new restaurant

Lebanese Taverna Looking to Open This Month in Ballston

By ARLnow.com

Lebanese Taverna is hoping to open its “LebTav” fast-casual concept later this month in Ballston.

It’s part of a new expansion push by the Arlington-based local chain, which includes a new location that’s planned to open in the Pentagon late next year.

As previously reported, the new restaurant in Ballston will be located in the former Taylor Gourmet space at the corner of Wilson Blvd and N. Quincy Street. Signs are up on the doors, the windows are covered and construction is still underway inside.

Lebanese Taverna has existing, full-service Arlington eateries in Westover (5900 Washington Blvd) and Pentagon Row (1101 S. Joyce Street), as well as a market at 4400 Old Dominion Drive.

LebTav offers a smaller but similar menu to the full-service restaurants, and existing locations in Rockville and Silver Spring, and is opening another in a former Taylor Gourmet space in D.C. A PR rep tells ARLnow that the Ballston location is expected to open at some point in November.

A press release from commercial real estate firm KLNB, below, notes that Lebanese Taverna currently has a dozen locations in the D.C. area.

KLNB, the leading mid-Atlantic multi-service commercial real estate firm, has announced that Lebanese Taverna will open three new “LebTav” fast-casual concept locations within the next two years: Ballston in fall 2019, K Street in early 2020, and inside the Pentagon in late 2020, in addition to the recently opened Farragut Square location on 17th Street in D.C.

KLNB principal, Steve Combs, and retail specialist, Kelley Milloy, represented Lebanese Taverna in all three deals.

Founded in 1979, the Lebanese Taverna Group currently owns and operates 12 locations around the Washington, D.C. Metro area, and has been recognized by numerous media outlets and publications as having the region’s best Mediterranean cuisine. KLNB has worked with Lebanese Taverna since the opening of its first location and has helped the restaurant group open all subsequent locations. The restaurant group is family-owned and operated.

Recently, Lebanese Taverna has evolved to adapt to their customers’ changing tastes and needs. “The new LebTav brand and fast-casual concept is a response to these changing consumer trends,” said Combs. “For savvy business owners like Lebanese Taverna, that meant launching a new concept in target markets around the region. From a real estate perspective, it was critical to the business plan that we work with the owners to find unique spaces that reduced the restaurant group’s footprint and aligned with the fast-casual atmosphere they wanted to cultivate.”

Last year, Lebanese Taverna rebranded three of their locations in Annapolis, Congressional Plaza Rockville, and Downtown Silver Spring to “Lebanese Taverna Cafes”. In each case, KLNB helped Lebanese Taverna find and move the restaurant to another space within the existing shopping center, cutting down their square footage.

“We want to grow and change with our customers. LebTav is a refinement of what has been successful in the past. We took the greatest hits of our traditional menu and utilized smaller retail space paired with a fresh design to cater to our busy customers,” said Grace Abi-Najm Shea, Executive Vice President, Lebanese Taverna Group. “KLNB helped us bring this new concept to life. As a restaurant owner, the space in which you operate is critical to your business. KLNB has grown with us and we look forward to many more successful years to come.”

Lebanese Taverna has had a banner year. 2019 marked the restaurant group’s 40th anniversary in business – an achievement for which they were honored by the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) at the annual RAMMY Awards Gala with the Honorary Milestone Award. They were also honored by the National Restaurant Association as a Faces of Diversity Award winner.

New Mexican Restaurant Coming To Shirlington Next Year

By Kalina Newman

A new Mexican restaurant is coming to the Village at Shirlington in early 2020.

Taco + Piña will take over the former space of Lotus Vietnamese Grill & Noodles, which closed last November, at 4041 Campbell Avenue.

The restaurant is the first solo venture from Chef Graham Bartlett, who previously worked at D.C. restaurants El Centro, Masa 14, and Buena Vida in Silver Spring.

The menu at Taco + Piña draws inspiration from Bartlett’s childhood and the time he spent traveling to Mexico with his family. Featured dishes include an avocado tostada and a “chile relleno taco” topped with tempura flakes.

In addition, there will be an extensive beverage menu with tequilas, frozen margaritas, Mexican imported beers, and more.

