restaurant

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Arlington Diocese Releases List of Accused Priests — “Virginia’s two Catholic dioceses on Wednesday released lists of clergy who officials say were deemed ‘credibly accused’ of sexually abusing youth… The Diocese of Arlington, which covers the northeastern corner of Virginia, released a list of 16 names.” [Washington Post, Diocese of Arlington]

ACPD Restaurant Initiative Deemed a Success — “Arlington County, Virginia, is trying to fight drunken driving, and its method may prove to be a model for the nation.” [WTOP]

Cristol Quoted in the New Yorker — “‘We have an agenda that is about equity and anti-racist goals, and I don’t think he can effectively lead on it,’ [Arlington County Board member Katie Cristol] said, referring to the governor. As for Fairfax, she said, she had thought, after the first allegation, that ‘there might be a way forward for him to recognize harm done’ and stay in office. After the second, it seemed clear to her that there was an indefensible pattern of behavior.” [The New Yorker]

Arlington Man Arrested for 2016 Rape — “Alexandria Police have arrested a man who they say abducted and raped a lifeguard in broad daylight from a pool on South Pickett Street in 2016.” [Fox 5]

Hope’s Assisted-Living Bill Passes — “The derecho that came through Arlington several years ago inspired me to bring this bill and work to make sure, at a minimum, prospective residents knew whether their assisted living facility had a generator in case of loss of power.” [InsideNova, Twitter]

Sheriff’s Office Helping With Scholarships — “The Arlington County Sheriff’s Office is helping the Virginia Sheriffs’ Institute raise college scholarship funds for Virginia residents majoring in criminal justice.” [Arlington County]

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Hope: No Impeachment Filing Yet — Updated at 9:50 a.m. — Del. Patrick Hope (D) says he’s delaying filing articles of impeachment against Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax (D), who is facing two accusations of past sexual assaults. “An enormous amount of sincere and thoughtful feedback… has led to additional conversations that need to take place,” Hope said. [Twitter, Twitter, Twitter]

More Trailers for Arlington Tech — “Students coming into the Arlington Tech program at the Arlington Career Center for the next two years may find themselves spending more time in trailers than they had thought, and more time than School Board members are happy about.” [InsideNova]

Auction for Restaurant Items — The former furnishings of now-shuttered Rolls By U are up for auction by Arlington County, to help pay its overdue tax bill. [Arlington County]

Car vs. Columbia Pike Restaurant — It appears that a car ran into the front of Andy’s Carry Out restaurant on Columbia Pike. [Twitter]

State Split on Northam’s Fate — “Virginians are deadlocked over whether Gov. Ralph Northam (D) should step down after the emergence of a photo on his 1984 medical school yearbook page depicting people in blackface and Ku Klux Klan garb, with African Americans saying by a wide margin that he should remain in office despite the offensive image, according to a Washington Post-Schar School poll.” [Washington Post]

Beyer on Face the Nation — “Democratic Virginia Reps. Don Beyer and Jennifer Wexton renewed their calls for Gov. Ralph Northam and Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax to step down over their respective controversies” on CBS’s Face the Nation Sunday morning. [CBS News]

Local Chef on CBS This Morning — Chef David Guas of Bayou Bakery in Courthouse made an extended appearance on CBS This Morning Saturday, talking about his food, his restaurants and how his aunt inspired his love of cooking. [CBS News]

Flickr pool photo by TheBeltWalk

Renovated Taco Bell on Lee Highway Looks A Long Way Off From Opening

By Alex Koma
1/4

(Updated at 10:30 a.m.) It seems as if Arlingtonians craving Taco Bell may have a while left to wait for one of the chain’s four restaurants in the county to re-open.

The Taco Bell near Yorktown, at 4923 Lee Highway, shut down back in September as its owner sought to tear down the restaurant and completely rebuild it.

Contractors working on the project had initially hoped to have it open within three to four months. But these days, the only evidence of progress on the new restaurant is a new foundation where the old building once stood.

Managers of the construction project did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the project’s timeline. County permit records show the restaurant’s owners won building permits for the project in October.

The project’s slow progress leaves county residents craving a taco or burrito with just three other options in the county: in the Pentagon City mall, in the Pentagon itself, and along Route 7 near the S. Walter Reed Drive intersection.

A new Taco Bell Cantina, complete with alcoholic beverage options, opened at the end of last year in Alexandria.

New Burger Restaurant, Hookah Lounge Looks Bound for Lee Highway

By Alex Koma
1/3

(Updated at 9:35 a.m.) A new fast food restaurant and hookah lounge looks to be on the way to replace a vacant building along Lee Highway.

All About Burger plans to open up a new location at 5009 Lee Highway, according to county permit records.

The records indicate that a hookah lounge is also part of plans for the roughly 11,100-square-foot space, though it’s unclear if it will be attached to the restaurant, or merely operate in the same building.

