restaurant

Burapa Thai Closes in Clarendon

By ARLnow.com

The Clarendon location of Burapa Thai restaurant, at 1210 N. Garfield Street, has closed.

The restaurant opened in February 2011 but served its final diners last night. Owner Prat Uthes says Burapa struggled to find a steady customer base in a very competitive area, despite running a number of Groupons and other “daily deals.”

“The reason is tough economy and I can not compete with this location,” she told ARLnow.com. “Too many restaurants in the area and rent is too high.”

Still, Uthes said closing was a tough decision.

“I am so sad to leave this area,” she said. “I love all customers.”

Uthes said the Burapa Thai location in Lansdowne will remain open, and she’s planning to open a new location in Haymarket.

Hat tip to @dcrants

Board Defers Restaurant’s Karaoke Request, Citing Crime Concerns

By Katie Pyzyk

The Arlington County Board has deferred a restaurant’s request to host karaoke several nights a week due to crime concerns.

Restaurante El Salvador (4805 Columbia Pike) had asked for a live entertainment permit, but at its Saturday meeting the Board voted unanimously to defer the request six months until its May 2013 meeting.

The local civic association, the Barcroft School and Civic League (BSCL), opposed the granting of the permit, which would allow karaoke until 2:00 a.m. on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday nights.

According the BSCL and county staff, there have been recent complaints about “alcohol related incidents and violations” that prompted police to respond to the restaurant. Neighbors worry that allowing the live entertainment permit would increase the instances of public drunkenness and rowdiness.

“BSCL concurs with the Arlington County Police Department that such an addition would exacerbate the crime problems the neighborhood is currently experiencing at and around this establishment,” said BSCL President Pat Williamson.

County staff recommended deferring the issue for six moths in order for Restaurante El Salvador to foster a better relationship with the community. Restaurant representatives, county staff and members of BSCL are supposed to meet within the next few weeks to address issues such as hiring security and enforcing drink limits for patrons.

“Staff will work with the applicant to foster a better relationship with the community and with other County agencies,” said the staff report. “The applicant is aware of the reasons staff is recommending deferral, and staff will be working with the applicant, the Arlington County Police Department, and the community over the next few months to address the issues that have been identified.”

Photo via Google Maps

Arlington Building, Restaurant Win Industry Awards

By ARLnow.com

The Northern Virginia chapter of NAIOP, a commercial real estate development association, recognized two Arlington projects at its annual awards ceremony last night.

Epic Smokehouse, the new upscale barbecue restaurant at 1330 S. Fern Street in Pentagon City, won NAIOP’s “Award of Merit” in the “Best Interiors, Retail Project” category. The restaurant’s interior — which is heavy on wood, leather and concrete — was designed by Collective Architecture and built by rand* Construction Corporation.

Ballston’s new 800 North Glebe Road building, meanwhile, won NAIOP’s “Award of Excellence” for “Best Building, 4 Stories and Above.” The 10-story office building was developed by the JBG Companies, designed by Cooper Carry and built by Clark Construction.

The award ceremony was held last night in Tysons Corner.

“The event was sold out with over six hundred-fifty people in attendance as twenty-three awards were presented in the following categories: Transactions, Interiors, Marketing, Buildings and Membership,” according to a press release. “The Awards Dinner was an opportunity to celebrate significant new contributions to Northern Virginia by the commercial, industrial and mixed-use real estate community.”

Tandoori Nights to Change Ownership, Name

By ARLnow.com

Tandoori Nights is in the process of changing its name and ownership.

The Indian restaurant, located on the second level of the Market Common Clarendon shopping center at 2800 Clarendon Blvd, is expected to change its name to Zaika Restaurant when the ownership change is finalized. Zaika translates to “sense of taste,” according to the future restaurant’s web site, which is still under development.

We’re told that the name will be the only noticeable change. The new owners plan to keep the same chef, staff, menu, and decor.

