Arlington Magazine September/October 2023

Public

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Introducing the University of Virginia | Northern Virginia: an always-on knowledge tap to feed your curiosity and fuel your ambitions. This is professional learning with UVA excellence. Explore programs you can’t find anywhere else — in-person, online, hybrid — and within our community. Professional learning that won’t put your life on pause. The power to make meaningful change in your industry.

IT’S CLOSER THAN YOU THINK.

CON TENTS

■ FEATURES

EDUCATION

54 Public Exodus

Northern Virginia is known for its excellent public schools. Why are so many families going private?

60 Lessons Learned

Educators share their favorite stories, revelations and life lessons from their years on the job.

68 College Bound

Which colleges and universities were most popular among this year’s graduating seniors? Here’s where the Class of 2023 applied and where they were accepted.

COMMUNITY

86 Dreamers Among Us

They came to the U.S. under duress, in search of a better life. Undocumented or not, they are proud to be American.

HOME

96 Brilliant Blue

A thoughtful renovation with bold color choices makes a family home in Bluemont much more functional—and fun.

ON THE COVER: Photo illustration / Adobe Stock

Nick Hanson, a music teacher at The Potomac School in McLean

The new home of community healthcare.

VHC Health’s Outpatient Pavilion is now open, making it easier for patients to access care. With multiple specialties, the Pavilion offers comprehensive services and will soon feature a dedicated women’s health center.

As our region’s preferred community health system, VHC Health is committed to providing personalized, expert healthcare for your entire family, close to home.

CON TENTS

■ DEPARTMENTS

12 Letter from the Publisher

14 Contributors

16 Around Town

The cooler season brings fall festivals, 5Ks, pet fetes, outdoor concerts and an artists’ studio tour.

24 Photo Gallery

Scenes from this year’s Best of Arlington bash at Mercedes-Benz of Arlington.

26 Big Picture

Fancy a pint? A beloved pub will soon be back in business.

28 Familiar Faces

When old-growth trees meet their end, chainsaw artist Andrew Mallon gives their stumps new life.

32 My Life

The terror and benediction of open mic night.

123 Great Spaces

This beautiful basement makeover was beautifully affordable—and now it’s a rental unit.

124 Prime Numbers

The area’s most expensive home sales, plus real-estate trends by ZIP code.

130 Restaurant Review

In Falls Church, a clever concept that’s both sophisticated and kid-approved has our dining critic singing its praises.

134 Home Plate

Discover a stunning new spot for modern Vietnamese fare, a spoonful of spice to jazz up your coffee, and a counter for all your street corn cravings.

150

136 Places to Eat

Consult our dining guide for bitesize write-ups on more than 250 area restaurants and bars near you.

148 Shop Local

Fill your home with easy-care greenery and decorate your wrist with vibe-y gemstone bracelets.

150 Driving Range

The Inn at Little Washington isn’t the only reason to make a food pilgrimage to Rappahannock County.

158 Get Away

Escape to a swanky new Charlottesville hotel, a lush B&B on Maryland’s Eastern Shore or an artsy wine trail in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

160 Back Story

A look back at Arlington’s hippie-era experiment in “free-form education.”

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTIONS

38 Women in Business

76 Private Schools

102 Home Experts

Eric is a seasoned nancial advisor and planner with over a decade of experience helping clients invest the right way. He also lives with his wife and daughter in Falls Church, and roots for Virginia Tech (his alma mater).

Give Eric a call today.

letter from the publisher

Going Private

“MY KID IS GETTING dumber by the day.” I bumped into a buddy of mine during the pandemic and asked how his family was holding up. He shared that one of his children was really struggling with distance learning and was regressing in his education. This was a common theme with parents at that time. My wife and I saw it in our house, too. Our three daughters would lie in bed in their pajamas, laptop cameras off, while teachers tried to engage them. It was a daily battle to get our girls to sit at their desks and at least attempt to go through the motions of learning.

Ultimately, my friend and his wife made the difficult decision to do what they felt was best for their child—leave public schools and pursue a private education. They weren’t alone. Our story “Public Exodus” by Tamara Lytle examines the increasing number of families who switched to private schools due to Covid. Lytle interviewed parents, public and private school officials, and local experts to paint a portrait of this trend.

For many families, private school isn’t an option. One group that faces a different set of educational hurdles is the so-called “dreamers”—undocumented immigrants who were brought to America as children. In “Dreamers Among Us,” Matt Mendelsohn looks briefly at our nation’s failed attempts at immigration reform and what that murky landscape has meant for students in our community who are not here legally but are seeking safety, an education and a better life.

Shifting topics, the My Life essay in this issue, “Open Mic” by Sharon North, really resonated

with me. North does a great job of articulating the fear, courage required and, ultimately, the joy (assuming things go well) of performing music in front of an audience. I’ve played guitar since I was 13, but for many years was reluctant to sing in front of people. About 10 years ago, my friend Rick and I started jamming and, after a bunch of drinks, I decided to sing along.

What I came to realize is that I’m not terrible at singing, and you don’t have to have a pitchperfect voice to perform. You just need a lot of practice and even more confidence. (Legends like Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Tom Petty don’t have beautiful singing voices, but they created amazing music.) Rick and I have been playing at local bars like Clare & Don’s Beach Shack and Ballston Local for the past several years. It’s fun and rewarding to see people respond to our songs. North writes: “I’m grateful my performance touched someone. It made a connection. That’s what music is all about.” I couldn’t agree more.

I hope you find our September/October Education issue to be informative, enjoyable and useful. And we love hearing from you. You can reach me at greg.hamilton@arlingtonmagazine.com. Please send letters to the editor to jenny.sullivan@arlington magazine.com. Thanks for reading Arlington Magazine! Have a great fall.

Greg Hamilton Publisher

Dr. Suzanne Jaffe Walters isn’t your average orthopedic surgeon — not even close. Harvard and Johns Hopkins-trained, Dr. Walters has been named a Top Doc by The Washingtonian, Arlington Magazine, Northern Virginia Magazine, and Bethesda Magazine, for her dedication to helping children and adults return to what they love doing. Her impressive credentials certainly garner praise, but it’s her compassion and commitment to her patients that truly make her one of the best in the country. Because what makes her feel like she’s winning the game is getting you back to yours.

MEMBER

WashingtonSportsInstitute.com

©2023 Aligned Orthopedic Partners

Matt Mendelsohn

HOMETOWNS: “I grew up in Old Bethpage, New York, 3 miles from where the lunar module was built at Grumman Aerospace. My father worked there as a research scientist for 30 years. I’ve lived in Arlington since 1998.”

IN THIS ISSUE: Wrote and photographed our story on dreamers who came to the U.S. as children.

PERSPECTIVE: “More than 80 of my relatives died in the Holocaust. They couldn’t leave; they had nowhere to go. Nobody wants refugees, borders are closed and governments can be dispassionate. History most definitely rhymes.”

FAVORITE TEACHER: “My college Faulkner professor, Robert Pindell. He once looked at a sea of sleepy students, slammed his book down and said, ‘My mama always told me never to teach anything you love—because your students won’t love it as much as you and it’ll break your heart.’ I think about that every day.”

FAVORITE SUBJECT: “Band. I played trumpet.”

BACK-TO-SCHOOL ADVICE: “If you have a college student like I do, resist the temptation to text too much. Let them have their life away from you. They need the space.”

ONLINE: mattmendelsohn.com

Stephanie Kanowitz

HOMETOWNS: “I’m from South Florida and now live in Fairfax. I previously lived in Arlington for eight years.”

IN THIS ISSUE: Interviewed local teachers for our “Lessons Learned” feature. “As the mother of a middle schooler and elementary schooler, I have a deep appreciation for the work teachers do.”

WORK LIFE: Kanowitz is Arlington Magazine’s digital editor. She also writes about cybersecurity, cloud innovations and artificial intelligence for the websites Route Fifty and GovLoop, and teaches cycling classes at George Mason University’s Fairfax campus.

FAVORITE TEACHER: “In 10th grade, I had Gwen DeShong for English. Because of her, I joined the staff of the high school newspaper, became its editor two years later, and eventually became a student reporter for the South Florida Sun Sentinel She attended my college graduation, my wedding and my daughter’s baby naming. I think of her often and how her belief in me led me on this career path.”

BACK-TO-SCHOOL ADVICE: “Every morning, when my kids leave for school, I say to them, ‘Have fun.’ That’s what I want school and learning to be for them— fun. There are so many natural stressors, especially at the start of a new school year. Beginning with a mindset of fun can go a long way.”

PUBLISHER & CO-FOUNDER

Greg Hamilton

EDITOR

Jenny Sullivan

ART DIRECTOR

Laura Goode

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Danny Ryan

DIGITAL EDITOR

Stephanie Kanowitz

WEB PRODUCER

Erin Roby

DINING CRITIC

David Hagedorn

COPY EDITORS

Sandy Fleishman, Barbara Ruben

CO-FOUNDER

Steve Hull

WRITERS

Christine Koubek Flynn, Wendy Kantor, Colleen Kennedy, Tamara Lytle, Nevin Martell, Matt Mendelsohn, Sharon North, Kim O’Connell, Jennifer Shapira

PHOTOGRAPHERS & ILLUSTRATORS

Ray Boc, Stephanie Bragg, Skip Brown, Carl Bruce, Scott Clark, Ronda Gregorio, Tony J. Lewis, Deb Lindsey, Marion Meakem, Matt Mendelsohn, Alexander Mostov, Nova Soul Imagery, Angela Newton Roy, Hilary Schwab, Joseph D. Tran, Michael Ventura, Dixie Vereen, Washington Talent

ADVERTISING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

Traci Ball, Kristin Murphy, Lori Reale

FINANCE & CIRCULATION COORDINATOR

Julie Rosenbaum

ARLINGTON MAGAZINE is published six times a year by Greenbrier Media LLC © 2023

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Letters to the Editor: We want to hear from you. Please email jenny.sullivan@arlingtonmagazine.com.

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AROUND TOWN

by Colleen Kennedy

WHAT’S THE BUZZ?

OCT. 20-22

Jesus Christ Superstar

The 50th anniversary touring production of the iconic Broadway musical comes to Tysons with a mesmerizing cast and a modern take on Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s groundbreaking rock opera. The biblical tale follows the last days of Jesus Christ and his complex relationships with Judas and Mary Magdalene, featuring some of the most unforgettable hits in musical theater history, such as “I Don’t Know How to Love Him” and “Superstar.” Doors open one hour before performances. See website for show times and ticket prices. Capital One Hall, 7750 Capital One Tower Road, Tysons, capitalonehall.com

PERFORMING ARTS

THROUGH SEPT. 17

The Bridges of Madison County Signature

Theatre

Based on the bestselling novel (made into a romantic drama starring Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood), this musical follows the love affair between Francesca, an Italian war bride living in rural Iowa, and Robert, the charismatic photographer who

reawakens her passion and creativity. See website for performance times. Tickets start at $40. 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington, sigtheatre.org

SEPT. 12-OCT. 22

King of the Yees

Signature Theatre

The D.C. premiere of this semiautobiographical meta-comedy finds playwright Laura Yee (Cambodian Rock Band) rehearsing a play about her father when he goes missing in San Francisco— at which point Yee embarks on an epic

quest in Chinatown to reunite with him. An ode to the bond between fathers and daughters, this heartfelt play also explores themes of community, belonging and identity. See website for performance times. Tickets start at $40. 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington, sigtheatre.org

SEPT. 28-OCT. 15

The Chosen

1st Stage

Adapted by Aaron Posner from Chaim Potok’s celebrated novel and directed by 1st Stage’s Alex Levy, this play follows

Jesus Christ Superstar comes to Capital One Hall.

two young Jewish boys in 1940s Brooklyn as they navigate the complexities of their friendship, families and religion. See website for show times and ticket prices. 1524 Spring Hill Road, Tysons, 1ststage.org

SEPT. 29-NOV. 5

The Tell-Tale Heart

Synetic Theater

Edgar Allan Poe’s nightmarish story of madness, murder and consuming guilt is reimagined in this haunting new Synetic production. See website for show times and ticket prices. 1800 S. Bell St., Arlington, synetictheater.org

OCT. 5-29

Monarch: A Mexican American Musical

Creative Cauldron

Written by playwright Mayu Molina Lehmann, with music and lyrics by Lehmann and Mexican composer Alfonso Molina, Monarch chronicles the journeys of dreamers and undocumented immigrants. After 20 years of living and working in the U.S., Luis is shadowed by ICE officer Castelo and seeks sanctuary in a local church, where he remembers his life in Mexico and his journey to the States. See website for performance times and ticket prices. 410 S. Maple Ave., Falls Church, creativecauldron.org

OCT. 6, 7:30 P.M.

Preacher Lawson

The Birchmere

Comedian and America’s Got Talent finalist

Preacher Lawson brings the laughs to the Birchmere stage. $39.50. 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria, birchmere.com

OCT. 24-JAN. 7

Ragtime

Signature Theatre

This epic, Tony Award-winning musical portrait of America at the turn of the 20th century interweaves the stories of three American families. The result is a musical tapestry exploring the roots of American popular music. See website for show times. Tickets start at $40. 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington, sigtheatre.org

ART

THROUGH SEPT. 29

Travelogue: A Solo Show

by James Edwards

Gallery Underground

SEPT. 23-24

Professional Bull Riders’ Challenger Series

For only the fifth time in its history, the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) is bucking back into town for the Challenger Series invitational, in which top bull riders square off against spirited bovines for eight exhilarating seconds. Whether you’re rooting for the rider or the bull, hold onto your 10-gallon hat, grab a cold one and enjoy the bumpy ride. The action begins at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 23, and 2 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 24. Tickets start at $16. EagleBank Arena, George Mason University, 4500 Patriot Circle, Fairfax, eaglebankarena.com

The local artist’s one-man show features small oil paintings on Masonite panels depicting scenes from his travels. An opening reception will be held Sept. 1 from 5-7 p.m. Free. 2100 Crystal Drive, Arlington, arlingtonartistsalliance.org

THROUGH OCT. 1

Luminous

Falls Church Arts

This all-media exhibit features art inspired by the word “luminous.” The show’s theme was selected by the gallery’s social media followers in a bracket-style elimination. Gallery hours: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday to Friday; 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Free. 700-B W. Broad St., Falls Church, fallschurcharts.org

SEPT. 8, 5-8 P.M.

Art After Hours

Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington Celebrate the opening of MoCA Arlington’s fall exhibitions, including solo shows by Andrew Barco, Elliot Doughtie, Judith Stone and MoCA resident artist Marissa Long. A group exhibition featuring local

and national artists will also debut on the ground floor. Meet the artists and enjoy food, drinks and music in the Tiffany Gallery. All shows run through Dec. 17 with the exception of Stone’s, which closes on Nov. 12. Free. 3550 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, mocaarlington.org

SEPT. 15-29

“Scenes in the City” Plein Air Art Festival

Falls Church Arts

Artists from around the region are invited to paint outdoor scenes in historic Falls Church City during this year’s “Scenes in the City” Plein Air Festival. Participants will set up their easels and paint outdoors in various locations around the Little City. fallschurcharts.org

SEPT. 23-24, 1-5 P.M.

Arlington Visual Art Studio Tour (AVAST)

More than 50 Arlington artists will open their studios to the public during this year’s countywide open house. Art lovers will find an accompanying exhibit

ROCK THIS RODEO

See bulls vs. riders on the GMU campus.

of works by AVAST artists at Gallery 3700 (3700 S. Four Mile Run Drive) from Sept. 8 to Dec. 8. Gallery 3700 will also host an opening reception for both the tour and the exhibit from 5-7 p.m. on Sept. 22. See website for participating artists and info about which studios will be open on each date. Free. arlingtonartstudiotour.org/the-tour

OCT. 2-27

The Pluviophile: A Solo Show by Barry Barnett Keith Gallery

Underground

The Alexandria native celebrates his late older sister, a lover of rain and rainy landscapes, in this solo show. Opening reception 5-7 p.m. on Oct. 6. Free. 2100 Crystal Drive, Arlington, arlington artistsalliance.org

OCT. 5, 3-7 P.M.

