Some dishes on the menu at Padaek (courtesy Noh Leftovers)
Chef Seng Luangrath in her new kitchen at Padaek in the Arlington Ridge Shopping Center (courtesy Noh Leftovers)
Cafe Colline (staff photo)
Ruthie’s All-Day in Arlington Heights (courtesy photo)
Ruthie’s All-Day (courtesy photo)
Falls Church may be pint sized compared to Arlington, but the Little City next door has the county beat handily in a new list of the region’s best restaurants.
Three Arlington restaurants appear in Washingtonian’s just-released 100 Very Best Restaurants list. Twice as many Falls Church restaurants appear in the same pages.
That’s despite solid Northern Virginia representation on the “Very Best” list.
“Some of the year’s coolest spots — Joon in Tysons, Ellie Bird in Falls Church, Kirby Club in Fairfax — debuted in the Virginia suburbs,” the magazine noted in its introduction. In all, 21 Virginia eateries were listed.
King of Koshary at 5515 Wilson Blvd in 2019 (staff photo)
Koshari from King of Koshary (staff photo)
Ayob Metry, owner of King of Koshary, in 2019 (staff photo)
The exterior of Bostan, an Uyghur restaurant in 2021 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
The interior of Bostan, an Uyghur restaurant in 2021 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Last year Charga Grill topped the Washington Post’s annual list of top casual restaurants in the region.
That sent a flood of new customers to the eatery at 5151 Langston Blvd. Now two other Arlington restaurants, including another along Langston Blvd, are bound to see a big influx of diners thanks to the latest WaPo rankings.
King of Koshary, at 5515 Wilson Blvd, was previously praised by Carman for its “Egyptian food fit for royalty.”
“The King’s koshary is actually a joint effort from Ayob Metry and Nadia Gomaa, a pair of Egyptian natives who used to challenge each other to make the best version of this carb-heavy dish when they worked in the prepared foods department at Whole Foods in Ashburn,” Carman wrote in his latest list, published Tuesday.
Bostan Uyghur Cuisine, at 3911 Langston Blvd, was also noted for its compelling origin story — in addition to the food.
“Faced with the threat of a Chinese ‘reeducation’ camp if he returned to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region to renew his passport, Mirzat Salam opted to flee to the United States with his wife, Zulhayat Omer,” Carman wrote. “Trained as a doctor in Xinjiang, Mirzat slipped quietly into the hospitality industry, the same profession that his father, a chef named Abdusalam, had warned him about as a boy.”
Topping this year’s list, in the former Charga spot, is Woodbridge food truck Lechonera DMV.
Ruthie’s All-Day in Arlington Heights (courtesy photo)
Ruthie’s All-Day (courtesy photo)
Ruthie’s All-Day (courtesy photo)
Ruthie’s All-Day (courtesy photo)
Ruthie’s All-Day (courtesy photo)
Ruthie’s All-Day in Arlington Heights (courtesy photo)
Ruthie’s All-Day (courtesy photo)
Washingtonian is out with the results of its 46th annual restaurant survey and while the rankings are decidedly D.C.-centric, one Arlington restaurant stands out.
Ruthie’s All-Day, which opened in Arlington Heights in 2020, was voted by the magazine’s readers as the No. 1 favorite restaurant in Virginia.
“Breakfast biscuit sandwiches, meat-and-three barbecue plates, and a family-friendly approachability are the draws,” Washingtonian wrote of the all-day eatery at 3411 5th Street S.
The No. 2 and 3 reader favorite restaurants in the Commonwealth were Thompson Italian, in Falls Church and Alexandria, and long-time Michelin star magnet The Inn at Little Washington.
Ruthie’s is no stranger to acclaim, of course, having garnered a RAMMY award in 2022 and an entry in the Washington Post’s prestigious Fall Dining Guide this year.
“We are humbled and honored,” Ruthie’s chef and owner Matt Hill told ARLnow. “We could not be prouder of the dedication of our team and the support of our wonderful guests… A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported us and made RAD such a special place.”
Hill also said something potentially newsworthy about the future of the eatery
“We are actively seeking a second home for Ruthie’s and would love to hear your suggestions,” he said.
Some other restaurants with Arlington connections also made Washingtonian’s list of reader faves, including:
Boston-based chain Tatte, with an existing location in Clarendon and a planned location in Crystal City, was No. 3 for Favorite Breakfast
Chinese-Korean restaurant Chiko, which has a location in Shirlington, was No. 2 for Favorite Korean Restaurant
Weight room at Life Time fitness center in Clarendon (via Life Time)
Arlington ranked as the ‘fittest city’ in the U.S. for the sixth year in a row earlier this year. But the state in which the county is located is no slouch either.
