new restaurant

We, The Pizza To Open in Ballston By The End of October

By Kalina Newman
1/3

We, The Pizza’s second Arlington location is set to open in Ballston Exchange by the end of the month, after some delay.

Original signs up at 4201 Wilson Blvd first indicated the pizza chain would be open by fall 2018. That later turned into an expected September opening this year.

The restaurant is now expected to open at some point “by the end of October,” according to Micheline Mendelsohn, Deputy CEO for We, The Pizza’s parent company, Sunnyside Restaurant.

A media preview has been organized for Oct. 21 and 22, and “Now Hiring” signs have been posted to the window. Inside, the restaurant appears to be mostly built out.

We, The Pizza is located on the west side of Ballston Exchange alongside a new CorePower Yoga and the existing Dunkin’ Donuts.

Rosslyn Food Hall Frenzy: Three To Open in A Two-Block Radius

By Kalina Newman

By the summer of 2020, a two-block radius in Rosslyn will be home to three food halls: Common Ground, Happy Endings Eatery, and an unnamed concept at the soon-to-be redeveloped Rosslyn City Center.

Common Ground and Happy Endings will both be a part of the Central Place complex at 1800 N. Lynn Street. Common Ground will be on the second floor of the residential building, while Happy Endings will be on a lower level near Nando’s and Bethesda Bagels. Happy Endings is hoping to open in late November, Eater reported this week.

A short walk away will be the third food hall at 1700 N. Moore Street.

It’s often said three makes a trend, and it’s no secret that greater D.C. has been flooded in recent years with food halls — a term which essentially refers to an upgraded food court primarily featuring local chefs and vendors. Arlington’s first food hall, Ballston Quarter, opened earlier this year and continues to add vendors.

Common Ground

Social Restaurant Group, the company behind Common Ground, is pushing back the food hall’s opening date for the third time to the spring or summer of 2020.

Originally, SRG co-founder Mike Bramson said he hoped it would open by the end of 2018, then told ARLnow they were pushing it to the “end of spring 2019.” Now, we’re told, construction will “officially break ground this fall.”

According to Bramson, Common Ground will feature ten food vendors and have one full-service bar. He confirmed “celebrity chef involvement,” and said that Rebel Taco, a taco food truck routinely at Clarendon’s The Lot beer garden, will be one of the ten vendors.

It will be located on the building’s second floor, “above the McDonald’s overlooking the plaza.”

Happy Endings Eatery

The two-level, 5,000 square-foot food hall with the double-entendre name is expected to open by the end of November, Eater reported.

Happy Endings Eatery is a project of Happy Endings Hospitality, the team behind Chasin’ Tails in East Falls Church and Lei’d Hawaiian Poke in Tysons Corner.

According to Eater, the entirety of Happy Endings Eatery will focus on Vietnamese food, with food stalls sporting names like Roll Play and Pho Play. Also offered: bubble tea, Vietnamese coffee, banh mi sandwiches, vermicelli bowls and more.

Rosslyn City Center food hall

A PR rep for Rosslyn City Center’s developer said there were no updates on the new food hall, which is still on track to open in the summer of 2020.

Oz Rey, an Austin, Texas-based “culinary experience company” is the team behind the incoming food hall, which is part of the $35 million renovation of the building above the Rosslyn Metro station.

While the food hall remains unnamed, it will feature twelve “artisanal food stalls and two lounges that extend onto an outdoor terrace overlooking the streetscape,” per a press release.

Once completed, the building will be renamed Rosslyn City Center, and will also include a 30,000 square foot Gold’s Gym.

Photo courtesy of American Real Estate Partners, Google Maps 

Poké It Up Opening Soon in Ballston

By Kalina Newman
1/3

Poké it Up’s second Arlington location is set to open soon in Ballston.

The poke restaurant is opening at 4401 Fairfax Drive, occupying the ground floor of an office building currently undergoing a revamp. The restaurant will seat up to 38 guests, per a zoning permit filed earlier this week.

Poké it Up established itself as Arlington’s first dedicated poke eatery at the beginning of last year, when it opened it up in the food court of the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City mall. It features a variety of seafood, vegetables, rice, and sauces, ordered Chipotle-style at a counter.