Arlington Art Walk

Discover Arlington’s vibrant arts scene with a self-guided stroll through local galleries, studios and cultural

spaces. Participating organizations include: ARC 3409 studios, Arlington Independent Media (AIM), the Arlington Art Truck, The Shop at Arlington Public Library, Cody Gallery, Made in Arlington Market at MoCA, Mason Exhibitions, MoCA Arlington, Northside Social Arlington, Fred Schnider Gallery and Whino. Find live music, light bites, wine tastings, a pop-up market and more at various stops. Free. arlingtoneconomicdevelopment. com/News-Resources/Events/ Arlington-Art-Walk

BOOKS AND AUTHORS

SEPT. 14, 7-8:30 P.M.

Honoring the Immigrant Experience in Arlington

Arlington Historical Society Educator, advocate and Bolivian immigrant

Emma Violand-Sánchez shares her personal story and insights about the Dream Project, an Arlington-based nonprofit that empowers students whose immigration status creates barriers to higher education. To attend via Zoom, register by Sept. 13. Free. 2807 N. Glebe Road, Arlington, arlingtonhistoricalsociety.org

SEPT. 21, 6:30-8 P.M.

Arlington Reads: Art Spiegelman

Arlington Central Library

Maus: A Survivor’s Tale is regarded as one of the most important graphic novels of all time. The Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir of the Holocaust, which depicts Jewish people as mice and Nazis as menacing cats, is widely used in social studies classrooms. Its author, artist Art Spiegelman, concludes the Arlington Reads series devoted to comics and graphic novels. RSVP for in-person or streaming options. Free. 1015 N. Quincy St., Arlington. library.arlingtonva.us/ arlington-reads

around town

MUSIC

SEPT. 9, 1-7 P.M.

Rosslyn Jazz Fest

Gateway Park

Ready for an afternoon of spectacular live tunes? New Orleans funk band Galactic headlines this year’s outdoor festival, accompanied by vocal powerhouse Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph. The all-day lineup also includes Cuban percussionist Pedrito Martinez, as well as local faves Oh He Dead and DuPont Brass. Free. 1300 Langston Blvd., Rosslyn, rosslynva.org

SEPT. 9, 8 P.M.

Robert Glasper

Wolf Trap

Five-time Grammy winner Robert Glasper, a founding member of the Kennedy Center’s Hip Hop Culture Council, celebrates the 50th anniversary of hiphop with special guests and surprise performances. Gates open at 6:30 p.m. $49. Filene Center, 1551 Trap Road, Vienna, wolftrap.org

SEPT. 14, 7:30 P.M.

Squeeze and The Psychedelic Furs

Wolf Trap

It’s a British invasion! New wave pioneers Squeeze (“Tempted”) and The Psychedelic Furs (“Pretty in Pink,” “Love My Way”) team up for a special evening of 1980s alt-pop favorites. Gates open at 6 p.m. $49. Filene Center, 1551 Trap Road, Vienna, wolftrap.org

SEPT. 16, 8 P.M.

Cherry Poppin Daddies

The State Theatre

Relive the swinging ’90s with ska and swing favorites. In recent years, the band has turned to the great American songbook for its newest old-fashioned sounds. Zoot suits not required, but riots may occur. Doors open at 7 p.m. $25. 220 N. Washington St., Falls Church, thestatetheatre.com

SEPT. 17, 7 P.M.

Becky G

Capital One Hall

The Latin and pop music sensation,

earner of four Latin Grammy nominations, brings her “Mi Casa, Tu Casa” tour to Tysons. In 2022, her second studio album, Esquemas, debuted at No. 1 on the Latin Pop Albums Chart and No. 5 on the Billboard Hot Latin Album. Tickets start at $39.99. 7750 Capital One Tower Road, Tysons, capitalonehall.com

SEPT. 22, 8:30 P.M.

Lez Zeppelin

The State Theatre

The audacious and skilled members of this all-woman band perform genderbending renditions of Zeppelin classics such as “Whole Lotta Love” and “Kashmir.” Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $27. 220 N. Washington St., Falls Church, thestatetheatre.com

SEPT. 29-30, 7:30 P.M.

The Whispers

The Birchmere

With a career spanning more than 50 years, including hits such as dance floor anthem “Rock Steady,” smooth disco track “The Beat Goes On,” and slow jam

“Lady,” The Whispers are pure R&B royalty. $95. 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria, birchmere.com

OCT. 7-8, 7:30 P.M.

The Bacon Brothers

The Birchmere

The Bacon Brothers (screen legend Kevin and brother Michael) bring their blend of folk, rock, soul and country to the Birchmere to plug their latest EP, Erato. Los Angeles singer-songwriter Cindy Alexander opens. $55. 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria, birchmere.com

OCT. 14, 6 P.M.

Pat McGee Band with John Popper of Blues Traveler

Capital One Hall

Formed in Richmond in the early 1990s, the Pat McGee Band has opened for Fleetwood Mac, James Taylor, The Wallflowers and Counting Crows, blending folksiness with jam-band improvisation and experimentation. The band is joined by powerhouse vocalist and harmonica virtuoso John Popper, the former frontman

of Blues Traveler, for this annual benefit concert in support of We Rock Cancer. Doors open at 6 p.m. with free skin cancer screenings in the atrium. Tickets start at $35. 7750 Capital One Tower Road, Tysons, capitalonehall.com

SEASONAL

SATURDAYS, 7 A.M.-1 P.M., THROUGH NOV. 4

Arlington Civitan Flea Market

Civitan Club of Arlington

Find more than 150 vendors selling books, clothes, furniture, tools, housewares, jewelry, toys and other treasures. Free. 4001 15th St. N. (garage next to W-L), Arlington, arlington-fleamarket.com

SEPT. 3 & OCT. 1, 11 A.M.-4 P.M. Makers Market

Westpost Plaza

Shop handmade wares by DMV crafters and enjoy live music, games and activities for all ages, plus tasty treats from local restaurants. Free. 1201 S. Joyce St., Arlington, westpostva.com

THIS FALL AT SIGNATURE

SEPT. 23, 10 A.M.-4 P.M.

Falls Church Festival and Taste of Falls Church

City Hall and Community Center

The 47th annual outdoor festival returns with a beer garden, live music, children’s entertainment and booths highlighting local artists, businesses and civic organizations, plus tasty bites from more than 15 local restaurants and food vendors. Admission is free. Tickets will be sold for food, beer and amusement rides. 300 Park Ave., Falls Church, fallschurchva.gov/500/Events

SEPT. 24, 8 A.M.

FCEF Run for the Schools 5K/1 Mile

Cherry Hill Park

Lace up for the 18th annual fundraiser in support of the Falls Church Education Foundation, which provides funds to enhance the educational experience of students in Falls Church City. Virtual race options available. $40 for participants 19 and older; $20 for 18 and under. 312 Park Ave., Falls Church, fcedf.org

4200 Campbell Avenue Arlington, VA 22206

whirwind comedy about fathers and daughters

The Tony Award-winning musical epic

■ around town

SEPT. 29-OCT. 13

Sunset Cinema

Cherry Hill Park

Pack a blanket and a picnic for a movie under the stars. Films will be shown on Friday nights at dusk from Sept. 29 to Oct. 13, with popcorn and snacks for sale. See website for movie selections. Free. 312 Park Ave., Falls Church, fallschurchva.gov/sunsetcinema

SEPT. 30, 1-5 P.M.

Paws on the Pike

Penrose Square

Bring your furry friend out on the town for pet blessings, a cool water bar and professional pet portraits during this annual four-legged festival. Chat up the pros—vets, sitters, groomers, trainers and more—and maybe help a lonely pet find a forever home. Local rescue groups will be onsite facilitating adoptions. Free. 2501 Ninth Road S., Arlington, columbia-pike.org

OCT. 6-8, 8:30 A.M.-12:30 P.M.

Army Ten-Miler

Pentagon

This year’s race begins at the Pentagon

and finishes near Crystal City. It’s preceded by a two-day expo where runners can pick up their race packets and members of the community can learn more about the U.S. Army. See website for details and registration. armytenmiler.com

OCT. 7, 8 A.M.

McLean 5K

Balducci’s Shopping Center

Run, walk or roll to support the McLean Community Foundation, which funds fire trucks, playgrounds, social services and other programs in McLean. The 15th annual fundraiser promises a race course developed for participants of all abilities. Registration begins at $35. mcleancenter. org/mclean-5k

OCT. 14

Homeward Trails Animal Rescue Chili Bingo

Lyon Park Community Center

Enjoy all-you-can-eat vegetarian chili (with all the fixins’), salads, desserts, bingo games and a silent auction to support

Homeward Trails’ animal rescue efforts. Bingo supplies, raffle tickets and beer and wine will be available for purchase. See website for details and ticket prices. 414 N. Fillmore St., Arlington, homewardtrails. org/chili-bingo

OCT. 15, 11 A.M.-4 P.M.

McLean Pet Fest

McLean Central Park

Celebrate your furry loved ones in purrfect style. This outdoor festival brings pet trick competitions, a grand pet parade and Fido’s Bone Bar, plus exhibitors sharing pet health and behavior tips, pet-related services and products. Free. 1468 Dolley Madison Blvd., McLean, mcleancenter.org/ special-events

Highlights

Thanks to our Gold Sponsors:

FOOD

Ballston Local Bar Ivy

Café Colline

Green Pig Bistro

Harvey’s

Lyon Hall

Parc de Ville

Ruthie’s All-Day

SER

Texas Jack’s Barbecue

The Salt Line

Wren

Toby’s Homemade

Ice Cream

Virginia Imports, Ltd. WINE

Aslin Beer Co. BEER

Phil Kominski

VENUE

Mercedes-Benz of Arlington

PARTY PLANNING

Sara Franklin, Social Scene Events

Washington Talent PHOTOGRAPHY

Irish Blessings

This is the time to be slow, Lie low to the wall

Until the bitter weather passes.

The Irish poet John O’Donohue has been living inside Dave Cahill’s head for the past year, ever since an out-ofcontrol car came crashing into Ireland’s Four Courts in August 2022—“6:42 p.m., Friday evening the 12th,” he remembers reflexively. In that moment, Cahill knew life would never be quite the same. “I was in the back when we just heard a massive explosion,” he told a local TV station.

More than a dozen were hurt that night. The resulting inferno, jet black

smoke rising into the air, could be seen for miles. Nine people went to the hospital, four with critical injuries. The driver, who police concluded had suffered a medical emergency, was not charged. But Four Courts was totaled. Its 44-foot bar? Charred. The fireplace? Burned up, along with pictures, signed sports jerseys, even the engraved pewter mugs belonging to regulars. “The handles just melted,” says Cahill, the pub’s managing partner. “Gone.”

Businesses don’t just spring back to life after a tragedy of this magnitude. Staff have to find new work. There are insurance claims to file and building

permits to obtain. Care for the injured and unemployed must be ensured.

And that doesn’t even cover lost revenue. To an Irish bar, missing not just one, but two World Cups—the men’s tourney last December and the women’s this summer—is financially devastating. That kind of windfall comes once every four years. “We’ve got a lot of supporters,” says Cahill, who grew up in County Limerick and still bears its sweet lilt. “It’s like a mini-St. Patrick’s Day, every day for a month. So look, we missed it.”

Since the accident, O’Donohue’s poem has stayed with him. “It’s given me great comfort,” he says. “The first

and photo by Matt Mendelsohn

two verses sum up the first six months.”

Try, as best you can, not to let

The wire brush of doubt

Scrape from your heart

All sense of yourself

And your hesitant light.

One year later, bartender Mary Reilly, from County Dublin, has turned the corner. Loud noises still make her jump, but “you have to move on,” she says. “Just stay as positive and busy as you can, which is what we’re doing.”

It’s June and the staff has gathered for a quick reunion—a team photo amid the rebuilding. The sound of drilling and hammering has replaced patrons cheering, pints in hand, but optimism is everywhere. “Just counting down the days until August,” Cahill says.

After the fire, support poured in. Other pubs across the DMV collected do-

nations, Cahill recalls, shaking his head in wonder. “We were humbled, not so much by the ‘what can I do to help?’ but rather the ‘I’m doing this to help you.’ ”

Samuel Beckett’s in Shirlington, Ireland’s Four Provinces in Falls Church and Kelly’s Irish Times in D.C. offered temporary employment to the staff, promising to give them back once Four Courts reopened. Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham and DC United supporters designed and sold scarves to raise money. Longtime regular Mike De Robbio started a GoFundMe the night of the fire. Within two weeks it had raised almost $100,000.

There’s something about an Irish bar, says employee Patrick Doody. “It’s not just a bar. It’s a neighborhood place to gather. People are so looking forward for us to get back.”

“Family,” Reilly chimes in. “Family.”

When Four Courts reopens (at press time it was aiming for late August), customers will see the same faces (“90% of the back-of-the-house staff are coming back,” Cahill says); the same food (Reilly wants a Reuben sandwich); the same Guinness flowing freely from the tap.

And while 44 feet of the beloved bar may have burned in the fire, the Department of Half-Full is here to tell you that some 20 feet of mantle behind the bar was saved. On it, Cahill plans to inscribe the final verse of that John O’Donohue poem he loves so much:

If you remain generous, Time will come good;

And you will find your feet

Again on fresh pastures of promise, Where the air will be kind And blushed with beginning. ■

Carving a Niche

When death comes for old-growth trees, Andrew Mallon gives their remnants new life.

JIM ROBERTS AND his wife, Marilyn, had done all they could to save the 100-year-old oak tree in their Ashton Heights yard, but it was at the end of its life span. They made a phone call, and soon their daughters’ childhood friend Andrew Mallon was on their doorstep, chainsaw in hand.

The purpose of Mallon’s visit wasn’t to cut up the felled tree. Rather, it was to transform what was left of it—a 14-foot stump at the corner of North Pershing Drive and North Monroe Street—into a piece of art.

Into the wood, Mallon carved a smiling sun facing east and a crescent moon facing west. He completed it in the fall of 2022, right around the time he became a chainsaw art contestant on the Discovery reality TV show A Cut Above

“It’s very inspirational,” Roberts, a retired attorney, says of the celestial totem that now accents his yard. Though he and his wife have lived in their home for 45 years, the design became a conversation piece that helped them get to know more of their neighbors. “People stop and we chat about it,” he says. “When Andrew was doing this sculpture, dozens of people would walk by and stop.”

Mallon, now 40, grew up in Ashton Heights, the second youngest of 10 children. His father worked for the federal government and his mother

familiar faces ■ by Wendy Kantor | photo by Skip Brown

Chainsaw artist Andrew Mallon

■ familiar faces

was a secretary at Randolph Elementary School. He was on the swim team with Roberts’ daughters.

In school, he struggled with dyslexia. He had a hard time sitting still, reading and writing. “It doesn’t come naturally to me. I’ve always had to work harder,” Mallon says. But he loved making things. “My parents brought home boxes and tape and scissors because I liked to create and build.”

In retrospect, he believes his learning differences had an upside. “I think it’s what makes me great at my job— like when somebody’s blind, they can hear better. When I can’t read the information...I break things down in my head in a different way than most people can. I find it to be a gift.”

After graduating from WashingtonLee High School (now Washington-Liberty), Mallon took carpentry classes at the Arlington Career Center and found work remodeling area homes. During

downtimes, while waiting for materials to be delivered to a job site, he started carving small sculptures out of pencils.

“You’re up in the rafters and you’re kinda stuck there,” he says. “I would pull my pencil out from behind my ear, and my utility knife out of my pouch and start whittling.” He carved everything from women’s faces to Santa Claus. Next, he bought a carving knife.

“I very quickly realized that I had the ability to create anything I wanted,” he says. “The problem was that I found chisels and gouges too slow and too small. I needed it to happen faster. I could see [the design] in my head.”

One day, he saw a chainsaw artist on TV and thought, I can do this. I could be a chainsaw artist. In June 2012, he traveled to Ridgway, Pennsylvania, and took a chainsaw carving class, learning how to carve bears and owls. “I went home and cashed in my change jar, and I bought my first chainsaw,” he says.

