In light of the recent snowstorms, a number of Arlington restaurants participating in this winter’s Metropolitan Washington Restaurant Week are extending their promotions for an extra week.

The event, organized by the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW), will now run from today (Monday) through Sunday, Jan. 28.

“The decision to extend Winter Restaurant Week is reflective of our commitment to the well-being and enjoyment of our restaurant community and its consumers,” RAMW President and CEO Shawn Townsend said in a press release. “This extension is an opportunity for more people to safely enjoy what our local restaurants have to offer, showcasing the resilience and adaptability of our industry.”

Roughly half of Arlington’s eateries that participated in the initial Winter Restaurant Week are extending their offers, as of this article’s filing. The continuing restaurants will retain their previous promotions, including three-course lunches and brunches at $25 or $35 and dinners for $40, $55, or $65.

The list of Arlington restaurants extending their promotions is below.

• La Cote D’or Cafe, French/Mediterranean,  $25 and $35 brunch, $25 and $35 lunch, $40, $55, and $65 dinner
• Makers Union Arlington, American, $25 lunch, $40 dinner (paired wine or cocktail included)
• Matchbox Pentagon City, American, $40 dinner
• Osteria Da Nino, Italian, $40 dinner
• Rustico-Ballston, Pizzeria, $40 dinner
• Ruthie’s All-Day, American/Southern, $25 lunch, $40 and $55 dinner (paired wine or cocktail included)
• Sabores Tapas Bar, Latin/Spanish, $25 lunch, $35 brunch, and $40 dinner (paired wine or cocktail included)
• SER Restaurant, Spanish, $25 brunch, $25 lunch, and $40 dinner (paired wine or cocktail included)
• Sfoglina Rosslyn, Italian, $25 lunch, $55 dinner (paired wine or cocktail included)
• The Salt Line-Ballston, seafood, $25 lunch, $55 dinner (paired wine or cocktail included)
• Yume Sushi, Japanese, $35 brunch, $35 lunch, $40, $55, and $65 dinner (paired wine or cocktail included)

At least two dozen Arlington eateries are taking part in the semi-annual Metropolitan Washington Restaurant Week that kicked off yesterday.

This week-long culinary event, spanning from January 15 to 21, is organized by the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington. RAMW is a regional trade association dedicated to representing the restaurant and food service industry across the D.C. area, according to its website.

Participating restaurants have advertised three-course lunches and brunches for $25 or $35 and three-course dinners for $40, $55 and $65.

Menus and pricing are specific to the Restaurant Week event, and some menus include cocktail or wine pairings with a meal. Below are the Arlington restaurants listed as participating in the event, so far.

• Ambar Clarendon, Eastern European, $25 lunch and $35 dinner
• Buena Vida Clarendon, Mexican, $40 dinner
• Circa at Clarendon, American, $35 lunch, $55 and $65 dinner
• Corso Italian, Italian, $35 lunch, $55 dinner
• Epic Smokehouse, barbeque/seafood/steakhouse, $25 brunch, $25, lunch, $55 dinner (paired wine or cocktail included)
• La Cote D’or Cafe, French/Mediterranean,  $25 and $35 brunch, $25 and $35 lunch, $40, $55 and $65 dinner
• Lyon Hall, American, $55 dinner
• Makers Union Arlington, American, $25 lunch, $40 dinner (paired wine or cocktail included)
• Matchbox Pentagon, American, $40 dinner
• Morton’s, steakhouse, $55 dinner
• Mussel Bar and Grill Arlington, Belgian, $25 lunch, $40, $55 and $65 dinner
• O’Malley’s Pub, $40 (paired wine or cocktail included)
• Osteria Da Nino, Italian, $40 dinner
• Potomac Social Tavern, American, $40 dinner (paired wine or cocktail included)
• Rustico-Ballston, Pizzeria, $40 dinner
• Ruthie’s All-Day, American/Southern, $25 lunch, $40 and $55 dinner (paired wine or cocktail included)
• Sabores Tapas Bar, Latin/Spanish, $25 lunch, $35 brunch and $40 dinner (paired wine or cocktail included)
• Sfoglina Rosslyn, Italian, $25 lunch, $55 dinner (paired wine or cocktail included)
• Spice Kraft Indian Bistro, Indian, $65 dinner (paired wine or cocktail included)
• The Liberty Tavern, American, $35 lunch and $55 dinner
• The Melting Pot Arlington, Fondue, $55 dinner (paired wine or cocktail included)
• The Salt Line-Ballston, seafood, $25 lunch, $55 dinner (paired wine or cocktail included)
• Whino, international, $40 and $50 dinner
• Yume Sushi, Japanese, $35 brunch, $35 lunch, $40, $55 and $65 dinner (paired wine or cocktail included)

Falls Church is gearing up for its first-ever restaurant week later this month.

