Wilson Boulevard

Soul Thai Kitchen & Bar debuts in Dominion Hills, replacing Meridian Pint

By James Jarvis
1/7

A new Thai restaurant in Dominion Hills is set to open next week.

Located at 6035 Wilson Blvd, Soul Thai Kitchen & Bar stepped in to fill the vacancy left by Meridian Pint in late October. The local brewhouse had shuttered earlier this year due to financial struggles.

This latest transition marks the third ownership change in four years. John Andrade, the original owner, passed the reins to Fitzgerald Lewis in 2021. Lewis, a noted figure in the local restaurant scene, has ownership stakes in about 20 eateries in the area, including Crafthouse Arlington in Ballston and Barley Mac in Rosslyn.

Lewis sold Meridian Pint to co-owner Nancy Kittitaraphan and her partners — consisting of family and friends — earlier this year.

Ahead of its grand opening, scheduled for next Friday, Dec. 22, Soul Thai recently held a soft opening over the last few weeks, giving locals the chance to sample its offerings.

The restaurant will operate seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 12-10 p.m. on weekends. Additionally, there’s a daily happy hour from 4-6:30 p.m., says Kittitaraphan.

The menu boasts a range of options, from starters such as spring rolls and fried calamari to noodle dishes such as “hangover noodles” (a twist on drunken noodles), alongside various soups, salads and curry dishes.

In a bid to draw more local patrons, Kittitaraphan took to the streets, handing out menus to nearby residents. She’s offering a 20% discount on their first visit, valid through Thursday, Dec. 21.

“I wanted to invite our family and friends,” she told ARLnow. “The neighborhood or the customers are our family and friends.”

The restaurant has seen some cosmetic updates, through which Kittitaraphan looked to create a cozy, welcoming atmosphere.

“When you come here, it’s like you’re staying in your house,” she said.

Bronze replica of concrete statue lowered by crane today in Courthouse

By James Jarvis
1/4

A bronze replica of the sculpture “Compassion,” depicting an adult and child embracing, was installed this morning (Tuesday) in Courthouse along Wilson Blvd.

The new replica replaces the original concrete sculpture that had been a fixture in the median along Wilson Boulevard, near Ireland’s Four Courts, for nearly six decades.

Donated to Arlington County in 1969, “Compassion” was deemed weathered beyond repair earlier this year, due to age and exposure to the elements. It sustained even more damage while it was removed from the median last August and was ultimately destroyed as part of the decommissioning process.

Before its removal, however, Colin Poole — the grandson and apprentice of the sculpture’s creator, England-born Una Hanbury — digitally scanned the original and created a bronze replica.

Poole was able to recreate the “missing details” of the sculpture by drawing on photographs and his grandmother’s sketches, according to a press release.

“Una Hanbury was my grandmother, mentor and hero,” Poole said in the release. “Some of my earliest memories are of her studio… My first monumental bronze was with a collaboration with her and now, many decades later, we collaborate once again.”

Greystar Real Estate Partners, the developer responsible for the two new apartment buildings adjacent to the sculpture, fully funded the relocation of the bronze statue, according to Arlington Public Art Director Angela Adams.

A crane carefully lowered the sculpture onto a newly constructed median on Tuesday morning, close to its original location.

“Greystar paid for the entire commission,” Adams told ARlnow.

“Per the site plan agreement for the Landmark project, the developer was obligated to determine how to preserve the original ‘Compassion’ sculpture since they were needing to rework the traffic median where it sat as part of their project,” she continued.

Although the original concrete statue was not officially a part of the the county’s public art collection, plans are underway to include the bronze replica among its roughly 70 permanent public art projects in Arlington, says Adams.

“Those negotiations are ongoing,” Adams said.

She also noted that a formal dedication of the sculpture, along with the larger plaza and surrounding buildings, is scheduled for sometime in 2024.

