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Dining in Rosslyn


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Over the last year more or less there has been an explosion of new places to eat in "Downtown" Roslyn;  Downtown Roslyn being the essentially level area near the Metro and differentiated from the office, residential  restaurants and retail that stretch up the hill on either Wilson or Clarendon Blvd.  These places to eat coincide with the three massive structures added to the Roslyn landscape, two huge office buildings and one enormous high rise apartment building.  

It would not be fair to call most of this "dining".  These are places primarily for lunch, some for breakfasts, and most for quick meals.  Just a quick summary to list (hope I haven't missed any)

McDonalds (first of the newer places in) replacing its long long standing stand alone building across from Metro.

Nando's Peri Peri, The Little Beet, Sweet Green (across from Chopt), Compass Coffee just opened. Under construction are Cava, Bethesda Bagel, a Poke restaurant (name escapes me), and now Sfoglina has closed off its windows and is commencing construction.   Ahhhh Sfoglina--the one true dining experience being added to downtown Roslyn.

Roslyn:  A real sort of downtown with high rise buildings, an office density that rivals that of downtown, and actually a relatively high "urban neighborhood" population (relative to other urban neighborhoods in Arlington (Crystal City, Pentagon City, Courthouse, Clarendon, Vg. Square and Ballston).

All of which is to say that if you find yourself stuck in Roslyn...there is now less reason to moan.  ;)

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4 minutes ago, dcs said:

I only knew of Roslyn from growing up listening to concerts from My Father's Place over the radio on WLIR.  A revival of the club recently opened at the Roslyn Hotel.

...and I didn't know of the music venue but had college era friends from Roslyn, L. I. and used to have some good basketball games there.

Nevertheless the luncheon environment in Rosslyn, Arlington near the Metro has exploded with new options. Not much new in dining until Sfoglina opens and they have just started construction, so it will be a while.  They did apply for, and were evidently granted approval for an outdoor seating area so if it opens this year before the weather gets cold that will be an additional benefit.

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On 7/5/2018 at 10:45 AM, DaveO said:

Thank you.  I'm a terrible speller.  Missed on that one. 

Rosslyn is one of the hardest place names to know how to spell. It's not at all intuitive - about ten years ago, I was taking a walk, and stumbled across a historical sign - I was surprised to see it was spelled with two S's, and to this day, that element of surprise is the only reason I remember.

BTW, is the correct pronunciation "Ross-lyn" or "Roz-lyn?" I *think* most people say it with a "z" sound, but that may be a mass mispronunciation.

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Rosslyn has many fast casual lunch places and very few dine in places.  For dining, you have to go up the hill to Pierce Street to  Barley Mac, Kona Grill, and Quinn's or go further to Clarendon to Ambar, Lyon Hall, or Liberty Tavern.  I should note that Nando Peri Peri that opened in Rosslyn doesn't carry my favorite chicken livers.

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1 hour ago, BookGuy said:

Rosslyn has many fast casual lunch places and very few dine in places.  For dining, you have to go up the hill to Pierce Street to  Barley Mac, Kona Grill, and Quinn's or go further to Clarendon to Ambar, Lyon Hall, or Liberty Tavern.  I should note that Nando Peri Peri that opened in Rosslyn doesn't carry my favorite chicken livers.

Actually, Rosslyn has few really good dining options these days. Plenty of counter service and food trucks for the lunch crowd, but sit-down dining options are a thing of the past.

Who remembers Tom Sarris Orleans House? Or the really good Appetizers Plus, a before-its-time all-you-can-eat sushi place now occupied by Perfect Pita? Or how about the outstanding Khyber Pass, Afghan when Afghan was good in the plaza where Ray's Hellburger first landed? Or Tivoli, classic old school Italian above the Rosslyn Metro -- Tony ran the front of the house at Tivoli, and still waits tables at Amuse in the Le Meridien. Rosslyn of a few decades ago had quite a bit of dining options. Today? Not so much....

(And you don't have to go as far as Clarendon for good food. The best Lebanese restaurant between here and New York is Me Jana, right between Rosslyn and Courthouse.)

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I have lived in Rosslyn for thirty years and note that, during that time, we lost Tivoli, Tom Sarris, and the China Garden.  I even remember early on that there was a very pleasant restaurant called New York, New York in the Twin Towers.  You would imagine that with the residential towers sprouting up down here that there would be some better dining options for dinner.  I do note that a brief Circulator ride takes you to Georgetown and even as far as DuPont Circle.