Starting on Friday, Jan. 19 and concluding on Sunday, Jan. 28, over 40 Falls Church eateries, including The Falls — sister restaurant to Clarendon’s Liberty Tavern — along with Thompson Italian and Borek-G, plan to offer discounted dishes and three-course meal deals.

“Its goal is to promote and increase visitors to restaurants and businesses within the City of Falls Church and increase awareness and consideration of Virginia’s culinary experiences,” according to a press release.

Below is the current list of participating restaurants.

• Audacious Aleworks
• baddpizza
• Bakeshop
• Borek-G
• Cafe Kindred
• Caribbean Plate
• Chasin’ Tails
• Clare and Don’s
• Cuates Grill
• Disturbingly Delicious Foods
• Dogwood Tavern
• Dominion Wine and Beer
• Ellie Bird
• Harvey’s 
• Hot N Juicy Crawfish
• Ireland’s Four Provinces
• Izaka Donburi
• Kyo Matcha 
• Kyuramen
• La Tingeria
• Luzmila’s Bolivian Restaurant
• Moby Dick House of Kabob
• Northside Social
• Nue
• Panjshir
• Pho Ga Vang
• Pizzaria Orso
• Plaka Grill
• Preservation Biscuit Co.
• Rare Bird Coffee Roasters
• Roll Play 
• Scramble
• Sfizi Cafe
• Solace Outpost
• Taco Rock
• TeaDM Plus
• The Falls
• The Happy Tart 
• Thompson Italian
• Vivi Bubble Tea

While The Little City is planning its first restaurant week, neighboring Arlington has, of course, had one for awhile — most recently held this past October.

The event is sponsored by the Falls Church Economic Development Office, Virginia Tourism Corporation and the American Rescue Plan’s Tourism Recovery Program.

Arlington Restaurant Week returns this month with almost five dozen eateries for local foodies to explore.

This marks the Arlington Chamber of Commerce’s fifth consecutive year organizing the week-long event, starting Monday, Oct. 16. It is also the third year in a row Amazon has sponsored the event.

Currently, 49 restaurants plan to participate but “new restaurants are being added daily,” per a press release from the chamber. They include Ambar, Barley Mac, SeoulSpice and Urban Tandoor, among others.

The event is open to all Arlington restaurants, “from fast-casual spots to five-star dining establishments,” the release says, adding that participating restaurants can also pick their prices and offer both dine-in and carry-out options.

Participating restaurants are primarily located along the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor and in Pentagon City and Crystal City, with a few others on Langston Blvd, in Shirlington and near Falls Church.

“Arlington Restaurant Week continues to be a testament to our commitment to supporting local restaurants, especially as they navigate ongoing challenges like staffing shortages, rising food costs, and supply chain disruption,” Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Kate Bates said in the release. These establishments are essential to Arlington’s economic vitality and contribute to our community’s character.”

The list of participating restaurants as of this article’s writing is below.

Read More

Get your stomachs — and wallets — ready for Summer Restaurant Week, which is coming to Arlington in two weeks.

From Monday, Aug. 28 to Sunday, Sept. 3, eateries around Arlington will be dishing out three-course lunches, brunches and dinners for prices that only come around twice a year. Brunches and lunches will cost $25 and dinners either $40 or $55.

“This bi-annual event invites diners to experience Washington’s top restaurants at an affordable price point,” a press release said.

Here is what some participating local spots have on the menu:

• Ambar Clarendon, a small-plates restaurant celebrating Balkan cuisine, will serve lunches and dinners with spreads, charcuterie, flatbreads and slow-roasted meats and dessert.
• Clarendon Mexican restaurant Buena Vida will offer a lunch and dinner menu.
• Pentagon City barbeque joint Epic Smokehouse will have breakfast, lunch and dinner options.
• Shirlington Italian restaurant Osteria da Nino will have a dinner menu featuring pizzas, pastas and more.
• The Crystal City location of a global steakhouse chain, Morton’s Steakhouse, will have a dinner menu.
• Potomac Social Tavern, an American restaurant in Crystal City, is offering guests a dinner menu.
• The award-winning Ruthie’s All-Day, an Arlington Heights standby for Southern fare, will offer lunch and dinner menus this year.
• For its dinner menu, WHINO in Ballston Quarter will serve modern small-plate dishes fusing American and international flavors and ingredients.