Virginia is the fourth strongest state in the nation, according to a new study.
The Commonwealth weighs in behind Texas (1), Florida (2) and New York (3) in the rankings, which looked at data from the website Open Powerlifting.
“Virginia’s results: average squat: 573 lbs; average bench press: 364 lbs; average deadlift: 667 lbs,” noted a PR rep.
More from a press release:
Lift Vault, an online resource for powerlifting, bodybuilding and strength training, analyzed data, and set out to determine where in America do the country’s physically strongest men & women reside? They scoured through 5 years of data provided by Open Powerlifting focusing on 3 main powerlifting categories – the squat (a strength exercise in which the trainee lowers their hips from a standing position and then stands back up); the bench press (an upper-body weight training exercise in which the trainee presses a weight upwards while lying on a weight training bench); and a deadlift (in which a weight is lifted off the ground to the level of the hips, before being placed back on the ground).
The full set of rankings can be found here. The top and bottom five are below.
2023’s Five Strongest States:
1. Texas
2. Florida
3. NY
4. Virginia
5. California
2023’s Five Weakest States:
50. Vermont
49. Wyoming
48. Arkansas
47. North Dakota
46. West Virginia
Rosslyn skyline, with Tysons in the background (Flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf)
Millennials are still flocking to Arlington.
That’s according to new rankings from the website SmartAsset, which looked at where those ages 25-44 moved in 2022. (Yes, there are millennials who are now in their mid-40s.)
Arlington was No. 6 on the list of U.S. localities where millennials moved last year, as a percentage of the population.
“About 11.5% of Arlington’s residents are new millennials,” according to SmartAsset. “The [county] saw 26,699 millennials move in in 2022, and the median age across the city is 35.6 years.”
Ranking above Arlington were mostly tech-oriented cities: Cambridge, Massachusetts; Santa Clara, California; Seattle, Washington; Sunnyvale, California; and Denver, Colorado. Neighboring Alexandria and D.C. were No. 13 and 15 on the list, respectively.
Arlington, meanwhile, was No. 1 in at least one regard.
“Arlington, VA had the highest rate of millennials moving in from out of state at 5.2% of the total population,” SmartAsset wrote. “Studywide, Arlington placed 6th. Charleston, SC (45th); Washington, DC (15th); and Sandy Springs, GA (10th) similarly saw particularly high rates of millennial transplants from out of state.”
In 2017, another ranking website declared Arlington to be the “Best City for Millennials” on account of its nightlife, diversity, public schools, and being “good for families.”
Ranking of “Where Millennials Are Moving” in 2022 (via SmartAsset)
Awardees were selected based on percentage fiscal year revenue growth from 2019 to 2022, which ranged anywhere from 201% to 222,189% but had an average growth rate of 1,934% and a median growth rate of 497%, per a press release.
“Each year, we look forward to reviewing the progress and innovations of our Technology Fast 500 winners,” said Paul Silverglate, vice chair, Deloitte LLP and U.S. technology sector leader, in a statement. “This year is especially celebratory as we expand the number of winners to better represent just how many companies are developing new ideas to progress our society and the world, especially during a slow economy.”
Deloitte 2023 Technology Fast 500 Rankings illustration (via Deloitte)
All four Arlington companies have seen big changes recently. For most, the challenges Covid presented became fuel for their achievements.
GoTab’s streamlined ordering platform tailored to customers and restaurant staff rocketed into the public eye during Covid, when venues had to adapt to contact-less interactions. It has since launched new platforms, raised millions and expanded into Canada.
The fintech company Interos was founded in 2005 but its mission — using artificial intelligence-powered software to help businesses identify disruptions to their supply chain — became especially relevant during Covid, which caused trade restrictions and product shortages.
In 2021, Interos became Arlington’s first private startup to reach “unicorn” status, or a $1 billion valuation. Between 2019 and 2021, the company grew by 303% and has had its platform used by NASA, the U.S Department of Defense and several Fortune 500 companies.
Brazen provides virtual and in-person recruiting solutions to speed up the hiring process and works with some of the top brands in the world, including 15% of the Fortune 100. It has been expanding since it raised $3 million in 2019, but saw a marked increase in interest during Covid, when virtual events became the norm.
It was recently acquired by the cloud-based talent acquisition software provider Radancy.
Govini uses data and machine learning to advance U.S. competitiveness and combat eroding military dominance. Its claims to fame include a $400 million indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity, 5-year contract for data and analytics with the Pentagon, which it landed in 2019.
This year, it launched Ark.ai, which uses AI and machine learning to scan commercially available data for information to address “challenges in supply chain, nuclear modernization, acquisition, procurement, science and technology and foreign influence,” per a press release.