“The Village at Shirlington has… a range of quality restaurants rooted in international cuisines to tempt every palate,” said Village of Shirlington owner Federal Realty Investment Trust, in a press release. “We’re pleased to be able to provide the neighborhood and greater community with this new and locally-owned establishment.”

Taco + Piña applied for its building permits in October, per county records.

Hat tip to Nick E.

We, The Pizza to Open Next Week

By ARLnow.com
1/3

It’s official: We, The Pizza says it will open its new Ballston location next week.

The restaurant at 4201 Wilson Blvd, in the Ballston Exchange complex, is expected to open on Wednesday, Oct. 30. In addition to the usual pizza selection, the restaurant will be introducing four flavors of gelato shakes, including Hazelnut Nutella and Stracciatella

The nearly 2,000 square foot space, which should draw a large lunchtime crowd from nearby offices, sits 50.

More from a press release:

We, The Pizza opens October 30th, 2019 at Jamestown’s Ballston Exchange by Nour Sharkas, the latest franchisee to expand a concept by The Sunnyside Restaurant Group. We, The Pizza offers 17 pies by the slice, 12 homemade sodas, chef-made wings and Italian gelato shakes.

Mr. Sharkas began his career by managing Good Stuff Eatery and later working in We, The Pizza in Crystal City, VA. “I am excited to bring this fantastic concept to a great area such as Ballston,” said Mr. Sharkas. “We wanted to create a dynamic space in this community for people to enjoy the great food we serve in a fun, hip, casual atmosphere. We’re also offering delivery at this location.”

We, The Pizza is introducing four flavors of gelato shakes: Hazelnut Nutella, Cherry Amaretto, Tiramisu and Stracciatella. In addition, there will be some new pies: Spicy Sicilian, eggplant, spicy salami, fresh tomato sauce; Margharita Burrata, Vegan Veg Sicilian, Ace & Wes Cowboy Pie, pepperoni and sausage and a Ultimate Cheese.

We, The Pizza’s fourth location is opening at 4201 Wilson Boulevard and occupying a 1,894-square foot space. Seating capacity is 50.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Renegade Opening Today — “The Renegade, the new two-story coffee shop, restaurant, and live music venue from chef Patrick Crump is opening this Thursday, Oct. 24 at 3100 Clarendon Blvd. in Arlington.” [Press Release]

Hoskins Questions Amazon’s Arlington Location — “[Fairfax County Economic Development Authority CEO Victor] Hoskins helped land corporate giant Amazon for Arlington, but now says the company probably should have located in Fairfax County, with its larger, more diverse, pro-business environment. The county’s 120 million-square-foot office market is three times larger than Arlington’s, he noted.” [InsideNova]

ACFD Collects Supplies for Shelters — “More than 1600 pounds of supplies for shelter animals have been collected by Arlington County firefighters in the past four years in what has been dubbed ‘Operation Firepaws,’ with the donations going to the Animal Welfare League of Arlington.” [WJLA]

Nats Rally at Long Branch ES on TV — “The students and teachers at Long Branch Elementary School in Arlington, Virginia [were] showing off their Natitude” during a rally on Wednesday. The Nats won big last night, by the way. [Fox 5]

Century-Old Sentinel Gets Big Welcome at DCA — “This morning we welcomed Jack, the oldest living retired Sentinel at 100 years young, on a special trip to DC to see his name posted on a plaque of the Wall of Honor in the barracks. Jack danced his way off the flight and into everyone’s hearts.” [Twitter, CBS News]

New Poke Restaurant Coming to Ballston Quarter

By ARLnow.com

Ballston is set to get not one but — now — two new poke restaurants.

Details are scant but a restaurant called Go Poke has filed permit applications to open at Ballston Quarter mall (4238 Wilson Blvd).

“We can confirm ‘Go Poke’ will be opening in 2020 at Ballston Quarter in Quarter Market,” a spokeswoman for the mall said. It’s unclear where exactly in the food hall it will be located.

Go Poke looks to be the county’s fourth dedicated poke restaurant, offering its spin on the Hawaiian raw fish dish. Existing poke spots include Poké it Up in the Pentagon City mall food court, Poke Bar in Rosslyn and — soon — another Poké it Up in Ballston, at 4401 Fairfax Drive.

