coffee | ARLnow.com

Published April 4, 2012 at 9:51AM | Updated April 9, 2012 at 1:51PM

Oby Lee Coffee Roastery had several locations along the Delaware shore before owner Oby Lee (real name) decided to close up shop. In 2010, the store’s marquee Rehoboth Beach — winner of several “best coffee” awards in the local press — was put up for auction.

Now Lee is planning to open a brand new Oby Lee location at 3000 Washington Boulevard in Clarendon, with a special emphasis on wine. The shop will serve wine from its Italian estate vineyard, as well as charcuterie, tapas dishes, and espresso and coffee roasted on-site. Oby Lee will have customer seating indoors and on an outdoor patio.

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Seattle’s Best, California Tortilla Coming to Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

Published December 27, 2011 at 11:07AM

Interior construction is underway at a new Seattle’s Best Coffee location at 2450 Crystal Drive. The owners were originally hoping to open the store, which is now hiring, in mid-November. No word yet on when the store is now expected to open.

Also coming soon to Crystal City: a new California Tortilla location. The local Mexican restaurant chain is planning on opening a location on the southern portion of Crystal Drive, according to a source familiar with the plans.

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South Block Smoothie to Add Espresso, Change Menu

By Katie Pyzyk

Published October 26, 2011 at 3:00PM | Updated October 27, 2011 at 10:45PM

South Block’s new espresso machine just arrived today (Oct. 26), and the eatery plans on serving coffee drinks brewed with Intelligentsia Black Cat Espresso starting in November.

A manager tells ARLnow.com that the staff and atmosphere at the newly opened shop will remain the same, but owner Amir Mostafavi is tweaking the menu. In addition to serving coffee drinks, certain menu items — like Boar’s Head deli meat paninis — will be added.

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published September 29, 2011 at 8:39AM

Free Coffee Today — 7-Eleven stores are offering a free medium coffee, any flavor, from 7:00 to 11:00 this morning. [Facebook]

Marshals Service Sheds Staff Cars — The free ride is over for dozens of employees at U.S. Marshals Service headquarters in Crystal City, the Wall Street Journal reports. The law enforcement agency is sending more than 100 take-home vehicles, including SUVs and high-powered sedans, from its headquarters to its field offices. Since the cars were law enforcement vehicles with emergency lights, they allowed Marshals Service employees to use HOV lanes on their commutes to work. Now, only about 30 headquarters employees will have that privilege. [Wall Street Journal]

Around Town

Cafe Caturra Now Open on Glebe Road

By ARLnow.com

Published September 19, 2011 at 12:58PM

Cafe Caturra, a Richmond-based coffee shop/wine bar/soup-salad-and-sandwich restaurant, is now open in the Arlington Ridge Shopping Center. The 3,400 square foot eatery, which features a decor partially made from reclaimed materials, officially opened its doors to customers on Friday.

Located at 2931 S. Glebe Road, Cafe Caturra offers specialty coffees, 24 boutique wines, two draft beers, and 20 bottled beers. The restaurant is offering mimosa specials on Sunday and is planning to eventually offer a weekday happy hour, according to marketing director Melissa Kirkpatrick.

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Another Coffee Shop Coming to Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

Published September 16, 2011 at 12:45PM

We’re told that a coffee shop recently approved for construction at 2450 Crystal Drive, near Buffalo Wild Wings, will be a Seattle’s Best Coffee franchise. The owners are hoping to open around mid-November.

The coffee shop will be located on a block that sits between two Starbucks — one at 2600 Crystal Drive and the other at 2231 Crystal Drive. Seattle’s Best, it should be noted, is a subsidiary of Starbucks.

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Larry’s Homemade Ice Cream Now Open in Clarendon

By ARLnow.com

Published July 5, 2011 at 4:15PM

The store offers a wide variety of ice cream flavors, as well as sundaes, milkshakes, frozen yogurt, fruit smoothies, baked goods and espresso drinks.

Larry’s is located next to BGR: The Burger Joint, on the ground floor of the Clarendon Center project’s north building. Starting next week, the store will be open from 6:00 a.m. to midnight, an employee said.

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Cafe Caturra Coming to Arlington Ridge

By ARLnow.com

Published June 27, 2011 at 2:00PM | Updated September 19, 2011 at 1:49PM

A Midlothian, Va.-based coffee shop/wine bar/soup-salad-and-sandwich restaurant is coming to the Arlington Ridge Shopping Center (2901 South Glebe Road).

Interior construction is underway on Cafe Caturra, located in a storefront once occupied by a Blockbuster video store. The store’s arrival coincides with a pedestrian-oriented renovation of the 85,000 square foot shopping center, which is anchored by a Giant supermarket.

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Greenberry’s Becomes “Bean Good: The Coffee Pub”

By ARLnow.com

Published June 2, 2011 at 8:37AM

After about eight years in business as Greenberry’s, the new owner of the coffee shop between Rosslyn and Clarendon has decided to go “indie.” Out is the Charlottesville franchise that just won a “Best of NoVA” award in the latest issue of Northern Virginia Magazine. In is “Bean Good: The Coffee Pub,” a brand of owner Shain Noorali’s own creation.

Without the legal constraints of a franchise, says Noorali, the cafe will be able to offer more items, including locally-roasted coffee, locally-sourced food and, of course, beer and wine.

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Boccato Gelato Expanding with Boccato Lounge

By ARLnow.com

Published June 1, 2011 at 10:42AM

The new “Boccato Lounge” will serve as a “place for families and the community to gather,” according to co-owner Cristian Velasco. Featuring beer, wine and live entertainment, the lounge will similar to Tryst in Adams Morgan — a hybrid coffee/alcohol hang-out spot.

Velasco says the lounge will allow Boccato to give its coffee and espresso program the attention it deserves, while giving customers more room to enjoy their drinks. There will, of course, be free WiFi.

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Online Fundraiser Seeks New Router for Pike Coffee Shop

By ARLnow.com

Published May 31, 2011 at 10:11AM

Gooljar wants to raise $200 to get local, independent coffee shop Rappahannock Coffee & Roasting (2406 Columbia Pike) some new WiFi gear. It seems that the cafe’s existing wireless router is slow, outdated and can barely accommodate more than four simultaneous WiFi users. To remedy the situation, Gooljar is asking customers to make donations to help update the equipment.

“It’s a small coffee shop and the owners don’t make that much to be spending it on things like this but people are here all the time and we could benefit from a new router!” he wrote on ChipIn.com, a web site that helps users conduct grassroots fundraisers.

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Ballston’s Buzz Bakery Will Open Monday

By ARLnow.com

Published May 6, 2011 at 1:41PM

That’s the word from Neighborhood Restaurant Group, the company that runs Buzz and its next door neighbor on the 4000 block of Wilson Boulevard, Rustico. Buzz is expected to open its doors as early as 7:00 a.m. on Monday, with plenty of free samples of coffee and baked goods.

The 2,000 square foot shop will have many of the same features and menu items of the original Buzz location on Slaters Lane in Alexandria, but will add treats like breakfast pop tarts, made-to-order waffles, individual serving quiches, homemade ice cream, sorbets, popsicles and “take-and-bake” products.