restaurant

Rosslyn’s Santa Fe Cafe to Close

By ARLnow.com

After 24 years in business, Santa Fe Cafe (1500 Wilson Blvd) will be closing its doors.

The restaurant — the longest-running in Rosslyn — will be closing around Oct. 27 (exact date TBA). Owner Kip Laramie said he made the difficult decision to close after finding out his rent was to increase nearly 30 percent should he renew his lease.

“It has been an honor and a privilege to help people have a howling good time at Santa Fe Café for the last 24 years,” said Laramie. “My staff and I have seen Rosslyn develop from a convenient but somewhat sleepy neighborhood into one of the most vibrant places in the country to live, work, play and learn.”

The news comes as Santa Fe Cafe is in the midst of its annual Hatch green chili harvest festival. During the festival, which runs through mid-October, the restaurant serves special dishes made with the famous green chiles from Hatch, New Mexico. The spicy chiles are flown in fresh from a local grower in Hatch, then roasted and peeled.

Over the years, Santa Fe Cafe has served its New Mexico-focused cuisine for a number of notable people and organizations, including the New Mexico State Society, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, former Governor Bill Richardson, the U.S. Supreme Court and a number of local trade associations and nonprofits. The restaurant has hosted benefits for the Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network and BRAVO.

Laramie, who will turn 60 in March, said he would have liked to run the restaurant for a few more years, before retiring and handing it over to his staff. Now, he said his goal is to make sure his 11 employees — three of whom have been with the restaurant since it opened on May 1, 1988 — find new jobs.

“I’m very fortunate to have this wonderful group that i’ve worked with for so long,” he said. “I’m going to do everything I possibly can to find them an even better job than they had here.”

Laramie said he has had a good relationship with the owner of his building — which is now vacant, after some 1,300 Air Force personnel moved out as a result of BRAC — but the extra rent required to renew the long-standing lease was too much for his small business.

“It was just a decision by the landlord that the space is worth more than I can afford,” he said. “I don’t hold those cards, unfortunately.”

Laramie, a former restaurant broker, said it’s tough for a small, locally-owned restaurant to succeed in a high-rent environment like Rosslyn, but added that he’s not alone.

“I think some of the chains that moved in here are even having a tough time,” he said. Still, Laramie thinks Rosslyn will be an even more attractive place to own a restaurant once a few of the large planned or under-construction new buildings open.

“A couple of years from now, it will be a wonderful place to have a business, with all these buildings that are going up,” he said.

Greene Turtle Granted Entertainment Permit

By ARLnow.com

The Greene Turtle at 900 N. Glebe Road in Ballston has been granted a live entertainment permit.

The Arlington County Board voted unanimously Tuesday night to grant the permit, which will allow the Greene Turtle to host bands and DJs inside the restaurant. Live entertainment will be permitted between 5:00 p.m. and midnight Sunday-Wednesday, and from 5:00 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Thursday-Saturday and on certain holidays, like Cinco de Mayo, Halloween and St. Patrick’s Day.

Initially, the Greene Turtle also requested live entertainment outside on its patio, but dropped the request after encountering neighborhood opposition. Before Tuesday’s vote, representatives from the restaurant noted that the music from inside will not be broadcast outside by way of speakers, another neighborhood concern.

Two neighbors from the Continental at Ballston condominium building — located across Glebe Road, about 275 feet away from the restaurant — expressed concern about noise coming from live music inside the glass-enclosed restaurant. They requested the item be pulled from the County Board’s consent agenda on Saturday so that it could be discussed on Tuesday, but in the end did not attend the meeting.

During the Board discussion, it was revealed that some outdoor noise comes from patrons cheering in response to cornhole games that are set up outside. That prompted Board member Libby Garvey to provide a bit of background about cornhole for her colleagues.

“Cornhole is very Midwestern,” she said. “It’s fun.”

The adjacent Bluemont Civic Association has asked the Greene Turtle to move its outdoor seating area closer to Glebe Road, away from the neighborhood. Restaurant reps indicated that they were willing to do so — a move that would first require approval from county zoning officials — but the Board did not include any conditions about the patio in its vote.

