restaurant

Lebanese Fast-Casual Restaurant ‘Badaro’ Replacing NKD Pizza in Ballston

By Chris Teale
1/6

A Lebanese fast-casual restaurant will replace the former NKD Pizza in Ballston.

Badaro is set to move into 933 N. Quincy Street, according to signs in its window and its social media accounts.

“You don’t have to travel far to soak up the flavors, hospitality and culture of Beirut,” the restaurant wrote. “Badaro is a fast casual restaurant bringing it to your neighborhood.”

Signs say it is aiming to open this fall. The restaurant is next door to the 9Round Fitness studio.

The new eatery means that both of Arlington’s former NKD Pizza locations have replacements in place. Its other former site at 1101 S. Joyce Street in Pentagon Row is set to become a Mediterranean restaurant and kabob house.

Naan Kabob Now Open in Former Pio Pio Space

By Chris Teale
1/7

The kabob restaurant to replace the former Pio Pio restaurant between Clarendon and Virginia Square is now open.

Naan Kabob at 3300 Wilson Blvd opened earlier this week. It serves Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi food and offer carry-out and catering services. Outside, balloons and bunting remains from the restaurant’s opening celebration. In its initial days, the restaurant has offered a ready-made buffet for $9.99.

Inside, the seating and décor looks relatively unchanged from the Pio Pio days. And while it is still early days — Naan Kabob only has a limited menu for now and did not accept credit cards this week — it has already won mostly positive reviews on Yelp.

“Delicious!” wrote one reviewer. “We had the channa, daal, cauliflower and veggie korma. I’m pretty picky about this kind of food–I have cooked many curries and have traveled to the Subcontinent a number of times. This stuff is excellent. The flavors are strong but not overwhelming, especially the daal, which I my daughter and I fought over. The fluffy rice and superbly textured naan were unexpected treats, too.”

Supper Club Dining Concept Comes to Clarendon

Experience an unforgettable dining service at Pamplona every Saturday at 9 p.m. as guests enjoy delicious Spanish dishes, champagne specials, DJ and live music playing next to your table. According to Chuck Lee, a partner at Pamplona, “this will be the most fun you’ll have while dining out.”

We launched our supper club to friends and family last Saturday, and the reactions and feedback were amazing. The supper club concept is big in NYC, LA and Miami, and we believe it’ll catch on in D.C. and Arlington. “We are trying to change the mindset that dinners out can also be a night out.” said Lee.

After a successful friends and family, tables are filling up fast for this Saturday’s service. Be sure to make your reservation for this Saturday at 9 p.m., as tables are booking up fast. Pamplona’s “Supper Club” dinner experience awaits you.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Fisette Has To-Do List for Final Months — Arlington County Board Chair Jay Fisette has a number of items left on his to-do list as he nears retirement from the Board at the end of the year. Among the items with some momentum is a plan to name the county government headquarters after long-serving Board member Ellen Bozman. [InsideNova, InsideNova]

Purple Ribbons on ACPD Cruisers — “During the month of October a purple ribbon, donated by [local nonprofit Doorways for Women and Families], will be displayed on many Arlington County Police Department vehicles in support of the efforts to reduce the incidence and severity of domestic violence in our community.” [Arlington County]

Beyer Gets Press for Security Clearance Letter — Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) is getting some national media attention for his continued push — alongside Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) — for the Trump administration to revoke the security clearances of Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner. [CNN]

History of Sushi Zen — Sushi Zen, a Japanese restaurant on N. Harrison Street, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year by holding 20 fundraisers for local nonprofits. But the path to success for the sushi spot was bumpy. The family-owned restaurant struggled in its early years and enlisted the help of Georgetown MBA students to help turn things around. [Connection Newspapers]

Flickr pool photo by Dennis Dimick

Patio Fire Scorches Freddie’s in Crystal City

By ARLnow.com
1/3

A cigarette reportedly sparked a fire that has closed the patio at Freddie’s Beach Bar in Crystal City.

The fire was reported last night around 10:30 p.m. The fire department quickly arrived on scene and extinguished the flames, which scorched parts of the patio and its awning, owner Freddie Lutz told ARLnow.com.

Patrons were evacuated during the fire and no injuries were reported.

The bar, located at 555 23rd Street S., expects to open as usual at 4 p.m. today, though the patio will remain closed indefinitely, pending repairs, Lutz said.

Scott Disick to Host Pentagon City Restaurant Grand Opening

By Katie Pyzyk

(Updated at 5:10 p.m.) TV personality and entrepreneur Scott Disick will host the grand opening of the Sugar Factory American Brasserie at the Pentagon City mall next week.

The new 5,500 square foot restaurant and retail store is located in a newly-expanded portion of the mall, facing S. Hayes Street. It opened to its first customers in May but is now preparing for a grand opening celebration.

Disick, 34, rose to fame on the reality show Keeping Up With the Kardashians and is the father of three children with ex Kourtney Kardashian. His personal life remains a source of fascination in tabloids and celebrity magazines.

Sugar Factory sells celebrity-endorsed sweets and seats up to 200 people in its restaurant, which serves a wide variety of signature cocktails alongside mostly standard issue American fare.