By the way, Mi Jana is fine but it is one of the few dining spots at Court House.

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21 hours ago, Kibbee Nayee said:

 

Who remembers Tom Sarris Orleans House? 

 

Oh my dear, I do. Went a few times. I remember once going very, very drunk. Eating a big steak and salad bar before going back to my now husband's shitty ROZZZZlyn apartment. Good times.

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On 7/9/2018 at 2:52 PM, Kibbee Nayee said:

Who remembers Tom Sarris Orleans House? Or the really good Appetizers Plus, a before-its-time all-you-can-eat sushi place now occupied by Perfect Pita?

Our institutional memory is long.

(Appetizers Plus was “not bad” - it was plentiful, cheap, and inoffensive: They had signs up saying, 'Please eat all of the rice.')

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18 hours ago, dcs said:

I vaguely recall going to a Scholl's Cafeteria in Rosslyn in the mid-1980s.  You could sit down there. 

When I started out in the workforce, my office was in the GAO building and I shared a ratty old apartment in Cleveland Park.  My commute home:  take subway to Farragut North.  Get off and eat dinner at Scholl's.  I used to love liver and onions in those days (wouldn't touch it now) and that is what I had there along with their incredible pies.  Peach was my favorite.  Then walk back to Farragut North and transfer to the bus to get me to my apartment.  At the time, the bus route was a war zone as they were building the rest of the Red Line then (Cleveland Park stop did not yet exist).

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On 7/5/2018 at 1:17 PM, DonRocks said:

BTW, is the correct pronunciation "Ross-lyn" or "Roz-lyn?" I *think* most people say it with a "z" sound, but that may be a mass mispronunciation.

My pronunciation tends towards 3 syllables:  ROZ-L-IN.  Spoken quickly you might not notice it; but I definitely have 3 syllables going on.  I suspect I am in the minority.  I am from New Jersey so my language abilities are all farked up.

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On 7/9/2018 at 1:13 PM, BookGuy said:

Rosslyn has many fast casual lunch places and very few dine in places.  For dining, you have to go up the hill to Pierce Street to  Barley Mac, Kona Grill, and Quinn's or go further to Clarendon to Ambar, Lyon Hall, or Liberty Tavern.  I should note that Nando Peri Peri that opened in Rosslyn doesn't carry my favorite chicken livers.

On 7/9/2018 at 3:01 PM, BookGuy said:

I have lived in Rosslyn for thirty years and note that, during that time, we lost Tivoli, Tom Sarris, and the China Garden.  I even remember early on that there was a very pleasant restaurant called New York, New York in the Twin Towers.  You would imagine that with the residential towers sprouting up down here that there would be some better dining options for dinner.  I do note that a brief Circulator ride takes you to Georgetown and even as far as DuPont Circle.

By the way, Mi Jana is fine but it is one of the few dining spots at Court House.

Rosslyn and Crystal City/Pentagon City are very significant office markets, meaning many daytime office workers and appropriately many places for lunch and breakfasts, plus the large number of food trucks.  Crystal City/Pentagon City also house an enormous volume of hotel rooms.  Rosslyn's market for total hotel rooms is significant but pales compared to Crystal City/Pentagon City.    While both Rosslyn and Crystal City continue to have historically high office vacancy rates due to the 2011 passage of BRAC the vacancy rates seem to be finally abating and Rosslyn specifically has added significant new totals for office workers.  All of the above simply confirm that Rosslyn is definitely a good place for restaurants serving lunch. 

Depending on how one counts the inventory there is around 18-25 million square feet(most data sources exclude the Pentagon) of office space in those two areas, or about the same or significantly more than many down towns in many cities.

Actually Rosslyn also contains a relatively high number of residents in its mostly high rise residential properties.  That is relative to the other "urban villages" in Arlington (Crystal City, Pentagon City, Courthouse, Clarendon, Ballston and Va Square.)   Regardless it is definitely a destination for lunch time dining.  With all that daytime, hotel and residential population, one would think that "down town" Rosslyn (the area nearest the Metro and NOT on the Wilson Blvd hill) would have room for one fairly good place to dine and drink.  Heavy Seas Alehouse is not that good.  Perhaps the new Sfoglina Pasta House will meet the market when it opens after construction.