Arlington seeks input on Wilson Blvd intersection changes

By James Jarvis
1/2

Arlington County is looking to make safety upgrades to an intersection between Rosslyn and Courthouse that has seen four pedestrian-involved crashes in four years.

The intersection of Wilson Blvd and N. Rhodes Street has long been seen as dicey, according to complaints from cyclists and commuters and previous ARLnow coverage. Resident complaints, plus a review of crash data, have prompted the county to make changes now.

The $2.8 million project would see updated signal equipment, sidewalks and pedestrian ramps and upgrades to reduce conflicts between cyclists and buses. The county is in the design stage of the project and wants community feedback on possible changes. An online survey is open now through Sunday, Oct. 22.

The intersection saw 28 total crashes between 2016 and 2020, including 22 resulting in property damage and four involving pedestrians, Dept. of Environmental Services spokesperson Claudia Pors told ARLnow. These numbers fast tracked the intersection for improvements as part of Vision Zero, the county’s goal to end serious and fatal crashes by 2030,

“[The intersection] was flagged as a pedestrian crash Hot Spot because it had more than 3 pedestrian crashes,” Pors said.

Pedestrians are especially vulnerable to crashes here “due to higher vehicle speeds during turning movements when pedestrians have the right of way in the crosswalks,” according to the county.

The intersection has seen several crashes over the years. A spate of three crashes occurred in 2010, including one involving a pedestrian. Another dramatic crash, including an SUV that flipped on its side, occurred in 2017.

Originally, the county planned to build a “bus stop island” at the northeast corner of the intersection to reduce the number of close calls between cyclists and buses. This particular bus stop ranks in the top 10% of transit stops in Arlington, exceeding 50 users per day, according to the county.

After reviewing the crash data and hearing from road users, however, county staff determined it made more sense to overhaul the entire intersection.

The survey asks respondents to identify whether they are residents or commuters and to specify their usual mode of transportation through the intersection. Participants are then invited to rate their sense of safety while navigating the area and to pinpoint potential improvements on an interactive map.

Some people who have already commented have suggested removing the right-turn lane onto Wilson Blvd and install a concrete median to separate cyclists and vehicles. Other ideas include relocating the bus stop to ease congestion and implementing traffic-calming measures.

The survey results will inform a conceptual design set for publication this winter for a second round of public engagement.

Weathered beyond repair, a concrete sculpture in Courthouse is set to be replaced with a bronze replica

By James Jarvis
Before and after photos of concrete sculpture Compassion by Una Hanbury, which has sat between Wilson and Clarendon Blvd since 1969 (via Arlington County and courtesy anonymous)

A concrete sculpture of an adult embracing a child has been moved from its home of nearly six decades, a planted median in Courthouse, and possibly damaged in the process.

This week, the statue — missing a chunk of concrete — could be seen on a pedestal of soil and flowers on a nearby sidewalk, surrounded by construction work.

A gift to Arlington County in 1969, the sculpture was decommissioned due to its age and significant damage it sustained from the elements, according to Arlington Cultural Affairs. The 54-year-old sculpture was moved as part of the decommissioning process and is set to be destroyed and replaced with a bronze replica.

“Over its nearly 55 years in the public realm, time and weather took their toll, eroding the surface and rendering the sculpture unrecognizable,” Arlington Cultural Affairs spokesman Jim Byers told ARLnow. “Due to the condition of the original sculpture, two independent conservators agreed that the sculpture could not be repaired.”

Una Hanbury, an England native, made the work — entitled Compassion — to pay tribute to Arlington’s values. It was one of several works she completed in the Mid-Atlantic, including large-scale commissions for the Medical Examiners Building in Baltimore and St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Springfield, Virginia.

During discussions about what to do with the aging sculpture, Hanbury’s grandson, Colin Poole, recommended recreating Compassion in bronze to match its original likeness, says Byers.

Fittingly, Poole is set to take on the replica, as he is a professional artist who apprenticed under his grandmother.

