There was a moment when Ahmad Ayyad, owner of Darna Lounge at Virginia Square, was sure COVID-19 was going to kill him.
“When I went to [Sibley Memorial Hospital in D.C.] and they intubated me and I woke up in Baltimore at [Johns Hopkins Hospital],” Ayyad said. “I had this tube and all these things connected to me. I texted my best friend ‘I think I’m going to die.'”
It appears that Stageplate Bistro in Ballston may have taken a final bow.
The restaurant at 900 N. Glebe Road was well reviewed but struggled to attract customers to the western side of the busy street since opening in 2017. It took a brief intermission in 2018 but reopened, before closing temporarily again earlier this year.
Black Lives Matter Protest Held Saturday — “As protests continue around the nation following the death of George Floyd, the Black Parents of Arlington group welcomed families and neighbors on Saturday for a special gathering and vigil for the man who died in police custody in Minneapolis in May. Over 100 people gathered at Drew Model Elementary School, some bringing signs while others wore shirts and face masks showing support for the Black Lives Matter movement.” [WUSA 9]
Dorsey Discusses ‘Defund’ Demands — “‘We’re getting a lot of letters with the ‘defund the police’ calls,’ says [County Board member Christian Dorsey, on the WAMU Politics Hour]. He says that over the past few years, the police budget has only risen slightly above inflation. He said he’d be open to cutting tactical weapons and gear.” [Twitter]
Mister Days replacement The Renegade (3100 Clarendon Blvd) didn’t have a lot of time to establish itself in the Clarendon nightlife scene before it was shut down by the pandemic, but the restaurant is making a comeback tour with live music.
With Phase 2 of Northern Virginia’s reopening starting today, The Renegade is opening to in-person audiences.
The cat’s out of the bag for to-go drinks with Virginians — and Arlingtonians in particular — expressing widespread support for keeping the practice around after the pandemic is over.
In a joint poll with the Virginia Restaurant, Lodging and Travel Association and the National Restaurant Association found that 78 percent of Virginians support making permanent current, temporary practices that allow restaurant customers to purchase alcoholic beverages with their takeout and delivery food orders.
The pandemic has brought tough times for many local business owners. In some cases, it’s driving them to try to sell their businesses.
The website BizBuySell aggregates many business sale listings. In nearly every case, the name of the business and its exact location is omitted.
Every day for 29 years, Arlington’s venerable Delhi Dhaba Indian Restaurant has opened its doors on Wilson Boulevard and entertained grateful guests with authentic flavors transported from New Delhi.
But the pandemic finally put a temporary end to the restaurant’s whimsical philosophy of “khao, piyo, aish karo” — eat, drink and have fun.
One of the D.C. area’s most iconic Black-owned businesses has closed its Arlington outpost, seemingly for good.
The Ben’s Chili Bowl location at 1725 Wilson Blvd in Rosslyn has closed. Its signs and much of its interior have been removed, and the phone line has been disconnected.
Pupatella is looking to leave its original location in Bluemont and move elsewhere in Arlington.
The popular Neapolitan pizza restaurant said via social media that its landlord at 5104 Wilson Blvd is trying to raise the rent by 40%, despite the pandemic hurting its business and that of other restaurants.
As Arlington’s restaurants try to return to some semblance of normalcy during the first phase of reopening, some local restaurants are anxiously awaiting Arlington County approval of temporary outdoor seating permits.
Owners of two eateries along the Columbia Pike corridor, Ethiopian restaurant Dama Pastry & Cafe (1505 Columbia Pike) and Ididos Coffee and Social House (1107 S. Walter Reed Drive) said getting access to outdoor dining is a crucial part of getting business back to normal.
Virginia will enter Phase 2 of its reopening on Friday, but Northern Virginia and Richmond will remain in Phase 1.
Gov. Ralph Northam made the announcement Tuesday afternoon, saying that key health metrics point to it being safe to further reopen in most parts of the state. He did not, however, give a timeline for when Northern Virginia — including Arlington — would advance in its reopening. The region started to reopen this past Friday, May 29, two weeks after much of the Commonwealth did.
Police are looking for a man who broke a window at a fast-food restaurant along Lee Highway last night.
The incident happened around 11:30 p.m. on the 5000 block of Lee Highway, according to Arlington County Police. The restaurant is not named but that block is home to a Wendy’s.