Tandoori Nights achieved minor national notoriety earlier this year when the Food Network’s “Heat Seekers” show stopped by to sample some of the restaurant’s spicier dishes.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Campbell Students Allowed Back on Bus — Students who were bused to Campbell Elementary School last year but were judged to be in the “walk zone” this year will be allowed back on the bus. Arlington Public Schools made the decision to diverge from its controversial Transportation Modernization Plan after 20 families threatened to pull their children from Campbell and enroll them at their neighborhood school, Carlin Springs Elementary, which is over capacity. [Arlington Mercury]

Fairfax Wants Say in Arlington School Expansion — Officials in Fairfax County want to review and analyze the Arlington Public Schools plan to add 300 middle school students and 600 elementary school students to the Williamsburg Middle School campus, which is near McLean. Fairfax officials are concerned about the traffic impact to McLean neighborhoods. [Sun Gazette]

County Approves New Fiber Optic Contract — On Saturday the Arlington County Board approved a $5.37 million contract to build an additional stage of the ConnectArlington fiber optic network. The fiber optic project approved over the weekend will connect 50 county and school facilities. [Arlington County]

Ballston Restaurant Has ‘Best Wings’ — First Down Sports Bar and Grill, at 4213 N. Fairfax Drive in Ballston, has some of the best wings in the D.C. area, according to the Washington Post’s Going Out Guide. First Down offers some 40 flavors of wings and an all-you-can-eat wing night on Wednesday. [Washington Post]

High School Football Update — Bishop O’Connell’s football squad won its homecoming game against Bishop McNamara on Saturday, by a score of 31-14. Yorktown trounced Falls Church on Friday, with a 48-0 win that brought the school’s record to 8-0. Washington-Lee and the winless Wakefield Warriors both lost Friday night.

Flickr pool photo by Christaki

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Career Fair Coming Next Week — Registration is now open for the second annual Arlington Employment Center Fall Career Fair. The career fair will allow job hunters to “meet with over 50 area top employers with jobs in IT, administration, education, construction, banking, retail, healthcare, transportation and more.” It will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 23, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at George Mason University’s Founders Hall (3351 Fairfax Drive). Registration is free. [Arlington County]

Liberty Tavern Makes Fall Dining Guide — Clarendon’s Liberty Tavern is the sole Arlington entrant on food critic Tom Sietsema’s 2012 Fall Dining Guide. The guide lists 40 of Sietsema’s favorite restaurants around the region. [Washington Post]

Elevation Burger Still Expanding — Arlington-based Elevation Burger is celebrating the opening of its 30th store. The burger chain’s main corporate office is located in Ballston and an Elevation Burger restaurant is located at 2447 N. Harrison Street, in the Lee-Harrison Shopping Center. [Restaurant News]

Flickr pool photo by Mark C. White

UPDATE (3): Restaurant Fire on Columbia Pike

By ARLnow.com

Updated at 3:10 p.m. — Columbia Pike has reopened to traffic, according to scanner reports.

(Updated at 2:45 p.m.) Columbia Pike has been shut down between Walter Reed Drive and S. Courthouse Road as a result of a working fire at a restaurant.

Firefighters arrived on scene at 2520 Columbia Pike around 2:10 p.m., for a fire in the kitchen of the Top’s China takeout restaurant. As of 2:45 p.m., the fire was extinguished and firefighters were checking for remaining hot spots, according to ACFD spokesman Capt. Gregg Karl.

The numerous shops in the strip shopping center in which Top’s is located have been evacuated, Karl said.

Photos courtesy @taylorcarson, @cmags44, @kochimom

1/8

Melody Tavern Closes Its Doors

By ARLnow.com

Another business has closed at the Market Square at Potomac Yard development.

Melody Tavern (3650 S. Glebe Road), a bar/restaurant that hosted live music, has closed after about a year in business. On Facebook, the owners thanked customers for “10 wonderful months.”