Other local participants include Bar Ivy in Clarendon, Cheesetique in Shirlington, Circa in Clarendon, La Cote d’Or Cafe in East Falls Church, Lyon Hall in Clarendon, Matchbox in Pentagon City, McCormick & Schmick’s in Crystal City, Rustico in Ballston, SER in Ballston, Sfoglina in Rosslyn, Spice Kraft in Clarendon, Liberty Tavern in Clarendon, The Melting Pot in Ballston, Salt Line in Ballston, and a number of restaurants inside National Airport.

Many restaurants will pair their courses with wine or a cocktail.

The event is happening across the D.C. area. A rewards program gives guests the option to access discounted meals and the chance to win gift cards to participating restaurants.

Arlington Restaurant Week starts next week, with 40 eateries across the county participating.

Organized by the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, the fourth annual event will run this year from Monday, October 17 through Monday, October 24. The Chamber held its first restaurant week in 2019 and it has continued for the last several years, even through the pandemic, with restaurants providing to-go options. Once again, Amazon is a major sponsor of the event.

As of now, 40 restaurants are participating this year but more could be added in the coming days.

What separates Arlington’s restaurant week from others across the region is that all restaurants in the county are given the opportunity to participate in their own way, Arlington Chamber of Commerce President Kate Bates tells ARLnow.

“Arlington Restaurant Week was deliberately designed in a format that allows restaurants to set their own price points and menus. This gives every restaurant an opportunity to participate, from fast-casual to fine dining,” Bates wrote. “This is important because all of our local restaurants need support as the industry faces staffing shortages, increased food costs, and supply chain issues. Our diverse restaurant industry is part of what makes Arlington a great community, and we need to support our restaurants this week and always, to help them thrive.”

The list of participating restaurants includes:

• Ambar
• Assembly
• Ballston Local
• Banditos Tacos & Tequila
• Barley Mac
• Bartaco
• Bayou Bakery 
• Bronson Bierhall
• Buena Vida
• The Celtic House Irish Pub & Restaurant
• Chiko
• The Commentary
• Domino’s
• Fog Point
• Good Company
• Heidelberg Pastry Shoppe
• Inca Social
• La Côte d’Or Café 
• Lebanese Taverna
• Maison Cheryl
• Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls
• Mattie & Eddie’s Irish Bar and Restaurant
• Mussel Bar & Grille
• P.F. Changs
• Punch Bowl Social
• Queen’s Mother’s
• The Renegade
• Rocklands Barbeque and Grilling Company 
• Salt Line
• SER Restaurant 
• Sfoglina
• Smokecraft 
• Spice Kraft Indian Bistro
• Stellina Pizzeria
• Superette
• Sushi Zen
• Thai Select 
• WHINO
• Yayla Bistro
• Yume Sushi

A map of the restaurants is below.

The annual summer Restaurant Week is a week away.

The regional event will be held between Monday, Aug. 15, and Sunday, Aug. 21 and is currently set to feature nearly a dozen Arlington restaurants.

During the event, the participating restaurants are expected to offer lunches for $25 and dinners for either $40 or $55.

The participating Arlington restaurants include:

• Big Buns Damn Good Burgers (Ballston and Shirlington) — serving burgers, burger bowls, cocktails, shakes and fries. Menu not yet released.
• Epic Smokehouse (Pentagon City) — will offer a three-course meal, charging $25 for lunch and $55 for dinner.
• La Cote d’Or Café (East Falls Church) — three-course menus of traditional French cuisine, priced at $25 for lunch and $40 or $55 for dinner.
• McCormick & Schmick’s (Crystal City) — a seafood restaurant that offers a $55 dinner option. Menu not yet released.
• Mussel Bar and Grill (Ballston) — a Belgian restaurant offering three-course menus at $25 for lunch and $40 for dinner.
• Osteria da Nino (Shirlington) — three-course meals of Italian cuisine, priced at $40 for dinner.
• Ruthie’s All-Day (Arlington Heights) — the award-winning restaurant that specializes in Southern cuisine will offer $40 and $55 dinner options. Menu not yet released.
• SER Restaurant (Ballston) — three-course meals of Spanish cuisine, priced at $25 for lunch and $40 for dinner.
  The Freshman (Crystal City) – a café that serves bar food, sandwiches and pastas. Menu not yet released.
• The Melting Pot (Ballston) — three-course menus of fondues, priced at $40 for dinner and $5 extra per person for a chocolate fondue.
• Yume Sushi (East Falls Church) — five-course menu of Japanese cuisine for $55 per dinner.