Another new neighbor has popped up next door — Zoup! Eatery is all but ready to go, with an Oct. 21 opening date, according to franchise owner Jim Beverly.

“The guy behind Poké it Up said he would be opening at the same time as me,” Beverly said. “It’s kind of a friendly competition between the two of us. I think he’d like to beat me to opening.”

There’s still no word on an opening date for Zoup’s neighbor — Poké it Up did not respond to several requests for comment at the time of publication.

Taco Bamba Owner to Open New “All-Day Egg” Restaurant in Ballston

By ARLnow.com

Victor Albisu, the chef and owner of the popular local Taco Bamba chain, is planning to open a new restaurant concept in Ballston.

The fast-casual restaurant, which is expected to open this spring, will be called “Huevos.” It will offer egg-based dishes for every meal of the day, alongside various types of coffee and a “modest” bar serving up craft beers, mimosas and Bloody Mary.

Huevos will be located in a 1,500 square foot space at 4000 Wilson Blvd, replacing the shuttered Mike Isabella restaurant Yona.

“There is nothing more versatile and delicious than eggs. My biggest challenge with this concept will be figuring out where to stop,” Albisu said in a press release. “I could eat eggs all day, and I do, so the menu possibilities are endless. While eggs are the star, the dishes will be as surprising and craveable as anything from Taco Bamba. We’re opening an all-day spot here. Eggs were never meant just for breakfast.”

The full press release is below.

Award-winning chef, Victor Albisu, announces plans to bring all-day egg concept, Huevos, to The View at Liberty Center in the Ballston neighborhood of Arlington, Va. this spring. Located at 4000 Wilson Blvd., Suite C (entrance on N. Quincy St.), the 1,500-square-foot fast-casual will serve original yolk-busting versions of nature’s most perfect food, along with coffee and bar programs to complement the menu.

“There is nothing more versatile and delicious than eggs. My biggest challenge with this concept will be figuring out where to stop,” said Albisu. “I could eat eggs all day, and I do, so the menu possibilities are endless. While eggs are the star, the dishes will be as surprising and craveable as anything from Taco Bamba. We’re opening an all-day spot here. Eggs were never meant just for breakfast.”

The Huevos menu gets its Latin accent from sibling restaurant Taco Bamba – 2019 winner of the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington’s Favorite Fast Bites award. Look for instant classics like bacon, egg and cheese empanadas, brisket chilaquiles, and egg salad topped with caviar (more eggs!) and served with salt & vinegar chips.

More adventurous menu items include green eggs and jamón, featuring a 63º egg, jalapeño whipped potatoes, and crispy ham, as well as a crispy egg roll, with soft scramble, ground chorizo, poblanos, Monterey jack, chipotle ketchup, and pineapple sweet & sour sauce.

This isn’t another taco shop, but Albisu plans to stuff large flour tortillas with a selection of braised and barbequed meats, roasted vegetables, shredded bacon, and smoked fish, topped with his own egg-based “Huevos yellow sauce.” A range of sandwiches, with everything from smoked salmon to roasted portobellos to crab cakes, will be stacked and stuffed into soft, warm torta bread, tightly wrapped and neatly sliced to enjoy at the counter or on the go.

During weekend brunch, look for airy, sweet souffléed pancakes similar to the short stack you used to find in a cast iron pan on Del Campo’s bunch menu. Eggs also make sweet treats and will always be available in the form of Albisu’s signature flan.

Nature’s most perfect food will be served alongside its most addictive drink – coffee – hot, cold, with milk, and black as the night is long. A modest bar will serve a concise list of craft beers, mimosas and Bloody Marys.

