restaurant | ARLnow.com

Morning Notes

Published May 9, 2014 at 9:45AM | Updated May 9, 2014 at 10:22AM

Reporter Embeds with Clarendon Bar Crawl — Reporter Dan Zak embedded himself with revelers participating in the Cinco de MEGA-Crawl over the weekend. He found plenty of loud, opinionated young people — one of whom compared Clarendon to Brooklyn — but he apparently did not find any public urination, vomiting or destruction of property worth noting. [Washington Post]

Parents Rip Board on Autism Program Cut — Parents of children with autism swarmed the Arlington School Board’s budget meeting, angry with a proposed $270,000 cut to a program that provides assistants for autistic students and their teachers. [InsideNova, Fox 5]

Opinion

Restaurant Talk: Drink Like a Pro

By Nick Freshman

Published April 30, 2014 at 2:00PM | Updated May 1, 2014 at 4:54PM

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.

Don’t let the title mislead you. This is not a column to teach you how to win a drinking contest. Rather, I thought I would offer a few tips on how to stock your bar at home for entertaining. Hopefully, it will complement your amazing new cooking skills.

Around Town

Is Le Sandwich in Clarendon Closed Already?

By Ethan Rothstein

Published April 25, 2014 at 4:30PM

Le Sandwich, the gourmet sandwich shop that opened March 23 at 3033 Wilson Blvd, may already be closed.

The shop has been locked all week, with chairs up on tables and the “Le Sandwich” logo scrubbed from the building’s signage. However, the other parts of the Le Sandwich sign, with the phone number and social media logos, remain. Multiple attempts to reach Le Sandwich’s owner, Mehdi Ben, have not been successful.

Around Town

RedRocks ‘Relaunches’ On Columbia Pike

By ARLnow.com

Published April 16, 2014 at 4:45PM

The restaurant, located in the Penrose Square shopping center at 2501 Columbia Pike, is “relaunching” after a year in business due to lower-than-expected sales, according to co-owner Doug Baj.

“It’s been a little bit challenging, the whole Columbia Pike corridor,” Baj said. “I’m probably not the only business owner to voice that.”

News

County Still Reviewing Sky-High Real Estate Assessments

By ARLnow.com

Published April 15, 2014 at 3:55PM

Rien Tong in Clarendon in 2014 (file photo)

ARLnow.com first reported in Februrary that numerous businesses in the Clarendon area — mostly bars and restaurants — saw their real estate assessments skyrocket this year, in one case nearly 200 percent. A week later, the county announced that it would review “all commercial real property assessments with a 50 percent or greater increase from calendar year 2013.”

That review is continuing, with Donnellan telling the Board that she had “no projection as to when it would be completed.” In an earlier interview with ARLnow.com, Rick Melman, Arlington’s director of real estate assessment, said he expected the review to wrap up by the end of May.

Around Town

County Releases Bakery from Arlington Mill Lease

By ARLnow.com

Published April 14, 2014 at 2:05PM

The County Board on Saturday voted to release Pan American Bakery and Cafe from its seven-year lease at Arlington Mill. Rent on the 1,875 square foot retail location, on the ground floor of the community center, was to start at $56,250.00 per year and rise to $67,165.44 at the end of the seven year term.

The eatery was supposed to serve healthy fare, along with coffee, gelato and salteñas.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published April 10, 2014 at 9:00AM

New Restaurants Coming to Rosslyn — At least three new restaurant concepts are reportedly coming to Rosslyn. The restaurants will be opening on the ground floor of the Sedona/Slate apartment building and office buildings at 1100 and 1501 Wilson Blvd, according to speakers at a Bisnow conference in Rosslyn yesterday morning. Little is known about the restaurants — so far, property owners aren’t naming names — but one rumor relayed to ARLnow.com is that one of the restaurants will feature a Top Chef contestant as its head chef. [Bisnow]

Vihstadt Swearing-In Set for Friday — The swearing-in of new Arlington County Board member John Vihstadt will take place at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. The ceremony will be aired live on Arlington TV (Comcast 25 / Verizon 40). [Arlington County]

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published March 24, 2014 at 9:00AM | Updated March 24, 2014 at 10:23AM

Restaurateurs Eye Rosslyn — Rosslyn has been long neglected in the restaurant and bar department, primarily because it has been viewed as a place where only fast casual lunch places can be successful. That may be changing thanks to Heavy Seas Alehouse, which has been doing boffo beer and dinner business since it opened last month. [Washington City Paper]

Streetcar Battles Continue — Arlington County Board member Libby Garvey continued her one-woman campaign against the Columbia Pike streetcar from the County Board dais last week. Garvey used her time in the County Board meeting to do a slideshow of streetcar systems that have well-exceeded their budget or which have performed poorly in wintery weather. Meanwhile, the streetcar remains the central issue in April’s County Board special election. [InsideNoVa, Greater Greater Washington]

Around Town

Five Arlington Restaurants Nominated for RAMMY Awards

By ARLnow.com

Published March 19, 2014 at 4:30PM

Water & Wall, Nov. 2013

The nominations for the annual RAMMY restaurant awards have been announced and five Arlington eateries are among the nominees.

The awards gala, which recognizes excellence among Washington area restaurants, owners and employees, will be held on June 22. The following Arlington restaurants are among the nominees.

Around Town

World of Beer Touts Itself as Business Venue

By ARLnow.com

Published March 18, 2014 at 10:20AM

The tavern, which carries more than 500 types of beer, has been touting itself as a location for lunch meetings, corporate training and teleconferencing.

“We are a great place for off-site meetings,” said owner Evan Matz, in a press release. “With little notice, CEOs and managers can reserve a separate room equipped with our IP-based video and wall monitor systems. It’s a perfect place to hold working lunches.”

Around Town

Black Lime Closes in Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

Published March 14, 2014 at 10:20AM

Black Lime Café, a Mediterranean/Middle Eastern restaurant at 2450 Crystal Drive in Crystal City, has closed.

Legal notices are posted on the restaurant’s door, notifying the owners that the locks have been changed due to an alleged non-payment of rent. Restaurant personnel would be charged with trespassing if they try to get in, one notice says.

News

County to Review Big Assessment Increases

By ARLnow.com

Published March 3, 2014 at 1:30PM

The county said Friday evening that it will take a look at “all commercial real property assessments with a 50% or greater increase from calendar year 2013.”

There are nearly 90 such properties, including Rien Tong restaurant (3131 Wilson Blvd), which saw its assessment increase 197 percent, and Spider Kelly’s (3171 Wilson Blvd), which saw its property valuation increase 83 percent.