Before then, he had only used a chainsaw a few times to cut tree limbs.

“I treated it just like any other tool,” he explains. “I understand tools. Once you know the rules and safety of them, it’s just about stretching the limits of what you can do with it.”

By then, Mallon was living in Falls Church. Setting up shop on his porch, he carved a pelican and gave it to his mother. Then he carved a rooster. In February 2013, he returned to Ridgway to attend the annual Chainsaw Carvers Rendezvous.

“I was nervous as could be,” he says, recalling how he dutifully wore safety gear, even though no one else did. “I looked like the new guy. My chainsaws were still shiny. I embarrassed myself and started making a name for myself at the same time.”

Continuing to work part time, he took to carving on the weekends. His first commission, in 2014, was “a sim-

Robert Christie, MD, FACP

Feigert, MD

Keeran Sampat, MD Patricia Rodriguez, MD

Heintz, MD, FAAHPM

Isabelle Le, MD

ple bear hanging on a tree.” He went back and added a hawk and a fox for free. “It just bothered me so much that the top and bottom were blank.”

Now his art has become a full-time vocation. To date, he’s carved about 100 stump sculptures—roughly half of them in Arlington.

Mallon starts each project with 360 degrees of scaffolding around the tree stump, using a big saw to remove large chunks. Then he switches to a mediumsize saw to bring the forms to life. A handful of smaller saws come in handy for fine details, textures and patterns.

Though his tool kit does include small grinders and sanders, “90% of the work is done with a chainsaw,” he says. Once the carving is finished, he burnishes the wood with a blowtorch to dry it out before sanding and sealing it, and to create contrast in the design. “It’s all one tone and then when I burn it, it gives it a different tone.”

Most pieces take four to five days to complete and cost between $3,000 and $5,000.

There is whimsy in his work. At the corner of Lincoln and Fifth streets, he carved a two-headed dragon for a family with young kids, adding a saddle to the beast and bringing the tail around to create a bench where the kids could sit while waiting for the school bus.

Mallon met his wife, Kristin Oswald (a Yorktown High School alumna), on the dance floor at Clarendon Grill in 2011. They married in 2015 and later moved to Winchester, where they have two little girls, Lyra, 5, and Alana, 3.

After their eldest was born, Mallon carved a bear hugging a pine tree, painting the eyes blue to match his daughter’s. He followed up with a 3-foot-tall Sasquatch hugging an eagle. “Everything I carved that year was cute and snuggly,” he says. “[Par-

enthood] had an extreme impact on my work.”

Today, whenever he meets with a new client, he asks about their likes and dislikes. What gets them up in the morning? What would brighten their day when they look out the window?

For Arlington homeowner Michelle Krowl, a Civil War historian who curates Abraham Lincoln’s papers at the Library of Congress, the answer was America’s 16th president.

In March, Mallon sculpted a life-size statue of Lincoln outside Krowl’s home in Arlington Forest. She can see it from her dining room window.

“Andrew did such an amazing job,” she says. “I love that [he] was able to give [the tree] new life as a beautiful piece of art. It brings me joy every time I see it.” ■

Wendy Kantor is a writer based in Northern Virginia. To see more of Andrew Mallon’s work, visit amsculptures.com.

Open Mic

One night in Arlington, I conquered my fear and stepped into the spotlight.

I am practicing for an open mic night. Although I am 62, I feel like a middle school student before their first band concert, going over a difficult section they’ve never gotten quite right.

Performance is like that. You spend hours alone, perfecting notes and words, thinking, I wish someone could

hear this! Then, suddenly, the big night’s upon you, and the panicked voice in your head screams: Yikes! Everyone’s gonna hear me when I choke!

I’ve told a few friends, and my husband, Charlie, but it’s a Wednesday night on short notice, so no one has committed to coming.

Everyone else I love is far away, or dead. If I dwell on this too long, I feel a loneliness in my heart—a hard, narrow stone lodged right down the center that crowds the love I want to put into my music.

I breathe deeply, visualizing my mother and the biological father I never knew, looking down on me from the place of peace I hope they’ve moved on to. I feel the comfort and support of their spirits.

I’ve decided to do two songs: “Why Walk When You Can Fly,” by Mary Chapin Carpenter and the Nanci Griffith version of “From a Distance.” Both were suggested by my friend, Tom, the open mic host and my accompanist.

my life ■ by Sharon North | photo by Michael Ventura

Arlington writer and musician Sharon North

The adage that “99% of success in life is showing up” echoes in my brain. No matter what, I will not chicken out. I won’t let Tom down. Usually his band, The Bad Manors III, plays, but the other two members are out of town. I don’t want to let myself down either.

Memory carries me back to other rehearsals and performances. Age 12— practicing gymnastics in the basement alone. Age 16—doing breathing exercises in my room with the door shut before a church solo, wanting to audition for the high school musical. Each time, I want to shout at my mom and adoptive father: Smile and listen to me! Hug me. Say you know I can do it!

Then I’m back to freshman year of college. I’m thinking about auditioning for the collegiate chorale, but I know I won’t. Not without extra voice lessons and coaching. And I know my parents will never agree to pay for that. They’ll say, “We can’t afford it. We’re already

paying everything we have to send you away to school.” And my meager waitress paychecks are going for books.

They don’t know how much I yearn for their support because I don’t feel safe asking for it. Instead, I exude a practiced fake confidence to comfort them, to show them I am all right.

I am the good girl. I am the “easier child to raise,” as my mother told me all my life. It seems that is the role I was born to play.

I arrive at the venue, a neighborhood pub in Arlington called Meridian Pint. Tom is rushing around, setting up sound equipment. The performance space opened up late, so we have no time to rehearse. I text Charlie to tell him we’re starting later than scheduled. Before I hit “send,” I see his car pull into the parking lot.

I am the only person signed up to perform. There are three occupied tables. With Charlie, there are four.

At a table directly in front of the small stage are two couples a little older than me. The women are seated facing the stage as they eat and talk. The men, presumably their husbands, sit across from them. One of the women is wearing a fuchsia sweater. Her bright eyes peep out from a frame of silvery, chin-length hair and crinkle when she smiles. As Tom steps up to the microphone, the men rearrange their chairs to face him, too.

I take a few swallows from my glass of Pinot Grigio and fiddle with my sheet music as Tom introduces himself with easy confidence and welcomes the tiny gathering.

I repeat lyrics in my head, praying I won’t flub them up too badly, breathing deeply to relax my gut. Charlie orders food and sits next to me, watching, as Tom plays an opening set that includes “Wagon Wheel” and “City of New Orleans.”

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Endless Possibilities

A gaggle of little girls runs in from the outdoor seating area, past our table and into the restroom. Their giggling is still audible, and their father comes in to shush them.

The show goes on. Then, after a very short break, Tom says, “So, now it’s time to open up the mic. There’s plenty of space on the sign-up sheet if anyone wants to give it a try! Meanwhile, Sharon’s here to start us off.”

I am up. I adjust the light I brought for my music stand. My aging eyes can’t see without it. My hand is sweaty as I pull the microphone out of the stand, gripping it like a lifeline.

Tom raises his eyebrows. “You ready?” My head nods. And we’re off. Once a performance starts, there’s no going back.

Except, this time, there is. Tom forgot to capo his guitar neck, so he’s playing in a key much too low for my voice. Panic begins to build in my chest. I cup my hand over the mic. “Whoa, that’s not going to work!”

After a quick apology, with the capo clamped on, we begin again. Less than 10 minutes later, I’m done.

Sitting down, I feel a gentle arm enfold my shoulders in a hug. It’s the woman in the fuchsia sweater. “I just want to thank you,” she says. “I loved your songs. I can tell we share the same values.”

She holds onto me as I turn to thank her. The warmth of her smile and the kindness of that embrace go straight to my heart. The hug buoys me through the busy days that follow.

I’m grateful my performance touched someone. It made a connection. That’s what music is all about. And the hard, cold stone of loneliness has disappeared. ■

Sharon North sings in a folk group and is studying acoustic guitar. A foreign service family member for 24 years, she is writing a memoir about her experiences living and raising children overseas.

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Women in Business Profiles

Dr. Manisha Grover

CLARENDON DENTAL ARTS

To help patients achieve optimum overall health as well as dental health, we study each patient’s oral biome for a comprehensive picture that includes nutrition, health challenges, breathing patterns and alignment—everything that can impact oral and systemic health. We also offer cosmetic dental treatments, including porcelain veneers, whitening, Invisalign and implants.

2700 Clarendon Blvd., Suite R480 Arlington, VA 22201 703-525-5901

www.clarendondentalarts.com

Q: How have you mentored or inspired others who are following in your footsteps?

A: As a women-owned business, we are surrounded by like-minded women who can create mentorship opportunities for others beginning their careers, a critical step in building strong, confident female leaders. We encourage our team’s personal and professional development, helping them become better dental care providers and the best people they can be. Our values foster self-worth through education, relationshipbuilding, individualized patient care and community outreach.

Q: What advice would you offer for women just starting out?

A: Believe in your dreams and pursue them with passion!

Q: What are your top priorities?

A: It is important to me to keep myself

and my team educated in the latest technology, education and treatments. Rather than treating patients reactively, addressing issues only as they arise, we stay at the forefront of the latest tools and techniques, using today’s scientific advances to provide conservative and proactive treatment options.

Q: What do you look forward to when you go to work every day?

A: Helping my patients become healthier, more confident individuals by creating beautiful smiles built on a holistic, solid foundation that will last a lifetime.

Q: What do you love most about doing business in this area?

A: I love our urban location within a vibrant community that is highly educated.

Patients appreciate the ease of access our location provides.

Mullett Dove & Bradley Family Law, PLLC

JENNIFER MULLETT, LAURA DOVE AND JENNIFER BRADLEY

Awards/Honors: Best Lawyers™; Washingtonian Top Lawyers; Super Lawyers™; MartindaleHubbell Client Champion; U.S. New and World Report Best Law Firms; Northern Virginia Top Lawyers; Arlington Magazine Top Attorneys; Virginia Business Legal Elite

Three Ballston Plaza

100 N. Glebe Road, Suite 1100 Arlington, VA 22201

703-522-8100

www.mdbfamilylaw.com

Q: How do you measure success?

A: Our goal is to help our clients resolve their disputes in a way that leaves them as whole as possible and in a position to successfully move on to the next chapter in their lives. We take an individualized approach to every case, and we measure our success by client satisfaction. We ensure clients are fully informed throughout the process, explain all of their options, explore realistic solutions and pursue the best approach to meet their goals.

Q: What’s changed for women in business during your career?

A: In our experience, clients are increasingly seeking women attorneys for various reasons. Men frequently find that having a female attorney handle their divorce provides them with better

insight into their spouse’s position in negotiations. Women often find that we’re more sensitive to their needs and better able to relate to their interests when going through the divorce process.

Q: What was a major turning point in your career?

A: Before founding our firm in 2012, the lawyers of MDB worked for one of the best family law attorneys in the country—Betty A. Thompson. She was the first female president of multiple local, state and national legal organizations. She helped write Virginia’s existing divorce laws and built a reputation as the “queen” of divorce. When she passed away, we felt compelled to continue her legacy by adhering to the highest ethical standards, maintaining the most advanced knowledge of the law, and serving our clients and community to the best of our ability.

Tutoring Club of McLean

MICHELLE SCOTT, OWNER AND DIRECTOR

KATHERINE CARROLL, ENROLLMENT DIRECTOR

Consistently voted best in its category by Arlington, Northern Virginia and Washington Family Magazine readers, Tutoring Club of McLean provides individualized academic assistance to students of all ages and abilities. “From early learning to college preparation, we are a dedicated and trusted partner for every step of the journey,” says Club Owner Michelle Scott.

6228 Old Dominion Drive , McLean, VA 22101

703-237-TUTOR (8886)

McLeanVA@TutoringClub.com

www.tutoringclub.com/mcleanva

Q: How do you measure success?

A: Michelle Scott: It’s all about the students. And success means something different for everyone. Progress is success. When a student aces their first math test, substantially raises their SAT score or when parents tell us they’re no longer arguing with their kids over homework, these are all wins. Our students’ confidence blossoms with every such milestone, letting us know that the work we love so much is truly changing lives. It’s a priceless feeling!

Q: Why do you do what you do? What motivates and inspires you?

A: Katherine Carroll: Growing up, I didn’t think I was very smart because I was “bad at math,” but, studying education in college, I realized I actually loved math. I just had never been taught in a way that worked best

for me. Therefore, I relate to many of our students and am passionate about helping them and their parents navigate learning and educational needs and goals. Teaching is not one-size-fits-all. We tailor instruction to meet each student’s needs. Nothing compares to witnessing their confidence flourish when their “aha moments” click.

Q: What’s an example of a time you helped a client you’re particularly proud of?

A: Michelle Scott: Just one?! One of my favorites is when a couple brought in their son, who was struggling in math. He hated it, and it dramatically impacted his selfesteem. He worked so hard with our tutors and, within months, was getting A’s and loving math. I remember how ecstatic his parents were when he said he wanted to be an engineer!

MICHAEL VENTURA

Mary Leary

PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, MATHER

Mary’s 30+ years of experience in senior living, hospitality and health care guide Mather in expanding its leadership presence in senior living, community-based programs and research. She was named one of the International Council on Active Aging’s Top 5 Wellness CEOs in North America (2022) for her dedication to fostering thriving wellness cultures.

The Mather 7929 Westpark Drive, Tysons, VA 22102 703-348-8522 | www.themathertysons.com

Q: What are your top priorities?

A: My top priorities are to help change people’s perceptions of aging, try new things and innovate. Mather is changing the image and narrative regarding senior living communities and the people who live and work within them, helping people recognize that senior living offers one of the best options for aging well. As such, we continue to identify and implement NextraordinaryTM communities, programs and services that enable people to live healthy and engaged lives. There are endless possibilities!

Q: Why do you do what you do? What motivates and inspires you?

A: Walt Disney once said, “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible,” and that inspires me! Mather serves as an innovation incubator for “next practices,” with wellness at the heart of all we do—our mission is to create Ways to Age WellSM. I’m motivated by building consensus to achieve richer strategies; treating others with compassion, respect and fairness; seeking to eliminate impossibilities through creativity, tenacity and resilience; and striving to improve, enhance and transform.

A: What do you love most about doing business in this area?

A: The dynamic energy and diverse cultures foster creative collaboration and unique ideas. We have incorporated this energy into our new community, The Mather in Tysons, through interior design with an international flair, unique artwork and sculptures from diverse artists and amenity space names celebrating various cultures. I also love Tysons’ “hipsturbia” vibe, where people can live and work in the heart of a vibrant, multigenerational urban location.

Donna Hamaker

REALTOR® BUCK & ASSOCIATES

2519 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA 22201

www.donnahamaker.com

donna@BuckRealtors.com

703-582-7779

Certified Residential Specialist (CRS), Certified International Property Specialist (CIPS), Accredited Buyer’s Representative (ABR), Certified Real Estate Negotiator (CREN), NVAR Lifetime Top Producer, Certified Digital Marketing Expert (e-PRO®)

Q: What advice would you give to women starting out in business?

A: One simple yet powerful piece of advice I can offer is to build a supportive network. Surround yourself with accomplished women who strive for excellence in their fields. Seek their mentorship, learn from them and emulate them. You’ll receive invaluable guidance and motivation.

I also encourage anyone starting out to get involved in the community. Your involvement in local organizations and businesses will foster connections and open doors to new opportunities. And no matter what obstacles you encounter, stick with it! Your expertise, dedication and perseverance will inspire other women to pursue their passions, overcome obstacles and achieve success. By following these simple tips, women can thrive in any business they choose to pursue.

Q: What is success in business?

A: For me, success is earning the trust and confidence of clients. Whether it’s navigating complex transactions, providing strategic advice about selling or purchasing a home, or making investment decisions, I leverage my experience to help individuals achieve their goals and dreams and do whatever I can to make a positive impact in their lives.

Q: What fuels your passion in real estate?