The Lee Highway location would become All About Burger’s third shop in the county. The small chain already operates a location in Virginia Square, with plans to open another in the revamped Ballston Quarter mall.

All About Burger has several other locations in D.C., and has a bit of an unusual past.

The company’s owners, Mohammad and Ebrahim Esfahani, started out as business partners with Peter Tabibian to run the D.C.-area chain Z-Burger, and even opened the Virginia Square location under that name.

But a dispute between the company’s co-owners led to a severing of the business — Tabibian earned the right to retain the “Z-Burger” name and still runs two locations in D.C., while the Esfahanis’ restaurants became All About Burger instead.

The eatery offers hamburgers, hotdogs, cheesesteaks and milkshakes, according to its menu.

Rustico in Ballston Re-Opens Tonight, Following Water Damage Repairs

By Alex Koma

The Rustico restaurant in Ballston plans to open back up today (Friday) after a roughly three-week-long shutdown.

General Manager Ryan Cline says the bar will be open for business once more tonight, now that it’s managed to complete a series of repairs after a burst pipe flooded the bar with water in mid-January.

The process hasn’t exactly been a smooth one, as it’s required new flooring to be installed. Cline said another sprinkler head burst in the midst of the repairs, complicating matters further.

In all, Cline doesn’t expect that most regulars will notice much of a difference at the restaurant, which puts a heavy focus on both pizza and beer. But he hopes that the restaurant’s loyal customers will be eager to return to the watering hole.

Cline added that Rustico is planning a special celebration next Friday (Feb. 8) to mark the bar’s grand reopening.

The restaurant will offer new specials like pork belly tacos and “overloaded nachos,” with a variety of new stouts, sours and other beers on tap.

D.C. Bar ‘Rebellion’ Plans Expansion into Old BrickHaus Space on Columbia Pike

By Alex Koma
1/3

A DuPont Circle bar is planning an expansion into the old BrickHaus space along Columbia Pike.

Rebellion will soon open its second location in the D.C. area at 2900 Columbia Pike. Signs posted at the building say the new establishment is due to open in “early 2019.”

Staff at the current D.C. location said in a Facebook message that the bar’s current owners “have been longtime Pike residents and regulars, so they are extremely excited to get the place open and get it open quickly.” Brian Westlye, the founder and COO of the hospitality company managing Rebellion, told ARLnow that the new location should “hopefully” be open by March 1.

The new bar is described as “Rebellion on the Pike” on the restaurant’s website and social media pages.

Rebellion offers up Southern cuisine and a hefty beer selection at its Dupont location, at 1836 18th Street N.W.

BrickHaus offered a similar vision for the area before shuttering at the end of last year.

Owner Tony Wagner closed both his Twisted Vines wine shop and BrickHaus to consolidate his offerings at the nearby Josephine’s Italian Kitchen, and lamented at the time that BrickHaus “never took off the way we expected and hoped it would,” after battling through a series of permitting and construction delays.

Photo 3 via @rebellion_onthepike

Spider Kelly’s Co-Owner Launching New Restaurant ‘The Freshman’ in Crystal City

By Alex Koma
1/2

The co-owner of popular Clarendon nightlife spot Spider Kelly’s is planning a new restaurant for the base of a Crystal City office building.

Restaurateur Nick Freshman is launching “The Freshman” at 2011 Crystal Drive, he announced today (Tuesday). He hopes to have it open by sometime in 2020.

Freshman hopes to offer “high-quality coffee, teas, and craft cocktails” at the restaurant, in addition to “breakfast, lunch and dinner options made in-house with fresh local ingredients.”

The Freshman will set up shop in a 3,400-square-foot space that was once home to a Noodles & Company location, which shut down last fall. The restaurant will have room for 120 diners and a 50-seat outdoor patio.

“I’ve seen firsthand how much the neighborhood has changed over the years and I knew I wanted to be a part of the growth,” Freshman, who lives in the area, said in a release. “When Amazon announced that they were coming to town, I knew that the opportunity to be part of this story was just too good to pass up, especially considering this is my backyard.”

Like most of the other office buildings across Crystal City, developer JBG Smith owns the property, and is trumpeting The Freshman as the first retailer to sign a lease in the area since Amazon tabbed the neighborhood for its massive new headquarters.

The company is planning an expansive new redevelopment of other retail offerings nearby, and it’s envisioning The Freshman’s arrival as one in a series of big changes on the way for the newly dubbed “National Landing” neighborhood in the coming years.

“The Freshman is a perfect fit for National Landing given Nick’s longstanding ties to the neighborhood and his concept’s natural appeal to the neighborhood’s residents, office workers and daily visitors,” Amy Rice, senior vice president at JBG Smith, said in a statement.