Some of the restaurants listed above are pairing their meals with wine or cocktails. All the eateries, except The Melting Pot, offer delivery, takeout or outdoor spaces in addition to indoor dining.

Organized by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington, which also hosted the RAMMY awards, the event is sponsored by public and private groups, such as the D.C. Mayor’s Office, the National Landing Business Improvement District and Airbnb, according to its website.

Over 200 restaurants from the D.C. metropolitan area are participating this year, according to a RAMW tweet.

This week was yet another filled with plenty of news about snow, but unlike previous January weeks not a lot of actual snow.

Using its last traditional snow day allotment, Arlington Public Schools closed Thursday for what turned out to be a bust — a rainy, cold day. Lucky for students looking to enjoy the weather when school’s closed, this weekend should at least be sunny, albeit a little cold, in Arlington.

Now, here are the most-read Arlington articles of the past week.

1. Feds release new details about Jan. 6 weapons cache at Arlington hotel
2. JUST IN: Winter Weather Advisory issued ahead of Thursday morning snow
3. BREAKING: APS closes schools Thursday due to expected snow
4. Morning Poll: Should APS continue to require masks in schools?
5. The shift from rain to snow delayed in Arlington, NWS decreases possible accumulation
6. Guaranteed income pilot program moves forward without any county funding
7. NEW: Covid cases falling in Arlington, following regional trends
8. Winter Restaurant Week to feature 18 Arlington restaurants
9. ‘Old Lee Highway’ gets new name: Cherry Hill Road
10. JUST IN: APS says masks still required for students, despite Youngkin’s order

Feel free to discuss those stories or anything else of local interest in the comments. Have a great weekend!

Eighteen Arlington restaurants are participating in this winter’s Metropolitan Washington Restaurant Week from Jan. 17 to 23.

As in the past, there are usually three different tiers of menu: lunch or brunch, dinner, and a higher tiered dinner menu. More information and most menus are available on the event’s website.

With Covid cases continuing to break records, many local establishments are offering their restaurant week menus for take-out and delivery, in addition to dine-in options.

The Arlington restaurants listed as participants are below, sorted by neighborhood.

Arlington Heights

• Ruthie’s All Day is participating, but hasn’t yet posted its menus online. This year-old restaurant was recently one of America’s “best neighborhood gems” by OpenTable.

Ballston

• Mussel Bar and Grille, a Belgian restaurant that opened in 2013, is offering a three-course, $40 dinner menu.

• Rustico is offering a three-course, $40 dinner menu, along with cocktail and wine pairings. There’s also take-out and outdoor dining available.

• SER Restaurant is offering a three-course, $25 lunch menu and a $40, three-course dinner menu with $15 wine pairings.

• The Melting Pot is offering a three-course lunch menu for $25 and a three-course dinner menu for $40 per person. For an extra $5, get chocolate fondue.

• The Salt Line in Ballston, which opened in October, is offering a two-course lunch menu for $25 and a three-course dinner menu for $40. The heated outdoor patio space is available for dining.

Clarendon

• Spice Kraft Indian Bistro is offering special Pongal Festival menus, a five-course vegetarian meal for two for $45 and a non-vegetarian meal for two for $55. There’s also special wine and cocktail pairings. The menus are available for take-out and delivery.

• TTT Clarendon is offering a lunch for $25 that comes with a protein, two sides, and a dessert and a dinner for $40 that comes with all of that plus a margarita.

• Ambar, known for Balkan cuisine, has an “unlimited plates” lunch option for $25 and a dine-in option for $55. Plus, a take-out option for two for $60 or, add in a bottle of wine, and get it for $70.

• Lyon Hall on N. Washington Blvd is advertising that it’s participating, but has not posted menus or specials as of publication.

• The Liberty Tavern is participating, but has yet to post menus online.

Crystal City

• Crystal City Sports Pub, which narrowly avoided a fire last month, is doing a three-course menu priced at $40 for one or $70 for two people. There is outdoor seating and the menu is available for take-out.

• McCormick & Schmick’s on notes it is participating, including with take-out options, but no menu has been posted as of publication.

East Falls Church

• La Côte D’Or Café, known for offering a “healther side of French cooking,” is offering both a brunch and lunch, three-course menus for $25, and two, three-course dinner menus, one at $40 and one at $55.

Pentagon City

• Matchbox is offering a $40, three-course dinner and outdoor seating remains available.