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

New Restaurant Opening Soon in Ballston — “Zoup! Eatery, the fast casual restaurant known for its award-winning soups and made-to-order sandwiches and salads, is set to open its first Arlington location on Monday, Oct. 21.” [Press Release]

School Library Lending Down Slightly — “Who says print is dead? Circulation of print materials at Arlington’s public-school libraries held relatively steady during the 2018-19 school year at about 980,000 items – or about 36 items per student. The total figure… was down about 1.5 percent from a year before.” [InsideNova]

Notable Tree Nominations Open — “Since 1987, Arlington has identified and registered its most notable trees, as well as the residents who care for them.” Nominations for 2020 notable trees nominees are now open, with a Dec.  1 deadline. [Arlington County]

Job Fair for Local Census Workers — “Interested in a job with the U.S. Census for 2020? @ArlEmploymentCt is hosting recruitment events this month. The first two sessions are Tuesday, Oct. 8.” [Eventbrite, Twitter]

‘Cautionary Tale’ for Gondola Plans — “Several years after closing the gondola that served the Alemão favela, the state of Rio de Janeiro has kept up hope that it would restart service. In May, the state said it would reopen the line by the end of the year. But with three months left in 2019, there’s little sign of action.” [Wired, Twitter]

Nearby: Bearer of Bad News for Hire — “Want a divorce? Have to quit your job? Need to tell your family you crashed your car into the side of the Van Dorn Station Shopping Center? Sometimes there’s no easy way to break bad news, so don’t. An Alexandrian is offering his services via Craigslist to break the bad news for you.” [ALXnow]

Mister Days Replacement ‘The Renegade’ Nearing Opening

By Airey
1/4

A new cafe, restaurant and live music venue called “The Renegade” is hoping to open later this month in the former Mister Days space in Clarendon.

Renegade is “eyeing a late October opening” in the 5,500-square foot space that once housed the popular nightlife destination before it closed in April. The new business is run by chef Patrick Crump, who formerly worked at Clarendon Ballroom, Spider Kelly’s and the now-closed Clarendon Grill, and before that cooked at the famed Inn at Little Washington.

“A renegade is someone who rejects the conventional, and I think the neighborhood is ready for something new and different,” Crump said in a statement today (Friday) of his latest, ambitious venture.

The chef said today (Friday) that his new restaurant at 3100 Clarendon Blvd aims to offer “something different than you traditional wings and nachos” when it comes to the rest of the menu.

The menu itself is set to include an dizzying array of international “stackable bites, skewers, bowls, and housemate dips” from crispy Korean chicken with a moo shu pancake to fried yucca and jalapeño aioli. Other items will be developed from Vietnamese, Thai, Egyptian, and Malaysian cuisine.

Each small dish is expected to cost between $3-5 to encourage patrons to sample several.

“I want spicy, crunchy, bright, and tart. High heat, bold flavors, and something that really grabs you from the first bite,” Crump said.

Pairing with that will be “bright, crisp rosés, rieslings, and sauvignon blancs” on Renegade’s wine list. The bar will also have 12 local craft brews on tap.

Crump previously told ARLnow about his plans to offer Stumptown Coffee, with taps along the coffee bar to serve nitro cold brew coffee.

The Portland-based coffee may be rare in the D.C., but including a coffee bar also puts Renegade in competition with a Peet’s Coffee across the street, as well as Clarendon’s other coffee mainstays: Northside Social, Starbucks, Waterhouse Coffee, Bakeshop, Oby Lee, Detour Coffee, Dunkin Donuts, Heritage Brewing, and the future East West Cafe and Kaldi’s Social House.

Renegade, which Crump originally called “The Grill on Highland,” also aims to book weekly bands for live music on its 20-foot stage. The chef said he hoped to fill the hole left by longtime music cafe IOTA’s closure two years ago.

Once open, the business will operate seven days a week from 6 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 6 a.m.-2 a.m. Thursday and Friday, and 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.

More from a press release, after the jump.

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The Little Beet Set to Open at Pentagon City Mall By End of the Month

By Kalina Newman
1/5

Gluten-free and plant-focused eatery The Little Beet expects to open its second Arlington location by the end of the month.

Little Beet is currently under construction in the food court level of the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City. A marketing spokeswoman from eatery said the restaurant is hoping to open Monday, October 21 but can’t promise an exact date, citing difficulties with “construction permitting.”

An official mall listing said the eatery would open on October 16, however, the spokeswoman said “October” was the safest best.

The Little Beet will give food court diners new gluten-free and healthy options. The restaurant models after similar chains such as Cava and Sweetgreen with make-your-own bowls. Here, they’re built with grains, two portions of seasonal vegetables such as shaved Brussels sprouts and broccoli rabe, and with a range of proteins from salmon to beet falafel.