The company tied its recent growth not to Covid but with other current events: China’s rise to power and Russia’s war with Ukraine.
“In the face of these threats, national security leaders have realized that maximizing the Defense Acquisition Process is the first step to building an enduring military advantage,” Govini CEO Tara Murphy Dougherty said in another press release.
“This shift is evident in our growth and the widespread adoption of our flagship product, Ark.ai, across the Department of Defense,” she continued. “Govini remains deeply committed to equipping the defense community with a platform that answers the growing call for rapid, data-informed acquisition.”
The forthcoming apartments dubbed “The Commodore” in Courthouse (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Arlington has seen the greatest growth in people living alone of 342 U.S. cities.
That’s according to a new study by the website SmartAsset, which examined census data between 2016 and 2021.
Arlington is No. 1 on the list and neighboring Alexandria is No. 2, at a 3.54x and 2.98x increase of people living alone, respectively. In Arlington, about 42% of households only had one resident as of 2021.
“The rate of single people who live alone is rising dramatically in some U.S. cities,” a SmartAsset spokesman wrote. “Our findings show Arlington and Alexandria ranked among the top five cities where households changed the most.”
More from SmartAsset’s findings:
On average, the rate of single people living alone jumped to 28%. Five years prior, that figure was 24%. In Arlington, VA, which had the most drastic increase, the proportion of people living alone jumped from 11% to 41%.
Single people make up nearly half of households in these cities. The largest single populations across men and women are Washington, D.C. (48.23%); St. Louis, MO (47.49%); Alexandria, VA (46.52%); Richmond, VA (46.23%); Cincinnati, OH (46.20%); and Cleveland, OH (46.20%).
In the D.C. area, more than 25% of households are single women. Single-woman households are most prominent in Richmond, VA (28.00%); Washington, D.C. (26.74%); and Alexandria, VA (26.23%). These areas also saw the largest increases in the proportion of single women living alone over five years, with greater than 15% of households added to this cohort. Other areas with large bachelorette populations include St. Louis, MO (25.70%); New Orleans, LA (25.70%) and Cincinnati, OH (24.63%).
It’s perhaps worth pointing out that the end year of the study period, 2021, was in the midst of the pandemic — which might have prompted some to exit roommate situations.
2023 rankings for “Increase in People Living Alone in U.S. Cities” (via SmartAsset)
Arlington, VA, is August’s most sought-after city by renters looking for an apartment for rent on RentCafe.com, the same as last month. Apartment listings in the city attracted a significantly higher number of engagements compared to this time last year.
Specifically, traffic on Arlington listing pages more than doubled year-over-year, while renters favorited 72% more apartments and saved 38% more personalized searches. This continued (and growing) interest from apartment seekers in Arlington listings also helped the city keep its top spot for another month.
Arlington was followed on the top of the list by a trio of midwestern cities: Kansas City, Minneapolis and Cincinnati. Neighboring D.C. ranked No. 15, falling two spots.
The popularity comes at a cost, however. One- and two-bedroom rents were up 6% year-over-year as of May, according to a report from another rental website, Zumper, which ranked Arlington County as the 10th priciest rental market in the U.S.
At least some of that rising demand is being met by new development. Large apartment projects are underway or planned in neighborhoods including Pentagon City, Crystal City and Courthouse.
August 2023 rental activity rankings (via RentCafe.com)
Parents and kids celebrate the last bus drop off of the school year with a water balloon fight in the Yorktown neighborhood (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
(Updated at 10:40 a.m.) Out of more than 130 municipalities, Arlington is the third best place to raise a family, according to a new rankings report.
Arlington was evaluated alongside nearly 140 cities nationwide based on factors such as, cost of living, housing, the local economy and quality of life for renting families, according to RentCafe, which analyzes rental data and trends.
Arlington ranked near the bottom for cost of living but clinched second place for “Local Economy” and third for “Quality of Life,” which boosted its overall score – surpassed only by Plano, Texas and Scottsdale, Arizona.
“Arlington provides the ultimate combination of budget-friendly options, a growing job market, and high quality of life,” per the report, which called the county “a place teeming with history, but still keeping up with the younger crowd.”
With a cost of living 40% above the national average, the county ranked 128th in the “Cost of Living & Housing” category. In addition to having the 10th highest rental rates in U.S., RentCafe says renters looking to “upsize” for a growing family can expect to pay, on average, $645 per additional room.
While that “may not be so appealing for many renter families,” the report notes, “Arlingtonians can rest assured that they are raising their children in one of the finest locations in the U.S.”
RentCafe highlighted that 85% of apartments in Arlington are situated “in prime locations” near “excellent schools” and family-friendly spots, including parks and museums.
