new restaurant

Spice in Clarendon Now Open

By Morgan Fecto
1/5

(Updated at 1:15 p.m.) Spice, the Italian hoagie and Mediterranean food shop at 3033 Wilson Blvd, is now open.

The shop is at the former location of “Le Sandwich,” a French-style sandwich shop that was open for all of 10 days before owner Yasser Mohamed dissolved the business and dismissed its operator. After Le Sandwich closed, Mohamed planned to open Spice to showcase his wife’s “amazing cooking.”

“Right now we’re happy,” Mohamed said. “Our customers seem happy and we’re getting repeats.”

The daily menu includes a variety of Italian cold-cut sandwiches, including a duck prosciutto hoagie, with prices ranging from $7.49 to $10.99. On Monday and Wednesday, Spice sells its chicken, fish and shrimp tacos, with guacamole that Mohamed describes as “so fresh.”

Mohamed also sells his wife’s hummus, moussaka, lentil salad, baba ghanoush and specialty Mediterranean platters that come with saffron rice and salad. The Greek salad with wild Alaskan salmon has been a hit with customers, Mohamed said.

Spice will extend its hours of operation and expand its menu within the next three months to include breakfast, then dinner. The shop is currently open from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., but will open at 7:00 a.m. as soon it can accommodate the breakfast rush.

“My wife does all the cooking and she gets very tired,” Mohamed said. “We want to keep the quality high, so for now we’re just pushing lunch.”

He said he will hire more employees soon. Presently he works a 16-hour day between Spice and his neighboring business, Larry’s Homemade Ice Cream, and his wife works a 12-hour day, “but that’s business.”

Mohamed is also expecting a liquor license for Spice before summer ends, which will be essential when the restaurant eventually serves dinner. Despite the limited hours, Mohamed said he’s been selling out of food almost every day.

“Last Tuesday we were slammed at lunch,” he said. “We sold out by 3:00.”

No, Chipotle Is Not Coming Soon to Clarendon, But Citizen Burger Bar Is

By ARLnow.com

Fake Chipotle sign at 3001 Washington BlvdDespite signs posted on ground floor windows at the new 3001 Washington Blvd office building in Clarendon, we’re told that Chipotle is not, in fact, coming soon to the building.

The signs appeared on the windows at the corner of Washington Blvd and N. Garfield Street yesterday. Conspicuously, they were posted on the outside of the windows.

“We don’t have a sign on 3001 that says that… we haven’t been in any discussions with them,” said John Asadoorian, whose firm, Asadoorian Retail Solutions, is handling leasing for the building’s retail spaces.

3001 Washington Blvd retail spaceThe fake signs have, however, sparked jubilation among some local residents. On the Facebook page of the 1021 Clarendon condominium building across the street, residents who are soon to be disappointed were effusive in their temporary excitement.

“My dream has come true,” said one Facebook poster. “Now just walking distance!”

“OMG!” said another.

“Praise God! I have tears in my eyes,” wrote yet another.

Though it likely won’t generate the same level of Chipotlemania, there is at least one new restaurant coming to 3001 Washington Blvd that should generate some buzz. Citizen Burger Bar is expanding from its original Charlottesville location to a new location at the corner of N. Highland Street and 11th Street. The restaurant specializes in custom burgers and craft beers, but also serves sandwiches, wine and cocktails.

Also planned for 3001 Washington Blvd is a restaurant called “Bowl’d.” The owner appears to be a Donaldson Run resident, but no other information about the restaurant or the type of food it will serve was immediately available.

UPDATED: Cafe Caturra May Close, Reopen as Tazza Kitchen

By ARLnow.com

Cafe Caturra on S. Glebe Road Cafe Caturra on S. Glebe Road

(Updated at 5:50 p.m. on 6/19/14) Cafe Caturra (2931 S. Glebe Road) is expected to close in order to be converted into a Tazza Kitchen restaurant.