“Because our center is located nearby several office buildings, we’re always seeking to add healthy lunch options to satisfy our neighbors coming in to grab a quick bite and shop on their breaks,” 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.

The new Pentagon City mall location is the New York-based chain’s second location in Arlington, after one at 1800 N. Lynn Street in Rosslyn. A D.C. location closed earlier this summer.

“We’re aggressively expanding in exciting markets and Fashion Centre at Pentagon City presented a perfect way for our brand to build out our presence in the D.C./Maryland/Virginia market,” said Little Beet CEO Becky Mulligan.

She added: “We’ll be launching in Pentagon City with our app which allows guests and neighbors to pick up a healthy breakfast on their way to work, order ahead for a nutritious lunch, bring a nourishing dinner home after a long workday or fuel up for a weekend shopping trip.”

Sfoglina Opening in Rosslyn This Weekend

By ARLnow.com
1/4

A new Italian restaurant from noted local restaurateur Fabio Trabocchi is planning to officially open its doors in Rosslyn on Saturday.

Sfoglina, at 1100 Wilson Blvd, will open in a 4,500 square foot space that includes 130 indoor seats, a “Mozzarella Bar,” and a “glass enclosed pasta room, where guests can watch the fresh pastas being handmade daily.”

It’s the largest of what will be three Sfoglina Pasta House locations; the other two are in D.C.

“The art of handmade pasta is something I cherish from my childhood in Le Marche, Italy,” Trabocchi said in a press release, below. “We opened the first Sfoglina as an homage to the pasta traditions that are passed down from generation to generation, and the reception has been more than we ever could have hoped for. We’re excited to bring our pastas, and our hospitality traditions, to our guests in Virginia.”

Sfoglina “will be open for continuous service Monday to Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. with lunch favorites available until 2:30 p.m., and Saturdays from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.,” according to the press release. It will be closed Sundays.

Through Saturday, Oct. 19, Sfoglina Rosslyn will be offering a 10% discount on food “while it continues staff training.”

The full press release is below.

Fabio Trabocchi is thrilled to announce the opening of the newest location of his handmade pasta house – Sfoglina – at 1100 Wilson Blvd, in the Rosslyn neighborhood of Arlington, Virginia.  The new restaurant is the largest Sfoglina to date, with approximately 4,500 sf, 130 seats indoors – including Bar Dining seats – and a 160 sf glass enclosed pasta room, where guests can watch the fresh pastas being handmade daily.

“The art of handmade pasta is something I cherish from my childhood in Le Marche, Italy,” says Fabio Trabocchi.  “We opened the first Sfoglina as an homage to the pasta traditions that are passed down from generation to generation, and the reception has been more than we ever could have hoped for.  We’re excited to bring our pastas, and our hospitality traditions, to our guests in Virginia.”

Led by Executive Chef Erin Clarke, Sfoglina Rosslyn will feature dishes that have become favorites on the Sfoglina Van Ness and Sfoglina Downtown menus, while providing several selections unique to this location. Clarke, who has worked with Trabocchi for over a dozen years, most recently at Sfoglina Van Ness, will be offering guests classics like the Ravioli San Leo with Goat Cheese, Arugula, and Fresh Herbs; Linguine with Lobster, Roasted Tomatoes, and Chilies; Potato Gnocchi with Porcini Crema, Mushrooms, and Parmigiana Reggiano; and Mancini Paccheri Carbonara Style with Pancetta, Escarole, and a Sunny Side Up Egg.  Guests will also have a choice of plenty of “Not Pasta” items like Nonna Palmina Meatballs; 72-Hour Beef Short Ribs with Salsa Verde; Grilled Amish Chicken Breast with Lemon and Sliced Garlic; and Branzino with Taggiasche Olives and Tomatoes.

Sfoglina Rosslyn will debut a fresh Mozzarella Bar, featuring guests’ choice of cheeses – from cow’s milk fior di latte to stracciatella and burrata to buffalo milk bocconcini – with selections of accompaniments, including marinated and cured fish and salumi, and grilled and pickled vegetables. The location will also inaugurate piadina flatbread sandwiches during lunch – a specialty of the Marche and Emilia Romagna regions of Italy –  including a classic version made with prosciutto, mozzarella, arugula, and roasted tomatoes, and a vegan version made with grilled eggplant, zucchini, and fennel, roasted tomatoes, and arugula.

