poker

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Power Outage in Clarendon — A small power outage affected several businesses in Clarendon yesterday evening, including Arlington Independent Media and Galaxy Hut.

County to Expand Citizenship Aid — “Arlington government officials plan to expand a subsidy program that helps prospective U.S. citizens pay the costs associated with their efforts. County Board members on July 14 are expected to increase the subsidy amount and expand the ranks of those eligible to participate in the subsidy program, which is funded by private donations.” [InsideNova]

Local Couple Helps Seniors to Downsize — “Bill and Betty Ubbens, realtors with Weichert Realty and parishioners of St. Ann Church in Arlington, assist seniors with downsizing… The Ubbens have found the biggest resistance to decluttering is the ‘sheer amount of stuff to go through and the time to complete the inventory and planned disposition of the property.'” [Arlington Catholic Herald]

Arlington Man Wins Big in Poker Tourney — Arlington resident Yaser Al-Keliddar won more than $150,000 and a World Series of Poker bracelet in a $3,000 limit hold’em tournament in Las Vegas earlier this week. [World Series of Poker]

Monitor Broken at ‘Super Stop’ — As seems to happen every so often, the electronic display at the Walter Reed Drive “Super Stop” along Columbia Pike — also known as the “million dollar bus stop” — is broken. A sign on the monitor, which is supposed to show real-time bus arrival information, says a replacement is planned. [Twitter]

It’s Friday the 13th — Be careful out there. But then again, only 27.4 percent of you are superstitious.

Photo courtesy @thelastfc

Poker-Playing Brothers Hope to Cash in With New Westlee Eatery

By ARLnow.com

After the federal government shut down the country’s top three poker websites last April, professional online poker players Hac and Di Dang thought it might be best to try their luck at another venture.

The pair decided to go all-in with their brother Au (and three other partners) and launch a Cajun crawfish restaurant in Westlee called “Chasin’ Tails: Cajun Seafood and Bar.”

Located at 2200 N. Westmoreland Street, in the former Bear Rock Cafe space, Chasin’ Tails aims to be the go-to local hangout for seafood and sports fans. The restaurant opened to the general public for the first time this afternoon.

The restaurant serves fresh, Bayou-style seafood by the bucket, and encourages guests to eat with their hands, with the motto “no forks, no rules.” There’s even a trough at the back of the main dining area to give patrons a place to clean the seafood bits off their hands without having to go into a bathroom.

The simple one-page menu includes crawfish — the specialty — as well as shrimp, snow crab legs, king crab legs, blue crab, lobster, clams, mussels and raw oysters. Fried seafood, gumbo and jambalaya, and sides like Cajun fried, corn on the cob and Andouille sausage is also available.

Chasin’ Tails is an ambitious venture for the Dang brothers who, at ages 23 to 29, are first-time restaurateurs. The restaurant seats 150 in the main dining room along, with additional seating for 35 in a private dining room and — coming soon — 25 outdoor seats. The entire space is lined with flat-screen TVs tuned to sports channels, and there’s a full bar in the center of the restaurant. It’s particularly bold due to the location: Westlee is hardly the Clarendon-style commercial mecca where one might expect to see a restaurant the size of Chasin’ Tails.

The slightly off-the-beaten path location is part of the draw, says general manager Mike Jones. Formerly the general manager at Georgetown stalwarts The Guards and J. Paul’s, Jones says Chasin’ Tails is poised to capitalize on the lack of comparable dining options nearby. He also likes the fact that Westlee is positioned along Lee Highway, and between the East Falls Church Metro station and the main commercial drag of Falls Church — bringing in some additional foot traffic.

“We think that we’re in a very good position to reach out to a lot of people,” Jones said. “We’re excited about the clientelle we’re going to serve.”

Chasin’ Tails will be open from 3:00 to 10:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 3:00 p.m. to midnight on Friday, 11:00 a.m. to midnight on Saturday, and 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Sunday. Happy hour will run from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. A grand opening party, with a New Orleans-style jazz band, is planned for between 2:00 and 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 7.

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Crime Report: Armed and Dangerous Edition

By ARLnow.com

Guns were involved in two notable incidents from this week’s Arlington County crime report.

Last Wednesday, an argument in the Pentagon City mall food court turned dangerous when a man brandished a handgun at three teenagers. Police say the suspect was accompanying a pregnant woman at the time.

BRANDISHING, 07/27/11, 1100 block of S. Hayes Street. On July 27 at 9:20 pm, a group of three teenage males argued with a male and female couple in the food court. The male brandished a handgun at the teenagers before leaving the area. The suspect is described as a white male with brown hair in his mid-30’s, 5’10’ and 200 lbs. He was wearing a black polo shirt and jeans. He was in the company of a pregnant white female in her early 30’s. She was wearing a long black dress.

On Monday, two suspects surprised a group of guys playing poker in a Rosslyn apartment when they burst in, displayed a handgun and took everybody’s money.

ROBBERY, 08/01/11, 1100 block of Arlington Boulevard. On August 1 at 1:50 am, numerous men were in an apartment conducting a poker tournament. Two unknown men entered the apartment, displayed a gun and demanded money and the victim’s wallets. One suspect is described as an African American male in his mid-20’s, 6’2″ and skinny. He wore a red bandana over his face and a red Washington national baseball cap. The second suspect was an African American male, 5’8″, wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and a red bandana.

The rest of this week’s crime report, after the jump. (more…)

Poker Tournament for a Good Cause

By ARLnow.com

“Wild West” and “Caribbean Breeze” are two things that generally do not go together. Neither are “Habitat for Humanity” and “poker tournament.”

Nonetheless, a “Wild West” Texas Hold’em Poker Tournament and Networking Party to benefit Habitat for Humanity is being held tonight at Caribbean Breeze restaurant in Ballston (4100 N. Fairfax Drive).

Up to 40 players will ante up $100 to compete for a flat screen TV and a pair of gift certificates. Online registration for the tournament is still open.

In addition to poker, the event will also feature cigar rolling, whiskey tastings, special cocktails, raffles, a “special celebrity guest” and networking opportunities.

Non-poker players will be assessed a $20 cover charge, unless they “dress the part” (cowboy hat, huge belt buckle, cowboy boots, etc.), in which case the cover drops to $10. The event starts at 5:30 p.m.