restaurant

Ruffino’s Opening Today, BGR Hopes to Open Next Week

By ARLnow.com

A quick update on a couple of eagerly-anticipated restaurant openings:

Ruffino’s Spaghetti House (4763 Lee Highway) will tonight for the first time following months of renovations. An answering machine message says the restaurant will open at 4:00 p.m.

The new Clarendon location of BGR: The Burger Joint (3024 Wilson Blvd) is undergoing a final inspection today and hopes to open next week — perhaps as soon as Monday, if the inspection goes well. The restaurant’s interior is complete and employees are wrapping up preparations for the opening.

New Chef to Bring New Menu to Mad Rose Tavern

By ARLnow.com

“The menu was kind of all over the place,” acknowledged Dennis Holland, the new general manager of Mad Rose Tavern (3100 Clarendon Blvd).

Holland was echoing the thoughts of many who had tried out the new Clarendon eatery and wondered what exactly it was trying to be. It seemed to be a mash-up of several restaurant concepts — a perception that was probably close to reality, given the differing visions of its initial management team and its owner.

The Clarendon eatery has gone through some messy management changes over the past month, including the recent departure of executive chef Johnny Nielson, and the new team is now trying to turn over a new leaf. To that end, Holland has hired a new chef — a fellow veteran of the Smith & Wollensky steakhouse in the District — and has embarked upon a complete revamp of Mad Rose’s menu.

With the exception of the pigs in a blanket, don’t expect much to stay the same, food-wise. Among the expected additions to the menu are:

  • Calamari — Fried and tossed with a Thai BBQ sauce, served over rice noodles
  • Roast Pork Rib — Slow-roasted pork, sweet potato hash, and truffle demi-glaze
  • Chicken Zydeco — Chicken sauteed with roasted peppers, scallion, andouille, garlic, crimini mushrooms tossed with penne and Cajun cream sauce
  • Shrimp and Grits — Jumbo Shrimp sauteed with crawfish tails and served over gouda grits and a Creole cream sauce
  • Blackened Sea Bass — Pan roasted and served over rice with sweet chili champagne sauce
  • Seared Scallops — Pan seared and served over mango salsa and micro greens with a citrus sauce

Although the eatery’s lounge business is going well — and they’re happy with the existing beer selection — Holland acknowledged that Mad Rose’s food business needs work. In addition to ramping up the restaurant business with the deployment of a new dinner menu, Holland says he’s hoping to attract lunch customers with $5 burger and chicken sandwich options and weekend customers with a Saturday and Sunday brunch menu.

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Ann Taylor Coming to Clarendon — An Ann Taylor store is coming to the Clarendon Market Common storefront formerly occupied by a Myer-Emco home electronics store. The new Clarendon Ann Taylor is expected to open on June 10, according to Market Common spokesperson Carol Nahorniak. [Clarendon Culture]

Tapas Bar Coming to Ballston — Upper Crust Gourmet (1000 N. Randolph Street) closed late last month for renovations. According to Eat More Drink More, the three-week project will transform the well-liked cafe into a tapas bar. [Eat More Drink More]

Club 31-11 Had Fights, Armed Security — What really went on behind the scenes at the recently-shuttered Club 31-11 on Columbia Pike? Gambling, fights, open-carrying security guards and frequent visits from police, according to Pike Wire. The owner says he was “harassed” by police due to the club’s primarily black clientele, but police say that charge is “way off base” and the visits had more to do with the club’s lack of permits. [Pike Wire]

Hynes Wins ‘Noise’ Award — Mary Hynes has won the 2011 Environmental Stewardship Award from the National Organization to Insure a Sound-controlled Environment (N.O.I.S.E.), a group dedicated to controlling aviation noise. Hynes has assisted N.O.I.S.E. with its annual legislative forum and has organized public meetings about helicopter noise in Northern Virginia.

Flickr pool photo by Philliefan99

Arlington’s Outdoor Cafe Guidelines

By ARLnow.com

What does it take to open an outdoor cafe in Arlington? With the arrival of spring, the county is reminding restaurant owners about the rules and regulations behind outdoor seating.

Below are a few of the guidelines for outdoor cafes, as outlined in this county-produced flyer which is being distributed to local businesses.

  • Outdoor cafes must be part of a lawful operating restaurant, cafe, or vendor with a valid license from the Commissioner of Revenue and a Certificate of Occupancy from the Zoning Office
  • Outdoor seating or cafes are seasonal, permitted typically from April through November of each year, from Spring through Autumn and only during normal business operating hours. They cannot be enclosed and no parking is required.
  • The Location and seating arrangements must be pre-approved as part of the Certificate of Occupancy application and should remain that way for the duration of the outdoor season.
  • Umbrellas are allowed and may not have logo(s) or signs(s) without legislative approval
  • Portable signs are not permitted. These include A-frame signs, triangular or arrow signs, etc. Permits must be obtained for all signs.
  • Shielding of fenced area with banner or logos are not permitted. State and local permits and approval is required for other services such as ABC, health, etc.
  • During the course of the season, a County staffer may visit your business as part of our observation and verification process.

Taste of Arlington Adds Craft Beers to the Menu

By ARLnow.com

Arlington’s largest food festival is adding a selection of craft beers to its menu.

Taste of Arlington features dozens of local restaurants and draws a crowd of thousands to the stretch of Wilson Boulevard in front of Ballston Common Mall. In years past the beer selection at the event has been limited, but organizers say they’re now “trying to make the drink selection as diverse as the food selection.”

A craft beer distributor will be bringing ten different brews to the festival, including varieties of Sam Adams, Sierra Nevada, Newcastle, Ommegang, Saranac, Franziskaner, Breckenridge, Gordon Biersch, Shiner and Magic Hat. As before, wine will also be available.