The Rosslyn location of Sfoglina has a jewel-box pasta room where the restaurant’s namesake sfogline (Italian for pasta makers) will make fresh pasta every day.  As she has at the other Sfoglina locations, world-champion sfoglina Simonetta Capotondo will be onsite at the Rosslyn restaurant making pasta and supervising and training the staff of pastamakers, while still offering guests weekend pasta classes at Sfoglina Van Ness. Among the handmade varieties of pasta that Capotondo makes are tagliatelle, pappardelle, tortellini, ravioli, agnolotti, cavatelli, trofie, gemelli, malfatti, quadrucci, scialatielli, orecchiette, corzetti, lorighittas, curlurgiones, gnocchi, and dozens of others.

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New Pupatella Location to Open As Early As Next Month

By Kalina Newman
1/3

Pupatella, one of the county’s most beloved restaurants, could open its second Arlington location along S. Walter Reed Drive as early as next month.

“We are looking at the opening date around the end of October at this point,” owner Enzo Algarme tells ARLnow.

The Neapolitan pizzeria will be located at 1621 S. Walter Reed Drive where hopefully it will have better luck than past businesses. A string of restaurants there have quickly shuttered after opening, giving the Walter Reed address the reputation as a sort of restaurant “Bermuda Triangle.”

Italy native Algarme launched a pizza-serving food cart in Arlington in 2007, later opening Pupatella’s original brick-and-mortar location on Wilson Blvd in Bluemont in 2010.

The company has been expanding, with new locations in the Richmond area and more planned in the Mosaic District and in Reston. The team raised $3.75 million last year to open eight new restaurants across the D.C. area.

Rasa, a Fast Casual Indian Restaurant, Is Expanding to Crystal City

By Kalina Newman
1/7

Rasa, a fast-casual Indian restaurant based in D.C., is coming to Arlington with a new location in Crystal City.

“Rasa National Landing,” is expected to open at 2200 Crystal Drive this coming spring, near the existing Sweetgreen and Chick-fil-A restaurants. The row of restaurants is popular with the lunchtime office crowd, which these days includes employees of Amazon’s growing HQ2.

The location will mirror Rasa’s D.C. location’s colorful interior with basket swing seats, bookshelves stocked with South Asian authors, and paintings from local artist Nandita Madan, the company said in a press release.

The bowl-based menu will also stay the same, featuring popular dishes such as “Tikka Chance of Me” with chicken, pickled onions, and toasted cumin yogurt, along with “Caul Me Maybe” made with cauliflower, peanut sesame sauce, and lemon turmeric rice.

Owners Rahul Vinod and Sahil Rahmam, who have long worked as a duo, have introduced one more to their team: Washington Redskins tight end Vernon Davis, who is now an investor and brand ambassador.

“Once I tried the food, I immediately fell in love,” said Davis in a press release. “I loved Sahil and Rahul’s energy and passion. I could tell they were driven to succeed and most importantly their humility was few and far between.”

Rahman and Vinod opened Rasa in December 2017 in D.C.’s Navy Yard area, with the goal of making Indian cuisine more accessible, at a $10 price point. Davis, who also attended Dunbar High School in D.C., also owns several area Jamba Juice franchises.

Rasa also recently announced a second D.C. location, in the Mt. Vernon Triangle neighborhood.

Gong Cha to Bubble Up in Rosslyn Across from New School

By Vernon Miles

A new bubble tea joint is coming to Rosslyn.

Permits have been filed for a Gong Cha Tea Shop at 1650 Wilson Blvd, across from the new Arlington Public Schools facility The Heights.

There is a Gong Cha international franchise with locations throughout D.C. and Maryland with a Fairfax location in Annandale (4230 Annandale Road) that opened earlier this year.

The chain offers bubble tea — a tea-based drink with pearls of tapioca balls — at a variety of sweetnesses. It also offers egg waffle dishes with ice cream.

There was no evidence of construction activity at 1650 Wilson Blvd and Gong Cha could not be reached to learn when the shop will be opening.

Hat tip to Chris Slatt

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