Founder Osiris Hoil tells ARLnow.com that the new location, at 1309 F Street NW near Metro Center, will open to the public on Friday. Hoil, who launched the District Taco cart in 2009 after being laid off from a construction job, called new restaurant “my American dream” on Twitter.
The D.C. eatery is District Taco’s second location. Hoil opened the original restaurant, at 5723 Lee Highway in Arlington, in November 2010.
Workers have been preparing for the opening for weeks, and the interior is now all set. The public was allowed to come in and taste the food this past weekend.
For now, the restaurant will open at 5:00 p.m. from Monday through Saturday, and at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday. A manager tells us that once the kinks are worked out and things start running smoothly in a couple of weeks, the normal lunch hours will kick in as well.
Good Stuff Eatery Opens Tonight — The new Good Stuff Eatery location at 2110 Crystal Drive in Crystal City will open to the general public for the first time tonight. The burger and shake restaurant will be open for dinner only today; it will start opening for lunch and dinner tomorrow. A television production crew is expected to be filming at the restaurant tonight for an upcoming episode of ‘Life After Top Chef.’
Potomac Overlook Naturalist Retiring — Martin Ogle, who is retiring next week after 27 years as chief naturalist at Potomac Overlook Regional Park, is being credited with playing a key role in a number of environmental initiatives in Arlington over the years. [Falls Church News-Press]
Spike Mendelsohn brought some glitz and glamour to Crystal City Friday night at the private opening party for his newest Good Stuff Eatery location.
Between the the celebrity DJ inside (Josh Madden), the Ferrari parked outside (it belonged to one of Spike’s investors), and the reality show production crew that filmed the whole thing (we were told they were working on “Life After Top Chef”), the party was more Hollywood Boulevard than Crystal Drive. Taking in the excitement — and the beer, fries, burgers and milkshakes — was a capacity crowd that included young partiers, local notables, and Mendelsohn family members.
Construction on the new $62 million apartment project at 2201 Pershing Drive, at the intersection with Route 50, is nearing completion. One of the two buildings is expected to open in mid-July, with the other expected to open in September. The apartments in each feature sound-resistant windows, hardwood floors, stainless steel appliances, and in-unit washer/dryers.
The 188-unit complex is currently leasing for both residents and for retail tenants.
The restaurant touts itself as serving comfort foods traditional to the Delmarva Peninsula. Some menu items include the “Chesapeake Chicken” sandwich, which is topped with crab dip, and the “Eastern Shore” fried egg sandwich. The drink menu features wines and beers crafted in the Delmarva area.
The website says the restaurant, which will offer a casual atmosphere, hopes to be open this fall. A location in Baltimore is scheduled to open sometime this spring.
A new French-Vietnamese style restaurant called Lotus Grill and Noodles is coming to Shirlington.
The restaurant, which currently under construction in a 2,100 square foot space next to Extra Virgin restaurant, will feature Vietnamese specialties like phở, crispy spring rolls, grilled pork rolls, and other lunch and dinner items.
Good Stuff Eatery will be holding its grand opening in Crystal City on Wednesday, May 9.
On Tuesday, we told you that Rosslyn is going to be getting a Fro.Zen.Yo store. Now, we can tell you that Ballston will be getting one as well.
A spokesperson for the frozen yogurt chain confirms that the long rumored Ballston location is going to become a reality. It will move into the old Smoothie King space at 850 N. Randolph Street, across from the Ballston mall.
Work is still underway at the restaurant, but most of the interior — including the flooring, lighting, bar, and seating — is already in place. Hiring is apparently also still underway. A “help wanted” sign posted in the window seeks cooks, dishwashers, servers, bartenders and hosts.
The eatery — located on the ground floor of the Penrose Square development, at the corner of Columbia Pike and South Adams Street — will be the third for the local Mexican chain. The other two locations are in Alexandria (2400-B Mount Vernon Avenue) and North Arlington (2503A N. Harrison Street).
New Indian Eatery Coming to R-B Corridor? — The Fairfax-based Indian restaurant Curry Mantra is scouting out real estate along the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor in hopes of opening two new “Curry Mantra Express” carryout restaurants by the end of the year. [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Shuttleworth Recruits Republicans — Bruce Shuttleworth, the Arlington businessman who’s challenging long-time incumbent Rep. Jim Moran for the Democratic nomination for Congress, is recruiting Republicans to vote for him in the June 12 primary. The Democratic blog Blue Virginia posted video of Shuttleworth asking for the vote of members of the Falls Church Republican Committee. [Blue Virginia]
The chain restaurant highlights its use of fresh, simple ingredients. Fresh fruit and turbinado sugar are used in the smoothies, and the wraps, salads and sandwiches are also made with healthy ingredients.
Patrick McKiernan, Area Developer for Northern Virginia, Maryland and DC, said two partners who recently graduated from William and Mary College in Williamsburg were interested in bringing the franchise to the metro area. They liked what they saw in Virginia Square.