---

Heavy Seas Alehouse (dcs)

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Rosslyn will also have a middle/high school as of fall 2019, where the 8th-12th graders have off-campus privileges and a number will likely be going off-campus for lunch with some frequency. At their current location (walking distance Lee Heights), there are often students eating at the Lee Heights shops for a quick dinner before events, rehearsals, etc.

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8 hours ago, dcs said:

My pronunciation tends towards 3 syllables:  ROZ-L-IN.  Spoken quickly you might not notice it; but I definitely have 3 syllables going on.  I suspect I am in the minority.  I am from New Jersey so my language abilities are all farked up.

7 hours ago, NolaCaine said:

DCS: 2 syllables...only.

BTW, IRL I can't really say "doesn't" unless I really concentrate. And I mispronounce other words that I just avoid if possible (New Orleans farks up language abilities too).

7 hours ago, Genevieve said:

Roz-lyn.

FWIW, the historical sign I saw (and I think it was in that park just by the Key Bridge) mentioned that Rosslyn was named after William and CaroLYN ROSS - that's why I'm thinking the correct name would be Ross-lyn (like Betsy Ross, and with an "s" sound), but that's just a guess. I know that might hurt the ear (it hurt mine too at first), but now that I know the etymology of the name, it hurts to hear it pronounced with a "z" sound.

I guess it's pronounced however people want to pronounce it, but I suspect it *used* to be pronounced with an "s" sound - then again, people living here used to speak with British accents.

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On 7/9/2018 at 2:52 PM, Kibbee Nayee said:

Who remembers Tom Sarris Orleans House? Or the really good Appetizers Plus, a before-its-time all-you-can-eat sushi place now occupied by Perfect Pita? Or how about the outstanding Khyber Pass, Afghan when Afghan was good in the plaza where Ray's Hellburger first landed? Or Tivoli, classic old school Italian above the Rosslyn Metro -- Tony ran the front of the house at Tivoli, and still waits tables at Amuse in the Le Meridien. Rosslyn of a few decades ago had quite a bit of dining options. Today? Not so much....

 

On 7/9/2018 at 3:01 PM, BookGuy said:

I have lived in Rosslyn for thirty years and note that, during that time, we lost Tivoli, Tom Sarris, and the China Garden.  I even remember early on that there was a very pleasant restaurant called New York, New York in the Twin Towers.

Don't forget about Santa Fe Cafe.

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3 minutes ago, dracisk said:

Yes! I worked in Rosslyn for a year basically across the street from Santa Fe Cafe (above Safeway) and used to enjoy lunch there.

Then, it was in the space currently occupied by the forgettable Piola?

Just a few doors down from Cafe Asia, which was bustling at lunchtime, and has now been closed for going on 2 years....

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On 7/17/2018 at 5:58 PM, Kibbee Nayee said:

Then, it was in the space currently occupied by the forgettable Piola?

Just a few doors down from Cafe Asia, which was bustling at lunchtime, and has now been closed for going on 2 years....

No, it was down the hill from there, I think, possibly in the building with the Target now. That Target wasn't there when I worked in Rosslyn. We used to go to Cafe Asia for lunch and happy hour. I actually just went to Piola for the first time recently when I met some former coworkers there. I think I left that job right before Piola opened. I agree it was meh.

I was in Rosslyn during the day for a work thing a few months ago and there were so many more quick lunch options than when I worked there in 2005-06!

---

Piola (hopsing)
Pho 75 (DaveO)
The Great Eatery (BookGuy)

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Sfoglina, which signed and announced a deal to open last summer just started construction at 1100 Wilson Blvd.  Assuming 90-120 days for construction they should be open this Spring.  They would easily be the best restaurant in lower Rosslyn in the relatively flatter and more densely populated (with office workers) area near the Metro.   With no competition, I think they can turn it into a killer location. 

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9 hours ago, DaveO said:

Sfoglina, which signed and announced a deal to open last summer just started construction at 1100 Wilson Blvd.  Assuming 90-120 days for construction they should be open this Spring.  They would easily be the best restaurant in lower Rosslyn in the relatively flatter and more densely populated (with office workers) area near the Metro.   With no competition, I think they can turn it into a killer location. 

