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Morning Notes

Car Doesn’t Let Accident Slow it Down — A single-vehicle accident occurred last night around 2:00 a.m. near the merge from Rosslyn to Route 110. A Ford Crown Victoria slammed into a concrete barrier, losing its front bumper and license plate in the process. Incredibly, despite the airbags deploying, the driver — and his passengers — decided to keep going. Police eventually caught up with them at the King Street exit of I-395.

Rosslyn Outdoor Movie Canceled — Tonight’s scheduled screening of “Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery” in Rosslyn has been canceled due to the extreme heat.

Local Kid Sets Stacking Record — A 10-year-old from the Penrose area has set a world record for “sport stacking.” William Polly stacked and unstacked three three-cup pyramids in 1.68 seconds. [Pike Wire]

The ‘Best of Arlington’ — Do you agree with this list of the best restaurants and food in Arlington? [Clarendon Culture]

Favola Fires Back at Areizaga-Soto Criticism — Following the accusation that she violated Arlington County’s Code of Ethics by accepting a $2,500 donation from a towing company owner five days before a County Board vote on towing fees, state Senate candidate Barbara Favola’s campaign is firing back at her Democratic primary opponent. “Jaime [Areizaga-Soto] just keeps exaggerating,” her campaign manager said. “Ms. Favola’s vote is not and never has been for sale. Everyone knows where Barbara gets her campaign contributions because it’s posted on-line, but Jaime has yet to come clean about where he made the money he is using to fund his campaign.”

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91 Comments on “Morning Notes”

  • YTK:

    But….But…..I hear the food at Advanced Towing is not bad at all!!!


  • BrownFlipFlops:

    I would feel a lot better if, instead of lashing out with a tu quoque argument, Barbara Favola would say something like, “I accepted a donation that created the appearance of impropriety. My vote is not for sale, and my reputation with voters is important to me. I have returned the donation.”


  • John Fontain:

    “Jaime [Areizaga-Soto] just keeps exaggerating,” her campaign manager said.”

    How is pointing out that Favola pocketed $2,500 from Advanced Towing days before her supportive vote “exaggerating”? Is her campaign denying that she took that much money?


    • Lou:

      I was about to post the exact same thing. That’s a weird choice of words. Her campaign seems kind of unpolished at times.


    • Jaime's Alter Ego:

      OK I admit to the exagertion. It doesn’t $2,500 to win your vote; you’ll sell out for a lot less.


  • Jackflops:

    She seems to be saying with her “But my stuff is online” quote, “It’s okay to be corrupt if you don’t hide the corruption.”


  •   
    AbeFroman:

    Best of Arlington/Clarendon is a post out of boredom or something.

    Middle Eastern … trek a little ways out Washington Blvd to the original Lebansese Taverna.
    Asian … I like Minh’s but the Vietnamese place just around the corner from CVS in Clarendon is better.
    BBQ … Is there any competition for a declining Rocklands?
    Indian … Tandoori Nights is about the worst Indian place in the metro area. Desipte appearances Sangam is better. Trek down to Shirlington for Aroma.
    Willow’s quirky menu kills it for me. After their flatbreads, I am just not interested. If I need a special occasion dinner, I am going into the District. Maybe I go to Rays.
    I like La Madeleine, but is there another cafeteria place?
    Brunch at Liberty Tavern is pretty good and its brunch so its not such a cliche place to go.


    • Jackflops:

      Sangam actually does have really good food–but they burned so many people who tried to use their Groupon on a weekend and got told no can do for the buffet. We now just go to Bombay Curry Co. in Alexandria.

      Lebanese: Try Layalina on Wilson sometime. Somewhat pricey (on par with Taverna) but really good.

      Vietnamese: Viet Bistro in Eden Center is my fave. Try the shaky beef.


  • Jackflops:

    Best of Arlington–What a joke. Metro 29? Seriously? Blah and overpriced. Both Linda’s and Silver Diner are much better. Le Madeleine isn’t even in Arlington–but Cafe Parisien is, and it’s great. Rockland’s is dog vomit. El Paso Cafe isn’t bad, but it’s gone way downhill. Guapo’s is much better.