The Greene Turtle opened in January on the ground floor of a new Virginia Tech research center.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Fashion Event Tonight at Artisphere — The third annual Cosmo Couture Fashion & Design event is being held from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at Artisphere (1101 Wilson Blvd) in Rosslyn tonight. The event, which will benefit the My Sister’s Place shelter for women and children, features unique clothing conceived by local architecture and interior design firms. [Cosmo Couture]

Bayou Sandwich Lauded — Bayou Bakery’s (1515 N. Courthouse Road) “Muff-a-Lotta” sandwich has been named one of the 20 best sandwiches in the country by Food & Wine magazine. The Muff-a-Lotta features “a briny garlic-and-oregano-laced olive salad, salami, mortadella, smoked ham and aged provolone in a sesame-seed-studded toasted Italian roll.” [Food & Wine]

Arlington Green Games Return — Arlington County is expanding its “Green Games” energy-and-money-saving competition to restaurants and retailers, starting next week. [Arlington County]

Flickr pool photo by Wolfkann

Board to Consider Controversial Entertainment Permit

By Katie Pyzyk

Pines of Italy (3111 Columbia Pike) is trying again this weekend to get the County Board to approve its request for a live entertainment permit.

Board members deferred the issue at their April meeting, when a number of neighbors spoke out against allowing the permit. The restaurant co-owners were given five months to establish the business as one that police do not have to visit regularly, and to improve relations with neighbors.

The county staff report indicates that police have not encountered problems at the site during the past five months. There were also no complaints from community members. Additionally, the owners attended an Arlington Heights Civic Association meeting, and are working with county staff on conditions for allowing the permit.

One such condition is that music and dancing would not be permitted after midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, and not after 10:00 p.m. on weeknights. In addition, entertainment would be restricted to the ground floor in the section of the building closest to Columbia Pike, in an attempt to avoid projecting noise toward residences behind the building. County staff also requested that the restaurant hire dedicated security for the parking lot. To improve the restaurant’s standing with the surrounding community, the owners are to coordinate a standing meeting with the Arlington Heights Civic Association in order to foster a relationship and ensure that any problems are addressed.

The owners have agreed to all the conditions, along with the recommendation of an administrative review in three months, and a County Board review in six months. Should issues come to light during the three month review, the permit could be brought before the County Board for an off-cycle review. Plus, at any time, if more than two violations of the conditions occur, the County Manager can order the restaurant to immediately cease live entertainment until the Board re-examines the permit.

The Arlington Height Civic Association has stood firm in its opposition to allowing Pines of Italy to host live entertainment, based on more than a decade of trouble with owners and clientele. At April’s Board meeting, neighbors reported fearing for themselves and their children due to extremely drunk patrons stumbling through surrounding residential areas, destroying property and starting bloody fights.

Although three applicants are listed on the permit request, one of them has been involved with the property since he purchased it in 1999 when it was Coco’s. In 2001, the County Board revoked Coco’s entertainment permit because of excessive police issues, and a new one was granted in 2002. Problems have arisen off and on since that time, with the peak coming in 2011 when the property was known as Padrinos.

Due to the owners agreeing to the conditions laid out in the staff report, county staff members recommend the County Board approves the entertainment permit for Pines of Italy.

Local McDonald’s Restaurants to Post Calorie Counts

By ARLnow.com

It was a precursor to a big announcement today, but we didn’t even know it.

Last week, or perhaps even earlier, the McDonald’s restaurant at 3031 Columbia Pike started using a new drive-thru menu that included calorie counts for each menu item. Although some jurisdictions require chain restaurants to post calorie counts for menu items, Arlington does not. That prompted us to ask McDonald’s why its Columbia Pike location was doing so voluntarily.

Was it a one-off experiment, or something even bigger? Today we finally got the answer.

In a press release, McDonald’s announced that its restaurants nationwide — including in Arlington and the greater D.C. area — will be listing calorie information on all indoor and drive-thru menu. The move comes ahead of a new federal requirement for restaurant chains with more than 20 locations to list calorie information, part of President Obama’s health care legislation.

McDonald’s says that in addition to posting calorie information, it will be rolling out a series of healthier menu items, including new wraps, an egg white breakfast sandwich, and additional fruit and vegetable options.

See the full McDonald’s press release, after the jump.

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Bistro Bistro Closes in Shirlington

By ARLnow.com

Bistro Bistro (4021 Campbell Avenue) has quietly closed its doors in Shirlington.

The restaurant went dark more than a week ago and had some ARLnow.com readers writing in to ask if the closure was permanent or perhaps due to a renovation. However, the windows are now covered and the space sports a leasing sign.

