Ballston’s Pirouette Café & Wine Shop looking to start pouring by September

Arlington’s newest wine bar is aiming for a September opening.

Pirouette Café & Wine Shop is in the midst of construction on the ground floor of J Sol apartments at 4000 Fairfax Drive, in the Ballston area.

The new wine bar, restaurant, and shop is from the wife and husband team of Jackie and Philippe Loustaunau. ARLnow first reported its move into the ground floor of the 326-unit high-rise apartment building in January.

All is going well with construction, Jackie tells ARLnow, and the hope is to open the restaurant part of the business by mid to late September. The wine shop portion of the business could open sooner, she said, perhaps as soon as early September, depending on when the ABC license is approved.

“Our walls are up, some mudded, some covered in [fiber-reinforced plastic] and others tiled,” the co-owner said. “The construction company is doing excellent work carrying out our architect’s design… and troubleshooting challenges throughout the process.”

Construction was set back a few weeks, a common occurrence for Arlington restaurants, particularly recently.

The restaurant/bar/shop’s aim is to have a “casual feel” that takes the “intimidation” out of wine. Executive chef Adam Hoffa, who previously worked at Fiola and St. Anselm in the District, is planning to serve “global” cuisine with a menu featuring an assortment of small plates, desserts, and a few entrees like house-made focaccia, scallops, mac & cheese croquettes, and corn cake with summer fruit compote.

The couple said they’ve always wanted to open a restaurant in their hometown. They often hoped that when a new mixed-use building went up it would include a local restaurant or bar. But that never happened, Jackie said, until they decided to do it themselves.

The couple, along with their child, lives in Virginia Square, only a few blocks away from Pirouette, which was part of the appeal.

“I love the idea of meeting our customers in the street, going to the park and seeing them with their children, seeing folks at school,” Philippe said in February. “This is a neighborhood environment, which I think creates community and connects people.”