A: It’s the opportunity to connect with people from all walks of life. I gain insights and inspiration from nearly everyone I meet and am continually expanding my expertise. Being able to learn from a diverse group of clients and look at challenges from different perspectives is vital for problemsolving and immensely rewarding.

Arlington Law Group

MARISSA N. WHITAKER

BRIDGET A. ALZHEIMER, ESQ.

PATRICE N. LEMMER, ESQ.

ANNA S. GOLDBERG

Arlington Law Group’s attorneys are licensed in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia, and they specialize in estate planning, probate and trust administration, guardianship and conservatorship, business law, contract law, commercial leasing, and commercial and residential real estate transactions. Contact us or visit our website to schedule your initial consultation.

1739 Clarendon Blvd., Arlington, VA 22209 703-842-3025 | clients@arlingtonlawgroup.com www.arlingtonlawgroup.com

Q: How can Arlington Law Group help my family if I become incapacitated or die?

A: We regularly receive calls from clients with concerns like: “Mom has dementia and we need to sell her house,” or “Dad passed away and we need help transferring his assets.” In each situation, we meet with our clients to review documents and determine the best course of action. If the family member did not do any planning, we can help with guardianship, conservatorship and probate through the courts. Or, if they had a financial power of attorney, trust, will, or transfer-on-death deed, we advise our clients on how to fulfill their roles as agent, executor, trustee or beneficiary. We can help with complex court filings and coordinate even the most basic logistics of changing locks, sorting through

tangible property and preparing real estate for sale.

Q: What is Arlington Law Group’s approach to estate and trust administration?

A: Dealing with the death or incapacity of a loved one is a challenging and emotional situation. Our experienced attorneys and staff have the necessary knowledge of fiduciary laws, taxes and court procedure. We bring compassion and strong communication skills, offering clear and concise guidance to our clients while acknowledging the significance of these major life events. Our clients feel a huge sense of relief after their initial meeting, as they are better able to understand their legal, financial and tax obligations. As a trusted partner, we support our clients through each step of the estate and trust administration process.

C. Dolan & Associates

CHRISTINE DOLAN, MBA

703-868-8664

cdolanfinancial.com

christine@cdolanfinancial.com

Q: What woman influenced you most in your career?

A: My mother was a trailblazer. She was an entrepreneur when women were not allowed to be business owners. She taught me that you can do anything you want if you set your mind to it, that if you’re always learning and striving to be the best you can be, success will follow.

Q: What do you look forward to when you go to work every day?

A: My clients are like family. I love hearing their stories. And I love helping them navigate and manage their finances—bills, taxes, paperwork, budgets and expenses—to restore their peace of mind. I also enjoy mentoring other daily money managers in their business. It’s important to pass on the lessons you’ve learned to help others succeed.

Susan Caudle

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING

HARDWOOD ARTISANS

2800 S. Randolph St., Suite 120 Arlington, VA 22206 703-379-7299

www.hardwoodartisans.com

Q: What advice would you offer women just starting out?

A: Be professional and always strive for excellence— perfection is unattainable. Be someone people can trust. Keep your word and follow through on what you say you’ll do.

Q: Why do you do what you do? What motivates and inspires you?

A: There’s a feeling of pride that comes from a job well done. Doing the work for which I have otherworldly enthusiasm is motivating. Being in an occupation that I believe is my destiny is humbling. Finding the people and things that light the fire inside of me is inspiring. Life’s circumstances have a way of forcing you down certain paths. Choose the path that adds value to your life and to others and there you’ll find success.

HILARY SCHWAB

Chevy Chase Trust

Chevy Chase Trust is an independent, privately-owned investment management firm and think tank specializing in global thematic research, portfolio management, financial and estate planning, and fiduciary services. The firm is a thought leader and performance leader in global thematic investing.

7501 Wisconsin Ave., Suite 1500W

Bethesda, MD 20814

240-497-5000

8201 Greensboro Drive, Suite 450 McLean, VA 22102

571-622-1200

www.ChevyChaseTrust.com

Q: What has changed for women in financial management/investing and how is that reflected at Chevy Chase Trust (CCT)?

A: The percentage of women in the financial sector has grown exponentially over the past few decades to nearly 50 percent. Still, women only hold 15 percent of executive roles. But CCT is a firm that values women— as clients, employees and leaders. With more women in the workforce than ever, many seek advice from professionals who can best understand first-hand their investment needs and broader goals. At CCT, women comprise 54 percent of the overall staff and 65 percent of the senior management team, reinforcing that women bring value to the table.

Q: What sets Chevy Chase Trust apart from the competition?

A: Our global thematic approach to investing is our greatest differentiator. Thematic

investing involves capitalizing on powerful secular trends, disruptive ideas, innovations and economic forces constantly reshaping our world. We build portfolios of individual companies positioned to exploit these transformational changes, and, just as importantly, avoid companies that will be disrupted by creative destruction. Additionally, all new client relationships start with a financial plan that informs the investment strategy and asset allocation recommendations for each unique relationship. There is no one-size-fits-all offering; every step of the process is personalized.

Q: What qualities should a successful person in your industry possess?

A: In addition to extensive knowledge and experience, the best financial professionals actively listen to their clients, are innovative problem solvers—always prepared for the unexpected—and are honest.

From left: Lynn M. Panagos, Chief Client Services and Operations Officer; Ramona Mockoviak, Senior Managing Director, Wealth Advisor and Relationship Manager; Anneke H. Niemira, Director, Senior Wealth Planner; Colleen Lussier, CTFA, Vice President, Senior Trust Officer

Susan Hand

REALTOR®, COMPASS

Susan Hand is a distinguished top 1% real estate producer nationwide, with over 25 years of industry experience and millions in annual sales. Before returning to real estate and working in the D.C. market, Susan was vice president of her mother’s successful jewelry company, working with highprofile government officials and leaders across various industries.

3001 Washington Blvd., Suite 400 Arlington, VA 22201 703-608-5056 www.susanhand.com

Q: What woman inspires you and why?

A: My mother. She is an incredible woman who taught me so much about being a businesswoman and showed me how far passion, determination, resilience and an unwavering belief in yourself can take you. With no prior business experience, she started her own company after raising five children, growing her passion for making jewelry into a very successful enterprise. From humble beginnings making jewelry in her downstairs laundry room, she’s earned a reputation as the “Nation’s Jeweler”—her collection of patriotic jewelry has been worn by such esteemed clientele as current and former first ladies, presidents, speakers of the house and many more.

Q: How do you measure success?

A: Happy clients. The best part of being a Realtor is the smile on people’s faces when my knowledge and expert guidance has helped them achieve their real estate goals. The longevity and success of my business reflect the trusting relationships I’ve cultivated with clients over the years. I wouldn’t be here without their trust and respect for me and my work.

Q: What do you look forward to when you go to work every day?

A: As a people person, I get so much energy and life from engaging with my clients, listening to their needs, sharing my advice and delivering on their dreams. I also enjoy keeping up with the market. My colleagues are the most collaborative people I’ve worked with, and we are constantly sharing information and discussing the latest real estate trends to ensure we give our clients an edge.

LISA HELFERT

Anna Sidor, DMD

OWNER, PRESTIGE DENTAL SPECIALISTS

Prestige Dental Specialists offers a unique collaboration between two dental specialties—endodontics and periodontics— focused on providing root canal care, fullmouth rehabilitation with dental implants, regenerative procedures using PRF to save natural dentition and therapeutic botox. Using state-of-the-art technology, they deliver excellence in personalized patient care.

7617 Little River Turnpike, Suite 910

Annandale, VA 22003

703-462-9092

www.prestigedentalspecialists.com

Q: What woman inspires you and why?

A: My mother. She taught me to aim high and work hard to reach my goals. An immigrant woman who modeled dedication with love and kindness. Growing up in Poland, I was exposed to the inspiring stories of women who fought for women’s rights— Poland was among the first European countries to grant women the right to vote. These experiences played a pivotal role in shaping the strong woman I am today.

Q: Why do you do what you do? What motivates and inspires?

A: I pursued a career where I could make a difference in people’s lives. Endodontics allows me to offer life-changing pain relief and cure infections, helping my patients achieve optimal oral health. There is no better feeling than knowing I’ve improved someone’s quality of life. My incredible

team serves as a constant source of inspiration, pushing me to improve. I take great pride in collaborating with such talented women; they drive my motivation each morning.

Q: What’s the best advice you’ve received?

A: To rely on my instincts and advocate for myself, which is essential in life. I am committed to educating my patients and empowering them to advocate for themselves as well.

Q: What qualities do you think a successful dentist should have?

A: The most successful dental practices value patient autonomy. Delivering quality patient care requires a foundation of education and empathy. But the key to longevity and success is a collaborative team committed to putting patients’ needs first.

Left: Anna Sidor, DMD; Right: Asmi Shah, DDS; Back row: Prestige Dental team members

Northern Virginia Orthodontics

DR. ELVI BARCOMA, DR. DANIELLE ROBB AND DR. JESSICA ITANI

2200 Clarendon Blvd., Suite R140, Arlington, VA 22201 703-327-1718 | www.nvorthodontics.com

Q: What’s the best advice you’ve received?

A: Dr. Jessica Itani: Regret is way more painful than failure. This advice led me to aim high, stay ambitious, pursue my goals and maintain a growth mindset, knowing that every failure is an opportunity to learn, grow and improve.

Q: How do you measure success?

A: Dr. Elvi Barcoma: Happiness. If I’ve done or achieved something that has made my life or other people’s lives happier, I consider that a success.

Q: What advice would you offer for women just starting out?

A: Dr. Danielle Robb: Never stop learning. Stay hungry and keep an open mind. So many exciting innovations are on the horizon in all areas of business and technology. Staying on the cutting edge will help you grow personally and professionally.

Suzanne Eblen

OWNER, THE OLD LUCKETTS STORE

42350 Lucketts Road Leesburg, VA 20178 703-779-0268

Luckettstore@gmail.com

www.luckettstore.com

Q: Why do you do what you do? What motivates and inspires you?

A: Born out of my extreme love for finding unique, interesting and unusual stuff, connecting with all kinds of people and creating a cool environment, in 1996, we turned an abandoned old general store and post office built in the 1800s into a Vintage Hip store. I love the dichotomy of looking like some random, funky stand off the highway while exceeding everyone’s expectations when they stop in. Even as a kid, I was always compelled by old items; they have so much personality. I love that everything you find in our store is a spokesperson for its era. We’re also a majority women-run business that is very much a family, and our support for each other resonates with our customers.

DONNA OWENS

JESSICA MONTE

Campbell Wealth Management

KIM CAMPBELL, CFO

DENISE RAMSEY, COO

MEGHAN LUSK, CFP®, DIRECTOR OF WEALTH MANAGEMENT

Campbell Wealth works exclusively with individuals 55 and older, near or in retirement. Through premium service, the firm aims to build, manage and preserve clients’ wealth, striving to enhance their quality of life. In 2022, Campbell Wealth ranked No. 10 in Virginia in Barron’s «Top 1200 Advisors.»

330 John Carlyle St., Suite 400, Alexandria, VA 22314 703-535-5300 | info@campbellwealth.com www.campbellwealth.com

Back

Q: How do you measure success?

A: Denise Ramsey: People think a financial advisor’s role is to handle money and work to generate returns. While that is what we do, our real priority is to walk through life’s milestones with our clients, understand what’s important to them and help them get there. That’s success for us.

Q: Why do you do what you do? What motivates and inspires you?

A: Meghan Lusk: It is incredibly gratifying to help people understand the value of having a financial plan and preparing themselves and their families for the future. A key part of our job is breaking things down so people can better understand their situation, overall picture and not feel overwhelmed by their finances.

Kim Campbell: I love building a community— of our clients and team. I’m always thinking of ways to bring people together.

Q: How have you mentored or inspired others who are following in your footsteps?

A: Campbell: I hope to have impacted the younger women who have worked for me by demonstrating that it is possible to juggle a demanding job and a personal life. I don’t sugarcoat the challenges, but I provide realistic expectations.

Q: What qualities do you think a successful wealth manager should have?

A: Ramsey: Being a good listener is essential and understanding that each client has unique needs. A successful wealth manager is extremely attentive, offering personalized solutions and building lifelong client relationships.

Lusk: Compassion is paramount to creating the space for intimate conversations that lead to planning opportunities and more meaningful relationships.

row: Z. Jera , F. Fang, F. Porter, M. Lusk, L. Bucchammolla; Front row: G. Doerr, K. Campbell, D. Ramsey, P. Piggott

Helen Saks

FOUNDER AND CEO, STRIKING MEDIA

I’ve lived in England and France and there are positives everywhere, but the Arlington business community has been especially warm and helpful. I have found people here really want to lift each other up. Arlington is a very welcoming place for entrepreneurs.

703-364-9909

helen.saks@strikingmedia.com www.strikingmedia.com

Q: What was a major turning point in your career?

A: Getting a break at BBC Television Center in London was a huge opportunity. I started in the comedy department. On my first day, being in the elevator with Mr. Bean and getting a BBC email address were huge highlights! I worked in many different genres including on Britain’s biggest daily morning show, “This Morning,” covering news and human interest segments. This is where I learned the art of storytelling. I am always amazed and humbled by people’s courage in sharing their stories on camera.

Q: What do you look forward to when you go to work every day?

A: Every production day is different whether we are in the studio or on

location. We have a rich database of locations and experience securing filming permits. We can go big with multi-camera setups, lighting rigs and teleprompters, or we can go small and intimate for a more one-on-one feel. I believe that there are magical stories in everyone, and I strive to tell these stories with empathy and impact for my corporate and nonprofit clients alike.

Q: How have you mentored or inspired others?

A: I work to create gateways of opportunity for the next generation. I was lucky to get my break, so I like to pay it forward. I believe my two daughters also are impacted by my role. They’ve shared their pride in “mum being an entrepreneur” and this makes me immeasurably proud.

Viktoriya Palamarchuk

REGIONAL DIRECTOR OF WASHINGTON, D.C.

RUSSIAN SCHOOL OF MATHEMATICS

Seven years after opening its first Virginia location, the Russian School of Math has expanded to six centers serving 3,000 students in kindergarten through high school across the region. Through its mission to build powerful minds through mathematics, its award-winning afterschool program empowers students to achieve excellence.

3330 N. Washington Blvd., Suite 100

Arlington, VA 22201

202-996-8844

Arlington.VA@MathSchool.com

www.MathSchool.com

Q: Why do you do what you do? What motivates and inspires you?

A: I joined the Russian School of Mathematics (RSM) 13 years ago as a parent and was amazed by what I discovered about this curated approach to learning and overall mental development. Soon after, I became a teacher and worked up the ladder to Regional Director of Washington, D.C. This is common in our community. All our teachers send their kids and grandkids to our centers, proving their trust in our educational approach and positive impact on our students. At RSM, we believe math is the foundation for strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills. And we teach it in a way that builds intellect and character.

Q: What do you love most about doing business in this area?

A: Arlington is such a wonderful

community with a rich history and cultural diversity. Not only is it perennially recognized among Niche’s “Best Cities to Live in America,” but it’s also one of the most educated—a 2019 report named Arlington the most educated midsize city in the nation, lending itself to many families who value quality learning and education. With increasing demand for an Arlington location from families commuting to our other centers across the DMV, we are very excited to open our new Arlington location this fall.

Q: What is one thing people should know about RSM?

A: To us, there’s no such thing as a “math person” or “not a math person.” Our skilled teachers have an impressive track record of making students love—and excel at—math.

Dr. Rishita Jaju, DMD

PEDIATRIC DENTIST, SMILE WONDERS

11790 Sunrise Valley Drive, Suite 105, Reston, VA 20191 571-350-3663 | info@smilewonders.com www.smilewonders.com

Q: As a woman, what do you bring to pediatric dentistry?

A: I bring a mother’s perspective, which allows me to work with children in a way that is both natural and effective. I share the challenges of my fellow NOVA moms and offer tips for infant and toddler feeding, brushing, flossing, and oral health that are extremely successful.

Q: What is important for people to know about your practice?