When it was still in one piece, Poole had “digitally scanned the weathered concrete sculpture, milled a replica in foam, and enveloped it in clay,” Byers said.

“Using his grandmother’s sculpting tools and referencing other sculptures she had crafted during that era, Poole skillfully reproduced the surface textures, and the renewed form was cast in bronze for longevity,” he continued.

Some of the material of the original sculpture will be incorporated within the base of the new piece, but the rest will be destroyed. Byers said this is the industry standard when a work of art is decommissioned due to severe deterioration.

The recreated bronze statue is set to be installed later this fall, somewhere “close to its original location,” Byers said. He added that he expects the piece to be incorporated into the county’s Public Art collection — adding to the roughly 70 permanent public art projects in Arlington.

“A dedication event is being planned for some time after the installation of the artwork,” he said.

The recasting is being funded by Greystar, the developer overseeing two new apartment buildings and transportation upgrades to the neighborhood.

“Tropical glam bar” Coco B’s hoping to open this weekend in Clarendon

By Matt Blitz
1/7

The much-anticipated “tropical glam bar” Coco B’s in Clarendon hopes to open this weekend, co-owner Christal Bramson tells ARLnow.

Ownership is in the process of getting final permits before the doors can be thrown open, but the belief is that everything will be ready for the coming weekend.

The long-planned companion bar to B Live — or, for the moment, “Beach Bar Live” — at 2854 Wilson Blvd was originally supposed to start serving a full year ago. It was delayed a few times, however, due to construction and permits. But now the wait appears to almost be over.

Judging by photos, Coco B’s is set to be Arlington’s pink palace of nightlife. The color covers the 6,000 square feet of space, from the walls to the chair to the umbrellas, that the business is set to occupy inside and atop the building that was once Whitlow’s on Wilson.

While it’s the rooftop — featuring a mural of a flamingo wearing a hat — that many locals might be looking forward it, Bramson said the rest of the bar might actually be the real draw.

“I don’t think people realize that Coco’s is not only a rooftop, but has nearly 4,000 square feet directly below the rooftop (next to B Live),” Bramson wrote ARLnow in an email. “It’s a collection of three bays, with two gorgeous bars, dining room, and a stunning back patio.”

The main floor will feature pink chandeliers and clamshell chairs, while another bay is the “Bubble Bar,” a champagne-forward bar with lots more pink. The third bay is for private events.

The Carribean-inspired menu is set to be curated by Chef Juan Olivera, who previously worked at D.C.’s Lupo Verde. It will feature Caribbean delicacies like jerk chicken, ceviche, and Jamaican oxtail patties, Arlington Magazine reports.

Coco B’s will have signature cocktails, including the Dac-Dac-Doc. It will be served in half coconut shells with Caribbean rum, passion dragon fruit syrup, and coconut foam.

The opening of Coco B’s will mark another expansion of Christal and Mike Bramson’s Arlington nightlife empire under the B Social Hospitality banner. B Live opened last spring as a live music venue but has since shifted away from original acts to live karaoke. It also changed concepts, at least temporarily, earlier this month.

The Bramsons also own Pamplona on Clarendon Blvd, Roll’d in Ballston, run operations at Clarendon Ballroom, and are celebrating local beer garden The Lot’s last season before redevelopment happens on the site. The couple owns several restaurants in the District as well, including Rebel Taco and soon-to-open The Cove in the District’s Navy Yard neighborhood.

New vape shop wafts in to prominent Wilson Blvd storefront in Courthouse

By Matt Blitz
1/3

(Updated at 12:30 p.m.) A new vape shop is set to open in the coming months in a prominent Courthouse storefront on Wilson Blvd.

“Tobacco Vape Cigars” is moving into the former home of SuperStar Tickets at 2305 Wilson Blvd, the very visible building at the corner of Wilson Blvd and N. Wayne Street.

