Kamal and Nizam Ali are said to be looking at a half-dozen different locations in D.C., Maryland and Virginia, including Clarendon.
Currently, the U Street landmark — famous for its half-smokes and its Bill Cosby connection — only has one other satellite location: in Nationals Park.
Local Real Estate Market Lags — While the average home sales price in Arlington was up 4.6 percent for the first half of 2011, the total volume of sales was down 19 percent compared to 2010. [Sun Gazette]
Garvey ‘Home’ in Alexandria, Arlington — State Senate candidate and Arlington School Board member Libby Garvey is trying to play up her local chops to both Arlington and Alexandria Democrats. “Garvey, a resident of Fairlington, considers Alexandria to be her neighborhood,” the Huntington-Belle Haven Patch reported yesterday. Meanwhile, Garvey told the Arlington County Democratic Committee last night that after debates in Fairfax and Alexandria, “it’s really nice to be home tonight.”
Through the end of the week you can get $30 worth of food (see menu) and non-alcoholic drinks for $15. The restaurant’s specialties include Italian classics like fried calamari, baked ziti and white pizza.
The deal is good for dining in at Pines of Florence’s pizza counter or main seating area. The restaurant is located at 3811 Fairfax Drive, two blocks from the Virginia Square Metro station.
In September, the Board voted to hike the license fee from $100 to $285, in response to a mandate from the Virginia Department of Health. Earlier this year, state authorities reversed themselves and decided to slash the statewide fee — which is administered by localities — to just $40. The Board must now approve the change for Arlington.
The $40 fee will apply to license applications and renewals for both restaurants and mobile food vendors. In addition to the license fee change, the cost of reviewing plans for new or remodeled food establishments will drop from $200 to $40 if approved by the Board, as expected.
In February, the Virginia House of Delegates passed a bill allowing the practice, and it was later signed into law by Governor Bob McDonnell. Restaurants that choose to allow BYOW can charge a corkage fee, which would vary by establishment. No requirements on minimum or maximum prices for the fees were established in the law.
While some are calling this a move that will prevent consumers from paying inflated prices on alcohol in restaurants others, like chefs, believe it could cheapen the dining experience. Opponents of the practice say bringing wine to a restaurant is the equivalent of bringing outside food into a restaurant.
The three-month old restaurant will soon be launching delivery service, and co-owner Joel Mehr says the newly-purchased Segway will allow his delivery staff to serve residents of Arlington’s dense urban core faster than traditional delivery methods.
The Segway — once it’s outfitted with a custom pizza-holding basket — will be able to transport multiple pies at a time, unlike deliveries by foot, and will be able to park anywhere, unlike deliveries by car. Plus, Mehr said, it’s cheap and eco-friendly — only requiring a $0.20 overnight charge for eight hours of operation.
The Clarendon eatery has gone through well-documented management and menu changes since its February launch. Credit the changes or the warm weather — but it’s clear that, at the very least, Mad Rose has started attracting sizable crowds to its outdoor seating areas.
If you want to try it out yourself, WTD is offering 50% off food and non-alcoholic drinks at Mad Rose Tavern for the next two weeks.
Good news for county coffers — some restaurant owners have been repaying their long-overdue tax debts.
A new list of meals tax delinquencies from the Arlington County Treasurer’s Office shows that certain restaurants have reduced or even eliminated their debts. Here are the highlights from the list, as of May 31.
Bayou Bakery in Courthouse (1515 N. Courthouse Road) will be holding a crawfish boil this weekend to help celebrate Memorial Day Louisiana-style.
The Clarendon restaurant got off to a rocky start, but thanks to a new chef, outdoor seating and some positive buzz, General Manager Dennis Holland says they’re “starting to get off the ground.”
Over the weekend, the Arlington County Board approved the restaurant’s request for sidewalk seating along Washington and Clarendon Boulevards. The new seats — about 60 of them in total — should arrive either tonight or tomorrow, Holland said. The seating will supplement Mad Rose’s existing outdoor lounge which, according to Holland, seats about 80 patrons.
The three items are all part of the board’s site plan amendment agenda.
County staff is recommending the board approve Samuel Beckett’s request for live entertainment from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 8:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and federal holidays. The Shirlington pub, at 2800 S. Randolph Street, has said that it wants to host traditional Irish music.
CERT Graduates Number 500 — The Arlington Community Emergency Response Team program graduated its 500th resident on Saturday. CERT says this weekend’s graduating class of citizen emergency responders was their largest one yet.
More on Mala Tang — Rebecca Cooper, formerly of TBD.com, takes a look at Mala Tang, the new Chinese “hot pot” restaurant near Clarendon. Unanswered question: are there enough potential customers who are willing to sit down and learn the hot pot process — and who don’t mind their meal getting “a little messy?” [Washingtonian]