A: We are the area’s most trusted pediatric laser dentistry practice. We enjoy referrals from patients, pediatricians, lactation consultants and other specialists that represent their most complex medical cases, including infants with feeding difficulties due to lip or tongue ties. Our team of highly trained professionals is hand-picked for excellent service and the best long-term outcomes!

Debran McClean

REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONAL, TTR SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY

2300 Clarendon Blvd., Suite 200, Arlington, VA 22201 202-494-8202 | Dmcclean@ttrsir.com debranmcclean.sothebysrealty.com

Q: What has changed for women in business over your career?

A: When I first started my real estate career in 1999, I was in my late 20s and the average age of a Realtor was 55. Real estate was something women pursued later in life and as supplemental income. But over the past 20 years, I have noticed more business-minded, entrepreneurial women jump into real estate at a younger age. Real estate is such an exciting and rewarding career.

Q: What brings you the most satisfaction in your work?

A: Helping people meet their real estate dreams in a seamless and stress-free way. Real estate is more of an art than a science. I love using my creativity to provide strategic, outside-the-box solutions to achieve the best results for my clients.

COURTESY PHOTO

DONNA OWENS

Evelyn Powers

FOUNDER, DESIGN POWERS

Evelyn Powers founded Design Powers, Inc. in 1996 to help professional services businesses establish and elevate their brands, attract and retain clients, and increase revenue.

All clients are treated like family because the Design Powers team is family—Evelyn’s niece, Emily, and daughter, Vanessa, joined the company in 2018 and 2022, respectively.

For a limited-time offer, visit: designpowers.com/arlington-magazine

Q: What qualities should a successful person working in website/graphic design and digital marketing have?

A: It’s essential to be collaborative, curious and empathetic. Ask the tough questions, delve deeper into topics and discuss money (a challenge for many women). Be honest when you need help and stand up for yourself when you’re not receiving the respect, outcomes or compensation you deserve. Staying at the forefront of current trends and best practices is crucial, as is avoiding the temptation to chase after every new and shiny idea. Success requires practice, patience, perseverance and a bit of luck. Above all, have confidence in your abilities.

Q: What changes or innovations are on the horizon in your industry? How are you preparing for them?

A: AI is the latest innovation but this is

where my experience has value. No matter the innovation du jour, a savvy business incorporates and pivots as makes sense. I started as a print designer. The internet made print design and the printing industry subordinate to the web. It took 15 years to happen. We’re staying vigilant and educated on AI’s abilities, but AI can’t replace our humanity; the fundamental need to trust and validate.

Q: How have you mentored or inspired others who are following in your footsteps?

A: Mentoring is important—I’ve employed interns for 15 years. An essential part of mentoring is giving direction and structure while providing opportunities to strategize and develop solutions, cultivating in my mentees the confidence to seek new challenges and take calculated risks.

Public Exodus

BY TAMARA LYTLE | ILLUSTRATIONS BY ALEXANDER MOSTOV

Erin and Matt Hart moved their family to Arlington for the great public schools. But when the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020, they saw the system’s shortcomings right outside their front door.

“At 1 o’clock every day, there were 25 to 30 kids at the basketball hoop in front of our house,” Erin Hart says. At that point, Arlington Public Schools (APS) was offering asynchronous study and not much else. “It’s like everything stopped. Four months of learning no new material. How can that be?”

Inside the house, their son, Will, then a ninth-grader at Yorktown High, wouldn’t even get out of bed to do his virtual learning. Daughter Emmy, a seventh-grader at Swanson Middle School, worked from the basement alongside her mother, a video event producer.

“I could see the decline in her,” Hart says. “As the months went on, she was slumped in her chair, [or] lying on the couch during the school day and losing her focus.”

By the fall of 2020, APS was offer-

ing synchronous classes with teachers on video, but even then, some lessons were pre-taped, so kids couldn’t ask questions as they followed along. “I felt like Arlington threw their hands up in the air and said, ‘Nothing we can do,’ ” Hart says. “It was frustrating.”

Prior to the pandemic, the Harts had considered moving Will to The Potomac School, a private school in McLean, but ruled it out because of the steep price tag. (For families that don’t qualify for financial aid, the annual tuition is about $48,000, according to Potomac’s website.) Watching him languish during months of remote learning changed their minds. They tightened their belts, put off replacing an old car and made the switch.

Emmy maintained straight A’s through the worst of Covid and returned to the classroom at Swanson in the spring of 2021, but she “bombed” a high school placement test for math. The following fall, she left APS and started ninth grade at Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington, where smaller classes and

close teacher involvement helped her re-engage.

“I think [APS] failed a lot of people, not just us,” Hart says. Other families had it even worse, she adds—especially those who lacked the resources to deal with glitchy school iPads and internet connectivity problems.

Today, Emmy is a rising junior at O’Connell and Will is headed to his freshman year at James Madison University. “We moved to Arlington County because of the school system,” Hart says. “We never in a million years thought we would do the private school thing.”

Mary Killay Lavayen, a consultant with Independent School Options in Alexandria, says she is seeing many families who previously never would have considered private schools suddenly in the market. “I’ve been doing this for 15 years,” says Lavayen, a matchmaker of sorts for families looking at private or boarding schools. “Since Covid, we absolutely saw a major influx of families in public wanting to go into private.”

Why are so many families leaving public schools and going private? For some, Covid was a tipping point.

ALL SCHOOLS WERE thrown for a loop when the pandemic shut down the country in March 2020. But private schools quickly shifted to online instruction while public schools adapted more slowly.

When the fall of 2020 rolled around and public schools were still getting their bearings with distance learning, word got out that some private schools in the DMV were already masking up and fully (or at least partially) returning to campus. Many had the advantage of open space—in some cases, acres of land with sprawling outdoor areas—and smaller class sizes, which made them better equipped for social distancing, compared with packed public-school classrooms.

Lisa Stengle, executive director of planning and evaluation at APS, estimates that about 1,000 students left APS during the pandemic to attend private schools.

The Potomac School, which offers K-12 instruction to 1,069 students, saw an immediate uptick in interest during Covid, says John Kowalik, head of school. Applications for the 2021-22

school year shot up by more than 15% over the previous year. Potomac’s attrition rate, which once hovered around 3-4%, is now below 2%. Its yield rate (the percentage of accepted students who end up attending) has increased from 79% to 86%.

Kowalik says Covid isolation took a toll on students. “A lot of families were looking for a personalized approach where each child could be known,” he says. At Potomac, class sizes are capped at 15 to 17 students, whereas

APS classes may have as many as 24 students per teacher.

Even before Covid, the promise of smaller classes was prompting some families—the ones that could afford it—to cough up anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000 annually for private school tuition. (One parent joked that the tuition payments were like driving a Lexus off a cliff every year.)

Rachel Nadjarian remembers feeling frustrated by the speed-round of parent-teacher conferences at APS. The meetings were so brief, she says, that they left no time to get to the root of her daughter Nairi’s learning differences.

“I was always fighting to get attention for her,” says the Arlington mom. “I didn’t feel the public school could be [our] partner in raising a confident, purposeful, self-advocating learner.” In 2018, Nairi left Williamsburg Middle School for The Sycamore School in Arlington, where she’s now a rising senior.

“The reality of public schools—it’s not the teacher’s fault—is if you have [that many] students, you pay attention to the squeaky wheels [or the highly engaged ones],” says Karyn Ewart, Sycamore’s head of school. “The other kids you kind of don’t have time to interact with.”

A former school psychologist, Ewart founded Sycamore in 2017 as an alternative for students who need help with

Sycamore School students take regular “movement breaks” outdoors. The school is within walking distance of multiple parks.

The Potomac School in McLean

POTOMAC SCHOOL; MARION MEAKEM (SYCAMORE STUDENTS)

socio-emotional skills as well as academics. Tucked inside an office building in Rosslyn, Sycamore has a 1:6 teacher-to-student ratio, and just 70 students in grades 5 through 12. The school’s mastery-based learning model is heavy on projects and allows kids to move at their own pace.

Ewart says many students come from APS, where something wasn’t working for them, such as academic or social struggles, bullying or just feeling invisible. Some have learning differences like ADHD, high-functioning autism or anxiety.

“[Our country] had a lot of problems with kids with anxiety before Covid,” she says, “but now it’s skyrocketed. Parents are realizing their kids are not okay.”

AT CONGRESSIONAL SCHOOL in Falls Church, classes are capped at 20 students, with two teachers per class. Situated on a leafy, 40-acre campus near Lake Barcroft, the independent K-8 school allocates even more teachers for younger grades, says Gretchen Herbst, director of enrollment management and financial aid.

As inquiries flooded in during the

worst of the pandemic, Herbst says the school increased capacity and welcomed an additional 20 to 30 students. Many families that had intended to return to public schools ended up staying. “We were a little worried about what attrition would be like,” Herbst says. “Were they just looking for a quick fix? [But] we haven’t lost them.”

Today the school continues to hear from parents whose kids fell behind during Covid and still haven’t caught up. “It’s almost like they’re hitting a low [point], Herbst says, and concluding, “We can’t ignore this anymore.”

For students who already struggled with socialization, the pandemic made things worse. Distance learning left them isolated. They forgot social norms and how to act around other people.

Some of that social relearning led to disciplinary problems in school—another concern for parents kicking the tires on the private school option.

Since 2020, Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria has noted growing interest, not just because of its academics and smaller classes, but also because it bans cellphones during class and offers a faith-based environment, says Kathleen McNutt, head of school.

For students who are easily distracted, she says, the relatively lower rate of behavioral disruptions is a huge benefit. Less drama helps them stay focused.

“On the social and emotional wellness side, parents were seeking environments where they knew there was going to be structure and rules in place,” McNutt says. “They weren’t getting that where they were coming from.”

This fall, Bishop Ireton’s enrollment will increase from 860 to 925 students. The private Catholic school has seen 13% growth in the past two years, and 20% over four years. For the first time since the early 2000s, it has a waitlist for students in all grades. McNutt says roughly 20-25% of new students come from public schools.

Other faith-based schools are reporting the same trend. The Catholic Archdiocese of Arlington, which oversees 41 parochial schools in Northern Virginia, saw a 9% jump in enrollment between the academic years starting in fall 2020 and 2022.

Oriana MacGregor, head of development, enrollment and marketing at Saint Ann Catholic School in Arlington, remembers being inundated with requests for tours in the fall of 2022. More than half of the families who visited wanted to move their kids out of public schools, she says.

“Academics are great in Arlington, anywhere you go,” MacGregor says. “But they’re looking for more strength of community and an education that focuses on the spiritual, emotional and academic welfare of the students.”

A Congressional School project prompts students to explore the creek on campus.

“We moved to Arlington for the school system. We never in a million years thought we would do the private school thing.”

Catholic schools are a bargain compared with many other private institutions in the area. At Saint Ann, the annual tuition is $8,545 for Catholic students ($13,530 for students of other faiths), with discounts for families enrolling more than one child.

Like most private schools, it also offers financial aid to qualifying applicants.

FOR HEATHER WISHART-SMITH, the begging began on Saturday mornings. That’s when her son, who has learning differences, would start pleading not to have to go to his public school on Monday. And this was well before Covid turned up the dial on kids’ stress levels nationwide.

In 2017, Wishart-Smith’s son transferred to the McLean School in Potomac, Maryland, which specializes in providing instruction to students with learning differences such as dyslexia, anxiety, ADHD and organizational challenges. The tuition was “a fortune,” says the Arlington mom, but the setting provided the support he needed. “It gave him a future we never thought possible,” she says. “It was transformative.” This year, he’ll enter

his sophomore year at a larger private high school in the area.

Wishart-Smith’s daughter Glory, who struggles with anxiety, also left APS. She now attends Sycamore, where she has benefited from broader academic choices, smaller classes and extra help with math. The fact that the school’s curriculum is not built around a traditional grading system or standardized testing has helped Glory to thrive. In public school, standardized testing was a major source of anxiety.

Wishart-Smith doesn’t fault public school teachers for the issues that prompted her to send two of her three kids to private school. Many teachers were already stretched thin when Covid threw the educational system into chaos. Some became burned out and left the public schools system.

Wishart-Smith now works as a substitute teacher for APS a few days a month to help ease the current teacher shortage. But she has no regrets about the decisions she made for her family. “The irony is, we moved to Arlington for the public schools,” she says, repeating a common refrain, “and it didn’t work out for our two older kids.”

APS planner Stengle points out that public schools need to be geared to help all types of students. APS has dedicated math coaches, reading specialists, teachers for gifted students and other support staff. Kids with learning differences may qualify for special accomodations through Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or 504 plans. “Our schools are really generously resourced with teachers,” she says.

But even the best public schools can’t compete with private schools on

“Families with more money have more opportunities. Public education has to serve everyone.”

The McLean School in Potomac, Maryland

class size and student-teacher ratios. Public school resources are limited compared with private schools, even in affluent communities like Arlington.

“Families with more money have more opportunities,” Stengle says plainly. “Public education has to serve everyone.”

AT THE START OF the pandemic, Victoria Lion Monroe had two kids at Yorktown—a school that is currently ranked No. 14 on U.S. News & World Report ’s list of the top public high schools in the state of Virginia.

Her son stayed and finished out his senior year there (he graduated in 2021), but daughter Linden, who had been diagnosed with ADHD the year before and had a 504 plan, lost her footing with the shift to remote learning.

“She was not retaining information. She was struggling to complete assignments. The ability to be distracted and not pay attention was easier when it was virtual,” says Monroe, a business development and marketing consultant.

Linden applied to several private schools and chose Holy Child in Potomac, Maryland, where an adviser overseeing a group of just 11 girls checked in with her daily, and the school’s learning center kept her accountable through twice-weekly meetings. That structure helped her excel, her mom says, even in the face of a more rigorous curriculum.

“She had a much more personalized experience than she would have had in the Arlington system,” Monroe says. “Because of the smaller numbers—just 75 in her graduating class— it allowed more engagement across the student body and with teachers and administrators.”

Linden is now a sophomore engineering major at the University of Mississippi.

IT’S HARD TO PARSE out exactly how many students transferred from public schools to private (or vice versa) during and after the pandemic. Student popu-

lations are forever in flux, affected by changing demographics such as birth rates that ebb and flow.

Arlington’s sizable share of military and foreign service families also has an impact on school enrollment. Five years ago, Ashlawn Elementary received a sudden influx of 49 students just before the first day of school when diplomats were evacuated from an unstable North African country. China’s early Covid lockdown brought a batch of State Department families back home.

APS’ student population peaked at 28,000 students in 2019, Stengle says— a 42% increase compared with a decade earlier. Enrollment dipped to 26,000 during Covid, and by the fall of 2022 had rebounded.

But even with that rebound, Arlington’s post-pandemic public school population ended up lower than expected. At the start of 2021, APS released a three-year projection report anticipating 30,166 students in the fall of 2022. Actual 2022 enrollment was 27,455.

The school system’s previous enroll-

ment projection of 30,467 students for the 2023-24 school year has since been revised to a more modest 28,165.

To some extent, the lower enrollment numbers may be reflective of a generational decline in school-age kids—a demographic trend Stengle says is giving APS some breathing room to modernize its 43 schools via capital improvement plans. But for families that already opted to move their children to private school, those pipeline projects are in the rear-view mirror.

Rachel Nadjarian still remembers the day her daughter, Nairi, came home from a tour of Sycamore ebullient, declaring, “I decide how I get to learn!” Today, Nairi is a rising senior, having recently completed an immersion experience in France.

“She has blossomed,” Nadjarian says. “If she can master self-directed learning, she can do anything.” ■

Tamara Lytle is a frequent Arlington Magazine contributor covering education, economic development and other community issues.

INTERVIEWS BY STEPHANIE KANOWITZ | PHOTOS BY SKIP BROWN

Stephanie Lin

INVESTIGATION STATION

SCIENCE LAB TEACHER

Arlington Science Focus Elementary School, Arlington

Years teaching: 14

A California native, Lin holds a bachelor’s degree in hospitality from Cornell University and a master’s in education from George Washington University. She joined Arlington Science Focus as a second-grade teacher in 2009 and became the Investigation Station science lab teacher in 2012. In 2020, the Northern Virginia PTA named her Outstanding Educator of the Year.