Where there once was SuperStar Tickets’ name in black, there’s now a new white, red, and yellow declaring the business set to waft in soon. The shop is in the midst of a build-out and isn’t open yet, building owner Omar Sider told ARLnow, but it is expected to start selling in the coming months.

SuperStar Ticket hasn’t shuttered but simply no longer needs a prominent, large storefront due to employees now working remotely, Sider told ARLnow. He owns SuperStar Tickets as well as the building. He said the business is doing quite well, with some live events setting attendance records.

“Live events are bigger than ever,” Sider said. “Covid’s silver lining… is that it gave us a reset button to restructure.”

With no reason to work out of the building, leasing out the space provided a chance for cash flow. There was other interest in the building but the vape shop was able to move in immediately, Sider noted.

The shop owners own “60 or 70” other businesses across the country. The lease is for three years, though the business owners initially wanted a longer commitment.

“We will see how it goes. They are paying what we are asking,” Sider said. “And they were pretty adamant.”

Sider was born in Arlington and currently lives in the Woodmont neighborhood. He’s owned the building since 2010 and put it back on the market in 2017, though he never ended up selling it.

Sider understands why some would want a business besides a vape shop in that prominent storefront but, he says, the building sat unused essentially for the last three years.

“It has to have some cash flow,” Sider said. “At least for now, it will be [a vape shop], but maybe in a couple of years, we will think about building it out for something different in the community.”

Coco B’s, Peruvian Brothers, and Astro Beer Hall all hope to open in the next few weeks

By Matt Blitz
Carbonara, soon to open in the Ballston/Virginia Square area (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

As we move through the dog days of August, several highly anticipated local restaurants are looking ahead to openings in the coming late summer or early fall.

Coco B’s is finally set to open on the roof of Clarendon’s B Live next week, pending permits, co-owner Christal Bramson confirmed to ARLnow. Besides the roof, the “tropical glam bar” consists of nearly 4,000 square feet of bars, dining rooms, and a back patio. Coco B’s has been in the works for a year and was originally supposed to open this past spring. This comes as B Live continues to revamp, including shifting away from hosting original acts and debuting a new beach bar concept this weekend.

Astro Beer Hall in Shirlington was also finally hoping for an opening this month, but that’s being pushed back at least a few weeks. While no exact timetable has been set for the two-level bar and coffee shop, a spokesperson confirmed a debut is likely coming next month. So, it will be a bit before its donut robot starts its world takeover, one pastry at a time.

Peruvian Brothers is aiming for a “soft opening” at Amazon HQ2 as soon as later this month, co-owner Giuseppe Lanzone told ARLnow. A grand opening is scheduled for September in Pentagon City, he said. It was July 2022 when the fast-casual Peruvian restaurant announced it was moving into 1400 S. Eads Street. The initial hope was to open earlier in the summer, but permitting is again the culprit.

Westover Taco also had planned to start serving this month, but that’s been pushed back. Co-owner Scott Parker told ARLnow that the new spot in Westover will “for sure” open this year but couldn’t provide an exact timetable yet. It was almost exactly a year ago when ARLnow first reported that Parker, along with owners of Lost Dog Cafe, was taking over the space once home to Forest Inn.

Carbonara, the self-described “old school” Italian restaurant in the Ballston area, is now aiming for a November debut, a spokesperson told ARLnow. The Italian eatery and wine bar is moving into the former home of Next Day Blinds on Wilson Blvd and was originally supposed to open this summer. But “difficulty with [the] mechanical system” and permitting hang-ups has pushed it to later in the fall.

Wagamama in Clarendon is coming along. While the British restaurant chain has announced several timelines for opening, none have proven to be the case. Construction does appear underway, but a spokesperson declined to give ARLnow any substantial information. “There are no updates to share regarding the opening timeline for Wagamama Arlington,” they wrote in an email.