    It’s almost like they just picked the only restaurants they knew about.

    And since when is “Asian” one cuisine? Sadly ignorant.


    •   
      CW:

      Lol, “dog vomit”…maybe the best description of Rocklands I’ve heard yet. Yesterday I had the pulled pork sub from subway (out of curiosity, mostly), and it was 100 times better than Rocklands.


      • Jackflops:

        Dog vomit might actually taste better, depending on what the dog last consumed–which was hopefully not Rockland’s, as that would constitute animal abuse.


  •   
    CrystalMikey:

    Drunk driving (item #1)


  • Roquer:

    Dang right for Ms. Favola to fire back on this negativity stuff!! Has she & her Democrat opponet forgotten that Democrats only give Republicans a hard time on advertising. Democrats are like brother-in-arms aren’t? Kinda like the nazi army, they all goose step in time together. For shame!!! One Democrat calling the other out on an issue. Simply shameful.


  • Jackflops:

    The restaurant choices on the so-called Best of Arlington are ludicrous. She/he has picked some of the very worst we have to offer (e.g., Rocklands, Metro 29).

    And real intelligent to lump Chinese, Thai, Japanese, and Korean into “Asian” cuisine.


    • Jackflops:

      Let the record show I did NOT intend to post the same thoughts four times. I didn’t see my comment appear and thought I would try again. And again. Etc.


  • Jackflops:

    “Comment moderation is enabled. Your comment may take some time to appear.”

    Bad idea, ArlNow. This will discourage comments, big-time. Just let people post and then yoink anything that’s over the top or obscene.


    • Jackflops:

      Wow–that one showed up instantly, but the one where I blasted the dumb restaurant picks from the Clarendon blog is still in the ether after three tries. What’s going on here?


      • Rosslynite:

        Some of the restaurants choices are valid. My complaint is that a number of these establishments are not actually in Clarendon. Metro 29?


        • Jackflops:

          Metro 29: Very high prices, food just OK. Linda’s Cafe (down the street) is waaaay better. So is Silver Diner.

          Rocklands: Worst BBQ I’ve ever had. Red Hot & Blue is better, and it’s just OK.

          Le Mad: Good but not in Arl. Cafe Parisien is great.

          El Paso: Used to be great, now just mediocre. Guapo’s hands down.

          But worst of all–”Asian” cusisine is one category? She/he has compared Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Korean all against each other.


        • Vicente Fox:

          Why doesn’t she have a category for best floors, lighting, and walls?


        • John Fontain:

          She’s picking the best of Arlington, not the best of Clarendon.

          I agree with her Hard Times pick – the tots with chili are great.

          For best cheesesteak, check out Jay’s Saloon.


        • Mike:

          The title of her list is “Best of Arlington”, not “Best of Clarendon”… although it is confusing since her blog is Clarendon Culture.


      •   
        Aaron:

        I’ve been completely unable to figure out the rhyme or reason of which of two consecutive comments will appear immediately and which will disappear for six hours. It’s positively bizarre.


        •   
          CW:

          +1000…sure makes the threads hard to follow when everyone appears to be mad at people they’re not mad at and to agree with people with whom they disagree.

          I also like the comments where the root gets deleted and thus the following comments get collapsed into a single column at the bottom of the page, where they disobey all rules of chronology and sit at the bottom forever.


      •   
        ClarendonCulture:

        You can ‘blast the dumb restaurant picks’ on my blog directly if you’re that anxious to.


        •   
          ClarendonCulture:

          That comment was directed at jackflops.


        • Jackflops:

          Love to, but the page no longer loads, for some reason.

          First off, why one giant “Asian” category? Why did you lump all those different cuisines into one group, to compete against each other? Talk about apples to oranges.

