restaurant

Other County Board Actions Last Night

By ARLnow.com

It was a long night for the county board, which didn’t adjourn its recessed meeting until a few minutes after midnight. In addition to a controversial resolution regarding the Secure Communities program, a briefing on next year’s budget projections and the passage of the Crystal City Sector Plan, the board took a number of other significant actions.

The board heard a presentation by County Manager Michael Brown regarding staff research into the proposed development plan for East Falls Church. Details are available on the county’s web site.

Funds for the design of a better Ballston beaver pond were approved unanimously. The $471,842 contract calls for a new design that will allow the pond to do a better job of treating stormwater while still providing a habitat for wildlife.

A plan to renovate 162 apartments in Colonial Village was approved unanimously. The board looked into concerns about parking and trash expressed by neighboring residents, but otherwise made no alterations.

After another somewhat lengthy discussion about outdoor patios, the board voted unanimously to renew Hard Times Cafe’s outdoor seating permit. The board specified an allowance of four tables and eight chairs on the North Highland Street sidewalk during dinner time.

The board voted 4-1 to advertise a steep fee increase for restaurant and food vendor licenses. The board was careful to emphasize that the fee hike, from $100 to $285, was mandated by the state and already in place in neighboring jurisdictions. The fee would apply evenly to brick and mortar restaurants and mobile food vendors.

At the very end, the board approved some sort of settlement with the owner of the long-delayed Bromptons development in Cherrydale. Update at 11:15 a.m. — The settlement deals with a dispute between the owner and the county over utility undergrounding. Under terms of the settlement, Bromptons owner R15, LLC will pay $255,000 to a utility fund.

Meet the New Clarendon Grill

By ARLnow.com

As soon as next weekend, Clarendon Grill will reopen after nearly two months of renovations. Walking through the doors, the long-time C-Grill fans will see a space both familiar and completely different at the same time.

Nearly every surface in the bar has been changed, says owner Peter Pflug. From the long cast-in-place concrete bar to the large-tiled bathrooms to the new dance floor, what was once old and beat up and is now clean and new. That old Clarendon Grill musk, from 14 straight years of eating, drinking, smoking and dancing since the last renovation, has been replaced with the smell of fresh lacquer.

“We’re excited that people, given the state of the place before, will say ‘wow’ when they see us again,” Pflug said.

The biggest change is probably the bar. It’s now longer and more open, which should make it much easier to get a drink on crowded weekend nights. The bar also features “bump-outs” — areas that you can call ahead and reserve that are shaped in a way that make it easier to have a conversation with a group of friends.

The new Clarendon Grill has the same number of beer taps as before, but the taps themselves are new. There will be a new, simplified “gastropub-y” menu. The theme will change marginally from “construction” to “industrial,” with illumination provided by painted steel streetlights procured from a nearby used car lot. Clarendon Grill will remain “sporty” — with sports showed constantly on the new flat screen TVs — but it will not be a sports bar.

The back patio, which was redone six months ago, has not been changed. The focus on live music is unchanged, but bands may now start playing a bit later to encourage dinner business.

Ruffino’s Spaghetti House Closes for Renovations

By ARLnow.com

We stopped by Ruffino’s Spaghetti House (4763 Lee Highway) today to check out a tip that it had closed down. Good news, pasta fans: a recorded message on the restaurant’s answering machine reveals that it’s only undergoing renovations and will reopen “in a few weeks.”

Not much else to say about it, so here’s an amusing review of Ruffino’s posted by Yelp user “Chelsea M.”

This place has had an aura about it for me since my beau and his dude crew instituted the manly tradition of monthly “mafia” dinners at Ruffino’s. For years, these guys have gushed about the food, the house chianti and the staff, who have let them come back to the kitchen to thank the chefs personally for their dinner and a Sopranos-esque evening.

After finally getting to experience Ruffino’s in the flesh, my fantasies were more than fulfilled. The butter-drenched garlic bread was a dream come true and like a stick of Doublemint, my chicken castenella ( basically chicken and eggplant parm combined if my memory is serving me correctly) doubled my pleasure as well as my fun. t also arrived with a heaping side of spaghetti, which saved me from having to politely request some pasta from my date. Our waiter could not have been sweeter and more attentive and the atmosphere is perfectly cozy and cute.

This place ain’t Milano, but it’s not trying to be. Quality, generous portions, kindness and endless carbs are all delivered at this adorable spot. As a gal who’s been around the Little Italy block in NYC, I’m happy to endorse Ruffino’s as a perfect destination for a date night or any impending man meal.

Bear Rock Cafe Changing Ownership in Westlee

By ARLnow.com

The Bear Rock Cafe at Lee Highway and Westmoreland Street is closed indefinitely while the store undergoes a change of ownership, we’re told.

