-style spicy vinegar sauce.

“Southern states are usually where you get serious barbecue, so when people come to Virginia, they think we’re Northerners who don’t know anything,” she said. “Hopefully, it’ll remind you of how they do it at home.”

Ayala dove into barbecuing when she developed recipes to help her father launch a family restaurant in 2014. The two ran the restaurant and sold their food at flea markets, farmers’ markets and church events. Not long after, however, he had to leave to attend to his health.

Now, Ayala is picking up where she and her father left off, smoking brisket for up to 16 hours a day on the pool patio of the Crowne Plaza (the pool is still closed as a COVID-19 precaution).

So far, Ayala said the new concept is going well enough that she needed to hire a second cook. Generally speaking, she said these pickup and delivery-only concepts — sometimes called ghost kitchens — provide restaurant owners with a good safety net, helping to generate extra revenue at a tiny fraction of the cost of launching a new bricks-and-mortar restaurant.

“I think this will stick around,” she said. “If this happens again, we need a safety net to get our food out there without people having to sit down and dine.”

The pop-up concept is a pilot program within the hospitality group, Ayala said. The other restaurant testing out the idea is O’Malley’s Pub inside the Holiday Inn near Dulles airport. There, she said, Chef Stephon Washington is operating a pickup and delivery concept for Caribbean-style food, inspired by his Jamaican roots, called Grandpa Hank’s Jamaican Kitchen.

“It’s an equally great story,” she said.

Ethiopian Eatery with a Vegan Specialty Opens on Columbia Pike

By Vernon Miles
1/2

(Updated at 2:45 p.m.) A new Ethiopian restaurant on Columbia Pike could help fill the vegan and vegetarian option gap near the S. Glebe Road intersection after the closure of Elizabeth’s Counter.

The restaurant is called Greens N Teff (3203 Columbia Pike), reflecting the restaurant’s meat-free menu and traditional Ethiopian grain teff. Beakal Melaku, one of the restaurant’s owners, said the restaurant had been in planning before the pandemic started and was originally going to have meat but took a green turn over time.

“I started with grilling, but then started cooking more and I changed my mind to make it vegetarian,” Melaku said.

The proteins are primarily lentil or mushroom based, and Melaku said part of his goal is helping to make people aware that they don’t need meat to have a balanced, health diet.

The restaurant has a variety of plate sizes, from regular individual platters for $9.99 with one base, protein and two grains, to extra large platters for $13.99 with the base, three proteins and four greens.

Greens N Teff opened this past weekend and so far, Melaku said the restaurant has gotten good feedback and support from the nearby community.

“This has been our first week, and so far it’s been really good,” Melaku said.

Photos via Greens N Teff/Facebook

Stellina Pizzeria and Market Opens Today in Shirlington

By Jo DeVoe
1/7

Patrons of the novelty pasta vending machine in Shirlington rejoice: the restaurant behind the dinner dispenser, Stellina Pizzeria and Market, opens this afternoon (Friday).

After some holiday-season delays set the opening back two months, the pizza shop in the Village at Shirlington will start serving customers at 4 p.m.

The Arlington eatery and market is an outpost of the Michelin-recognized pizzeria in D.C. and is located in the former Cafe Pizzaiolo space at 2800 S. Randolph Street. But those who venture to Union Market for Stellina pizzas — heralded by the Washington Post and Washingtonian — will find a few variations on the flagship restaurant.

“We want to bring the Stellina experience to our guests in the region, while also being mindful of their specific needs and preferences,” said restaurateur and co-owner Antonio Matarazzo. “Knowing the South Arlington community as a resident here with my family, I thought that a retail element for prepared foods and ingredients to cook at home would be a nice addition to our curbside pick-up, delivery, and outdoor dining offerings.”

For now, guests can only dine outside in the heated, 20-seat patio; once the indoor dining room opens, the restaurant will seat 75 inside. Starting today, customers can also shop Stellina’s market, stocked with Italian pantry goods, deli counter offerings and frozen lasagne and pizza.

The Shirlington menu focuses on Chef Matteo Venini’s signature “neo-Neapolitan” pizzas. Customers can order the traditional Margherita pizza, the celebrated Cacio e Pepe pizza, or pies with any seasonal toppings. The menu also offers other Southern Italian street food, paninis, homemade pasta, classic desserts and coffee.

Both Matarazzo and Venini are natives of Italy who worked together at a trio of upscale Italian restaurants in D.C. before striking out on their own.

The Shirlington outpost is their first location to have a deli counter that offers fresh pasta by-the-pound, homemade sauces, pizza dough, cured meats, cheeses, olives and desserts such as panna cotta and tiramisu. Decorative details inside Stellina include tiles from the Amalfi Coast and murals of beloved Italian actors by D.C. artists No Kings Collective.

Unlike its D.C. sibling, the Shirlington location will not have a bar, but diners can still imbibe a glass of red wine or a Negroni with dinner. Bottled cocktails will be served tableside and Italian wines and beers will also be available.

Those who prefer a vending machine’s convenience and lack of human interaction can frequent it until the end of spring. Then, it moves to 508 K Street NW to preview Stellina’s third location.

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