Now in its 24th year, Taste of Arlington will be held from noon to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 22. Admission is free but tickets are required to sample the food and drinks. Tickets are currently for sale online for $20. Tickets sold on the day of the event are $25.

See a list of participating restaurants, after the jump.

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Is Legal Sea Foods’ Sidewalk Seating Legal?

By ARLnow.com

Legal Sea Foods’ sidewalk cafe in Crystal City seems a bit fishy to one local.

The outdoor seating area has “taken over almost the whole sidewalk on 23rd Street,” an anonymous reader tells ARLnow.com. “The pedestrian area is now down to a single file lane to get past the restaurant. The other restaurants on that part of 23rd have not pushed their outdoor seating out that far… what gives?”

“I walk to work every morning and somedays I have to either walk in the street or wait for people walking the other way to get by,” the tipster added. “That has to be against code doesn’t it?”

We couldn’t reach anybody in the zoning office to confirm whether Legal is in violation of the law, but generally county ordinances require a minimum six-foot clear passage zone on Arlington sidewalks. Clearly, the above photos show that that standard is not being met in this case.

Update at 4:45 p.m. — It’s possible that the building owner may own the sidewalk in front of Legal, in which case they would be able to do pretty much whatever they want with it, as far as the county was concerned. The federal Americans with Disabilities Act, however, requires that sidewalks maintain a minimum width of three feet on a contiguous basis.

Need a Job? McDonald’s Is Hiring

By ARLnow.com

Say what you want about McDonald’s — at least they’re hiring.

Mickey D’s is undertaking an ambitious company-wide initiative to hire up to 50,000 people nationwide, including 1,400 in the D.C. area — all in one day. To that end, they’re holding a “National Hiring Day” from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 19.

Among the four area restaurants that will be hosting job applicants are two Arlington locations: 1823 N. Moore Street in Rosslyn and 40 N. Glebe Road, just off Route 50.

A job with the golden arches may not have the caché of, say, a white collar job with the Rosslyn-based Corporate Executive Board, but you can’t deny this — it does provide a first-hand lesson in efficient operations management and effective consumer marketing. Plus, they still have shamrock shakes.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Whitlow’s Rooftop Deck Opens Today — Wilson’s on Whitlow’s — the new rooftop deck atop Whitlow’s on Wilson (2854 Wilson Boulevard) — will open for the season at 4:00 tonight. With sunny skies and temperatures reaching into the upper 70s, the place may get a bit crowded. [Clarendon Culture]

Library Accepting ‘Operation Paperback’ Donations — Arlington Central Library (1015 N. Qunicy Street) is accepting donations of gently-used paperbacks for our troops. Books donated between now and April 30 will be shipped to U.S. troops overseas as part of the ‘Operation Paperback‘ program. “All genres except romance are needed,” the library notes. [Library Blog]

Courthouse-Area Lunch Spots Lauded — Is Courthouse “one of the best places around for work lunches?” One D.C.-based blogger thinks so, citing spots like Pho 75, Five Guys, Ray’s Hell Burger, Dehli Dhaba, Fireworks and Earl’s Sandwiches. [I Spy Things DC]

Speaker Boehner Visits Guapo’s in Shirlington

By ARLnow.com

In the midst of a high-stakes budget fight on Capitol Hill, House Speaker John Boehner found time to dine at Guapo’s Restaurant in Shirlington Village last night.

Speaker Boehner was joined by 8-10 people, who our tipster says were likely friends and staff members. The margarita-sipping crew left in two black U.S. Capitol Police SUVs around 10:00 p.m.

The visit — confirmed by a restaurant staffer — came on the same day that Tea Party members rallied in front of the Capitol to pressure Boehner and congressional Republicans to continue pushing for budgetary spending cuts. In case they’re wondering, the typical entree at Guapo’s is between $10 and $20.

Boehner is apparently a big fan of the Mexican cuisine at Guapo’s. He has been spotted there at least two other times in the past few months.

Our wonk-ish tipster hypothesizes that last night’s visit may indicate Boehner is planning on passing another short-term continuing resolution before finalizing the budget. After all, our tipster says, Boehner would otherwise be rushing to iron out key points in order for the budget to be “agreed to, finalized and posted by this coming Tuesday under their new 72 hour rules.”

Ruffino’s Spaghetti House Hopes to Open Soon

By ARLnow.com

Ruffino’s Spaghetti House (4763 Lee Highway) may re-open in a week or two.

The restaurant closed for renovations in September, and loyal customers have been asking when it’s going to re-open ever since. Owner Robin Gamzeh says he hopes to open as soon as next week — if county inspections go well.

Outside and in, nearly everything about Ruffino’s appearance has changed. The exterior is brand new and the interior is completely revamped. One thing that hasn’t changed much is the restaurant’s menu. Gamzeh says everything from the original menu will still be available, with a few new additions.

Gamzeh says the re-opening was delayed several months after a contractor discovered a 5-6 foot basement crawl space while doing plumbing work. The basement, which Gamzeh did not know existed, had to be reinforced in order for renovations to continue.

Poll: What Would You Like to See Return to Clarendon-Courthouse?

By ARLnow.com

Clarendon and Courthouse have changed — a lot — over the past couple of decades.

The arrival of Metro in the late 1970s and early 1980s heralded the demise of many small mom-and-pop retailers and ethnic restaurants that once gave the area its unique character. It also helped speed along the end of large department and five & dime stores.

Among the categories and names of businesses that have disappeared from the Clarendon-Courthouse area are:

Which of those businesses would you most like to see come back to the area?


It’s worth noting that while there are still a few ethnic restaurants in the Clarendon area — Nam Viet and Taste of Morocco come to mind — there were once many more. Ethnic restaurants might not be gone, but certain specialty cuisines, like Cuban, are.

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