The reported also noted Arlington has one of the highest child school enrollment rates nationwide, at 92%, and the second lowest percentage of children living below the poverty line, at 6.8%.
In terms of its economy, RentCafe highlights that 76% of Arlington residents possess a higher education degree, ranking it second-highest. Additionally, there’s been a 1.6% uptick in job growth and a mere 2.9% unemployment rate, marking the lowest among the top 10.
“The city proves that it knows how to both play hard and work hard,” the report said.
The list of the top 10 municipalities is below:
Plano, Texas: Top-ranked for its balance of urban and suburban life, high-quality schools, and spacious apartments.
Scottsdale, Arizona: Offers upscale living, stunning views, and over 330 sunny days a year.
Arlington, Virginia: A history-rich city with a youthful vibe, boasting excellent economy and quality of life.
Marietta, Georgia: Provides a low cost of living, large apartments, and excellent schools.
Sunnyvale, California: Heart of Silicon Valley, offering diverse kid-friendly activities and top-notch schools.
Round Rock, Texas: Known as the “Sports Capital of Texas,” it’s perfect for active families who love their space.
Austin, Texas: A cultural hub with a vibrant entertainment scene and an appealing cost of living.
Fayetteville, Arkansas: Leads in cost of living and housing, blending small-town charm with ample family apartments.
Raleigh, North Carolina: A perfect blend of Southern charm and a busy college town, perfect for raising a little scientist.
Ann Arbor, Michigan: A renter’s paradise with dense forestation, great schools, and a thriving cultural scene.
The rankings found that Arlingtonians not only tend to make health-conscious decisions — eating vegetables, not smoking and biking to work — but also have access to an abundance of parks, trails and wide sidewalks to stay active.
“I am very impressed with Arlington for getting this spot for the sixth year in a row, however, I won’t say I am surprised. The county has done well with creating the assets needed to have a healthy community,” chair of the American Fitness Index Advisory Board Dr. Stella Volpe told ARLnow yesterday. “Arlington has resources for making the healthy choice the easy choice for its residents.”
Arlington County and 99 other cities and municipalities were evaluated based on 34 evidence-based health indicators, such as recreational facilities and how often residents work out. It ranked in the top 10 cities for 16 of these criteria.
The county topped both the “personal health” category, which measures individual fitness choices and health outcomes, and the “community-environment” category, which measures indicators such as access to recreational facilities, a press release said.
“Getting a title like this is a great honor for Arlington,” Volpe said. “The city is on a great roll and is certainly doing things right. It is something to be happy about.”
Arlington scored the highest in the nation for the percentage of residents who had exercised in the last month, landing at 89.9%, and had the lowest score in the nation for the percentage of residents with diabetes, at 5.8%.
The report noted that Arlington had not had any pedestrian deaths in the most recent federal data available, from 2020, but there have been some fatalities since then.
D.C. and Seattle fell just behind Arlington, ranking in second and third place overall.
“Residents are almost forced to be active in Arlington which is part of the reason why the city keeps winning,” Volpe said.
2023 Fitness Ranking infographic (courtesy American College of Sports Medicine)
The press release about the rankings release is below.
Front of Sloppy Mama’s BBQ (Photo by Nick Barahona)
Inside Sloppy Mama’s BBQ (Photo by Nick Barahona)
(Updated at noon) It’s not even the highlight of the Arlington eatery’s menu, but the burger at Sloppy Mama’s has been named one of the best in the D.C. area.
That’s according to Washington Post food critic Tim Carman, who sampled 45 burgers around the region and compiled a list of the top 10. Many of the top burgers were at restaurants in the District which specialize in burgers.
But not Sloppy Mama’s, the barbecue joint at 5731 Langston Blvd.
The $6 cheeseburger is a recent addition to a menu that’s more focused on brisket than burgers. Nonetheless, it placed No. 3 on Carman’s list.
“The first time I tried the cheeseburger at Sloppy Mama’s, it was during the pandemic,” Carman wrote. “I had ordered a variety of smoked meats for takeaway — back when we were keeping the world at arm’s length — and owners Joe and Mandy Neuman tossed in a couple of burgers as a thank you. They had just put the burgers on the menu, one more hedge against an uncertain future for restaurants at the time. To be honest, I wasn’t sure I’d even try one.”
But the burger blew him away, perhaps due to the meat that’s used.
“[Joe Neuman’s] patties are made with the trimmings from prime briskets,” Carman noted, adding that the taste “probably boils down to animal fat, and lots of it. These burgers are not afraid to revel in the richness that can only come from good beef.”
Only one other Arlington restaurant was mentioned in the article, as an honorable mention: Bob and Edith’s Diner and its B&E burger.