          Re. your restaurant choices: Taste is subjective, but I am baffled as to why Metro 29 (which I found very mediocre and overpriced) beat out Silver Diner or Linda’s Cafe. (Have you tried either of those?)

          Have you tried Guapo’s in Shirlington?

          Is there some Le Madeleine I’m unaware of other than the one at Seven Corners?

          And Rockland’s? Seriously? Even Red Hot/Blue is better.


          •   
            ClarendonCulture:

            As with Asian, I lumped all Middle Eastern together (and I’m middle eastern). Sorry if you took that as disrespectful – no disrespect to any cultures intended.

            Metro 29 is the place I’ve consistently enjoyed. Silver Diner doesn’t have a breakfast sandwich on their menu, and I think that’s plain wrong for a diner not to have a breakfast sandwich. Linda’s is a good choice. I’ll add it as a Reader’s Choice.

            Tried Guapos, but I think El Paso does it all better – the food, drinks, service, and atmosphere.

            Good point on La Mad’s.

            I cringe when I name Rocklands best BBQ (I’m from Texas, where we actually know how to do BBQ), but I think it’s the best in Arlington. Hill Country in DC or Willards in Chantilly are both 10 times better than Rocklands. http://www.dcbbq.com/


            • Jackflops:

              Thanks. Guess I just don’t see how I could ever compare, say, Thai Square vs. Viet Bistro or Pho 75 or China Garden.

              I remember getting pulled chicken from Rockland’s once, and it was mostly dark meat and not even really pulled. I also saw the cook munching as he prepared the food. Gross.

              You will love Linda’s–but it fills up fast after 11AM on weekends.

              Salaam.


        • Tabby:

          Most of the staff at Lyon Hall is cool. Had one bad experience with a (male) bartender though–total jerk, I hope he’s gone.

          I’d go with FireWorks for Best Staff now. Very nice and welcoming. Also–best happy hour deals, with Sunday afternoons being happy hour too.


          •   
            Aaron:

            The bar staff at Fireworks is as different as night and day from the actual restaurant staff. I will never sit down for a meal there again (I also won’t recommend it to anyone — you can get pizza as good at Rustico, Faccia Luna, or Pizzaria Paradiso).


            • KalashniKEV:

              The HH special is unbeatable though.


              •   
                CW:

                And what is that HH special, anyhow, since finding out happy hour deals requires a top secret clearance in the state of Virginia?

                (Joking with hyperbole of course, but I do wish that restaurants in VA could be like DC and just post the specials on their websites. Although I’ve noticed lately, some have been posting them on the insides of their windows, facing the sidewalk. Have they found a loophole?)


              • Lou:

                Heh, you can not advertise happy hours in the media or on exterior advertising.

                I guess it depends on how they interpret exterior.


            • Tabby:

              Ah, OK. I have only eaten at the bar.


              • Tabby:

                What is the special? If memory serves, $5 for a pizza (limited to a few choices) and $3 drafts?


    • B-Hole:

      I’ll just leave this right here. …
      http://dashes.com/anil/2011/07/if-your-websites-full-of-assholes-its-your-fault.html


  • KalashniKEV:

    Hasn’t been to Fireworks yet???


  •   
    CW:

    Well, I agree with some on the “best of” list, disagree with others. I do think that a place should be open more than a week before it gets the “best new restaurant” crown, but we’re talking about a blog from a lone person, so cut some slack I suppose.

    A few things:

    Not sure how many true “Tex-Mex” places there are around here, but I’m thinking that term is not just being slung around and thus she’s excluding actual authentic Mexican and Salvadoran places.

    Arlington rooftop bar – stupid name, best rooftop.

    Is there anywhere other than quarterdeck that even serves crabs?

    Gelato is not ice cream. Sorry, try again.

    Even though I may not agree with all of this list, it was totally worth reading it just to learn that EPR takes credit cards now! This is big news for me. Thanks!