A sign on the door said the cafe is “closed for the day,” but a woman who came to the door to accept a delivery said she did not know when it would reopen. The store has been closed for at least two days.

Reviews on Yelp have been sharply critical of the previous owner. It’s not clear who the new owner is.

New Additions to Meals Tax Delinquency List

By ARLnow.com

McGinty’s Public House, Tortoise and Hare Bar and Grill and Bob & Edith’s Diner have piled up tax debts to the county over the course of the summer.

McGinty’s (3650 South Glebe Road) owes the county $25,226.64 in unpaid meals taxes, according to the latest list from the County Treasurer’s office, published on August 31. The owner of the Potomac Yard bar opened the massive P. Brennan’s pub on Columbia Pike earlier this year. As recently as July, McGinty’s was not on the delinquent list

Tortoise & Hare (567 South 23rd Street) was also not on the July list, but now owes the county $19,508.46. The Crystal City bar opened three years ago, and regularly hosts live music acts. It is also a popular football destination on Saturdays and Sundays.

Bob & Edith’s Diner (2310 Columbia Pike) is a bit of a surprise, considering that it seems to attract a crowd at all hours of the day. A second B&E’s location further down Columbia Pike shut down a couple of years ago, and the shell company for “Bob & Edith’s Diner II” has been listed on the delinquency list ever since. But the granddaddy Bob & Edith’s is now listed as owing $12,841.15 (B&E’s II owes $36,370.58).

Flickr pool photo by Chris Rief

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Great Day to Be Outside — It’s supposed to be a near-perfect day weather-wise. Why not stop by the Rosslyn or Ballston farmers markets, or take in some after-work outdoor tunes in Clarendon? See the hours and locations for each in our events calendar.

Go-Go Comes to Crystal City — This weekend, the Hyatt Regency Crystal City will host a late-night concert featuring some of the original legends of go-go. The Rare Essense: Past, Present and Future Reunion is expected to draw a large crowd on Saturday. Starting at 9:00 p.m. and ending at 3:00 a.m., the show will feature a special tribute to the late go-go pioneer Lil Benny. His original band, Rare Essence, will perform, along with EU and Sugar Bear.

McDonnell ABC Plan: 14 New Places to Buy Booze in Arlington? — Gov. Bob McDonnell’s plan to privatize liquor sales in Virginia would triple the number of stores selling booze in the Commonwealth. Arlington currently has seven state-run ABC retailers; assuming that the new licenses are evenly distributed throughout the state, that could mean Arlingtonians will have 14 new places to get their hooch. Grocery stores and other big-box stores would be the biggest beneficiaries of the new licenses, followed by drug stores and package stores. But first, McDonnell’s plan must be approved by a skeptical state legislature.

Write-Up for Willow — According to Washington Life Magazines’ Katie Test, “the patio at Willow Restaurant is the perfect place to say goodbye to summer.” Test writes that the patio’s lush greenery and Willow’s delicious, summery meals are just the thing to take your mind off the gradually falling temperatures.

Flickr pool photo by Allee574

Kid Protesters Hopping Mad Over Uncle Julio’s Menu Item

By ARLnow.com

A group determined to kick frog legs off American menus came to Ballston over the weekend to protest in front of Uncle Julio’s Rio Grande Cafe.

Fifteen demonstrators, including two George Mason University students and eight elementary and middle school students, held homemade signs calling for Uncle Julio’s to stop serving frog legs.

“Uncle Julio: Stop driving frogs to extinction,” one young girl’s sign read.

The protest was organized by Save the Frogs, a California-based group dedicated to saving “the world’s remaining amphibian species.” This was the second time this year the organization held a protest outside the Ballston Uncle Julio’s. The non-profit has also demonstrated outside Uncle Julio’s restaurants in Maryland and Texas.

“America is on track to overtake France and Belgium to become the number one frog-eating country on the planet,” Save the Frogs founder and Manassas native Dr. Kerry Kriger said in a statement. “The frog leg trade is responsible for the spread of infectious diseases, the depletion of wild frog populations, and the spread of harmful invasive species”.

The CEO of Uncle Julio’s has previously denied that the chain’s frog legs come from an endangered species or are raised in an unhealthy environment.

Photos courtesy Save the Frogs

More Dunkin’ Donuts Stores on the Way?

By ARLnow.com

Dunkin’ Donuts wants to expand in Arlington and several other D.C.-area counties, and is looking to recruit franchise owners to help with that expansion.

Next week Dunkin’ Donuts will hold an information session in Tysons Corner to discuss franchise opportunities with interested local entrepreneurs. Among the localities where the company wants to expand are Arlington, Fairfax, Charles and Prince George’s counties.

