Willow Introduces In-House Bistro, Retail Bakery
Willow Restaurant in Ballston is expanding — but without expanding its size.
The six-year-old restaurant has launched two new dining/food concepts inside the existing restaurant. The two eateries-inside-an-eatery– called Nosh… A Willowesque Bistro and Kate at Willow bakery — began serving customers last night.
Nosh introduces bistro-style dining as a half-way point between Willow’s white tablecloth main dining room and its less formal and less extensive bar menu. Nosh is located near the restaurant entrance, in a space that was previously “underutilized” as a lounge-y waiting area.
“Set amidst stained glass windows and gleaming black granite tables in Willow’s main vestibule, Nosh will offer a constantly changing roster of small and large dishes fit to carry the Willow name,” according to the restaurant. “No reservations are needed at Nosh, making it the perfect spot to drop by whether you are already in the neighborhood or venturing out from afar.”
Chef and co-owner Tracy O’Grady says that one thing that will set Nosh’s menu apart from other local bistro-style dining establishments is the use of vegetables. While others may emphasize combinations of meats, cheeses and frites, Nosh takes a more balanced approach. For instance, a flavorful chicken sausage is served with a heirloom scarlet runner bean stew and a succotash of corn and zucchini. And while the slow-roasted pork belly may not come with veggies, its offset by veggie-only dishes like the spicy stewed chick peas and kale.
“A far cry from common pub fare, the Nosh menu will feature a wide variety of vegetarian and fresh fish options along with dishes to satisfy any conscientious carnivore,” the restaurant says.
Between Nosh and the main dining room is the new bakery counter, Kate at Willow. Pastry chef Kate Jansen is responsible for the bakery, which will offer its “high-end and beautiful” cookies, cupcakes, bars, brownies, tarts and cakes to walk-in retail customers. Many of the goodies will also be available as desserts to Willow diners.
Most of the items on the bakery menu were not previously offered in the restaurant. Among the offerings are sticky toffee pudding cake, s’mores sandwich cookies, ginger scones, pineapple upside-down cupcakes, key lime tarts, and red velvet cakes.
O’Grady says that Nosh and Kate were conceived earlier this year with all customers in mind, but she’s especially hoping to attract a neighborhood crowd with the new offerings — not just Ballston’s workday professional crowd.
“We need to service the neighbors too, the people who live here,” she said. “It’s been an evolution for us… As the neighborhood grows, we’re growing with it.”
More photos, after the jump.
BREAKING NEWS — House Fire on Glebe Road
Update at 4:20 p.m. — Due to some miscommunication, police are apparently scrapping plans to open up one lane in each direction, and will only be opening the southbound lanes for now. They hope to reopen the northbound lanes of Glebe Road near the fire scene around 5:00 p.m.
Update at 3:55 p.m.– The fire is out and most emergency responders are clearing from the scene.
South Glebe Road is being shut down just east of Arlington Ridge Road due to a house fire.
Arlington and Alexandria firefighters are on the scene of the fire, on the 3200 block of S. Glebe Road. The lone occupant of the house reportedly made it out safely.
Drivers should expect significant traffic issues in the area.
One of the fire department units responding to the fire was involved in an accident at the intersection of S. Glebe Road and West Glebe Road.
Trader Joe’s Sets Opening Month
The opening of the new Trader Joe’s in Clarendon is about two months away.
The company announced today that its grocery store at 1109 N. Highland Street will open at some point in November. The store is 12,300 square feet in size and will offer underground parking.
Interior construction started early last month. Freezer cases and other food-related accoutrements are now visible inside the under-construction store.
With the opening forthcoming, Clarendon residents will soon start receiving Trader Joe’s sales flyers.
“Many area residents after the store opens can expect to receive a copy of the Trader Joe’s ‘Fearless Flyer’ in their mailboxes,” the company said. “The Fearless Flyer is a somewhat irreverent description of a timely selection of Trader Joe’s products. It’s been called a cross between Consumer Reports and Mad Magazine.”