The restaurant opened in the Arlington Ridge Shopping Center in September 2011. It is expected to close for renovations in the near future, though no timeline has yet been set, according to co-owner Jeff Grant, the founder of Cafe Caturra. The restaurant has applied for but has not yet been granted building permits.

After renovations, it would then reopen as Tazza Kitchen, which serves cuisine inspired by the Mediterranean coast and Baja California. Tazza Kitchen currently has locations in Richmond and Raleigh, N.C., with another coming soon to Columbia, S.C.

As of December, dinner entrees ranged in price from $9.50 to $16.50, according to a glowing review by the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

“No one is really doing that kind of food here at that price point,” said Lawrence Blake, a Cafe Caturra employee in Arlington.

Hat tip to @alongthepike

New Irish Bar Coming to Columbia Pike?

By ARLnow.com

Manee Thai restaurant on Columbia PikeManee Thai may be closing in the near future, and an Irish bar may take its place.

A restaurant called “The Celtic House,” from a company called “Green Brigade LLC,” has applied for a permit to serve wine, beer and mixed beverages at 2500 Columbia Pike, in the Arlington Village Shopping Center. That’s the current home of Manee Thai restaurant, which has been open for 13-14 years.

“Mo,” a man identifying himself as the owner of Manee Thai, told ARLnow.com today that he is in talks to sell the restaurant and retire. But he said nothing has been finalized.

“We have nothing going on yet,” he said. “We are still talking.”

No company phone number was listed for The Celtic House or Green Brigade LLC. The Virginia State Corporation Commission and Arlington County have no record of an LLC by the name of “Green Brigade.”

Another Irish-themed watering hole, P. Brennan’s Irish Pub (2910 Columbia Pike), has been open just down the street since 2010.

We, the Pizza Now Open in Crystal City

By Ethan Rothstein
1/10

We, The Pizza, the pizza shop launched by former Top Chef contestant Spike Mendelsohn, is now open in Crystal City.

Located next to TechShop in the Shops at 2100 Crystal Drive, the pizza shop has only been open “a couple of days” according to a manager in the store, and it was still crowded for lunch at 1:30 p.m. today. The shop has signs posted alerting customers “Staff is training (Be Gentle).”

The shop is open from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. daily and serves slices of 16 custom pizzas, including a chicken poblano spicy Mexican pie, a Mortadella pico de gallo pie and a Cajun chicken and andouille pie. Slices of each pie cost $4 and a cheese slice costs $3. A medium full pizza of any style costs $18 and a large costs $20.

The restaurant also offers wings and salads, and boasts that many of its ingredients are sourced from local farms in Maryland, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. Mendelsohn also owns the Good Stuff Eatery burger shop two doors down from We, The Pizza.

Mediterranean Restaurant / Hoagie Shop Coming to Clarendon

By Ethan Rothstein

Spice opening soon in Clarendon Spice opening soon in Clarendon

A combination Mediterranean restaurant and Italian hoagie shop could be opening at the corner of Wilson Blvd and N. Garfield Street in Clarendon as early as Friday.

“Spice” will occupy the same space that housed Le Sandwich for 10 days and previously was home to Cafe Wilson, Paciugo Gelato and Street Corner Cafe. Its owner, Yasser Mohamed, who also owns and operate Larry’s Homemade Ice Cream across the street, held the lease for Le Sandwich and said he saw “the store going downhill fast” and “didn’t like it,” so he decided to kick out Le Sandwich and its operator, Mehdi Ben, and give his wife the space for a restaurant.

“My wife is a great cook who always dreamed of opening her own store, so it was an opportunity for her,” Mohamed told ARLnow.com this afternoon. “She’s going to be making Mediterranean dishes and cold and hot hoagies.”

Mohamed said the hoagies will have meats shipped from different cities in Italy, as well as “apple hickory duck prosciutto,” which he described as “expensive, but very tasty.” He said the store will also have a salad bar, and most dishes will range from $7.50 to about $14.