Arlington is home to four Dunkin’ Donuts stores, excluding location in National Airport. Current locations include Crystal City, Pentagon City, Columbia Pike and Lee Highway — so far, none in the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor.

In a statement, Dunkin’ Donuts said it is looking to drive local expansion by recruiting quality franchise owners.

“Dunkin’ Donuts is looking for qualified candidates with foodservice, operations and real estate experience to join our team to help expand the brand’s footprint in Washington, D.C. and the surrounding areas,” a company executive said.

A Look At Cleopatra’s Mediterranean Bistro

By ARLnow.com

You can still order chicken cacciatore and shrimp scampi at the former Pines of Italy restaurant at 237 North Glebe Road. But now you can also have it with baba ghannouj, chicken schwarma and baklava.

Cleopatra’s Mediterranean Bistro opened in March with little fanfare outside the immediate neighborhood and the local Arabic community. Serving up Middle Eastern food in addition to Italian carryovers from Pines of Italy, Cleopatra’s is as eclectic as it is unassuming. For those who care to indulge, there’s also a bar.

Cleopatra’s prices are exceedingly reasonable, and there are coupons available online to make a visit even more affordable.

During Ramadan (which runs through Sept. 10) the restaurant is offering a $9.95 Iftar buffet that features all-you-can-eat meat, seafood and vegetable dishes.

When Ramadan ends, lunch service will resume, as will the four-night-per-week live music and belly dancing and the late-night live entertainment on weekends.

Owner Sami Khan keeps Cleopatra’s open until 4:00 a.m. Thursday through Saturday. He says many young people will stop by after coming back from the downtown clubs. The restaurant usually draws a weekend crowd of about 100 people, mostly Middle Eastern and mostly in their 30s, he says.

More photos, after the jump.

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New Name For Whitlow’s New Rooftop Deck

By ARLnow.com

Whitlow’s plans to open its new rooftop deck at some point next month, but it will be opening with a different name than originally announced.

Instead of “Fu Bar” — a military reference that also hinted at an envisioned Asian influence — the deck above Whitlow’s on Wilson will now be called… drumroll, please… Wilson’s on Whitlow’s.

Get it?

A few ARLnow.com readers called the Fu Bar name “lame.” (We liked it, actually.) What does everybody think about “Wilson’s on Whitlow’s?”

Photo by Monika & Tim

A Tea Partier’s Guide to Pizza in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

This weekend, as many as 300,000 conservatives from across the country will flock to the DC area to attend Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin’s Restoring Honor rally at the Lincoln Memorial.

Many of the Tea Party activists who will be attending Saturday’s non-political event be staying at hotels in Arlington, so it’s important that they know the best places to eat! As such, we’ve compiled a guide to everybody’s favorite non-partisan food: pizza.

Thanks to the Maine Tea Party’s advice to members for navigating the multicultural environs of the greater Washington area, we have a pretty good idea of what Tea Partiers like. So, without further adieu, here are the top five places to go for pizza in Arlington (and none of them are on the dreaded Yellow Line!).

1. Lost Dog Cafe (5876 Washington Blvd) — Safely nestled in a small shopping district in North Arlington, Lost Dog serves not one but five types of white pizza. From the Popeye Pie, with spinach and chicken, to the Ricky Ricotta, described as a white pizza lover’s dream, Lost Dog has plenty of variety to satisfy even the pickiest eater. To wash it down, choose from Lost Dog’s great beer selection. Recommended choices include the Blue Moon White Ale, the Menocino White Hawk Ale, and Allagash White.

2. Pupatella Pizza (5104 Wilson Blvd) — Pupatella just opened its first brick and mortar restaurant to rave reviews. The restaurant is owned by Enzo Algarme, a legal immigrant from Europe — an inspiring story! Forget the fancy gourmet pizzas on the menu, however. Instead, design your own made with Buffalo mozzarella imported from Naples and Pupatella’s homemade cream and garlic white sauce.

3. Piola (1550 Wilson Blvd) — Imagine yourself in a cozy Italian pizzeria when you visit this imported gem in scenic Rosslyn. Piola’s menu features an entire section devoted to Le Pizze Bianche, the original Old World pizza style. Just be glad you weren’t here when the World Cup brought out noisy crowds that insisted on challenging this country’s sport sovereignty by calling the game “football.”

4. Ledo Pizza (1501 Arlington Blvd) — Conveniently located in the Best Western near the Iwo Jima memorial, local chain Ledo Pizza serves reasonably-priced food that will remind you of neighborhood pizzerias back home. But here’s the twist: the pizzas are square. We recommend the Italian White Pizza, with garlic herb aioli, fontina, and a delicious blend of three cheeses. If you’re trying to feed a large group, check out the giant tray of Fettuccini Alfredo.

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