I used to want to own or manage a restaurant. Then I got to school and there were so many interesting classes, but I wasn’t passionate about any of them. Reflecting on my past jobs, I re-

alized I was happiest when I was working with kids.

It’s important for students to construct their own understanding. I don’t give them the answer right away. They need to figure it out because that’s how their understanding will be deeper.

Investigation Station is a science lab serving kindergartners through fifthgraders. One of the activities when we’re learning about energy transformations is building an art robot. They’re given a set amount of materials, along with a motor and a battery, and they have to use those things to get their robots to draw something on paper. It’s probably one of the toughest engineering challenges I give students. There’s a lot of problemsolving. When their robots finally start to draw, they are so excited.

I form connections with students through clubs, too. I coach an afterschool Lego robotics team of fourthand fifth-graders, helping them prepare for a tournament. It’s important to build a sense of community, because for them to do well, they have to trust and learn more about each other.

I also am in charge of Aquarium Club, where third-graders come and feed our fish. From February through May, our Underwater Grasses Club grows underwater grasses, which we then plant in the waterway at Mason Neck State Park.

Not every student is going to become a scientist or engineer, but I want to make sure they are given the chance to develop that genuine love for learning.

Seasoned educators share their favorite takeaways from years on the job.

Badara “Papa” Dia

INSTRUCTIONAL TEACHER AND SOCCER COACH (BOYS AND GIRLS)

Kenmore Middle School, Arlington Years teaching: 21

Dia grew up in Mali and came to the U.S. in 2001, at age 19, to play professional soccer. While training and learning English, he began volunteering at Barcroft Elementary School and earned an associate degree in education from Northern Virginia Community College. In addition to working at Kenmore, he also coached varsity girls’ soccer at Wakefield High School from 2009-2015.

Growing up, I was always the one teaching people. I would have a board in front of me trying to tell my siblings how to do things. I became a coach for the group of kids I was playing soccer with. I’ve always wanted to understand

anyone that I’ve met. I figure that’s the best humanity. In order to get along with people, you have to understand people first.

I’m a very disciplinary person, but I do it through love and care. Everybody who walks into my classroom has to say good morning. If you don’t, I make you go out and come back and say it. When you leave my classroom, you’ve got to make sure there’s nothing on top of the desk. Education isn’t limited to adding and subtracting or reading and science. You have to teach manners, how to address other people. Kids think you’re strict, but at the same time, they love you because they begin to understand you care.

I use the same approach with Papadia United Soccer Heroes (PUSH), the

nonprofit I started in 1994 to sponsor a youth soccer club for boys and girls in Bamako, Mali. The club includes players ages 7 to 17. I started with 14 kids. Now we have 317 kids and 14 coaches that I pay out of my salary every month. The name reflects what I aim to do: I will push kids to stay off the streets, I will push kids to stay in school, I will push kids to see the benefit of life, I will push kids to do their best.

Everything comes through education. There’s nothing in this life that you do without going through education. We don’t go to school to take all those subjects because we want to become something in all those subjects. We go to school to find what suits us, what we envision in life.

Eric Duchaj

SOCIAL STUDIES, HISTORY AND HYBRID CLASSROOM (HY-C) TEACHER

Meridian High School, Falls Church Years teaching: 14

Duchaj grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona, and attended Northern Michigan University as a football recruit. He taught for seven years at Lackey High School in Indian Head, Maryland, before joining the staff at Meridian. He also serves as vice president of The Children’s School, a nonprofit established by APS employees as an inclusive early childhood program.

I’m a hybrid classroom (HY-C) teacher. HY-C allows students to complete coursework online with teacher support, accessing assignments in person or virtually. I teach world history, government, U.S. history, economics, personal finance, P.E. and health.

The HY-C courses I teach are, to some extent, individually tailored to kids’ specific needs. We have kids who are struggling in a typical classroom and can benefit from one-on-one instruction. We also have students who are going full IB diploma and need to fulfill certain course requirements online. Each student has unique goals. I like that I have all those different angles.

In a typical classroom, I teach world history and African American history. I don’t like to lecture. I’m not very good at it, and I don’t think anybody learns a lot when I’m lecturing. I do a lot of group work, circulate the room, talk with the kids. I like to let them make arguments and see where they’re coming from.

I connect best with students by being genuine. I get to know them over time by teaching and interacting with them. If the class is too much about you as a teacher, you’re going to burn out. You’re trying to find ways to be cool, when really they just want authenticity.

Third grade is when students begin to go to that place where exploration means self-discovery. They own what they’re learning by posing questions and making attachments to real-world situations. They switch seats from being a passenger to the driver of their learning.

I want to make connections with all my students. I am intentional in learning at least three things about each child. We hold daily morning meetings to promote a sense of classroom culture, but also to provide a sense of belonging within the building. Students get in the habit of sharing how and what they celebrate. They talk about how they spend time with their families on weekends and holidays. As a result, we all learn about one another’s interests, hobbies and pastimes.

When students share things that say, “This is who I am,” you can bet I’m going to follow up. Usually I will have them explain or bring something in, such as an artifact, family memorabilia or, at times, a guest speaker—something to make them feel that school is an extension of who they are.

Social-emotional connections are critical, especially since Covid. Each morning, we sit down and declare what kind of day we will have. We use words like strong, capable, loved, smart and resilient to describe who we are and to set the intention for the day.

I’m part of a mentoring group called Youth Experiencing Success (YES), an initiative of APS. I work with other teachers to learn about the challenges our students face and set up opportunities for them to be successful. We’re promoting participation through volunteering; basically promoting character.

I live to hear three words: I get it That’s what makes me know that I’m doing the right thing in the right moment in the right place for the right group of young people.

Deitra Brady-Pulliam

THIRD-GRADE TEACHER  Hoffman-Boston Elementary School, Arlington Years teaching: 20

A native of New Rochelle, N.Y., Brady-Pulliam has taught pre-K through college. She began her career in New York City Public Schools before joining Oak Ridge Elementary in 2002 and Hoffman-Boston in 2006. She is the 2023 Arlington Public Schools Teacher of the Year.

Nick Hanson

MUSIC TEACHER

The Potomac School, McLean Years teaching: 19

An Iowa native, Hanson earned a bachelor’s in music with a concentration in handbells from Concordia University in Irvine, California, where he taught the instrument for two years as an adjunct professor. In 2006, he joined Potomac’s music department, growing the handbell program to include 139 students in grades 5 through 12. He was one of two teachers to receive the school’s 2022 Bill Cook Award for Excellent Teaching.

A lot of handbell jobs fall into a church or religious category. When Potomac’s former handbell teacher suggested I apply for the job, it was one of those leap-of-faith moments where I knew what I wanted to do.

The handbell is a percussion instru-

ment. With this age group, I incorporate more pop music rather than folk tunes or religious songs. At one endof-year assembly, seventh- and eighthgraders did an arrangement of Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep.” I heard the audience’s reaction, and that was the moment I recognized the students were feeling it. I’ve kept the tradition of performing pop songs in place ever since.

Our students don’t take the instruments home, so during Covid Zoom classes, we had to adapt. Handbells is a team effort, and all of a sudden they weren’t in the same room together. I had students finding pingpong paddles, water bottles, flashlights, lint rollers—things they could just have in their hand. I would put on a metronome and observe motion, beats and

how kids were working together. Muscle memory is key to what we do with this instrument. When they came back into the classroom and held bells, we were able to take off with the notes and pitches, and the rhythms took care of themselves.

I believe the arts are key to the mental health of our kids, and that mental health is a serious problem in the U.S. What’s made it so much harder is social media—the access to instant gratification or the feeling that you need to be present in those moments all the time.

I wish all students could have something creative as part of their high school career. It would allow their academic side to be turned down a little bit, so they could be free to let things out in a creative way.

Hope Lambert

THEATER TEACHER

H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program, Arlington

Years teaching: 29

Lambert attended the National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts in Georgetown and earned a bachelor’s degree from George Mason University. She is a co-founder of Arlington’s Educational Theatre Co., where she taught for 25 years before joining H-B in 2019. This year she was one of four Northern Virginia educators to receive a Wolf Trap Grant for High School Performing Arts Teachers.

I started teaching to earn supplemental income between acting jobs, but it turned out to be what I really enjoyed. Every student, environment and community offers a range of experiences. The teaching part of that journey has always made it pretty clear that I’m in the right profession.

A typical workday includes rehearsing plays with high school classes and

devising short scenes to be performed with my middle school classes. My tech theater classes are always working in support of the student-directed theater we have at H-B. They build and design for those shows.

I’m interested in helping students build leadership skills and the ability to communicate under pressure. Every theatrical experience brings a little bit of pressure and anxiety. How do you move through that?

My first year at H-B was the year we were sent home for the pandemic. We’re still recovering from that. Mental health has seemed, at times, very urgent, but to draw students out you don’t have to do too much. In my experience,

they’re willing to share what they’re interested in. It’s just being available and open to hearing it.

Each spring, 12 to 15 students propose plays of varying lengths that they’d like to direct the following year. Last year, we did The Lightning Thief . We had never done a full-length musical in our black box theater. We didn’t know how that would go, but we had this great production. A high school senior directed it. Hopefully she’ll carry that memory and the sense of accomplishment with her for the rest of her life. ■

Stephanie Kanowitz is the digital editor for Arlington Magazine, a freelance writer and a mom filled with gratitude for teachers.

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COLLEGE BOUND

Where Arlington high school graduates applied to college and where they were accepted

The following is a list of the colleges and universities where Arlington Public Schools (APS) high school graduates (Class of 2023) applied and where they were accepted. Data are provided for H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program, Wakefield High School, Washington-Liberty High School and Yorktown High School, as well as the Arlington Career Center (ACC), whose full-time programs include Arlington Tech, the Academic Academy, the Program for

Employment Preparedness and the English Language Institute. Given that the acceptance information was “self-reported” by the graduates, school officials stress that they cannot verify its accuracy. The data reflect completed applications only. For brevity’s sake, we limited the list to colleges and universities with at least five applicants from the combined high schools. As of press time, data for Northern Virginia Community College was unavailable.

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Dreamers

AMONG US

They came under duress in search of

STORY AND PHOTOS BY MATT MENDELSOHN

Christmas was just around the corner in 2015 when Bryan Viera stood in the morning sun, gazing at a hole in a wall along the Texas border. He was 15. His journey had begun 27 days earlier in El Salvador, but somewhere around Chihuahua, in Mexico, he’d gotten separated from his stepmother and stepbrother. “They were gonna check people with identities, and the smugglers split everyone up into different cars,” he remembers.

Now he was biding his time in a border town near El Paso with a group of equally desperate strangers. “They kept us there for like an hour, just hiding,” he says. “It was

like 5:30 in the morning.”

As he prepared to make a run for it, the others—believing one could simply declare political asylum by setting foot on American soil—told him he needed to get 1,000 feet inside the border. They advised the teen not to run away from the border agent in the distance, but rather toward him.

“I would be sent to my dad, because I was underage and on my own,” Viera says. “If I had been over the age of 18 they would’ve deported me.”

As the darkness turned to light, a cry went out among the assembled: Run, run, run!!

“And so we ran.”

a better life. Undocumented or not, they are proud to be American.

Bryan Viera, a Marymount University graduate, came to the U.S. alone at age 15.

TWENTY-TWO YEARS have passed since U.S. Senators Orrin Hatch and Dick Durbin sponsored the Dream Act, legislation that would have allowed immigrants arriving in this country as children to apply for conditional—and ultimately permanent—residency in the United States. The rationale of the bipartisan bill was simple enough: Children who came here through no fault of their own should be treated compassionately by a country built upon the contributions of immigrants.

But the Dream Act languished, unpassed, for years, until 2012, when it was replaced with an executive order by then Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano during the Obama administration. DACA—Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals—was intended as a stopgap to preserve the protections outlined in the stalemated Dream Act.

In June, DACA hit the 11-year mark with no permanent solution in sight. Terminated during the Trump administration and revived, to a degree, by the

Biden administration, the program has become a poster child for kick-the-candown-the-road congressional inaction. Some states have endeavored to protect it, while others have moved in the opposite direction.

To qualify for DACA, applicants had to have arrived in the U.S. prior to their 16th birthday and lived here continuously since mid-June of 2007. Immigrants lucky enough to have DACA status can maintain it by filing for renewal every two years.

The irony is that a system designed to protect evokes fear for many when the time comes to hit the “enter” key. Will this year’s renewal somehow trigger an inquiry by immigration authorities? How protected is protected? Which form might trip you up this time around—driver’s license, college application, financial aid, a visit to the free clinic? What about a traffic stop? What’s the difference between, say, the word “resident” (an immigration status) and “residence” (your current ad-

dress) to someone for whom English is not a first language?

Of course, many of the first 800,000 DACA recipients are now well into adulthood. And immigration—legal or not— didn’t just grind to a halt once newcomers ceased to qualify for DACA. There’s an entire generation of undocumented arrivals for whom the notion of status protection is, well, a foreign thought. They’re all described as “dreamers,” and many have made Northern Virginia their home.

MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY in Arlington is on a bit of a roll. It’s nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report for the first time in its 73-year history, and two of its sports teams (men’s soccer and women’s volleyball) won first-ever Division III conference championships in 2022. But if you ask President Irma Becerra to prioritize the Catholic university’s recent accomplishments, she’s just as proud to point to the school’s 2020 designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution—the first such institution of higher learning in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Marymount University president Irma Becerra (center) on Capitol Hill with students Karla Mercado Dorado (left) and Andrea Anaya-Sandoval

“ICE came to our house once around 4 in the morning. They knocked for like half an hour, obviously waiting.”

To receive the title, a school must have a student body that is at least 25% Hispanic. With that, Becerra says, comes a higher calling toward serving DACA and undocumented students.

“It is both a faith imperative and a moral imperative,” Becerra says, estimating that between 1-2% of Marymount’s student body of 4,000 is undocumented. “We are called to be cognizant of what it is like to be an immigrant and to attend to immigrants. Pope Francis has called all of us to pay attention to the pain that is going on around the world.”

While some colleges and universities have tried to remain neutral on the issue of undocumented students, Marymount has been out front, issuing press releases highlighting its programs for dreamers. It touts the academic accomplishments of students like Karla Mercado Dorado, who came to the U.S. from Bolivia at age 2 and is a Campus Compact 2023-24 Newman Civic Fellowship recipient. The award provides leadership development, networking opportunities and scholarship assistance to students creating positive social change in their communities.

“Marymount told me from the start that it would be a supportive environment for me to continue my education as an undocumented individual,” Dorado, a rising senior majoring in biochemistry, said in a press announcement. “I have committed to uplifting marginalized voices on campus and building safe spaces for underrepresented students.”

Becerra, who came to the U.S. as an infant, can relate. “I am an immigrant,” she says proudly. Though her family emigrated legally from Cuba in 1960, the stories of other families similarly uprooted still resonate.

“We recognize the pain that is associated with having to leave your place of birth and start over again,” she says. “It’s not by choice we left our country. Fidel [Castro] wanted to take our assets, and

the way that he took assets for the revolution was by killing people who had means. Many people leaving their countries today are escaping violence, war, poverty. I think we have a responsibility as citizens [to help]. The United States is a country made of immigrants.”

AFTER SPRINTING ACROSS the border into Texas, Bryan Viera was sent to live with his father in Reston, where they shared a house with extended family. “It was overwhelming,” he says. “Honestly, I didn’t even recognize my dad that much. I hadn’t seen him since I was 5.”

Viera’s introduction to South Lakes High School, with its 2,500 students, was daunting—but not as daunting as the years after Donald Trump was elected in 2016, when DACA applications were suspended and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were mobilized in full force.

“ICE came to our house once and knocked on our door around 4 in the morning,” Viera says. “They knocked

for like half an hour, obviously waiting. Without a warrant they couldn’t go in, but they knew there were undocumented people in there.”