The grand opening event will take place Thursday, Oct. 12 from 6-10 p.m. Dinner reservations are available by calling 703-258-3374 or online through OpenTable.

Courtesy photo

Pentagon City Whole Foods Affected by Credit Card Security Breach

By Katie Pyzyk

A restaurant inside the Pentagon City Whole Foods is among those affected by a security breach to the company’s credit card system.

Whole Foods provided public notice that it “recently received information regarding unauthorized access of payment card information used at certain venues.”

The breach does not affect purchases within the regular Whole Foods grocery section, but rather at the taprooms and full-service restaurants inside some locations. Paper Horse, a ramen restaurant inside the Pentagon City Whole Foods, is one of the locations named in the security breach.

Whole Foods’ statement said it notified authorities and has launched an investigation. Customers who may have visited Paper Horse or one of the other affected locations listed online should monitor their credit card statements and contact their bank to report unauthorized charges.

Whole Foods also noted that its systems do not connect with those of its new parent company, Amazon, so purchases on Amazon.com are not involved.

Dave’s Seafood & Subs on Columbia Pike Closes

By Katie Pyzyk

Dave’s Seafood & Subs, at 3235 Columbia Pike, has permanently closed.

The take-out restaurant located in a strip mall at the corner of Columbia Pike and S. Glebe Road was especially popular with regular customers for its fried seafood platters.

Although the owners of Dave’s didn’t wish to go into details about the business or its closure, a loyal customer told ARLnow.com that the owners have decided to retire.

Dave’s served its last meals on Saturday (September 30). So far there’s no word on what will replace the restaurant.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

County Celebrates ART Maintenance Facility Opening — Arlington County officials drove a bus through the ribbons at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Arlington Transit Light Maintenance Facility near Crystal City. “The facility provides… fueling, maintenance and wash services for the entire ART fleet,” noted a press release. “Washing and fueling services for ART buses had been contracted from an adjacent Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) facility at a higher cost and with restricted hours.” [Arlington County]

Banned Books Week at Libraries — Arlington Public Library is marking Banned Books Week, which runs through Sept. 30, by encouraging readers to check out at least one “challenged” book this week. [Arlington Public Library]

Lamenting Construction Inconveniences — From “Our Man in Arlington” columnist Charlie Clark: “My East Falls Church neighbors and I are at nerves’ end about a seemingly perpetual construction project we drive or walk past daily. The county’s stormwater drainage system expansion has been underway for a year at N. 24th and Rockingham streets. It has necessitated countless automobile and pedestrian detours… Construction improves our shared living space and boosts the economy. But it’s tough on neighbors.” [Falls Church News-Press]

W-L HOF Noms — The Washington-Lee High School Athletic Hall of Fame is accepting nominations for new inductees through Nov. 1. [W-L Athletics]

Lost Puppy in Va. Square-Ballston Area — A local resident is searching for her puppy, named Faith, who got loose Sunday night and was “lost by Quincy Park running towards Washington Blvd.” The dog is described as “a very sweet, incredibly timid boxer mix. Her identifying markings are: light brown body, black/white muzzle, white dipped paws, and a large spot of missing hair on her right hind thigh.” [Facebook]

Legal Drama for Matchbox — Matchbox Food Group, which counts a large Matchbox restaurant in Pentagon City among its locations, is locked in a messy legal battle between two of its cofounders and two of its financiers: a bank and the bank’s CEO, who is also an investor in the company. [Washington Business Journal]

Podcast: Scott Parker of A-Town and The G.O.A.T.

By ARLnow.com

Scott Parker is part of a group of partners who together have built something of a nightlife empire in Arlington.

A-Town Bar and Grill, Don Tito and Barley Mac have all been hits along the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor. And now Scott and his partners are getting ready to open (in the next couple of weeks) The G.O.A.T., a new sports bar right across from the Clarendon Metro station in the former Hard Times Cafe space.

Scott has helped to build this empire based on Sunday Fundays and happy hour drink specials all while having a somewhat unique personal background for a bar impresario: he does not drink.

On this week’s 26 Square Miles podcast, we sat down with Scott to discuss how he achieved success after success in the notoriously difficult restaurant industry, what to expect with the G.O.A.T., what comes next, and what he thinks of the current state of the Arlington bar and restaurant scene.

Listen below or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher or TuneIn.

Jerry’s Subs & Pizza Closed for ‘Remodeling’ in Courthouse

By Chris Teale
1/2

Arlington County’s only Jerry’s Subs & Pizza is closed temporarily for what a sign on the door describes as “remodeling.”

A sign on the door of the eatery at 2041 15th Street N. in Courthouse does not say when it will reopen, and calls to the restaurant’s phone number were not returned.

On Tuesday afternoon when a reporter stopped by, a workman was on a step ladder doing what looked like painting of some light fixtures.

Jerry’s serves pizza, hot and cold subs and a variety of cheesesteaks. It is across the street from Arlington County jail, next door to a bond office and is a block away from an entrance to the Courthouse Metro station.

View More Stories