• Epic Smokehouse on S. Fern Street is offering a $55, three-course dinner with wine and cocktail pairings.

Shirlington

• Osteria da Nino, which opened in 2016, has a $40 three-course dinner.

• Big Buns in Shirlington (as well as its location in Ballston) is offering $25 lunch and $40 dinner menus, all available for dine-in, take-out, and delivery.

For the third year in a row, the Arlington Chamber of Commerce is hosting Arlington Restaurant Week. All participating restaurants, bakeries and bars will offer discounts from Monday, Oct. 18 through Monday, Oct. 25.

Discounts will vary based on the restaurant, and some may offer discounts for both dine-in and carry-out options. Restaurant Week menus will be available on the chamber’s website.

“The Chamber is excited to have more than 40 of Arlington’s best restaurants already signed up and ready to showcase the diverse cuisine of Arlington,” said chamber CEO Kate Bates.

The current list of participating restaurants includes:

• 15 & Eads
• Ambar
• Ballston Local
• Bayou Bakery
• Bell20 Restaurant
• Celtic House
• Colony Grill
• Colony House Bar + Kitchen
• Copa Kitchen & Bar
• Delhi Dhaba
• Domino’s
• Fire Works Arlington
• Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant
• Good Company Doughnuts
• Heidelberg Pastry Shoppe
• La Bettola Italiano
• La Côte d’Or Café
• La Moo Creamery
• Lebanese Taverna
• Los Tios Grill
• Mah-Ze-Dahr Bakery
• Mala Tang
• Mussel Bar & Grill
• Nothing Bundt Cakes
• Olive Lebanese Eatery
• Potomac Social Tavern
• ROCKLANDS Barbeque and Grilling Company
• SER
• Sidekick Bakery
• Slapfish
• Smokecraft Modern Barbecue
• Spice Kraft Indian Bistro
• Superette
• Sushi-Zen
• Sweet Science Coffee
• Tacos and Pina
• Ted’s Bulletin
• Thai Select
• The Freshman
• Top Thai Restaurant and Sushi
• TTT Clarendon
• Union Kitchen
• WHINO

As it did last year, Amazon is sponsoring the event.

Bates says the chamber is eager to connect hungry locals to unique eateries across the county, especially as we emerge from the pandemic.

“Now, more than ever, it is important to support and highlight the local restaurant community and its importance in Arlington,” she said.

‘Open Schools’ Signs Also Being Stolen — “The debate over whether kids should be learning in or out of schools is getting ugly in Arlington. So much so, dozens of signs that said ‘Open Schools Now’ have gone missing. ‘Some of them have gotten stolen and neighbors have found them in trash cans,’ parent Russell Laird said Friday, standing near 100 new signs that had just been delivered. ‘I told people, keep count of how many were stolen, come back with double.'” [Fox 5]

County Getting More COVID-19 Aid — “The Arlington County Board today accepted more than $3 million dollars in additional federal aid to support low-to-moderate-income residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aid included more money for housing vouchers and funding for a range of relief programs to support families and small businesses.” [Arlington County]

Restaurant Week Starts Today — “Arlington Restaurant Week will run from October 19-26. During the week, diners can try set menu items from many local restaurants, at a discounted price. The idea is for diners to find a new to-go place for dining out.” [ARLnow]

W&OD Trail Detour Shifting — “The current W&OD Trail detour route just east of Lee Highway (Route 29) will be shifted for about two weeks beginning October 19 to allow additional construction activity. Crews will reconstruct sidewalks on Lee Highway, the Econolodge entrance on Fairfax Drive, and nearby curb ramps on Lee Highway. Trail users will be directed to a new sidewalk and trail adjacent to the new trail bridge during this detour.” [VDOT]

Gutshall Posthumously Honored By Chamber — “The Arlington Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce that the late Erik Gutshall is our 2020 inductee into the Arlington Business Hall of Fame.” [Arlington Chamber of Commerce]

Local Church Gets Big Donation — “Today, Our Lady, Queen of Peace Church in Arlington received 40 pallets of toiletries and household products worth $250,000 from @FoodForThePoor. They plan to give away the items during their weekly food distribution and through the parish thrift store.” [Arlington Catholic Herald/Twitter]

AED Wins Prestigious Awards — “Arlington Economic Development took home numerous honors at this year’s International Economic Development Council (IEDC) 2020 Excellence Awards, which were announced earlier today at the organization’s annual conference. AED’s programs and partnerships were recognized for Economic Excellence in several categories.” [Arlington County]