“I think my price compared to my rent and expenses is very fair,” he said. “It’s been 24 years in the retail business, it’s all I know. We want to sell a lot and make a little. I’m not a greedy guy.”

Mohamed said some of the Mediterranean dishes will include rosemary lamb shanks, baked salmon and lemon ginger chicken, which will be served with rice and vegetables on the side. Spice will open at 11:00 a.m. and close at 9:00 p.m. from Sunday to Thursday, and Mohamed said he plans to stay open until 3:00 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.

The restaurant will undergo a health inspection this week, according to Mohamed, after which it could open “by Friday or Saturday. That’s when we’re shooting for.”

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Rosslyn skyline (Flickr pool photo by Brian Allen)

Graffiti Closes Powhatan Skatepark — Powhatan Springs Skatepark is temporarily closed after “graffiti containing vulgar language” was found. The park will be temporarily closed until park staff can remove the graffiti. No word yet on a reopening date.

Tejada: Three Dems on County Board — At the Arlington County Democratic Committee’s annual Jefferson-Jackson dinner over the weekend, Walter Tejada said pointedly that he is “one of three Democratic county board members,” presumably excluding Libby Garvey. Garvey was also not listed as an “Arlington Democratic Elected Official” in the program. [Blue Virginia]

Dominion Planning New Underground Power Line — Dominion Virginia Power is planning on building an underground power transmission line from Arlington to Alexandria. The $160 million project is intended to address “a local reliability load issue… that could potentially impact neighbors by 2018.” Alexandria officials are expressing objections to the project. [Washington Post]

AYDs Eye South Arlington — Arlington Young Democrats are trying to increase their outreach to women, minorities and to residents of south Arlington. The organization has appointed a new “outreach chair and communications director” who will be in charge of recruiting individuals in targeted groups and “mak[ing] them feel welcome.” [InsideNova]

We, The Pizza Finally Open — It appears that We, The Pizza in Crystal City (2100 Crystal Drive) finally opened over the weekend. [Twitter]

Flickr pool by Brian Allen

New Pizza Restaurant Coming to Rosslyn

By Ethan Rothstein

Spinfire Pizza coming to Rosslyn Spinfire Pizza coming to Rosslyn

A new restaurant that boasts serving pizzas “freshly-baked in 90 seconds” appears to be moving to Rosslyn at 1501 Wilson Blvd, next door to Roti.

Spinfire Pizza is planning on opening one of its first two locations in Rosslyn — the other is expected to open in Ashburn, Va. — but there’s no indication of when the restaurant will open its doors.

The signage on the restaurants window indicate that the pizzas will be Neopolitan-style, made-to-order, and customers will be able to choose from 50 toppings. It appears Spinfire will also offer salads, beer and wine.

A virtual tour online of the concept gives the restaurant the look of a “fast casual,” assembly line-style of eatery, which is burgeoning in Rosslyn with Roti, Chipotle, Chop’t and Tom Yum District.

Casita Declared Restaurant Challenge Winner as Albisu Withdraws

By Ethan Rothstein

Restaurant Challenge finalists Victor Albisu, left, and Christiana Campos (photo courtesy Ballston BID)The Ballston Business Improvement District’s Restaurant Challenge is over before its long-promoted “Top Chef”-style cookoff could begin.

Del Campo and Taco Bamba chef Victor Albisu has withdrawn his concept, a Mexican restaurant called Bombazo, leaving Christiana Campos and her Spanish restaurant, Casita, as the winner.

Campos will now get to open up shop in the former Red Parrot space at 1110 N. Glebe Road, next to The Melting Pot with a year of free rent, an 11-year lease and a $245,000, interest-free loan from the building’s owner, Brookfield Properties.

Campos and Albisu were selected as the two finalists to compete in a final cookoff this Wednesday evening in the restaurant space that will now become Casita. They were selected from a pool of eight semi-finalists who competed in a judging panel during Taste of Arlington last month, and the two finalists’ selection generated some controversy because of confusion over the selection process.

