Virginia Square

New 7-Eleven Coming to Virginia Square

By ARLnow.com

Arlington is about to get yet another 7-Eleven store.

Construction on a convenience store has just gotten underway in Virginia Square, according to a tipster. The store is located at 3461 Washington Boulevard, in the now-shuttered Georgetown Valet dry cleaners space. The new 7-Eleven will be located between Rocklands BBQ restaurant and the Casual Adventure store, directly across from a Giant supermarket.

Arlington currently has at least twenty 7-Eleven stores, according to listings on the company’s web site.

Deal of the Day: 50% Off Pines of Florence in Va. Square

By ARLnow.com

Our partners at WTD are offering a great deal at the already reasonably-priced Pines of Florence restaurant in Virginia Square.

Through the end of the week you can get $30 worth of food (see menu) and non-alcoholic drinks for $15. The restaurant’s specialties include Italian classics like fried calamari, baked ziti and white pizza.

The deal is good for dining in at Pines of Florence’s pizza counter or main seating area. The restaurant is located at 3811 Fairfax Drive, two blocks from the Virginia Square Metro station.

See WTD’s other Northern Virginia deals here.

Naked Pizza Opens in Pentagon City, Plans Va. Square Location

By ARLnow.com

The first Arlington outpost of the all-natural pizza chain Naked Pizza opened in Pentagon City over the weekend.

The store, located in the old Pizza Milano space near Harris Teeter, features signature pies like the Ragin’ Cajun (sausage, chicken, garlic bell pepper onion), the Superbiotic (artichoke, spinach, bell pepper, mushroom, garlic, red onion, cliantro) and the Smokehouse (hickory-smoked BBQ sauce, onion, chicken), as well as specialized options like gluten-free crust.

As we reported in March, the New Orleans-based chain says it’s trying to be “part of the solution to the global epidemic of obesity and chronic disease” by making fast food “healthful instead of harmful.”

About a dozen employees in bright green shirts were working inside and outside the store this afternoon. Those not manning the kitchen or the counter held signs directing passersby to their 1101 S. Joyce Street storefront. The eatery will be seven days a week from 10:30 a.m. to midnight.

A second Arlington location is planned for the ground floor of the Quincy Plaza Apartments (3900 Fairfax Drive) in Virginia Square. This weekend the County Board is expected to grant the future pizzeria permission to establish a pizza delivery service.

Photos from Testicle Festival

By ARLnow.com

About 500 people showed up at the American Legion post in Virginia Square on Saturday to chug beer, drink Crown Royal and sample bull testicles.

The Montana State Society’s 2011 Testicle Festival was a rousing success, said co-organizer Jed Link, who noted that last year’s event in the District — which lacked Crown Royal — only drew 200 attendees. Link also observed that the line for fried testicles was longer than ever.

Our photos from the event, for those who have already eaten their breakfast, are below.

1/21

Morning Poll: Testicle Festival

By ARLnow.com

More than 500 people are expected to show up at the Arlington American Legion post in Virginia Square (3445 Washington Blvd) this weekend to chow down on 60 pounds of “peeled, sliced and fried bull testicles.”

The seventh annual Montana State Society ‘Testicle Festival’ is being held from 6:00 to 10:00 Saturday night. A $20 ticket buys you “all the Crown Royal you can drink and all the balls you can eat,” as festival co-organizer Brittany Beauleiu told NBC Washington. There will also be all-you-can-drink beer and country music from the Wil Gravatt Band.

Also known as Rocky Mountain oysters or cowboy caviar, bull testicles are said to be chewy and taste like chicken.

The western delicacy might not be for everyone — but everybody has a price, right? How much would someone have to pay you to sample some bull baby makers?

Photo by Fernando Hartwig

Pro-Immigrant Demonstrators March Through Clarendon

By ARLnow.com

(Correction at 11:50 a.m. — A quote from Capt. Wasem has been removed. The quote was from his prepared remarks, but was not actually said during the rally.)

More than 100 demonstrators marched through the busy streets of Virginia Square, Clarendon and Courthouse last night in support of immigrant rights and against deportations.

The protesters, assisted by a police escort, marched from George Mason University’s Arlington campus to the Arlington County jail. Holding signs and chanting slogans in English and Spanish, the protesters made their message loud and clear for scores of bewildered bystanders and outdoor diners in Clarendon.

Once at the jail, a number of speakers addressed the crowd. Most condemned the federal ‘Secure Communities’ immigration enforcement program while praising Arlington for attempting to “opt-out” of the program.

“Arlington was one of the first communities to opt out of Secure Communities,” said Tenants and Workers United Interim Director Jennifer Morley. “When people who live in Arlington heard about it, they spoke out, the organized. Arlington knows that Secure Communities is not the kind of initiative we want in our community.”

“We are watching our elected officials closely,” said a priest. “You are our brothers and sisters and our children.”

“Washington, D.C. is a sanctuary community!” shouted Johnny Barnes, executive director of the ACLU’s National Capital Area chapter, to loud cheers.