Other restaurants in Arlington offer poke bowls among a broader selection of food options.

New Japanese Restaurant To Join Gong Cha Tea Shop In Rosslyn

By Kalina Newman
1/2

A new Japanese restaurant is coming to Rosslyn in conjunction with the upcoming Gong Cha Tea Shop.

Permits have been filed for Toryumon Japanese House at 1650 Wilson Blvd, across from the new Arlington Public Schools facility The Heights.

The Japanese restaurant already has a location in D.C. at 1901 Pennsylvania Avenue. Its menu features a wide variety of traditional and speciality sushi rolls, along with ramen and hibachi.

Additional permits at the same address have been filed for national bubble tea chain Gong Cha Tea Shop.

A spokesman from Gong Cha confirmed the location with ARLnow and said it would open by December, though no construction activity was evident as of this morning.

Toryumon Japanese House could not be reached for comment.

The ground floor of 1650 Wilson Blvd was formerly home to Ray’s Hell Burger.

World of Beer Appears to Be Coming to Ballston

By ARLnow.com
1/2

It appears that World of Beer will be opening a new location in Ballston.

The tavern chain, noted for its extensive craft and international beer selection, has filed initial permit applications to build a new location at 4300 Wilson Blvd, according to Arlington Economic Development.

Though no permits have been posted and no construction is evident yet, the most likely landing spot for World of Beer is that of the former Ted’s Montana Grill, which closed in 2015. The 6,600 square foot space also features an outdoor patio, near the intersection of Wilson Blvd and N. Glebe Road.

World of Beer previously had a location up the street, at 901 N. Glebe Road, but the restaurant that opened in 2012 later disassociated from the chain and rebranded as “Crafthouse.” The current nearest World of Beer is in Bethesda.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Scooters May Be Allowed on Arlington Sidewalks — “The Board voted unanimously to advertise a public hearing at the Nov. 16, 2019 County Board Meeting to consider proposed regulations of shared mobility devices. The proposed revisions include allowing the [scooters] to be used on County streets, sidewalks and multi-use trails and putting in place a permit fee structure for private companies offering the devices. During the pilot program, the devices have been prohibited on County sidewalks.” [Arlington County]

Clarendon Cafe Rebrands as ‘Three Whistles’ — “CoworkCafe founder Ramzy Azar rebranded the space this week. In addition to a new name, Three Whistles (2719 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia) has a new look and a new menu. Azar expects to roll out a menu full of Mediterranean small plates in the next few weeks. He says sharable dishes help create the feeling of a gathering place.” [Eater]

Arlington Man Sentenced for Gun Smuggling — “An Arlington man was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for his role in the trafficking of firearms to his native country of Honduras. According to court documents, in October 2018, Chris Rodriguez, 57, attempted to smuggle a firearm and 247 rounds of ammunition out of the United States, concealed in a bucket of roofing tar destined for Honduras.” [U.S. DOJ]

‘Verizon Site’ Building OKed — “Crystal City’s Verizon site will be redeveloped with a 19-story apartment tower within walking distance of Metro that will include 12 affordable housing units… The [County] Board voted unanimously to approve the vacation of a portion of the right-of-way for Old South Eads Street, a rezoning and site plan amendment for the proposed redevelopment.” [Arlington County]

Amazon Avoids Donating to Arlington Pols — “Amazon.com Inc. just sent $23,000 in campaign contributions to a total of 26 Virginia lawmakers, resuming its political giving in the state for the first time in months as a crucial statehouse election draws near… it only sent checks to six lawmakers in Northern Virginia (and did not send money to a single politician representing Arlington).” [Washington Business Journal]

DMV Select Staff Fights Fraud  — “Three members of [the Commissioner of Revenue’s DMV Select office] staff (Isaac Kateregga, Ahmad Abdalla and supervisor Michelle Neves) recently were honored by the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles in Richmond. They were presented with ‘Fraud Busters’ awards for their work in disrupting efforts to commit misdeeds… [involving] title fraud.” [InsideNova]

Reminder: Arlington Restaurant Week Kicking Off — “Arlington Restaurant Week, organized by the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, will run from October 21-28. Diners can visit a number of Arlington restaurants offering special menu items at discounted prices.” [ARLnow, Arlington Chamber of Commerce]

Flickr pool photo by John Sonderman

Roasted Corn Stand “Shuck Shack” Opens in Pentagon City Mall

By Kalina Newman
1/3

Florida-based roasted corn stand “Shuck Shack” has opened its first Arlington location in the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City.