There are more than 350 Trader Joe’s stores in 30 states.
Fall E-CARE Disposal and Recycling Event Scheduled
If it can’t be thrown out with the trash or picked up for normal recycling, chances are you’ll be able to get rid of it next month at Arlington’s “E-CARE” Environmental Collection and Recycling Event.
The biannual event is being held at Thomas Jefferson Middle School (125 S. Old Glebe Road) from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 15.
Residents will be able to drop off various types of large or hazardous items, including small metal items, computers, televisions, cell phones, other electronics, fluorescent bulbs and tubes, paint products, fuels and petroleum products, lawn and garden chemicals, poisons, pesticides, automotive fluids, car care products, propane gas cylinders, photographic chemicals, swimming pool chemicals, household cleaners, mercury, flammable solvents, fire extinguishers and corrosive materials.
There will also be a collection of gently used clothes, shoes, microwaves, mattresses, bed frames, eyeglasses and old bicycles. Most items will be donated to poor residents of Honduras, while the bikes and eyeglasses will be sent to unspecified overseas destinations.
The only items that are specifically banned are explosives, ammunition, freon, radioactive materials, prescription drugs, medical waste and asbestos. Also, smoking is prohibited while on-site.
See more information on the Arlington County E-CARE web site.
Zoë’s Kitchen Prepares for Saturday Opening
New Ballston eatery Zoë’s Kitchen (4245 Fairfax Drive) is planning to open its doors on Saturday, restaurant managers told ARLnow.com last night.
Interior construction has happened at an impressively rapid rate since the restaurant first announced an ambitious mid-September opening date earlier this month — but the opening is still at least two days before schedule.
The Alabama-based, Greek-inspired restaurant chain offers soups, salads, sandwiches, pitas and lunch/dinner entrees. The menu includes chicken kabobs, Greek salad, tuna salad, freshly-made hummus, a “club pita,” chicken pita pizza, spinach roll-ups and a turkey Reuben sandwich.
Zoë’s is located in the former Aladdin’s Eatery space, across one block from the Ballston Metro. This is the company’s fifth location in the D.C. area, with more locations planned.
Crime Report: Workplace Assault Edition
In this week’s Arlington County crime report, there are two separate instances of assaults occurring among co-workers. First, on Sept. 7, an employee of the World Gym near Columbia Pike was accused of assaulting another.
ASSAULT AND BATTERY, 09/11/11, 1000 block of Walter Reed Drive. On September 7 at 2 pm, one employee of a gym assaulted another employee.
Then, on Sept. 9, the regional manager of a restaurant was allegedly assaulted by an employee in Rosslyn.
ASSAULT AND BATTERY, 09/09/11, 1400 block of Wilson Boulevard. On September 9 at 4:50 pm, a restaurant employee assaulted the restaurant’s regional manager.
The rest of this week’s crime report, including an assault charge during a towing dispute, after the jump.
Morning Notes
BRAC Not Too Bad, After All — Today is the deadline for the transfer of military offices affected by the Base Realignment and Closure Act. By today, 17,000 jobs were supposed to have moved out of Arlington County (mostly Crystal City) and into secure military installations like Ft. Belvoir. But in the end, the feared deadline is coming and going “with little fanfare.” The Associated Press reports that 10,000 of the 17,000 BRACed jobs are still here and expected to remain through as late as 2014, thanks to extensions granted by the Department of Defense. [Washington Post]
Pumpkins Arrive in Clarendon — The first pumpkins of the season showed up yesterday at the Clarendon Farmers Market. [Clarendon Culture]
Artisphere Called ‘Sad,’ Lonely — The designated art critic for the Clarendon-Courthouse-Rosslyn Patch says he was disappointed by Artisphere on his first visit. “I noticed an immediate loneliness to the place, a sad emptiness,” he wrote. The critic went on to recommend “more traditional” art galleries, in addition to Artisphere’s more modern, avant-garde exhibits. [Patch]
Flickr pool photo by Runneralan2004