Several other notable restaurants are also looking to open later in 2024, including Kirby Club in Clarendon and Yunnan By Potomac in Pentagon City. They are both aiming to open in the spring.

Ballston’s new live music and comedy venue The Filling Station opens this weekend

By Matt Blitz
1/3

A new live music and events venue is opening in Ballston this weekend.

The small, 50-seat Filling Station at 4201 Wilson Blvd is opening its doors on Friday night. It’s owned by brothers Ian and Eric Hilton, who also own the adjacent restaurant El Rey.

The venue will focus on hosting live music, comedy, and private events, per its website.

“Filling Station is an intimate venue with an elevated stage that will be host, with no cover charge, to a rotating schedule of musicians, bands and comedians,” says a press release.

“Set with community-style and small group tables, the rustic interior harkens to mid-century culture with the walls filled with that era’s album and magazine covers and music posters,” the press release continues. “Large screen TVs and mounted televisions will show NFL football games and sports this fall.”

Friday night’s inaugural show will feature Cowpoke, a country rock and folk band from Leesburg. Saturday’s show will feature Arlington-based funk-rock band Skip House.

Food will be available from the next-door El Rey, including quesadillas, nachos, torta sandwiches, fries, wings and 17 beers on tap.

ARLnow first reported last month that Filling Station’s opening was imminent, though signs had been up dating back to August 2022.

The venue is part of the Hilton brothers’ burgeoning local restaurant empire. Cafe Coline on Langston Blvd was named one of Washingtonian’s Top 100 restaurants earlier this year. El Rey in Ballston opened in late 2021 as a second location of the popular D.C.-based taqueria.

Arlington’s live music scene has seen some changes in recent months.

B Live opened in May 2022 as a music venue and restaurant in the former Whitlow’s space in Clarendon. But this summer, the venue announced it was shifting to featuring more live karaoke and becoming a “beach bar,” at least temporarily.

The Renegade in Clarendon, which opened in 2019, also features live music.

Clarendon’s B Live is becoming “Beach Bar Live,” at least temporarily

By Matt Blitz
B Live sign in Clarendon (staff photo)

Clarendon’s B Live is set to become a beach bar beginning early next month, while Coco B’s is set to finally open on the rooftop.

The live music venue and watering hole on Wilson Blvd is changing concepts, at least temporarily, and becoming a “divey beach bar popup,” co-owner Christal Bramson tells ARLnow. The shifting sands reflect what’s working at the former Whitlow’s space, Bramson says.

“Due to the popularity of the Jingle Bell Rock popup theme during the holidays, we temporarily closed to convert the space to a summer fling theme with an inland divey beach bar popup: Beach Bar Live,” she wrote in an email.

The outdoor patio will also change, becoming a tiki bar with an “aggressive happy hour.”

“Think Coyote Ugly on the beach,” Bramson writes.

A tipster had reached out, thinking that the business had shuttered permanently. B Live — er, Beach Bar Live — is currently closed for the makeover, but Bramson said the hope is to reopen by August 4 with updated decor, menu, drink specials, and vibes. The opening weekend of the new concept will feature complimentary food, drink specials, and a battle of the bands, she said.

Beach Bar Live on Wilson Blvd (image courtesy of Christal Bramson)

This is the second time in less than two months that the venue has made significant changes. In June, ownership decided to “pivot” towards having more live band karaoke while decreasing the number of live original acts it hosted.

Live karaoke as well as a limited number of original acts will continue at Beach Bar Live, Bramson said.

“Tropical glam bar” Coco B’s is also hoping for an opening in early next month on the rooftop. The long-planned rooftop compliment to B Live has been delayed for months, but it’s looking to finally open within the next two weeks “pending permits.”

“If you think of B Live as the male version of the two of us, then Coco B’s is the female version… the his and hers,” Christal Bramson told ARLnow in June 2022. “It’s definitely going to be more female-focused. There’s going to be a lot of pinks, velvets, feathers, and it’s going to attract the softer side of Arlington.”

