restaurant

Miss Margaret Serves Up Soul Food in Green Valley

By ARLnow.com

It’s easy to miss the unpretentious storefront of Margaret’s Soul Food and Catering Services, located at 2534 S. Shirlington Road in Arlington’s Green Valley (Nauck) neighborhood. But the down-home cooking inside the barred windows of the one-story brick building is worth the 10 minute walk from Shirlington.

The county-run Arlington Virginia Network recently visited Margaret’s and found a treasure trove of soulful cooking, including jerk chicken, BBQ ribs, pulled pork, Italian sausage, collard greens and potato salad — all made according to proprietor Margaret Gardner’s family recipes.

In the video, Gardner’s demeanor appears to be even sweeter than the tea she serves.

“In this business, honey, if you don’t crack a smile you won’t make a dime,” she told host Katie Greenan.

In addition to serving take-out customers (menu), Margaret’s caters events and is a regular vendor at the Arlington County Fair.

Red, Red Wine at EatBar

By Uriah Kiser

Wintertime temperatures for wine drinkers mean red wine, and EatBar will have plenty of it available Saturday.

The popular gastropub will present its Viva Le Rouge! Red, Red Wine tasting from 1 to 4 p.m., offering those who may be new to drinking wine to the most experienced wine drinkers the chance to try something new, and to buy their favorites at reduced prices.

“Over the years, we’ve learned people love to taste new things and they like to stock up for Valentine’s Day,” said EatBar spokeswoman Jennifer Eberline.

Nearly 20 wines will be offered during the tasting and the obvious catch for the Red, Red Wine Tasting: they’re all the same rougey color. (more…)

Taste of Arlington Tickets Go on Sale Today

By ARLnow.com

Tickets go on sale today for the 24th annual Taste of Arlington.

The ever-popular event will be little-changed from years prior. It will be held on Wilson Boulevard, in front of Ballston Common Mall. There will be food from 40 Arlington restaurants, beer and wine, arts and crafts, children’s activities and live entertainment.

About 12,000 people are expected to attend.

The event 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.

Eight advance tickets purchased online cost $20, versus $25 on the day of the event. Food samples cost one ticket, while beer and wine cost two.

Proceeds from the event will benefit several local charities and non-profits.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Arlington Docs Take Money from Drug Companies –– Big pharmaceutical companies have paid tens of thousands of dollars to Arlington doctors over the past two years, raising questions about possible conflicts of interest, according to the Arlington Connection. One doctor who talked to the paper had received more than $63,000 from one drug company over the past two years.

Arlington Eateries on TV — Metro 29 Diner (4711 Lee Highway) was featured on the Food Network’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives program last night, as Twitter user Joe L. pointed out. Meanwhile, MTV was seen filming a segment for the documentary “True Life: I’m Allergic to Everything” at Busboys and Poets in Shirlington last week, according to Shirlington Village Blogspot.

Iota’s Breakfast Not Catching On, Yet — It’s too bad nobody knows that Iota Club & Cafe in Clarendon (2832 Wilson Blvd) now serves breakfast, says a reader. “Iota in Clarendon has just started serving espresso coffee, pastries, and full breakfast starting at 6:30am. Free wifi too. I just went and the coffee’s good and the place is empty,” Patricia said yesterday via email. Previously: We Love DC.

Flickr pool photo by Philliefan99

Local Foodies Dish on Their Favorite Arlington Eateries

By ARLnow.com

We caught up with a few local foodies at Lyon Hall (3100 Washington Blvd) in Clarendon earlier this month and asked them what they like about Arlington’s food scene.

Do you agree or disagree with their assessments?

Jenna Huntsberger / Editor, ModernDomestic

Off the top of your head, name some local restaurants you like.

Liberty Tavern, Eventide, Northside Social, Bayou Bakery.

How has Arlington’s food scene changed?

“I think there’s way better stuff going on in Arlington than when I was here just four or five years ago… it makes me want to come here more.”

What’s one thing that might be driving new restaurants to open in Arlington instead of the District?

“From the perspective of the small business owner, starting a restaurant in D.C. is just really hard. There are a lot of regulations you have to comply with, it’s really expensive.”

Helena Himm / Contributor, Chowhound

Off the top of your head, name some local restaurants you like.

Pupatella (“The best pizza in D.C.”), Thai Square, Bangkok 54, Chez Manelle (“amazing”), Minh’s Vietnamese Restaurant

What do you like about Arlington’s food scene?

“The Thai food on Columbia Pike is pretty good.”

