Archive for the ‘Gossip’ Category

Sun Gazette editor Scott McCaffrey has been waiting for tonight for months.

According to his blog, McCaffrey has been waiting six months to cover something that’s “likely to happen tonight.” But he’s not saying what it is, so as to not alert “what passes for the competition.”

Since we have some of the smartest readers in town — witness the corrections that go into the comments section the minute we get something wrong — I figured it would be a piece of cake to figure out what story Scotty has been salivating over.

McCaffrey posted an link to a Rod Stewart video to symbolize his infatuation with tonight’s could-be story-of-the-century. In a case of blatant one-upsmanship, we’re posting our own music link: this much more entertaining-with-the-sound-down (you’re at work, right?) Jennifer Lopez video.

So, dear readers, help us out. What’s happening tonight that Scotty doesn’t want us to know about?

Just don’t tell him we’re asking. It’s better if Scotty doesn’t know.

More on Bayou Bakery — On Tuesday we broke the news that David Guas finally picked out the perfect spot for his Bayou Bakery concept: the old Camille’s space in Courthouse. Now the venerable Tom Sietsema has scooped us and a half dozen other local reporters who had been waiting patiently for an interview about the Louisiana-inspired cafe. Guas tells Sietsema that the Bakery will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner and will feature, among other things “muffalettas, layer cakes, root beer floats, blue plate specials,” and a beer selection.

The End of Free Parking in Clarendon? — Starting August 31, the Department of Human Services parking garage in Clarendon will no longer be free to the public between 6:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m. With DHS moved out of the building, a private parking lot operator will be taking over. Even though garage parking rates in Clarendon are reasonable, the loss of free parking could result in even more cars coming into the Lyon Village neighborhood looking for street parking at night. More from TBD.

More Trader Joe’s Rumors – That persistent rumor that Trader Joe’s will be coming to Clarendon? We’re now hearing it too. And for everyone’s convenience, we’ve picked out the perfect spot for a new Trader Joe’s. Check out the unoccupied 10,319 square foot retail space in the Clarendon Center project (space #9). It could be a great location for a grocery store, don’t you think? But a higher-up with the developer denied that Trader Joe’s has any plans to move in.

Flickr pool photo by MichaelTRuhl

The parade of new restaurants coming to Clarendon continues. Missy Frederick at the Washington Business Journal has today’s scoop that Cava, a popular upscale Greek eatery, will be coming has leased a nearly 4,000 square foot space in the new Station Square development on Clarendon Boulevard.

This will be Cava’s third location, with the other two located in Rockville, Md. and on Capitol Hill. Owner Ted Xenohristos told WBJ that Clarendon offers “a perfect demographic.”

“It’s like a little city over there,” he said.

We’ve been told — strictly off the record — that Cava isn’t the only popular Capitol Hill restaurant that’s eying Clarendon as an area for expansion. This restaurant (which we’ll name after getting confirmation) is in the process of looking for the right space to lease, we hear.

Fresh off the successful launches of Lyon Hall and Northside Social, the Liberty Tavern Restaurant Group is taking over Lee Highway institution Alpine Restaurant, two sources tell ARLnow.com.

The 44-year-old Italian eatery closed last month after owner Ermanno Tonizzo decided to sell the restaurant and retire. We hear that the new owners are trying to decide whether Alpine will remain a restaurant or will be transformed into something else.

It’s not clear what other form the property may take — a bar or a coffee shop would not be out of the realm of possibility — but so far the new owners have been very tight-lipped about their apparent acquisition.

Liberty’s Stephen Fedorchak had no comment about the group’s plans. Without explicitly confirming that a deal was made, he said it would be “months” before anything regarding Alpine is revealed.

Guy Fieri Brings Camera Crew to Arlington Diner — Celebrity chef and Food Network star Guy Fieri visited Arlington’s Metro 29 Diner (4711 Lee Highway) on Tuesday, according to the Reliable Source. He was filming an episode of “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.”

Housing Fair To Be Held This Weekend — Arlington County will be holding a housing fair on Saturday. Renters and buyers alike will be able to attend workshops, get valuable advice and meet with landlords, real estate and finance professionals, housing specialists and County staff.

Small House Fire on Arlington Boulevard — Firefighters responded to a small house fire at the intersection of Arlington Boulevard and South Fillmore Street today. The fire was contained to the back of the house, where construction may have been taking place. Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the blaze (see photos below).

From Shirlington Village Blog: An ABC notice posted in the window of a retail space at the Randolph Square development (2800 South Randolph Street) lists the occupant as “Samuel Beckett’s Irish Gastro Pub.”

This weekend hundreds of Twilight fans converged on at the Sheraton National Hotel on Columbia Pike for the Official Twilight Convention. They met a few of their favorite supporting characters (paying dearly for the privilege), discussed the upcoming Twilight movie ad nauseum and held a costume ball.

But they weren’t the only group using the hotel this weekend.  The Nation of Islam was also holding some sort of sizable meeting, complete with guests in suits and bow ties and the occasional white robe and red star-imprinted headgear.

We beg of anybody who was there — please send us a photo of these two worlds colliding at the continental breakfast line.

Update on 4/23: A liquidation sale is being held at the Shirlington store.

Washington Golf Center, its sign easily recognizable by I-395 commuters, has abruptly closed. The 30,000 square foot warehouse-style store, founded in 1978, was located at 2625 Shirlington Road. The store’s web site, washingtongolf.com, has apparently been taken down, and the store’s phone number has been disconnected.

There was no immediate explanation for the closure. A commenter at Shirlington Village Blogspot said employees denied the store was going out of business until it closed this weekend.

There’s some evidence, however, that the store was facing financial difficulties.

In January, Acushnet, the manufacturer of the Titleist, FootJoy and Cobra golf equipment brands, sued Washington Golf Centers and its owner, Charles Chay, for breach of contract. Acushnet alleged that Washington Golf Centers owed it nearly $120,000 for merchandise the store had received but had not paid for since April 1, 2009.

In May 2009 Washington Golf Centers launched an ambitious e-commerce project, the Washington Golf Outlet Mall at washingtongolf.com.

In a press release dated June 23, 2009, the web site promoted a deal where customers buying a set of Callaway irons would be eligible for free upgrades to Callaway’s newest irons in 2010 or 2011. It’s not known whether any customers were able to take advantage of the offer before the store closed.

About two months after the promotion was announced, Washington Golf Centers owner Charles Chay sold his home in Potomac, Md. for $1,250,000, more than a half million dollars less than the asking price, according to an item in Washington Life Magazine. The Acushnet lawsuit lists Chay’s latest address as a condominium in Reston, Va.

Film crews were camped out near the Iwo Jima memorial in Rosslyn this morning for the taping of a new TV show starring Jimmy Smits.

The actor, who formerly portrayed a congressman (then a U.S. president) on The West Wing, is playing a Supreme Court justice who leaves the high court to start a law firm that fights constitutional injustices.

The show — possibly titled “Garza” or “Rough Justice” — is being produced by NBC Universal and Conaco, Conan O’Brien’s production company. Crews were filming the pilot episode today; no word yet on whether NBC will pick it up as a full-blown series.

County sources tell us filming took place on Marshall Drive, near the memorial, between 8:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. today. County police assisted with traffic control.

Photo via Wikipedia.

Which new Nationals star has signed a lease for the penthouse apartment in a swanky new Crystal City apartment building?