The restaurant concept that won the most votes from Taste of Arlington attendees, Kristen Robinson’s Laurel, was not named a finalist. Despite Albisu dropping out this morning, Ballston BID CEO said Campos was declared the winner instead of Robinson being invited to the challenge.

“We decided that Casita and Christiana and her team thought they were going up against Victor, and to change that midway and say, ‘Oh we’re not going to award it to you’ and give a chance to someone else, we didn’t think it was the right thing to do,” Leone told ARLnow.com this afternoon. “They have a great plan, team and concept for that location. All the elements were there for a successful venture. We thought that was the best thing to do to award it to her.”

Albisu declined comment on dropping out of the Restaurant Challenge through his publicist. Restaurant Challenge judge and Top Chef alumnus Mike Isabella announced last week that he’d be opening a Mexican cantina, called Pepita, in Ballston, at 4000 Wilson Blvd, last week. Leone alluded to the fact that Isabella’s new venture, expected to open early next year, might have chased Albisu off.

“There were restaurant wars going on, it wasn’t quite the challenge we were putting on,” Leone said. “Things don’t always work out exactly the way you want, but we think this turned out pretty great. It’s a win for Ballston. We’re getting a Mexican restaurant and a Spanish restaurant.”

Campos described Casita on the Restaurant Challenge website as “inspired from the timeless taverns that over generations have been offering very unique, yet typical, classic comfort foods from Spain featuring top-quality and seasonal ingredients. These taverns are known for their hearty dishes and “menus del dia” (a three course meal at a reasonable cost), as well as “pintxos” (essentially snacks on a skewer).”

The Restaurant Challenge was a kind of sequel to last year’s Launchpad Challenge for startup technology companies. While Launchpad was seen as a success, Leone said there’s no certainty that another challenge is in the offing for Ballston. She also pointed out that Restaurant Challenge was the brainchild of Brookfield Properties looking to entice restaurants to its space, not an idea the BID hatched on its own.

There’s no word on when Casita plans to open. Campos will be officially announced as the winner at the BID’s annual meeting on June 23, when she will prepare an array of food as a preview for the restaurant.

Disclosure: Ballston BID is an ARLnow.com advertiser. Photo courtesy Ballston BID.

‘Secret Chopsticks’ Chinese Restaurant Coming to Rosslyn

By Ethan Rothstein
1/3

A Chinese restaurant that bills itself as “Healthy. Tasty. Fancy,” appears to be coming soon to Rosslyn.

Secret Chopsticks has posted signs all over the windows of the ground floor space along N. Fort Myer Drive of the Turnberry Tower luxury condominium building. The signs point interested passers-by to a website that is empty, other than the restaurant’s logo and the description “contemporary Chinese cuisine.”

The signs say “coming soon Summer 2014.” The business was registered with Arlington County in February. Its domain name and Facebook page were registered in 2012.

No one from the restaurant could be immediately reached for comment.

Hat tip to Chris Junior

Jimmy John’s Coming to Clarendon, Wine Bar Next?

By Ethan Rothstein

Beacon at Clarendon West constructionNational sandwich chain Jimmy John’s is planning on opening another Arlington location in Clarendon in the coming months.

Jimmy John’s, which has locations in Rosslyn, Ballston and Crystal City, has signed a lease to move into the Beacon at Clarendon West apartment project, at the corner of Washington Blvd, Wilson Blvd and N. Irving Street, according to Asadoorian Retail Solutions, which is managing the retail leasing for the development.

Asadoorian’s Jeff Handler told ARLnow.com that the company is also looking to fill the apartment building’s ground floor with a fitness business and a wine bar, among other retail options. Handler also said he’s “in conversation with a number of restaurants.”

The building’s ground floor is planned to open in June and the two-tower, 187-unit facility is on track for completion this fall.

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