Tensions were high back then. “Everyone was scared of keeping the doors open,” he remembers. “We always had the doors locked. If we had to go out at night, we were very cautious, looking around the house, making sure there was nobody out there. There were checkpoints in Reston, too. Once we were coming from a party in Arlington and somebody told us, ‘Hey, make sure you don’t take this road. There’s an ICE checkpoint there.’ It was a super scary situation.”

“Illegal alien” is a term that still stings.

“I mean, it just sounds like I’m not a person,” he says. “It sounds like I’m not one of you. I understand the illegal part. Yeah—I don’t have legal documentation here. But to be called an alien? Am I from Mars?”

With his high school graduation approaching in 2019, Viera began looking into avenues for financial aid. “I wanted

Protesters call for immigration reform at a 2013 rally in Washington, D.C.

■ dreamers among us

to go to college,” he says. “People knew about scholarships that didn’t require citizenship or legal documentation.”

A South Lakes teacher who believed in his potential decided to call Marymount University on his behalf. “She asked if there was a possibility of me getting a little bit more financial aid,” he says. As it turned out, Marymount had a program designed for students like him.

Then came another crisis. Viera’s family situation fractured, and he found himself needing a place to live.

Again, his teacher came to the rescue, this time with a proposal: He could stay with her, rent-free, while he earned his degree. “If I dropped out, I would have to move out. That was the deal,” he says. “If it wasn’t for her, I would’ve been homeless. I would not have gone to school.”

Now 22, Viera has a degree from Marymount and is gainfully employed in IT. We’re sitting at Northside Social in Clarendon amid a smattering of other digital denizens on laptops.

“I came here for prosperity and education,” he says. “Back then, the crime rate in El Salvador was a lot higher. The gangster groups were recruiting younger people. I had been asked to do that. If you refuse, you face consequences, and I had refused. So I had to just leave.”

It’s hard to know where he’d be now, if not for his teacher’s kind offer of room and board. “She’s like my second mom,” he says. (His biological mother is still in El Salvador.) “But now I can pay for my food.”

Why does he think she stuck her neck out to help? “She’s an immigrant, too,” he says.

DANAYIT M. IS SITTING outside Idido Coffee and Social House on Columbia Pike, where customers of all ethnic backgrounds are streaming in. The word coffee, or “kaffa,” comes from Ethiopia’s lush Kaffa region.

Ethiopia is also where Danayit is from, having spent most of her life in

the village of Bishoftu southeast of Addis Ababa. But at 20, she’s taken a liking to American life and its melting pot of cultures. She watches baking shows; eats tacos, Indian and Thai food; listens to K-pop.

She graduated this spring from Arlington Community High School and is getting ready to start fall classes at Northern Virginia Community College, where she plans to study computer science.

In Ethiopia, she says, her career options were limited. Now they seem endless. “I want to go to NOVA and explore I feel like coming to this country, I will have more opportunities…choosing my major or just having the freedom to pursue any field I’m passionate about. I think I have more of a chance to grow.”

Danayit came to the U.S. just last year and has no immigration status, yet she already feels safer in Arlington than she did at home. “Here, I’m not scared that somebody’s gonna come and make me leave my house because of my ethnic group or because of my name. I’m not scared to speak my language in public. In Ethiopia, there’s discrimination, especially with the war that just ended. That’s why I left my country.”

What about the fear of deportation?

“It’s a possibility and I know it, but I’m trying not to think about it in my daily life,” she says. “If my asylum is not approved, there’s a chance I would have to go back to my country, which would be unsafe for me. I’m hoping that good things will happen.”

American optimism has fueled her assimilation. There’s still so much of the U.S. she wants to see.

“I’d like to visit Hawaii,” she says. Why Hawaii?

“I don’t know. I feel like it will be so beautiful. So green and so beautiful. In Ethiopia, our city is known because it’s so green. So many lakes. So I would say Hawaii is, maybe, a lot similar [to] the village I came from.”

“It’s a long way,” I say.

“I know,” she says. “But maybe someday.”

FOR DECADES, DREAMERS

landing in Northern Virginia have found a champion in Emma Violand-Sánchez. Long before she was named a Fulbright scholar for her educational reform efforts in her native Bolivia, before she received the James B. Hunter Human Rights Award, she was Arlington Public Schools’ first Latina teacher and administrator.

Violand-Sánchez joined APS in 1976, overseeing programs for immigrants and refugees, including English for Speakers of Other Languages/High Intensity Language Training (ESOL/ HILT) for K-12 students. She later became the first Latina on the Arlington School Board.

In 2010, she founded the Dream Project, an Arlington-based nonprofit that provides scholarships, mentoring, family support and advocacy to students who face barriers due to their immigration status. The nonprofit’s mission statement is neatly summed up in two sentences on its website: “Our organization started with a group of invested parents around a kitchen table. A decade later, our work is still rooted in the conviction that everyone deserves a place at the table.”

Violand-Sánchez has seen immigrant waves from all corners of the world. In the mid-’70s, Arlington welcomed an influx of Vietnamese, Cambodian and Laotian refugees. Then

“Here, I’m not scared to speak my language in public.”

came Salvadorans.“Today, we have students from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Mongolia and Ethiopia,” she says. The cultures are different, but they all share a steadfast belief that a better life lies ahead.

Since its founding, the Dream Project has awarded nearly $1.4 million in scholarship funds to some 340 students. All of the students profiled in this story received either financial or academic assistance from the organization.

Scholarships are only one part of the puzzle. Dreamers and their families may also need legal referrals, technology assistance, mental health support and emergency relief when curveballs threaten to derail their educational goals. The Dream Project addresses all of those things on a case-by-case basis.

Violand-Sánchez offers an example. “During the pandemic… the people who have undocumented status, where do they work? Restaurants were closed. If

people clean houses, nobody wanted to have them in their house, right? Universities were closed and many students did not have computers. We had to provide computers, but then they didn’t have an internet connection. They didn’t have a place to go. Fortunately, we had one funder who provided $60,000 for emergency grants.”

Lately, the nonprofit has engaged in the fight to preserve in-state status for undocumented Virginia students seeking college tuition assistance. It’s a protection that took years to secure, Violand-Sánchez says, which Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration is now seeking to undo.

NATALY MONTANO’S American experience began in 2001 at a bus stop off Route 50 in Arlington. She had recently arrived with her mother from the Bolivian town of Cochabamba. The 6-yearold’s ears popped in pain when their plane touched down on U.S. soil. Her

mother rubbed her head and said, “Everything’s going to be OK.”

But the Sept. 11 attacks came a few months later, dashing their hopes of securing immigration and tourist visas. “So we just overstayed,” Montano says. They never looked back.

Montano’s most vivid childhood memories revolve around school. “I went to Barcroft when I first came here,” she recalls. “We had moved in with my aunt, and our bus stop for elementary school was right at the same corner. I remember running around a tree with some other kids waiting for the bus. That’s where I met my first friend. He lived down the street. His parents spoke Spanish and English.”

It really wasn’t until middle school, at Kenmore, that Montano gave any thought to her undocumented status. “That’s when the whole Don’t tell your friends, be careful stuff started,” she says.

By the time she reached high school

Arlington educator, advocate and trailblazer Emma Violand-Sánchez

■ dreamers among us

at Washington-Lee (now Washington-Liberty) she was keenly aware of what was at stake. Though public K-12 schools are prohibited from asking families about their immigration status, the fear of being exposed was always a thought.

Typical high school rites of passage felt fraught. “Anywhere there was a lot of beer, the cops came around,” Montano says. “To this day, I do not like to be pulled over or have any sort of interaction with cops. It freaks me out. I think that’s definitely from when I was young, being told to stay away from that.”

As her high school experience came to a close, Montano had a solid circle of friends. She was a two-sport athlete— cross-country and crew—and was be-

ginning to see her life’s ambitions crystallizing. Setting her sights on a career in medicine, she went off to Texas Tech, where she kept her status “on the downlow” and kept her head up, even though she felt lonely. “I didn’t have any family in Texas,” she says.

It was during her freshman year at Texas Tech in 2012 that she received her DACA confirmation.

Montano had fully expected to encounter racism in the Lone Star State, where immigration tensions were high. She did not.

What she wasn’t prepared for was the exchange she had with a prestigious East Coast university when she called to inquire about transferring.

“I told them I was looking to transfer

and they were like, “OK, we’re [sending] you to the Office of International Students,’ ” she recalls. “I tried to explain that I wasn’t an international student, but they connected me to the international office anyway. When I explained to the woman that I was thinking of transferring and that I had DACA, she said, ‘Why don’t you just go swim across the Rio Grande and go back to Mexico?’ ”

Montano was both stunned and infuriated. “I said, ‘Um, first off, I’m not from Mexico, I’m Bolivian. And by the way, I flew here, I didn’t swim here.’ And then I just said, ‘Thank you for your time’ and I hung up.”

Vindication would come later. After graduating from Texas Tech in 2016, Montano spent two years as a research

Nataly Montano at her elementary school bus stop in Arlington. This fall, she’ll begin medical school at Stanford.

assistant in the department of neurology and neurosurgery at the very university she’d hoped to enter as a transfer student. Then, another two years in emergency medicine at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

And yet, she was stringing together two-year stints with no master plan. It wasn’t until a mentor at the American Medical Women’s Association asked her, “When are you gonna be a doctor?” that she finally allowed herself to seriously contemplate her lifelong dream.

“I had been working to help my mom and my dad. I was sending money,” Montano says. By then, both of her parents had voluntarily returned to Bolivia. Working in medical research scratched the itch, but med school still

felt unattainable. Her MCAT scores weren’t quite where they needed to be.

Hoping to polish her candidacy with experience, she applied and was accepted to a graduate program at Brown University, where she earned a master’s in medical science.

“As soon as I left to do my master’s at Brown, I was like, This is my goal. My goal is to become a doctor and everything else is just noise. The stress of having to reapply for DACA is just a part of my life. I can’t change it and I can’t do anything about it.”

This fall, Montano will begin the next chapter of her career at Stanford Medical School—on a full ride. She’ll still have to re-up her DACA status every two years. Stanford will cover that $500 fee as well.

It’s been a long road. “I cried a lot,” she says.

“DREAMERS ARE AMERICANS,”

President Biden declared on the anniversary of DACA this past June. “Many have spent the majority of their lives in the United States. They are our doctors, our teachers and our small-business owners. Dreamers strengthen our economy, enrich our workplaces, and during the Covid-19 pandemic, many served their communities on the frontlines.”

It’s an oft-repeated political sentiment that’s done little to move the needle on meaningful legislation. Though studies have repeatedly found nearly three-quarters of Americans in favor of giving protection to immigrants who arrived here as children, the congressional stalemate continues.

By the end of 2022, the number of DACA holders in the U.S. was around 580,000, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, an independent health policy research organization. Today, the term “dreamers” also extends to the thousands of immigrants who came to this country as minors after the cutoff for DACA, many of whom are just now contemplating college.

In his address, President Biden noted that 79% of immigrants are in the workforce, contributing a whopping $13.3 billion to the economy. It all seems like numbers until you start talking to actual human beings.

Like Marymount graduate Bryan Viera, now a specialist in cloud computing architecture. Thanks to a non-DACA program (Special Immigrant Juvenile status) for children who came here as minors and ended up under the protection of the court system as a result of parental abuse, abandonment or neglect, he is now a permanent resident. In five years, he’ll be eligible for citizenship.

What does the word “dreamer” mean to him?

“I feel like it means a desire to do something that you can’t do in your home country. To strive. To achieve an education. To help your family as well, not just yourself,” he says. “I feel like it means that you can be an actual member of society.”

Earlier this year, Viera and his friends took a trip to New York City, where he finally had a chance to see the Statue of Liberty. “I remembered seeing it in the movies, and I thought, I can’t believe I’m here,” he says. “I wish my mom could come here [from El Salvador] and see it, too. But I don’t know if that’s ever gonna happen.”

CHARLOTE V. STILL remembers so much of it all. She remembers the minibus pulling up to her house in La Esperanza, Guatemala, in June of 2010 to pick up her and her brother. The 15 days of walking and driving and more walking. The thorns that pierced her little hands as she crawled through brush. The eventual reunion with her family. Being mesmerized by the automatic doors at American grocery stores. She even remembers having no idea what to do with a hamburger on a bun. Do you just hold it in your hands?

She was only 7.

But there’s one memory that really

“My goal is to become a doctor. Everything else is just noise.”

stands out. Midway through her journey north, she became separated from her brother. Now she was alone. The driver of a white cargo van was beckoning her to get in. And every child in Guatemala (or anywhere else, for that matter) knows the cardinal rule: You don’t ever get into a van with a stranger.

Luckily for her, what she lacked in years she made up for in faith. Faith in God and faith in her parents’ wisdom. Before the trip, her father had assured her the man behind the wheel would be trustworthy. “He said I was going to be OK,” she says.

Though she may have been too young to ponder it at the time—a little girl about to embark on a solo journey with a smuggler— it’s worth noting the name of the hometown she had just left. Esperanza means hope.

And so Charlote got in.

By the time she arrived in the U.S., the conditions for DACA protection had

elapsed. “I didn’t make the cutoff,” she says. She thrived anyway.

Now preparing for her second year at the University of Virginia, she rattles off a list of the AP courses at her Arlington high school that helped get her there— calculus, physics, French, English lit, statistics, Spanish. And to think that 13 years ago she didn’t speak English.

“A lot of people have the same story,” she says. “My parents came to this country for a better life, a better education. They didn’t have support back in Guatemala—they’re both from sort of a broken family. My dad had to start working when he was very young. It was just a very hard life for them.”

So hard that they were willing to put their little girl in a van with a stranger—who, as fate would have it, was not a kidnapper. The promise outweighed the risks.

“I am a Latina, I am an immigrant,” Charlote says. “I believe in the Amer-

Rob Ferguson is as local as they come. A lifelong Northern Virginian with over 30 years of Arlington real estate expertise, Rob knows the neighborhoods and the local market.

Let Rob show you how his clients become clients for life.

ican dream, where you work hard to have a good life, a successful life. But you need to put in the work. Nothing is handed for free. That’s something my parents have always taught me.”

She’s thinking she wants to become a speech pathologist. As we drive back to her house in Arlington, tape recorder turned off, she giggles as a random memory from her first year at UVA pops into her head.

“One of my suite mates had a habit of taking Ubers from our dorm room to class.”

I laugh, thinking of the white van, her harrowing journey through desert brambles, and the years of unshakable resolve that led her to this point.

“You’ve got to be kidding. Americans just don’t get how other people live, eh?” She looks ahead and just smiles. ■

Vinson Hall Retirement Community residents come from a variety of backgrounds, but they have one thing in common: a spirit of adventure. Whether they are returning from a vacation to Italy or a trip to the grocery store, military officers and their families, and leadership level (GS-14 and higher) government employees from any federal agency, love coming home to Vinson Hall Retirement Community.

Matt Mendelsohn is a writer and photographer who lives in Arlington.

Rob Ferguson

GRI & Associate Broker

Financial Planning is Personal

Our holistic financial planning goes beyond just managing and preserving your wealth to advising you on every decision that involves a dollar sign. Your goals and needs are unique, and we believe your investment strategy

should follow suit. It’s all part of our very concerted effort to serve you and your family – today and for every significant milestone along the way. It’s time to see what a difference we can make in your life.

The front entryway’s Dutch door includes a built-in doggie door.

Brilliant Blue

By Wendy Kantor

Once it had been the perfect starter home, but now Erika Chiang and David Theisz were feeling cramped. They’d adopted a dog, had a baby and were thinking about having a second child. They needed more space, but didn’t want to move.

Though the 894-square foot bungalow was too snug for their growing family, there were positives. They loved its high ceilings and the ample backyard, which included multiple decks, a koi pond, a pergola, a hot tub and a shed.

They also loved their neighbors, and

how close they were to walking trails and parks. “It’s so convenient,” Theisz says. “We wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.”

This is a common problem for Arlington homeowners, says Michael Sauri, president and co-owner of TriVistaUSA Design + Build: “We love where we live, but we hate what we live in.”