A marketing manager with Federal Realty, which owns the Village at Shirlington, tells us they’re not yet ready to announce what will be taking the place of Bistro Bistro. They released the following statement:

“We can confirm that we have possession of the space and our leasing team is actively working to lease the space to another exciting tenant for the Village at Shirlington. We look forward to announcing a new tenant soon.”

Daily Deli Closes in Ballston

By ARLnow.com

Daily Deli, a restaurant serving “New York Style Sandwiches” in Ballston, has closed after less than a year in business.

The deli, at 1000 N. Randolph Street in the former Upper Crust Cafe space, served Illy coffee and Carnegie Deli-branded meats, but received mixed reviews on Yelp, with customers complaining about the food and the service.

“I had to tell someone three times what was in a Reuben, only to have her slather mayo all over the bread,” wrote one reviewer.

A sign in the window says the restaurant space is now available for lease.

Photo courtesy Bill Colton

Small Fire at Silver Diner in Clarendon

By ARLnow.com

 

Firefighters responded to a small fire at Silver Diner in Clarendon (3200 Wilson Boulevard) this afternoon.

The fire was reported in a trash compactor behind the restaurant around 3:00 p.m. The flames, which did not appear to pose a threat to the building, were extinguished by the time fire trucks arrived on scene. Firefighters used a hose to douse some of the smoldering contents of the trash compactor.

Patrons of the diner did not evacuate the building during the incident, we’re told.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Streetcar Video Came at a Cost — An Arlington County-produced video that makes the case for the planned Columbia Pike and Crystal City streetcar lines cost the county $3,400. Arlington officials greenlit the video because they “felt there was a general ‘lack of public awareness and education'” about the streetcar. [Washington Examiner]

Beef ‘O’ Brady Eyes Arlington — The Florida-based Beef ‘O’ Brady chain of sports bars/restaurants is apparently looking to open in Arlington. Arlington is a “key component to the company’s growth strategy in Virginia,” according to a press release. “While there’s definitely a market for Beef ‘O’ Brady’s in the Arlington market, we’re taking a careful approach to finding a franchise partner with business savvy, tenacity and a readiness to reinvest in the communities they serve,” said James Walker, Chief Development Officer of Beef ‘O’ Brady’s, in a statement. “ [Restaurant News Release]

Donations Sought for USS Arlington Commissioning — The commissioning of the USS Arlington, a new Navy transport ship, is six months away. The USS Arlington Commissioning Committee is now seeking donations to help support the commissioning ceremony and to build a “tribute room” within the new ship. [Sun Gazette]

Flickr pool photo by Wolfkann

Good Stuff Eatery to Hold ‘Great Burger Debate’

By ARLnow.com

Good Stuff Eatery in Crystal City (2110 Crystal Drive) is holding a “burger debate” just in time for election season.

The restaurant is challenging customers to see if their politics line up with their taste buds by unveiling two new burger offerings: a James Carville burger and a Mary Matalin burger.

The famous political couple, who live in Alexandria, have lent their likenesses to what the restaurant is calling the “Great Burger Debate.” Starting today until Election Day (Nov. 6), Good Stuff will be offering the two burgers at its Crystal City and Capitol Hill locations. Each day, the eatery will tally how many of each burger have been ordered so far.

The Carville burger will match the Democrat’s “spicy personality.” It’s described as “a burger topped with a roasted creole onion slice, southern fried pickles, cheddar cheese and our Ragin’ Cajun Chipotle & Chili BBQ sauce.”

The Matalin burger represents the Republican’s “sophistication and sharp-wit. It’s described as “a burger topped with grilled, organic Portobello ‘shrooms, a goat cheese, fresh tomato and red onions, peppery arugula & a dollop of Peppadew Pepper Mayo.”

A final tally will be announced when the “polls” close on Election Day. Good Stuff held a similar contest for the 2008 presidential election.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Bluemont McDonald’s Demolition — Crews have been working to tear down the McDonald’s restaurant at 5009 Wilson Blvd in the Bluemont area. (See photo, above.) The building will be replaced with a new, more modern McDonald’s restaurant.

McGhee Gets GOP Nod for Special Election — Tim McGhee is the Republican nominee in the special election for the 45th District House of Delegates seat, which is being vacated by Del. David Englin. McGhee, who lost to Adam Ebbin in a state Senate race last year, will face either Democrat Karen Gautney or Rob Krupicka, depending on the outcome of a party caucus that got underway last night. [Patch, Sun Gazette]

Courtesy photo

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