I believe that this has potential to be the best restaurant in all of Arlington, not just Rosslyn.  

(with "best" being an extremely subjective term.  I believe Pho75 to be the best Pho in the Capital Region, and Guajillo next door to be the "best" Oaxacan Mexican food in the region.  But in weighing execution, aesthetic, skill & provenance, Sfoglina has potential to be Arlington's current crown jewel.)

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On 1/10/2019 at 3:22 PM, DaveO said:

Sfoglina, which signed and announced a deal to open last summer just started construction at 1100 Wilson Blvd.  Assuming 90-120 days for construction they should be open this Spring.  They would easily be the best restaurant in lower Rosslyn in the relatively flatter and more densely populated (with office workers) area near the Metro.   With no competition, I think they can turn it into a killer location. 

Just noticed that an office tenant of some size just signed a lease to move into Rosslyn across the street where Sfoglina should be.   The office will include a preponderance of people in their 20's, 30's and possibly 40's...including a heavy number of tech engineers and programmers.  I assume the salaries will be pretty good.

Meanwhile it appears that Sfoglina has hardly done any construction at all.  I think they mapped out spaces on the floor where there should be drilling...but I don't think an ounce of heavy construction has started.  Hence I'd move open date to late spring or early summer.

I can't figure this one out.  While working as a commercial RE agent with tenants I would "manage"/ more monitor construction to see if it was occurring on a timely basis and costs were in line with the construction budget and some other items.   I never saw a tenant sign a deal and wait this much time. 

Oh well...its not my dime.  I still think this should be a killer restaurant location for a restaurant/bar of this quality.   There simply isn't any competition in this heavily populated area of office space.

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On 1/10/2019 at 3:22 PM, DaveO said:

Sfoglina, which signed and announced a deal to open last summer just started construction at 1100 Wilson Blvd.  Assuming 90-120 days for construction they should be open this Spring.  They would easily be the best restaurant in lower Rosslyn in the relatively flatter and more densely populated (with office workers) area near the Metro.   With no competition, I think they can turn it into a killer location. 

There is something OFF with the Sfoglina "deal" or opening.  They announced a signed lease to open at 1100 Wilson Blvd last summer.  A long time passed and there was zero construction.  They closed off the area and started preliminary construction work in early January.  Apparently they have never drilled a hole or done anything since after about 2 or 3 weeks of preliminary work.  In fact I walked by a couple of weeks ago and some people were removing some of the equipment sitting in the space.  I have no idea what is going on, but at the minimum they have postponed construction.  I assume that is all on Sfoglina as the construction is their responsability.

For the time being I have NO idea if and when this restaurant will open.  Starting and stopping construction is extremely rare. 

Meanwhile I visited the Observation Deck on the 31st and 32nd floors of the office building at 1201 Wilson Blvd, virtually across from Metro.  Because of large open air atrium on the ground this is about 400 feet up.  It is an astounding view.  The observation deck offers a 360 degree view around the building.  On a clear day you can see as far as 11 miles away.  Views into DC and Arlington National Cemetery are spectacular.  The observation deck offers 2 bars and finger foods including a special wine/sparkling wine bar on the upper floor.  Its terrific for individual and group visits.  It is very unique and a simply marvelous view.  Tickets are $22 for adults with a great variety of discounts available including free access for Arlington residents. 

Besides visiting as a local I'd bring out of town visitors there and then hop off somewhere nearby for a good dinner.  Hmmm.   I have no idea if Sfoglina is going to be one of those nearby dining options--at least not in the foreseeable future.

 

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Construction on Sfoglina at 1100 Wilson Blvd is moving along.  They are in the back stretch.  I spoke with one construction person there one day that estimated either late September or October opening.  Looking forward to it.  I have not been to either DC Sfoglina but they have amassed a lot of reviews on google and yelp and they are mostly good.  

On a second dining front, in the tall CEB building in the center of Rosslyn Open Road, a subsidiary of Circa will be opening a spacious restaurant in the central plaza with an additional bar below,  a sizable investment.  Their construction appears to be behind Sfoglina so I'm imagining an opening closer to Christmas.