The fast-casual stand, which specializes in gourmet roasted corn topped with butter and/or seasonings such as Old Bay and chili powder, first opened earlier this month on the food court level of the mall next to the Forever 21 store entrance.

“We’re always looking for new, fast-casual dining options for our shoppers and are thrilled to be able to offer Shuck Shack’s ‘World Famous’ roasted corn at our center,” said Todd Jerscheid, director of marketing and business development for the mall, which also caters to large tour groups, busloads of visiting students, and people heading to and from the Pentagon City Metro station.

Additional flavors of corn include “The Founder’s Special” topped with a secret blend of seasonings, and hot butter, and “Mexican Street Corn,” (commonly known as “elote“), made with parmesan cheese and additional spices.

A sign on the side of the stand notes that the franchise is veteran owned. The owner did not respond to several requests for comment at the time of publication.

Lebanese Taverna Coming to Ballston

By ARLnow.com
1/3

Lebanese Taverna is bringing its LEBTAV quick-service restaurant concept to Ballston.

The new eatery will be located in the former Taylor Gourmet space at the corner of Wilson Blvd and N. Quincy Street. Signs are now up on the doors and construction is well underway inside. Workers this morning were also removing the remaining “Taylor” lettering outside the front door.

There was no initial word on when LEBTAV might open in Ballston — the signs only say “opening soon.”

Arlington-based Lebanese Taverna has existing sit-down restaurants in Westover (5900 Washington Blvd) and Pentagon Row (1101 S. Joyce Street), as well as a market at 4400 Old Dominion Drive, across from the Lee Heights Shopping Center.

LEBTAV, which offers a smaller but similar menu to the full-service restaurants, has existing locations in Rockville and Silver Spring, and is opening another in a former Taylor Gourmet space in D.C.

Hat tip to Henry G.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Arlington Rooftop Bar Reopens — After being shut down by county building inspectors, Arlington Rooftop Bar and Grill in Courthouse reopened Tuesday evening, just in time to watch the Nationals sweep the Cardinals in Game 4 of the NLDS, to advance to the first World Series in D.C. since 1933. [Twitter]

Housing Still Hot Near HQ2 — “The median sale price for all home types in the 22202 [zip code, which includes the Pentagon City and Crystal City area] jumped nearly 40% in September compared with the same time last year, reaching $685,000… That makes it nine straight months of home price appreciation for the 22202 area. Arlington County as a whole saw a modest 12% year-to-date increase, $590,000 for all home types.” [Washington Business Journal]

Retail Job Fair Next Week — “Fashion Centre at Pentagon City, Washington D.C.’s international shopping destination, invites job seekers to attend its Retailer Job Fair on Tuesday, October 22. From 11 a.m.-7 p.m., candidates can visit the Metro and First Levels to pick up applications, meet with store representatives and apply onsite.” [Press Release]

DCA Fee to Help Pay for Expansion Project — “Project Journey, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority’s $1 billion capital improvement effort well underway at Reagan National Airport, will be paid for in part by airline passengers. At its meeting Wednesday, the MWAA board will be asked to approve the submission of a new Passenger Facility Charge application… The $4.50 fee is collected by airlines as part of their airfare and remitted to the airport of origin.” [Washington Business Journal]

Caps Dogs Star in Arlington Photoshoot — “In the 2020 Capitals Canine Calendar, you will see 12 months of Washington ice hockey players posing with dogs of all sizes, ages and bark levels… There was plenty of four-legged mischief during the October shoot at the MedStar Capitals Iceplex in Arlington.” [Washington Post, Twitter]

Nearby: New Restaurant in Arlandria — “The new Taqueria Senora Lola is now open at 3901 Mount Vernon Avenue in Arlandria. Owner Oswaldo Salinas said the restaurant — adjacent to Salinas’ other eatery, Lilian’s Restaurant, opened two weeks ago and had a grand opening event this past Saturday.” [ALXnow]

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