Freshman is launching the eatery in tandem with Mothersauce Partners, a restaurant advisory and investment firm he launched in 2016. The company has helped found The Eleanor and Takoma Beverage Company in D.C., with similar offerings as Freshman’s plans for the new Crystal City establishment.

Fire at Fire Works Pizza in Courthouse

By ARLnow.com
1/6

Fire Works Pizza in Courthouse is temporarily closed due to a fire Saturday afternoon.

The fire broke out around 1:30 p.m. at the restaurant, near the corner of Clarendon Blvd and N. Adams Street, but the flames were mostly confined to the kitchen and the restaurant’s duct work and exhaust system, which extends to the roof.

Roads around the restaurant, which is located on the ground floor of a Residence Inn hotel, were closed for more than an hour as firefighters worked to extinguish the fire inside the duct work. Smoke could be seen coming from the roof as firefighters arrived.

Fire Works remained closed as firefighters packed up. A county health inspector and building inspector were called to the scene to evaluate the damage, though no serious damage could be seen through the restaurant’s windows.

No injuries were reported.

More from the Arlington County Fire Department:

Photo (top) courtesy @samerfarha

Sloppy Mama’s BBQ to Open Second Arlington Location Along Lee Highway This Spring

By Alex Koma
1/3

The chef behind a popular D.C. food truck serving up half smokes and other BBQ is opening a new restaurant in an empty space along Lee Highway.

Co-owner Joe Neuman told ARLnow he’ll be opening a brick-and-mortar location of “Sloppy Mama’s” at 5731 Lee Highway, most recently the home of the short-lived Misomen Ramen restaurant. The small space sits directly across from the original District Taco location, and Eater D.C. first reported Neuman’s plans.

The move means that Joe and Mandy Neuman will soon boast two locations in Arlington — Sloppy Mama’s is also set to join the new “food hall” at the Ballston Quarter development when it opens next month.

He points out that the company got its start as a catering operation in D.C., before eventually revving up the food truck. As that gained steam, Neuman was able to open a stall at Union Market, and even start partnering up with some bars and restaurants around the city.

But he was after a space to spread out a bit more, especially when it comes to finding room for smoking meat, so he sought out the new Lee Highway locations.

Neuman says the menu at the new space won’t differ much from Sloppy Mama’s current offerings. He’s expecting to cook up “authentic smoked meats” including brisket, pork. chicken, ribs, sausages and turkey, in addition to “traditional southern sides.”

As for an opening date, he’s currently targeting “mid-to-late April.”

The space Sloppy Mama’s will move into has seen plenty of turnover in the past few years. Before Misomen, the location was home to the Asian Kitchen restaurant; before that, it was a Pizza Hut.

Photo 1 via @sloppymamas

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Medical Emergency at Yorktown — A student suffered a serious medical emergency at Yorktown High School this morning. Police and medics rushed to the scene, CPR was performed and the student was reportedly revived. He was taken to a local hospital.

Arlington Tourism Website Wins Award — “The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International… on Jan. 22 presented the Arlington Convention and Visitors Service (ACVS) with a 2018 Adrian Award for the StayArlington tourism website.” [Arlington County]

Best Bowls of Soup in Rosslyn — A new list exhaustively details “where to go for a good bowl of soup” in Rosslyn, “because it’s everybody’s favorite cold-weather lunch.” [Rosslyn BID]

Gymnastics Competition at W-L — “The annual Barbara Reinwald Invitational girls high-school gymnastics meet was held Jan. 19 at Washington-Lee High School. The high-school meet, which has been held for decades, included 11 teams and was won by the host Washington-Lee Blue team.” [InsideNova]

Chef Geoff Winning Happy Hour Fight — Chef Geoff Tracy is poised to withdraw his lawsuit against the Commonwealth of Virginia, which seeks to overturn restrictions on advertising happy hour specials and prices, after the state legislature overwhelmingly passed bills that would remove those and other happy hour restrictions. [Tysons Reporter]

Ballston’s Rustico Shuts Down Temporarily Due to Water Damage

By Alex Koma
1/3

Water damage from a “renegade sprinkler” has resulted in the temporary closure of the Rustico restaurant in Ballston.

The pizza and beer-focused eatery has been shuttered to allow for renovation work since last Tuesday (Jan. 15), and a series of tarps currently cover its bar.

“We are working tirelessly to get things back up and running, and sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this may cause you,” a sign posted on its door says. “We’ll be cooking and pouring again in no time.”

The restaurant’s general manager, Ryan Cline, told ARLnow that the sprinkler dumped more than five inches of water into the restaurant in total, prompting all sorts of challenges for the staff.

“We are still doing repairs as fast as possible,” Cline wrote in an email. He added that he’s hoping to reopen the eatery by Feb. 1.

In the meantime, Rustico’s original, Alexandria location, at 827 Slaters Lane, is still open for business.

The restaurant opened up the Ballston space back in 2010.

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