  • R.Griffon:

    Goody’s is the best slices? Is there another Goody’s that I don’t know about? B/c the one across from the Clarendon Metro serves bland wedges of cheese-covered cardboard soaked in grease. Tried it once and I’ll never go back. I’d say Pete’s for my money. Also love Faccia Luna, but don’t know if they do it by the slice. Z Pizza’s pretty good too, although not walkable for most.

    Also not a fan of Tandoori Nights, or Dehli Dhaba for that matter, which is sad given how much we love Indian food. Dehli Club is on the good side of mediocre, but for really good Indian we have to plan a whole trip and drive. :(

    LOVE Moby Dick, BTW.


    •   
      CW:

      I like goody’s myself. Z Pizza, despite being predicated upon being natural and everything, tastes really manufactured to me.

      Kabobs – Ravi, Kabob Bazaar, and Kabob Palace in Crystal City are all better than Moby Dick. Depends on what you are looking for – K.B. is Persian, Ravi is Pakistani, and the palace is, I believe, Afghan. Slight nuances in how they prepare and what side dishes they offer – Kabob Bazaar is quite different fom the others.

      That said, can we start referring to Moby Dick as “The Dick”?


      • bb:

        My favorite place for kabobs that is no longer in operation was Food Factory. Terrible name. Great Afghan kabobs.


        • Lou:

          Food Factory was awesome for all kinds of reasons. I never heard any reason for why it closed.


          • bb:

            The sons took over and wanted to change things. They did, to a sports bar/lounge. I went there a couple of times with friends to watch games. The food was good for the normal bar food that it was, and the drinks were reasonably priced.


            •   
              Aaron:

              There was a fleeting moment at Food Factory/Buffalo D’s when the balance between Pakistani food and sports lounge was in perfect equilibrium. You could get authentic kabob, exotically spiced hot wings as well as traditional bar munchies, cheap buckets of beer served by scantily clad young ladies, and oh, abundant flat screens equipped with Sunday Ticket.

              There is no justice.


              •   
                CW:

                Why do you have to go and say a thing like that? Now the rest of my life’s worth of bar experiences is going to feel subpar. Thanks.


      •   
        ArlForester:

        Ravi Kabob. The end.


    • Manmohan Singh:

      for really good Indian we have to plan a whole trip and drive.

      To India????


  • JamesE:

    Best Wings: First Down.


  •   
    Aaron:

    I used to like El Paso Cafe for a change of pace once in a while, but nothing’s better for southwestern cuisine than the dinner specials at Santa Fe Cafe in Rosslyn.


  •   
    TJ:

    It’s a cop-out to pick places outside of Arlington. If it’s the best Arlington has, then list it.

    Soul Food – I’ve never been, but there’s a Soul Food place in Shirlington that my wife loves…was that even in consideration here?

    Brunch – What about Cassatt’s?

    Metro 29 is terrible, even regional chain Silver Diner is far, far superior.


    •   
      TJ:

      Margaret’s is the soul food place I referened above.


    •   
      Bluemontsince1961:

      I’ve had mixed experiences with Metro 29. I’ve had great food and great service sometimes, and indifferent food and horrible service at others – so I pretty much wrote it off. Silver Diner in Clarendon, in my experience, was more consistently good with the food, but I had consistently poor service at Clarendon. I found the Silver Diner at Tyson’s to have better service. I’ve had good experiences with Whitlows on Wilson for brunch, lunch, and dinner and found their prices pretty decent.


  • Jackflops:

    OMG, can’t believe no one has mentioned the Pakistani place at Glebe/Pershing next to Rinconcito Chapin. Soooooo good….can’t remember the name.


  •   
    Aaron:

    You can remember El Rinconcito Chapin but can’t remember Ravi Kabob even when CW mentioned it half an hour ago?


  •   
    NoVapologist:

    I like the Italian Store for slices.

    So where is good barbecue in Arlington? Is that little place in the Williamsburg Shopping Center any good?


  • BlueSkies:

    I’ve not had the chili and cheese tator tots, but for a good dish that’s bad for you, it’s hard to beat Restaurant 3′s bacon on a stick and its “magic sauce.”


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