Dining at Ballston Quarter (Formerly Ballston Common Mall (1986-2016), Formerly Parkington Shopping Center (1951-1982))

[NolaCaine]

So Ballston Quarter...is it going to make it? I realize that it's not fully open but there's something off about it. Maybe it's just that it's not fully open. I don't know. I have been to Mi & Yu noodles twice. The first time miso ramen was bland and beef way overcooked. This time dashi ramen was way over salty (and I love salt) but the duck and egg were nice. 

Hubby and kids at new barbeque down in the belly of the beast and said it was bland. To quote husband it "tasted like reheated catered food." 

5 yr old girl child did eat all of my extra noodles so there's that upside. 

[DonRocks]

8 hours ago, NolaCaine said:

So Ballston Quarter...is it going to make it?

It's a new destination that will crush boredom, so I'm assuming yes. Where else can you get a mind-blowing blowout?

I also hear they're featuring skate.

[NolaCaine]

11 hours ago, DonRocks said:

It's a new destination that will crush boredom, so I'm assuming yes. Where else can you get a mind-blowing blowout?

I also hear they're featuring skate.

ha. And eye-lashes. And man-grooming. And some bowling.

[saxdrop]

Re: BALLSTON QUARTER

[Initial impression/snap judgment]

My bold prediction: In a year or so from now, the food hall will suffer from the Yogi Berra problem ("no one goes there anymore; it's too crowded").

Thursday for lunch, tried Turu's by Timber Pizza Co. and Hot Lola's. Both were pretty good food court options but disappointing given their pedigree. Turu has already said they're intentionally straying from the Neopolitan-ish style at Timber, but neither was it in anyway the New York-style slices claimed in this article from just two weeks ago -- and I'm not being precious about the genre here, I mean literally there weren't slices available, only whole 10" pies (four total plus a Caesar salad and some bottled beverage options). Growing pains and some adjustments are inevitable but I'm a little surprised they didn't at least have the concept down, esp. since this isn't their first go round. And they've got one of those beautiful ceramic wood-fired ovens. The ingredients were top notch, but the dough lacked any defining characteristic. It was like the person at a party that doesn't say anything . It wasn't offensive but offers nothing. They were on-boarding a new employee while I was there so they clearly expect to grow.

At Hot Lola's they have four chicken sandwich options ranging from mild to "table-flipping" heat, as well as chicken tenders and hot dogs. I had the "O.G." which is the 2nd  hottest options and the one they say is the basis for the restaurant. The texture, fry, sauce and bun were all really excellent. But "hot + spicy" it wasn't at all. Next time I'll just go full monty. I did appreciate that the flavor, such as it was, combined traditional cayenne and szechuan peppers (just not enough of it apparently).

Got there as some of the spots were opening around 11am, finished around noon. It was starting to buzz a little as I left, but with still plenty of room to grow. I assume the pitch from the developer to tenants was something like "we're putting a bunch of money into this, so you know we're committed, but it'll be a process to get people in here." I wandered around the mall for a bit after, by Punch Bowl Social and where the new Ted's Bulletin will be. It's a really impressive design but eerily empty. Also caught an afternoon movie at the theater and was the only one in my showing (to be fair, it was 4:30pm on a weekday). 

Overall it's clear Ballston Quarter is a big swing (ed. Captain Obvious strikes again!) and the number of "Coming Soon" signage is promising. There's little doubt that in time the reward for visiting will be high, but it may require some kind of sunspotting change in the neighborhood's habits. 

[Unrelated: I saw Us. Anyone want to discuss?]

[captcourt]

Lots of the new condo/rental developments in the corridor have yet to fully stock up with residents, so I'm guessing that the Ballston Quarter establishments are hinging their fortunes on the not-quite-finished buildings.  Though that potentially may not help with the lunch crowd.  Also, the failure of the Rixby building next to the new Marymount buildings may be a harbinger of things to come (or of poor building management, or...who knows?).  

OK, enough rambling.

[Rovers2000]

My forecast for Ballston Quarter is that it will, over time, be successful...in time.  It likely will take a round of misses on the restaurant front from the folks who got in on cheap “early open” rents but the infrastructure is quite good.  

I will likely have moved by the time it happens, but I’ve enjoyed seeing the progress happen on my daily walk to / from the metro.  

[ziv]

1 hour ago, Rovers2000 said:

My forecast for Ballston Quarter is that it will, over time, be successful...in time.  It likely will take a round of misses on the restaurant front from the folks who got in on cheap “early open” rents but the infrastructure is quite good.  

I will likely have moved by the time it happens, but I’ve enjoyed seeing the progress happen on my daily walk to / from the metro.  

I have lived in or near Ballston for 25 years and the Ballston Commons Mall was always terra incognita. If the parking building is handled well, that may change but as the Ballston Quarter food options get more popular, I think parking will be the second most important aspect of its success, right after the quality of the cafes themselves.