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Spoke with a staffer at Sfoglina.  They are rapidly moving along.   The staffer mentioned Oct 4 or Oct 5 as an opening date.  The restaurant will serve customers inside, on the sidewalk AND in the very large expansive lobby at 1100 Wilson Blvd.  That is interesting as when you watch construction you see how much space is eaten up from the actual rental square footage.  The space has a visible pasta (making ) room that has windows on the inside and fronts the lobby at 1100 Wilson Blvd.  The lobby at 1100 is open 24/7 as it provides access to Channel 7 news and staff.....all of which means that it will provide dining in all kinds of weather...and plenty of space.  

On its own there is a reasonable population close to that site but I'm sure they want customers from "afar".  I wonder how many will go there vs downtown.   All parking in the area is going to be primarily in buildings and not on street.   Interestingly the Bethesda Bagel that opened in the area NEVER has a weekend morning crowd like all the bagel places with which I'm familiar.  Nevertheless it seems packed before work, and has a sizable lunch business.  Weekend mornings, wherein you can find long lines at other bagel shops, have a healthy but not terribly long line...its unusual.   I don't see Rosslyn or Crystal City, for that matter, attracting out of the area crowds for dining.

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FOH staff at sfoglina are  being trained right now.  By the end of the session they will know more about pasta than I know (and I've been cooking and working with it for 50 years).  Good for them

Why does pasta taste so good in restaurants??  They use a lot of cream.  Yes they can do it without dairy.  It won't taste as good.

How much cream do I use??  Not much.  They are better.

 

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On 9/11/2019 at 12:39 PM, DaveO said:

Spoke with a staffer at Sfoglina.  They are rapidly moving along.   The staffer mentioned Oct 4 or Oct 5 as an opening date.  The restaurant will serve customers inside, on the sidewalk AND in the very large expansive lobby at 1100 Wilson Blvd.  That is interesting as when you watch construction you see how much space is eaten up from the actual rental square footage.  The space has a visible pasta (making ) room that has windows on the inside and fronts the lobby at 1100 Wilson Blvd.  The lobby at 1100 is open 24/7 as it provides access to Channel 7 news and staff.....all of which means that it will provide dining in all kinds of weather...and plenty of space.  

On its own there is a reasonable population close to that site but I'm sure they want customers from "afar".  I wonder how many will go there vs downtown.   All parking in the area is going to be primarily in buildings and not on street.   Interestingly the Bethesda Bagel that opened in the area NEVER has a weekend morning crowd like all the bagel places with which I'm familiar.  Nevertheless it seems packed before work, and has a sizable lunch business.  Weekend mornings, wherein you can find long lines at other bagel shops, have a healthy but not terribly long line...its unusual.   I don't see Rosslyn or Crystal City, for that matter, attracting out of the area crowds for dining.

I've been following the internal construction.  The Sfoglina in house staff has been there a lot.  Its an attractive space due to open in a few days.  I received an update and am making a correction.  There won't be dining in the spacious lobby of 1100 Wilson Blvd.  Instead the relatively large bar will seat people both inside the restaurant and on the other side, extending to a counter that opens into the lobby.  I suppose one can dine at the bar in the lobby, along with drinks. 

Must admit I'm quite looking forward to its opening.  One point is that aside from hotels and the bar at Heavy Seas Alehouse (which went downhill) there is no place to drink in the flat area of Rosslyn just across from DC.  It is a major office market on its own, and has an ample population base, mostly in high rises.  I think the restaurant and bar at Sfoglina will start off well.  Probably in about 6 months Circa will open a restaurant and bar in the heart of Downtown Rosslyn.  Additionally there should be another bar on the "walk close to DC" side.  We'll see how things turn out once the competition gets a little more fierce.

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On 9/29/2019 at 1:15 PM, DaveO said:

One point is that aside from hotels and the bar at Heavy Seas Alehouse (which went downhill) there is no place to drink in the flat area of Rosslyn just across from DC.  

Does Continental Beer Garden not count?

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Much more comprehensive article on the opening at Arl Now.  I've been fascinated by the construction process.  Its an attractive space.  The article goes into the design.  Opening is Saturday, 10/5  10% discount on food applies through 10/19.  The company has a lot of mid level staffers that have been there the last 2 weeks or so as the final touches have been applied.  They had a tight schedule and they've kept to it.  Watching them finish the build out has made me hungry.  I like forward to the opening.

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