Pedro & Vinny’s Opens on the Pike, Plans Crystal City Burrito Cart
A legendary D.C. food cart is expanding its brand to South Arlington.
Over the weekend, Pedro & Vinny’s opened in the tiny (repainted, non-mobile) building that once housed Santa Ana Restaurant on Columbia Pike, in the parking lot between the CVS Pharmacy and the new Penrose Square apartments.
Pedro & Vinny’s Pike outpost is not owned by cart proprietor John Rider. Rather, it’s the first Pedro & Vinny’s franchise, owned and operated by the owner of the former Santa Ana Restaurant.
Regardless, many of the elements that led Zagat to declare Pedro & Vinny’s 15th and K Street cart “one of the ‘best cheap lunches Downtown’” — including fresh ingredients and signature sauces — can now be found on the Pike. Just don’t expect much beyond the raved-about food. The (outdoor) dining area, which sits in a parking lot with views of a cement wall and of the CVS parking lot, is as no-frills as the Pedro & Vinny’s web site.
Rider’s daughter, Kristen, who once ran a second Pedro & Vinny’s cart at 19th and L Street, is helping to get the old Santa Ana crew up to speed on her family’s way of doing things. She expects to be on board long enough to see the location’s grand opening, which should take place in 2-3 weeks. Then, Kristen will work to get the second cart up and running in a new location: Crystal City.
Rider expects the Crystal City cart to be serving customers at some point this fall. She said that she’s excited to be doing business in Arlington, since it was “red tape” in the District that prompted her to shut down the cart last fall.
The restaurant, at 2599 Columbia Pike, plans to stay open until 11:00 p.m. on weekdays and 3:00 a.m. on weekends. More photos after the jump.
Hat tips to Jordan H. and Rebecca K.
Pinkberry Plans Froyo Giveaway in Clarendon
The new Pinkberry frozen yogurt store in Clarendon (pictured) is planning a post-work froyo giveaway on Thursday, one day before its planned opening.
Pinkberry will give out free samples from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Thursday. The store then plans to open to the public at 11:00 a.m. on Friday. Offerings include 6 different flavors of frozen yogurt and numerous toppings.
The Clarendon Pinkberry will be the California-based chain’s third D.C.-area location.
‘Pike Hike’ Event Returns
Arlington County is planning a community walk around Columbia Pike.
The walk, “Pike Hike II,” is the second of a series designed to promote the sights, shops and history of the Columbia Pike corridor. It will focus on the western portion of the Pike’s evolving “town center.”
The walk will depart from the Arlington Career Center/Columbia Pike Library building (816 S. Walter Reed Drive) at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 14. Walkers, led by County Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman, are expected to complete the two-mile walk by 11:00 a.m. Attractions along the planned route include the 1940s-era Westmont Shopping Center, a church that predates the Civil War and one of the few remaining Lustron pre-fabricated, post-World War II homes.
Pike Hike is free and registration is not required. The event is sponsored by WalkArlington, the Arlington County Fair and the Columbia Pike Revitalization organization.
TV Stolen Minutes After Being Delivered to Bluemont Home
It took just three minutes for a flat-screen TV to be stolen from a Bluemont front yard after it was dropped off by a delivery service. Now, the victim is fighting back online.
The N. Kensington Street homeowner posted surveillance video of the incident on YouTube, in the hopes that someone will be able to identify the alleged thief.
The video purports to show a FedEx employee delivering the TV at 12:21 p.m. on Wednesday, July 20. At 12:24 p.m., a man runs up to the TV and hauls it off, possibly to a vehicle seen slowing down during the delivery.
In addition to asking for help identifying the man in the video, the victim is questioning why the pricey TV was dropped off without a signature.
Screen capture via YouTube
Morning Poll: Schools Instead of Streetcars?
In an editorial, the Washington Post suggests that now would be the “wrong time” to start building a proposed streetcar line along Columbia Pike.
After all, the Post opines, the federal funds that the county hopes to receive for the $140-million-plus project may become difficult to obtain now that the federal government is on the verge of approving spending cuts. Arlington’s leaders, the Post editorial board says, would be better off spending the county’s share of the 4.7-mile streetcar line’s big price tag “elsewhere” — perhaps on additional capacity for the burgeoning Arlington Public School system.
The editorial comes three weeks after the Washington Examiner’s editorial board blasted the streetcar as a “colossal, unjustified waste of tax dollars.”
Do you agree with the Post’s stance?
Dark Star Park Shadows Align For Rosslyn Anniversary
It happens once a year, to commemorate the day (August 1) in 1860 that William Henry Ross acquired the land that later became Rosslyn.
Today, at 9:32 a.m., the shadows cast by the stone spheres and iron poles in Dark Star Park (1655 N. Ft. Myer Drive) will line up with the permanently-installed artistic images of shadows on the ground.
While a grand all-day festival — like the one held in 2009 to mark the park’s 25th anniversary — is not planned this year, the Rosslyn Business Improvement District expects fans of the urban park to stop by this morning to witness the annual event.
Photo via Rosslyn BID
Morning Notes
Guilty Plea in Arlington Child Prostitution Case — A former Westfield Wheaton mall security guard has pleaded guilty to enlisting a 16-year-old Arlington girl in his prostitution service. The 31-year-old Silver Spring man was accused of having sex with the girl, taking explicit photos of her and ordering her to have sex with eight men in Virginia and Maryland. [Gazette.Net]
Former O’Connell Teacher’s Car Found — The car of a former Bishop O’Connell High School teacher, missing since mid-June, has been found in a Rosslyn parking garage. The family of Tom Duesterhaus, who was last seen in Virginia Beach a day after the car was parked in the garage, says the discovery will likely not help with the search. [Patch]
Arlington Man’s Stamp Issued — Bill Bond, an Arlington resident and World War II veteran, designed “Owney the Postal Dog,” a new “Forever” stamp put into circulation by the United States Postal Service last week. [Beyond the Perf]
Planetarium Upgrades Could Begin Soon — Renovations to Arlington’s 45-year-old David M. Brown Planetarium, saved by private donations, could begin as soon as this fall. [Sun Gazette]
Flickr pool photo by Mark C. White
