The restaurant in the Courthouse Metro Plaza (2300 Clarendon Blvd.) has completely revamped. From appearance, to management and staff, to menu, Toscana Grill wants to make a new name for itself.
The new management abandoned the vegetarian menu, and now offers a variety of options for lovers of both meat and meatless dishes.
Changes on Tap at Harry’s in Clarendon — Harry’s Tap Room (2800 Clarendon Blvd) is getting a new name and some new food. Renovations at the Clarendon restaurant are expected to begin later this month. When it reopens three weeks later, it will be re-branded as “Market Tavern” and will have a revised food focus. [Bisnow]
Discount on Signature Theater Tickets — Shirlington’s award-winning Signature Theater is offering 15 percent off tickets at the Signature box office when theater-goers present their library card. Two new Signature productions, A Second Chance and Hairspray, will start next month. [Arlington Public Library]
The restaurant, a newcomer to the area, will be launching a late night outdoor grill dubbed the “Rabbit Hole.” From the restaurant’s patio, employees will be serving three “grilled to order” sandwiches: The Cuban (braised pork shoulder, deli ham, dill pickles, mozzarella and Dijon aioli), Classic Grilled Cheese (American and sharp cheddar cheese), and Nutella and Banana (sweet hazelnut spread and a hint of cocoa and slice bananas).
“All three standout sandwiches are served on fresh artisanal breads from a local bakery and offered at a discounted price: $8 for the Cuban and $6 for both the Nutella & Banana and Grilled Cheese sandwiches,” the restaurant said in a press release. “With recipes inspired by Consulting Chef Katsuya Fukushima, an Iron Chef winner, as well as one of celebrity Chef José Andrés most trusted collaborators, “Rabbit Hole” is sure to satisfy any late-night hunger pangs.”
The only Arlington connections on the annual list of 40 restaurants are mini-chains Pete’s New Haven Style Apizza and Jaleo, which have Clarendon and Crystal City locations respectively — though one wouldn’t know it since the dining guide lists the location of each as “Washington, DC.”
In contrast to Arlington’s goose egg, neighboring jurisdictions Alexandria and Fall Church have three restaurants apiece in this year’s dining guide.
The county-run Arlington Virginia Network’s “Food For Thought” program recently visited Pupatella Neapolitan Pizzeria (5104 Wilson Blvd), in the Bluemont neighborhood (just west of Ballston).
Police say the thefts started in March 2011. Used cooking oil that was awaiting collection was stolen from at least four restaurants, police say.
“The waste cooking oil from restaurants is converted into clean burning biodiesel fuel,” police sad in a statement. “Biodiesel is an alternative to petroleum diesel that can be used in any diesel engine. Typically these oil thieves steal from restaurants and no one notices until the normal collection company arrives to pick up the product.”
The third annual Week ‘O’ Bacon at Restaurant Three (2950 Clarendon Blvd) is set to get started tomorrow.
From Thursday to Saturday, Oct. 22, the Clarendon restaurant will be devoting an entire menu to its in-house cured and smoked bacon. Among the items on the menu:
Prices are considerably lower than neighboring cities’ restaurant weeks. Lunch includes two courses for $15 and dinner includes three courses for $25.
The following restaurants have listed their menus for the event, which runs from Monday, October 10, through next Sunday, October 16: Aladdin’s Eatery, Aroma Indian Cuisine, Bistro Bistro, Bonsai Grill, The Bungalow, Busboys & Poets, Capitol City Brewing Company, Dogma Bakery & Boutique, Extra Virgin Modern Italian Cuisine, Johnny Rockets, Luna Grill & Diner, PING and Samuel Beckett’s Irish Gastro Pub.
(Updated at 11:40 a.m.) Firefighters are on the scene of a kitchen fire at Cafe Asia restaurant (1550 Wilson Blvd) in Rosslyn.
The fire, which reportedly started in an oven, was quickly extinguished. Nonetheless, the office building above Cafe Asia was evacuated as a precaution, sending scores of workers out onto the sidewalk.
Bayou Bakery owner and chef David Guas made an appearance on the Today Show this morning.
Guas was featured in a cooking segment called “Hot Chef,” during the show’s 9:00 hour. The segment focused on seasonal, “all-American desserts” — specifically a blackberry and blueberry crumble, an apple-spiced upside down bundt cake and a “lemon icebox pie.” Guas showed hosts Al Roker and Tamron Hall how to make the desserts, while discussing the use of apples and other seasonal ingredients during the fall.
But Pete’s New Haven Apizza (3017 Clarendon Blvd) in Clarendon is trying something a bit old-fashioned. In the age of Groupon and Living Social, Pete’s is deliberately skipping the daily deal websites and offering its own 50-percent-off promotion.
Starting today, Pete’s in Clarendon is offering dine-in customers half-off pizza on Mondays. All day. No coupon required.
The annual wine and food festival known as Vintage Crystal: A Taste of Wine and Jazz was held Sunday afternoon in Crystal City.
The event featured tastings of more than 30 types of Spanish and South American wines, as well as free food samples from local eateries like Jaleo, Ruth’s Chris Steak House and Kora. There was also live performances of Latin jazz, rumba, salsa, and samba music — complete with dancing.