(more…)

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Arlington Sends Surprise $2.2 Million Bill to Falls Church — Arlington is billing the City of Falls Church an extra $2.2 million for its use of the Arlington County jail, the Falls Church News-Press reported late last night. Falls Church City Manager Wyatt Shields told the paper that Arlington sent the bill after discovering a “clerical error” that resulted in Falls Church being undercharged since 2008. [FCNP]

Lubber Run Renovation in Doubt — Arlington doesn’t have room in its current budget to pay for multi-million dollar renovations to the shuttered Lubber Run Amphitheater, County Manager Barbara Donnellan said at a recent public meeting. However, Donnellan said renovations could, theoretically, become a priority in future budget cycles. [Sun Gazette]

Arlington Fighting to Start School in August — Arlington has been persistently applying for a state waiver to start the school year before Labor Day. Each year the county applies, however, it gets rejected. Now, school officials in Fairfax County and Alexandria are also considering applying for the right to start school before Labor Day. [Washington Examiner]

Reasonably-Priced Buffet Spots Profiled — TBD looks at seven of the most “notable” and/or “dirt-cheap” buffet options in Arlington. [TBD]

Water Main Break in Front of Quarterdeck Restaurant

By ARLnow.com

The Quarterdeck Restaurant in Fort Myer Heights is no longer landlocked. There’s now a small river flowing down Fort Myer Drive, past the 31-year-old seafood restaurant.

As if the Quarterdeck hasn’t had enough troubles as of late, crews will start tearing up the road in front of it later this afternoon to repair a 6 to 12 inch water main break.

Workers are waiting for clearance from electrical and gas utility companies before starting to dig. Once it begins, the repair process should take a few hours.

In addition to the street, water is also bubbling up through cracks in the Quarterdeck’s parking lot. No one was at the restaurant to tell us whether or not water was also leaking into the aging building’s basement.

Reminder: Taco Eating Contest Tonight at District Taco

By ARLnow.com

District Taco (5723 Lee Highway) will be holding a taco eating contest starting at 6:00 tonight.

Ten contestants will compete to see who can eat the most tacos, without vomiting, in 15 minutes. They will have to consume four different varieties of tacos, in the following rotating order: breakfast taco, pollo asado, carnitas, carne asada.

According to District Taco’s contest web page, the winner of the contest will receive a number of prizes and honors, including free tacos and apparel.

Their picture will be taken and placed on the Wall of Fame with much fanfare and celebration. The champion and runner-ups will also receive District Taco awards such as t-shirts, hats, stickers and best of all–free tacos.

History will shine upon the grand taco-eating champions of District Taco!

Editor’s Note: If any photographers are going to be in attendance, we would love to use a couple of your photos tomorrow (with credit, of course). Send them to arlingtonnews [at] gmail.com as soon as possible.

Ruby Tuesday in Rosslyn Closed Due to Fire, Renovations

By ARLnow.com

The signs outside say the Ruby Tuesday restaurant in Rosslyn (1300 Wilson Boulevard) is renovating. That’s true, we’re told, but those renovations are coming on the heels of a gas-fed kitchen fire that broke out around 11:00 p.m. Thursday night.

An employee who answered the phone today said Ruby Tuesday will be closed for at least the next couple of days, although an exact reopening date has not been set.

The employee said that the renovations were planned, but were started earlier than anticipated after the fire damaged the restaurant’s kitchen.

Thank you to J.A. for the tip

Renovations Continue at Ruffino’s

By ARLnow.com

Ruffino’s Spaghetti House (4763 Lee Highway) closed for renovations in September. Four months later, work is still well underway.

For now, it appears that the deep blue doors and windows won’t be back, nor will the big neon sign. We did not get a good look at the interior.

No word yet on when the beloved neighborhood restaurant may open back up. A call to Ruffino’s main number is answered by an brief automated message that provides precious little information.

“We are remodeling and we will reopen as soon as we can,” the message says.

Pre-renovation photo (right) courtesy Kevin Borland

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Arlington Tourism Declines — Tourism revenues in Arlington County, Virginia’s top tourist destination, declined by $276 million between 2008 and 2009, according to data released in December. Arlington is currently seeking state approval to renew a hotel tax surcharge that funds its tourism promotion efforts, but county officials acknowledge that Arlington’s tourism draw is primarily its proximity to the District. [Washington Examiner]

McDonnell To Propose Transportation Spending Splurge — Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell wants to borrow $3 billion over the next three years to pay for transportation projects in the state. [Washington Post]

Arlington Lawyer Gets Year in Prison — A local lawyer convicted of defrauding the parents of special needs children has been handed a one year sentence by an Arlington County judge. [Washington Post]

Mexican Food Search Reveals Uncle Julio’s — After three years of searching for some decent Mexican food in Arlington, a couple has finally discovered Uncle Julio’s Rio Grande Cafe in Ballston. [Patch]

Flickr pool photo by Paul Derby

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