“This location is far more challenging than anticipated so we have decided to close the doors,” the Facebook post said. “We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause some. Thank you and God Bless.”

This is the latest in a lengthening line of business closures at the off-the-beaten-path retail cluster, located on the ground floor of the Eclipse condo building between Crystal City and Potomac Yard, just off Route 1.

Melody Tavern had replaced McGinty’s Irish Pub, which closed in December 2010. Hee Been Asian Bistro Buffet closed there in July after just 7 months in business. Harris Teeter has yet to reopen after a major sewage backup in May. (No word yet on a reopening date.) Meanwhile, across the street, a Jerry’s Subs and Pizza closed last year.

Part of the blame may be the lack of foot traffic from anyone other than residents of the two adjacent residential buildings, and the fact that the businesses are set back from the street and hard to see to people driving by. Another possible explanation: last November, we reported that Melody Tavern had to issue a press release after it was revealed that some GPS navigation systems directed people to a vacant lot several blocks away when trying to find the restaurant’s address.

Hikaru Sushi in Courthouse Closes

By ARLnow.com

A small Japanese restaurant in Courthouse has closed.

Hikaru Sushi, at 2200 Wilson Blvd, closed its doors over the weekend, we’re told. The restaurant’s sign has been taken down, the phone lines have been disconnected, and workers could be seen removing kitchen equipment on Saturday.

One resident reported via Twitter that the owner of the Hikaru told customers that he was moving and thus decided to close the restaurant. We were unable to reach the owner for comment.

The restaurant enjoyed generally positive reviews on Yelp. It recently sold a Groupon deal that expired on Sept. 19.

Photo via hikaru-sushi.com. Hat tips to @shtickstickler, @ClarendonScene and @Tamarabrams

Exhibit at Busboys and Poets Pays Tribute to Breasts

By ARLnow.com

Busboys and Poets in Shirlington (4251 S. Campbell Avenue) is hosting a new art exhibit dedicated to breasts.

The exhibit, called Telling Intimate True Stories (TITS), features plaster castings of women’s breasts, turned into works of art. The opening of the exhibit coincides with October’s National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Some of the castings are from local breast cancer survivors.

Women who participated in the castings range in age from 18 to 73, and each participant wrote an essay that accompanies the casting. The essays talk about “individual body image or life experiences,” Busboys and Poets spokeswoman Melissa DePaulis told ARLnow.com.

“There are works by domestic violence survivors that tell of jarring horrors. Cancer survivors talk of their own painful journeys. There are stories of self image from preteen years,” DePaulis said. “All work is anonymous. It is our hope that audiences are impacted by the work — that they recognize their own stories in the castings and essays and they feel empathy for the range of women’s experiences.”

Telling Intimate True Stories was created by Taking Flight, an nonprofit group “that gives women creative opportunities to voice our experiences.” The organization hopes the exhibit “brings attention to breast health as it also gives women a platform to express our feelings related to our breasts and body images.”

The exhibit is expected to remain displayed at the restaurant for about six months. An artist reception for the exhibit will be held from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 16. The event is free and open to the public.

Hat tip to Scott McCaffrey

1/9

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Clarendon Day Draws a Crowd — Thousands enjoyed “picture perfect” weather at the annual 15th Clarendon Day street festival and 10K/5K race (photo, above) on Saturday. [Patch]

Victories for Yorktown, DJO, W-L — In local football action over the weekend, Yorktown defeated Hayfield 17-10 and Bishop O’Connell defeated Carroll 38-7 over the weekend. Both teams are now undefeated with a record of 4-0. Washington-Lee is now 2-2 after beating Mount Vernon 41-20. Wakefield is 0-4 after losing another lopsided game. The Warriors fell to Freedom South Riding 55-6.

Free Coffee at McDonald’s — McDonald’s restaurants are giving away free small cups of coffee through Saturday. The restaurant is offering the one free cup of coffee per person per visit.

Flickr pool photo by Wolfkann

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