food | ARLnow.com

AFAC Expands Program to Fight Child Hunger

Published August 12, 2014 at 1:15PM | Updated March 31, 2015 at 8:59PM

Last week, Fair Share Education Fund released a report showing eligibility for free or reduced price school lunches is growing faster in suburbs like Arlington than in cities. Although the report focused on 2010-2011, an Arlington Food Assistance Center spokeswoman confirmed the organization still saw a huge increase in Arlington families using its services for the 2014 fiscal year, which ended on June 30.

AFAC served 1,400 families each week as of July 2013, and that bumped up to 2,000 families each week by this summer, which is a 40 percent increase. That equals about 5,000 individuals every week, of which 36 percent are children.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published July 31, 2014 at 9:15AM

Att’y General to Consider Streetcar Referendum — Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring (D) will be asked by Del. Patrick Hope (D) to weigh in on whether Arlington County has the legal authority to hold an advisory referendum on the Columbia Pike streetcar project. County officials say they don’t have the authority, and without General Assembly approval can only use a referendum for a general obligation bond issue. [InsideNova]

County Fair Adds Pentagon City Shuttle — The Arlington County Fair this year is adding a new shuttle option. In addition to shuttles from the Arlington Career Center, Ballston Metro and the I-66 parking garage, a shuttle will now run every 30 minutes from the Pentagon City Metro station. The fair runs from Aug. 6-10. [Arlington County Fair]

Events

Taste of Arlington Sets Attendance Record

By Ethan Rothstein

Published May 19, 2014 at 3:30PM | Updated May 27, 2014 at 6:11PM

Circa restaurant in Clarendon took home the day’s award for best appetizer with its Cobb lettuce wraps. The Green Spoon won the award for best entrée with its Kofte meatballs with tzatziki, spiced kale. and chickpeas. Kool Zone Ice & Treats took home the prize for best dessert.

The Ballston Business Improvement District, which organized the event, estimated that more than 25,000 ticket booklets were sold in advance. The tickets let attendees sample food from 46 restaurants, beer from a dozen breweries, and wine from Barefoot.

Opinion

Restaurant Talk: Dealing With Food Allergies

By Nick Freshman

Published January 9, 2014 at 4:30PM

The Salmon at Water and Wall

Restaurant Talk is an occasional feature written by Nick Freshman, a native Arlingtonian and co-owner of Spider Kelly’s and Eventide Restaurant in Clarendon. Photos added by ARLnow.com.

What better way to start 2014 than with another controversial topic? Kids, food trucks, tipping; you name it, and I will take it on. Well, probably not tipping ever again. That was brutal. Point is, it’s fun to explore some of the more talked about areas of what we do. So what’s first on the list for 2014? Food allergies.

Around Town

Restaurant Week to Return Jan. 13-19

By Ethan Rothstein

Published December 19, 2013 at 12:00PM | Updated December 19, 2013 at 12:25PM

The Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington coordinates restaurant week, the last of which took place in August and featured 17 local restaurants.

This year, lunch menus will cost $20.14 and dinner menus will cost $35.14, in honor of the new year. There are two restaurants on the list — Cityhouse in Rosslyn and Zaika in Clarendon — that didn’t participate in August.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published November 22, 2013 at 9:15AM | Updated October 7, 2016 at 1:30PM

Lyon Park Bat Turns Out to Be Something Else — A Lyon Park resident called animal control officers late last month after a startling discovery: a bat inside his or her home. There was only one problem — the responding animal control officer found that the “bat” was actually a sweatband. It’s not the first time something like this has happened. Previously, a balloon had been mistaken for a bat, a ski hat lying on the road was mistaken for a dead cat, and a “mangy, emaciated cat” turned out to be stuffed animal. [DCist]

GOP Trying to Find Candidate for Special Election — The upcoming County Board special election to replace the retiring Chris Zimmerman could give Arlington Republicans their best chance of winning a seat on the Board since the late 1990s, the last time any non-Democrat served as a Board member. “We could really pull a surprise,” said Arlington County Republican Committee chairman Charles Hokanson. [Sun Gazette]

News

Volunteer Opportunities: Holiday Help

By Katie Pyzyk

Published November 13, 2013 at 1:30PM

There are numerous opportunities for donating your time to a good cause around Arlington, including serving Thanksgiving meals.

In addition to those listed below, other volunteer opportunities throughout the county can be found on the Volunteer Arlington website.

Around Town

Furloughed Gov’t Employees Swarm to Food Deals

By Ethan Rothstein

Published October 1, 2013 at 2:30PM

More than a hundred people swarmed the Z-Burger near Clarendon this afternoon (Tuesday), hoping to make the best of the first day of the federal government shutdown by scoring a free cheeseburger.

Z-Burger (3325 Wilson Blvd) is one of several restaurants in Arlington offering specials to workers with government IDs to try to ease the burden of workers forced to take a furlough after government shut down at midnight tonight. Z-Burger is offering free burgers to workers with government IDs from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.

Around Town

Restaurant Week Starts Today

By Ethan Rothstein

Published August 19, 2013 at 10:30AM

Seventeen Arlington restaurants are listed on the Restaurant Week website. Participating restaurants will offer customers prix fixe menus at $20.13 for lunch and $35.13 for dinner.

Since earlier this month, several additional restaurants have signed on to participate, including Mad Rose Tavern at 3100 Clarendon Blvd, which is only offering dinner specials, and Sushi Rock at 1900 Clarendon Blvd, offering both lunch and dinner.

Events

Chili Cookoff Moves from D.C. to Clarendon

By ARLnow.com

Published August 15, 2013 at 4:40PM | Updated August 16, 2013 at 11:21AM

The cookoff is moving to Clarendon after its usual venue, the DC101 Chili Cookoff at RFK Stadium, apparently didn’t include an actual chili competition this past May. The event will now be sponsored by Hard Times Cafe.

“We wanted to carry on the D.C. Chili tradition since we’ve been involved with it for the past 33 years,” said Hard Times co-founder Jim Parker. “The cookoff is sanctioned by the International Chili Society (ICS) and we expect to host competition chili cooks from all over the East Coast.”

Around Town

Mussel Bar Brings Belgian Fare to Ballston

By Katie Pyzyk

Published August 6, 2013 at 3:30PM | Updated September 3, 2014 at 8:29AM

Ballston is getting a little more Belgian, thanks to the opening of Mussel Bar and Grille (800 N. Glebe Road) this week.

Today and tomorrow the restaurant is holding its soft opening for invited guests and will open to the public for dinner on Thursday. Friday will be the first day it will open for lunch.

Around Town

D.C. Restaurant Week To Feature 13 Arlington Spots

By Ethan Rothstein

Published August 5, 2013 at 10:30AM | Updated August 14, 2013 at 12:01PM

Thirteen Arlington restaurants are participating in the festivities. Each one offers a prix fixe, three-course menu for lunch and/or dinner, with the lunch menu running at $20.13 and dinner at $35.13. For a full listing of all the restaurants in the region participating in restaurant week or to reserve a table, visit their website.

Epic Smokehouse, 1330 S. Fern Street, 571-319-4001. Lunch Menu | Dinner Menu