For the moment, Beach Bar Live is being considered a pop-up but Bramson said that if the concept ends up being popular, it could stick — somewhat like wet sand at the beach.

“If the popup grows in popularity, there is a possibility of combining both spaces into one massive (inland) beach destination,” she said.

Houses on former Febrey-Lothrop site to go on sale in the fall

By Matt Blitz
1/3

Houses at the former site of the Febrey-Lothrop House are set to go on sale this fall, with a delivery set for early next year.

Toll Brothers announced last week that the “boutique community” off of Wilson Blvd in Dominion Hills, dubbed The Grove at Dominion Hills, is nearing the finish line.

It will feature 40 single-family homes on more than nine acres, with houses ranging from 3,470 to 5,834 square feet. They all appear to have five bedrooms and up to six bathrooms, per the website.

Sales are set to begin this fall with pricing starting at $2.1 million, said a Toll Brothers spokesperson in an email. The houses are expected to be move-in ready by “early 2024.”

The site where houses now stand was once where the historic Febrey-Lothrop House stood before it was demolished more than two years ago, much to the dismay of local preservationists, the county’s Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board (HALRB), and the Arlington Historical Society.

Also known as the Rouse estate, the original house was built before the Civil War but was largely replaced in the early 20th century. Historians cited the estate’s role in hosting Civil War encampments, past residents including business mogul Howard Hughes, and the likelihood it was built by enslaved peoples as for reasons to preserve the site. The land it was on was also potentially a hunting ground for Indigenous peoples.

But its future became in doubt when its last owner, sportsman Randy Rouse, died in 2017. The property hit the market in 2020, with some pushing the county to purchase it and turn it into a public park, a school, or another public facility.

However, Rouse’s trust ended up selling the property to a developer intent on building single-family homes on the site.

The HALRB voted to consider a historic designation for the property in late 2020, but it came too late, and the County Board ended up denying the recommendation anyway. The house was demolished in March 2021 and construction began on the new houses shortly thereafter.

ARLnow asked Toll Brothers whether anything came from a preservationist’s request to partner with archeologists on potential artifacts at the site. The company did not respond to the inquiry.

Kirby Club pushes back opening in Clarendon, now aiming for spring 2024

By Matt Blitz
The future location of Kirby Club, moving into the former home of IOTA Club in Clarendon (photo via Google Maps)

A buzzy new Mediterranean restaurant in Clarendon has pushed back its opening again.

Kirby Club, which previously was set to be called Tawle, is now aiming for a March 2024 opening in the former IOTA Club space at 2832 Wilson Blvd, a restaurant spokesperson confirmed to ARLnow.

When it was first announced in May 2022 that a casual kebab-centric restaurant was coming to Clarendon, the hope was to open in about a year. That was later moved back to fall 2023. But, now, the eatery is looking at serving starting in early spring of next year.

No specific reason was given for the push.

“The restaurant plans are moving along as planned, just taking more time than originally planned,” a restaurant spokesperson told ARLnow.

Kirby Club comes from award-winning restaurateur Rose Previte, who recently won a RAMMY award for her work with D.C.’s Compass Rose and Maydan.

This will be the second location of the Eastern Mediterranean-inspired casual restaurant, with the other opening in Mosaic District late last year to plenty of fanfare and has received a number of accolades ever since.

A restaurant spokesperson said that diners should expect Clarendon’s Kirby Club to be “similar” to the Mosaic District location.

In an interview last year, Previte told ARLnow that she was excited to open in Clarendon because she had attended school at nearby George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government and also had worked for Arlington Economic Development as part of a fellowship. While going to school and working, she often went out to Clarendon restaurants and bars.

“I maybe had too much fun in Clarendon because I was 25,” she said at the time. “So, to think we are going to have a bar and restaurant there is very cool.”

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