A woman identified as “Elizabeth” tearfully spoke about how she was deported before, but made her way back to the area so she could support her young daughter, who has a heart condition.

Also speaking at the rally was Arlington County Police Capt. Jim Wasem, who spoke on behalf of the department. ACPD Chief Doug Scott has previously expressed concern that Secure Communities could dissuade immigrants from cooperating with police investigations.

(more…)

Immigration Advocates to March Through Clarendon Tonight

By ARLnow.com

Pro-immigration groups will be marching through the streets of Arlington tonight to protest the deportation of illegal immigrants.

Protesters will march from George Mason University Founder’s Hall, at 3351 N. Fairfax Drive in Virginia Square, to the Arlington County jail, at 1435 N. Courthouse Road in Courthouse, where they will hold a rally against the federal ‘Secure Communities’ immigration enforcement program.

The march is scheduled to begin at 6:45 p.m. Organizers expect the rally outside the jail to start at 7:15 p.m.

“Speakers at the rally will include representatives from Virginia, Maryland, DC, New York, Illinois, California and other locales affected by the discredited deportation program,” organizers said in a statement.

The march and rally will coincide with the start of the Turning the Tide National Summit, a three-day pro-immigration gathering that’s being held this year at GMU’s Arlington campus.

Secure Communities helps federal authorities enforce immigration laws by checking the fingerprints of those arrested by local law enforcement through a Department of Homeland Security immigration database.

In September the County Board voted unanimously to attempt to withdraw from the program, saying that Secure Communities “will create divisions in our community and promote a cultural fear and distrust of law enforcement.” County officials eventually determined that it was not feasible to withdraw from the program. A coalition that helped organize local opposition to Secure Communities was later given the county’s James B. Hunter Human Rights Award.

UPDATED: Widespread Power Outage in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 2:25 p.m.) Power has been restored after a widespread outage in Arlington, Dominion says.

Power was restored just after 1:50 p.m., according to Dominion spokeswoman Le-Ha Anderson. She said the outage, which lasted 38 minutes, was caused by a malfunctioning piece of equipment at the company’s Clarendon power substation.

Nearly 8,000 Dominion customers in Arlington lost power at the height of the outage, Anderson said.

Several traffic lights went dark in the Clarendon, Virginia Square and Ballston areas around 1:15 p.m. Police directed traffic at the busy intersection of Washington Boulevard and N. Quincy Street — near the Arlington Central Library — during the outage.

There were also several reports of people who were stuck in elevators that stopped when then the power went out.

Virginia Square ‘Hot Pot’ Restaurant to Open Tomorrow

By ARLnow.com

Mala Tang (3434 Washington Blvd), a new ‘hot pot’ Chinese restaurant in Virginia Square, is planning to open tomorrow.

The Washington Post’s Tim Carman reports that the restaurant is planning a soft opening for Wednesday and a grand opening for Monday, May 2. The owners have invested more than a half million dollars into the restaurant.

In addition to sit-down, fondue-style dining, the restaurant will offer pre-made “quick” hot pots to go, Carman reported.

Z-Burger Coming to Virginia Square

By ARLnow.com

A Z-Burger restaurant is coming to Virginia Square.

The small District-based burger chain is in the midst of renovating a two-story red-brick house at the corner of Wilson Boulevard and N. Kenmore Street, according to county records.

Reached by phone, Z-Burger owner Mohammad Esfahani said that he is hoping to have the restaurant open by this summer. This will be Z-Burger’s fourth location and its first Virginia outpost. The restaurant serves burgers, hot dogs, cheesesteaks, fries, onion rings and 75 flavors of shakes and malts.

The building — which is situated 3-4 blocks from both the Clarendon and Virginia Square Metro stations — once housed a couple of business, including a video conversion business and a realty company. An attached one-story building that housed a palm reader, Madame Jacy, has been demolished. (A Yelp review of Madame Jacy once complained that the building “smelled really, really raunchy.” The same reviewer bemoaned that the predictions came true but were not specific enough.)

Once it opens, the restaurant will have a limited amount of off-street parking available to customers. It will face competition from Mario’s Pizza House, across the street, and the soon-to-open BGR: The Burger Joint in Clarendon.

Photo (and tip) courtesy Garrett P.

Chinese Hot Pot Restaurant Coming to Virginia Square

By ARLnow.com

A new eatery called Mala Tang is coming to 3434 Washington Boulevard in Virginia Square. The restaurant will specialize in an Asian cuisine known alternately as Sichuan hot pot or Chinese fondue.

According to the restaurant’s web site, Sichuan hot pot is a 1,000 year old cuisine that consists of “a colorful array of meats, seafood, vegetables, bean curd and noodles that each diner chooses from and dips in a communal pot of simmering liquid.” The pot can be served in mild or spicy varieties.

No word on when Mala Tang will open — it just applied for a liquor license today and nobody is answering the phone — but the restaurant already has a Twitter and a Facebook presence. They’re in the process of hiring restaurant staff, according to a recent Craigslist ad.

The restaurant space at 3434 Washington Boulevard formerly housed Mei’s Asian Bistro.

Photo via Facebook

View More Stories