TriVistaUSA’s renovation, completed in June 2022, more than doubled the family’s living space, expanding the floor plan to about 2,200 square feet, with five bedrooms and 3 ½ bathrooms.

It’s a far cry from the coed dorm Chiang and Theisz lived in when they met during their first year at the University of Virginia, though back then they were just friends.

After college, Theisz served in the Navy. When he got a job in D.C. in 2009, he posted on Facebook, asking for recommendations of places to live in Northern Virginia. Chiang responded with suggestions, and he took her to dinner to thank her. “That was basically the start,” he remembers. “We kind of just got together.”

In Bluemont, a thoughtful renovation with bold color choices makes a family home much more usable—and fun.

The kitchen features clerestory windows, Shaker-style cherry cabinets and an ocean blue backsplash.

They married in May 2014 aboard the USS Constellation, a warship in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, and lived as newlyweds in a high-rise in Ballston. After six months of house hunting, they found the three-bedroom house in Bluemont near the Bon Air Park Rose Garden.

“It was very yellow [make that mustard yellow],” recalls Chiang, now 41, who serves as president of the parents’ advocacy group Mothers of North Arlington (MONA) and works full-time for the National Science Foundation.

The tiny Craftsman-style house had been built in 1949. The previous owners believed it was once the administrative offices for the local water company.

“That tracks, because [it] had 10-foot ceilings, which is weird for [that era],” says Theisz, also 41, a Department of Defense employee for the Air Force.

Though it was small, they liked how open it felt, with natural light pouring in through skylights, and the fact that it occupied a corner lot with a fenced-in backyard—perfect for a dog. “We saw this place as having a ton of potential,” he says. “We could see a future here.”

The couple purchased the home in September 2015, adopted a border collie named Juno, and had their first child, Henry, in November 2017. But when they started thinking about a second baby in the summer of 2020, they realized they needed more room. Their

third bedroom was already doing triple duty, serving as an office, guest bedroom and a playroom. And the house was only one story, with a less-thanpractical storage loft that they could only access with a steel ladder.

At that point, the structure had already been renovated, updated and expanded multiple times. “Their property was the result of many, many, many additions over time, many tweaks and changes,” Sauri says. “It was an amalgam of bright ideas. We tried to bring some unity to it. We also wanted it to be wacky and fun.”

During construction, the owners moved into Theisz’s brother’s basement for 7 ½ months with their toddler son

A stained glass transom above the mudroom accentuates the home’s high ceilings.

Moody blues in a bathroom

Once mustard yellow, the exterior is now aqua blue.

and dog. In May 2021, they welcomed a baby girl, Haley. Days later, they were in the showroom selecting interior finishes. The renovation was completed in June 2022.

To add more space, you can either build up or out, Sauri says, and in this case, they did both. The remodel included a “pop top,” adding a second floor, as well as an addition.

These days, the family’s favorite space is the modern farmhouse-style kitchen, anchored by a large island with a quartz countertop. “We can talk to guests at the island while we’re working in the kitchen, or just have breakfast [there] with the kids,” Chiang says.

“I wanted to be able to see the kids outside in the yard,” she adds. “That was important to me.”

Since the kitchen is in the center of the home, they worried it would be dark. Taking advantage of the high ceilings, TriVistaUSA added windows above the cabinets to bring more light inside. The rippled tile of a St. Tropez blue glass backsplash has a sense of movement, like the ocean.

The new layout is also more functional. Previously, people had to walk through a narrow kitchen to access the backyard via a small side door. Now, they can move in and out easily through wide double French doors.

The improved flow made their son’s fifth birthday party a breeze, Chiang says. “The [kids] would go play outside, come in, grab snacks and go back. It’s really awesome now.”

The remodel also added a mudroom with an interior pocket door, which they can partition off as needed—“if we need to sequester the dog in there, or somebody’s wet from the hot tub, they can change,” Theisz says.

For the front entrance, the couple selected a Dairy Dutch Door—the vintage-looking farmhouse kind that allows you to open the top half. Made by a company in Colorado, the door caught their eye when they were online shopping. They liked that it had a builtin doggie door, “so I didn’t have to cut it,” Theisz says. They added new hardware and a portico to catch the rain.

Blue is a running color theme, inside and out. In addition to the kitch-

A his-and-hers vanity in the primary bath

The primary suite switches up the color scheme with a cherry red accent wall.

en backsplash, it’s the base note in a stained-glass transom above the mudroom, and a predominant hue in everything from bathroom tiles to area rugs. A cerulean accent wall provides a jolt of color in the living room.

And then there’s the home’s robin’s egg exterior. After months of driving around Arlington and checking out other houses, they selected a bright, turquoise blue. “We wanted something that wasn’t drab,” Chiang says. “A lot of new homes in our neighborhood just are beige or cream or gray. We wanted something to pop.”

Given that the house had previously been painted mustard yellow, they figured the new hue wouldn’t be too controversial. Now, Theisz says, they’re just the blue house on the corner.

With the renovation, 5-year-old Henry and 2-year-old Haley have their own bedrooms. Chiang has a dedicated office, and the couple’s bedroom has a walk-in closet. “It’s definitely spacious, which has caused me to acquire more clothes and shoes!” Chiang says, half joking.

The primary bath has a double sink and a skylight in the shower. Every bedroom has skylights with solar-powered blinds. For convenience, they also added a washer and dryer upstairs.

The main floor, meanwhile, includes a guest room with an en suite bath. “Thinking way ahead, it would be ideal for aging in place in the very far future,” Chiang says.

Fanciful colors aside, there is a pragmatism to the design. Having a bedroom suite on the ground floor means the couple can stay in the house longterm—even if they reach a point when they can no longer climb the custom curved staircase that makes a statement in the living room.

Chiang was surprised by how much she loves that staircase. “We didn’t even think about how it would look until they were installing it,” she says. “It’s amazing.” During the holidays, she hangs Christmas stockings on the railing.

Under the stairs, TriVistaUSA built a storage closet, making efficient use of what otherwise would have been wasted space.

“I say all the time: It is so easy to

live here,” Theisz says. “It’s not crowded anymore.” ■

THE PROJECT: COMPLETED: 2022

NEIGHBORHOOD: Bluemont

SQUARE FOOTAGE: 2,200

BUILDER/DESIGNER: TriVistaUSA Design + Build trivistausa.com

Wendy Kantor also writes about chainsaw artist Andrew Mallon in this issue.

Maple floors with a walnut finish are a unifying element throughout the house.

The backyard

Natalie U. Roy

BICYCLING REALTY GROUP, KW METRO CENTER ARLINGTON

Awards/Honors:

Arlington Magazine “Top Producer” 2023

Washingtonian “The Face of Real Estate” 2023

Washingtonian “Top Agent” 2023

Northern Virginia Magazine “Best and Top Producing Real Estate Agent Winner”2023

Virginia Living “Top Realtor” 2023

Arlington Magazine Winner, Best Real Estate Agent 2022

2111 Wilson Blvd., Suite 1050, Arlington, VA 22201 703-224-6000 (o) | 703-819-4915 (c)

natalieuroy@gmail.com | www.bicyclingrealty.com

Licensed in VA, MD and DC

Home Experts Profiles

Q: How did Bicycling Realty Group come to be?

A: After years of running non-profit organizations, I found real estate to be a natural fit, since it is fundamentally a service industry. I learned that I love the challenge of helping people deal with the biggest financial decisions most will ever make. I brought my environmental ethic and energy into the business and, voila, Bicycling Realty Group was born.

Q: How does Bicycling Realty Group go the extra mile to serve its clients?

A: Whether it is biking or walking through a neighborhood, or hosting special open house events with donut trucks or jazz bands, Bicycling Realty Group works hard to make the homebuying and selling process successful, stress free and fun. My business is

committed to making real estate an enjoyable and memorable experience.

Q: What is the key to being a good Realtor?

A: Real estate is personal. It is all about relationships, meaning it is critical to find the right fit, whether it is house hunting and finding that perfect neighborhood or choosing a real estate agent to sell your home. I take that to heart in my business. I walk clients through what can seem to be a daunting process, answering questions such as: Are we in a housing bubble? Will prices keep increasing? Will I be better off waiting to sell? Should I put off a purchase and wait until the market collapses? While these are all great questions, and we answer them as best we can, no one has a crystal ball.

Bowers Design Build

For 33 years, Bowers Design Build has created an exceptional home renovation experience. Bowers is a complete turn-key operation, with on-staff architects and interior designers creating customized designs and on-staff construction experts building with quality-minded focus and honed project management skills. The entire Bowers team is committed to delivering a great experience for their clients.

6715 Whittier Ave., Suite 200, McLean, VA 22101 703-506-0845 | info@bowersdesignbuild.com www.bowersdesignbuild.com

Q: What is your guiding principle for servicing your clients?

A: While Bowers Design Build’s singular goal is to create an extraordinary design and construction experience for our renovation clients, it has to start with a great design. Our on-staff architects, led by Bob Braddock, former principal of Red House Architects in Arlington, focus on creating beautiful structures that enhance the functionality of the home. Our in-house staff of interior designers guide clients through the detailed product selection process so that all finishes deliver on the client’s vision. After design, our construction project managers and craftsmen bring the design to fruition with a detailed schedule and fixed “no surprises” budget.

Q: How do you define success?

A: While winning industry awards for exceptional design and construction for

more than 30 years is wonderful, the true measure of the Bowers team’s success is happy clients. Inspired by our long-standing reputation for extreme customer care, our team of professionals goes above and beyond daily to ensure overall client satisfaction. Proof that all that hard work is paying off: Recent results from independent survey research firm, GuildQuality.com, show that 100% of our clients surveyed would recommend us to a friend.

Q: How would your clients describe you?

A: Satisfied clients describe the Bowers Design Build team as creative, detail oriented, dedicated, honest, fair and great project managers. They recognize that our employees are talented people focusing on customer care. In fact, many of our customers have said they wouldn’t change a thing about their experience and 30% of our projects are with repeat clients.

From left: Senior Vice President of Design Katie Peters with Architect Marc Prisco, V.P of Architecture Bob Braddock and Senior Interior Designer Kim Joshi

Classic Cottages

Northern Virginia-based Classic Cottages provides turnkey solutions for Arlington families looking to build or buy a new home. Whether it’s a carefully crafted model home or a custom home built from scratch, Classic Cottages can handle everything from concept to completion through its skilled in-house acquisitions, sales, architecture, design and construction departments.

433 E. Monroe Ave. Alexandria, VA 22301

703-844-9936

sales@ccottages.com

www.ccottages.com

Q: Why should a prospective client choose to work with Classic Cottages?

A: We are a top homebuilder in the Northern Virginia region, standing out among fellow local homebuilders because of our unique organizational make-up. With all building facets housed under one roof, we have created a consistent, reliable and truly unique home building experience for our clients over the past thirteen years. Our talented, 45-person team is ready to put decades of accumulated experience to work for you!

Q: How does your organizational structure benefit your clients?

A: While other builders typically need to outsource one or more aspects of the homebuilding process, we believe our value to Arlington residents lies in having the team all in-house. This streamlined process allows us to deliver a cohesive and seamless building

experience for our clients. And because we truly understand who our clients are, we can create designs that most effectively meet their lifestyle needs.

Not surprisingly, the relationships that we form continue well beyond the completion of a home. Our satisfied clients say that Classic Cottages is a local builder that feels more like a family.

Q: How do you keep your designs up-todate?

A: Our fully integrated in-house team of architects, designers, sales, marketing and construction professionals consistently reinvent our beautiful models to adapt to industry trends and meet market demand. In fact, we have an extensive portfolio of over 15 model home designs, and we are extremely excited to be unveiling several new model home designs in the next few months!

Renata Briggman

THE ARLINGTON EXPERT

Awards/Honors:

Arlington Magazine Top Producer

2019-2023

Best of Washingtonian 2015-2023

Best of Northern Virginia Magazine 2016-2023

5-star ratings on Google, Zillow and Yelp

KW Metro Center

2111 Wilson Blvd., Suite 1050 Arlington, VA 22201

703-217-2077

renata@thearlingtonexpert.com www.thearlingtonexpert.com

Q: What makes you different from other real estate agents?

A: My big focus is Arlington real estate. Most agents seem to specialize in large geographical areas—that’s not me. I don’t believe you can be an expert in everything. I love Arlington so much. When I immigrated from Lithuania 26 years ago, I could’ve chosen any city. I visited many, yet Arlington is a place where I belong. So many people are looking for their home—not just in a sense of a structure, but in a sense of a place they feel connected to.

Q: What brings you the most satisfaction in your work?

A: It has to be home-staging transformations! My home stager and I work very hard to prepare homes for the market and showcase them in the

best possible light. We follow the latest design trends, make a plan for today’s buyer and walk people through their own HGTV experience. Every Tuesday, I post a #tuesdaytransformation on my social media to showcase dramatic “before and after” shots. Nothing is more satisfying than comments like “I can’t believe it’s my home!” coming from the seller.

Q: What are your interests outside of work?

A: I’m a mom of two amazing kids and my life revolves around them. I love adventure, so we ski, go camping and travel. On the weekends you will find me in the bleachers for soccer and basketball games. When I’m not spending time with my children, I enjoy reading, journaling, dining with my close friends, dancing and learning anything new.

TriVistaUSA Design + Build

Awards & Honors:

Arlington Magazine Winner, Best Remodeler, 2023

PRO (Professional Remodeling Organization) Contractor of the Year, 2023

Best of Houzz in Design, 2023

Arlington Chamber of Commerce Service Small Business Award

Fred Case Remodeling Entrepreneur of the Year Award

3103 N. 10th St., Suite 200 Arlington, VA 22201 www.trivistausa.com

Q: How does TriVistaUSA’s process benefit your clients?

A: The advantage of our design/build process is that we can engage our very own internal Build Team during design development with our architects and designers. Calling on the expertise of every team member brings different perspectives to the design solutions we provide our clients. Clients are presented with an exciting variety of options, all of which solve their home challenges, within budget, allowing them to see multiple options and collaborate with us on their own solutions from the very first design presentation.

Q: What sets TriVistaUSA’s design team apart?

A: Our design team is fun and fantastic. They coordinate vision, budget and solutions into realistic possibilities, while

bringing joy to the creative process. From our first project 18+ years ago, design has been integral to TriVistaUSA Design + Build’s work for every single client, on every single project. This design focus impacts every aspect of our clients’ lives: the flow through their remodeled home, the amount of sunshine and light available for them to enjoy, their privacy, the connectedness with family, and the beauty and serenity they enjoy when sipping a cup of tea. Although we see every project as an artistic opportunity, we believe form follows function. Design should relate to the needs of our clients, whom we love delighting with customcrafted solutions that raise their spirits!

A satisfied client put it best: “Words cannot express my appreciation—the charm of my home has been enhanced dramatically. Thank you for doing such a fabulous job!”

Monument

Home Loans

ARLINGTON’S HOMETOWN HOME LOAN TEAM—AND YOUR VA LOAN EXPERTS!

Specialties: VA Loans, Construction Loans, First-Time Homebuyers, Conventional Loans, Renovation Loans, USDA Rural Development Loans, Reverse Mortgages, Mortgage Down Payment Assistance, Mortgage Refinancing

Robert Martinson, Branch Manager NMLS #470762

Joe Prentice, Sales Manager NMLS #1610163 4075 Wilson Blvd., Suite 823, Arlington, VA 22203 703-650-7431 | info@monumenthomeloans.com www.monumenthomeloans.com nmlsconsumeraccess.org

of Mann Mortgage LLC NMLS#2550

Q: Why choose Monument Home Loans instead of a bank?

A: Home mortgages are what we do— and all we do. Instead of juggling auto loans, ATMs and asset management, we focus solely on ensuring that every client has a smooth and predictable financing experience. As a company, we are committed to hometown values, solid partnerships, streamlined processes and cutting-edge technologies. We are experienced in working with clients from a wide range of backgrounds—first-time buyers, experienced buyers, refinancing, jumbo loans, self-employed, creditchallenged—and can easily find the right options for any situation for our customers. Regardless of your circumstances, every member of our team shares a common objective: to close your loan on time, as expected and as efficiently as possible.

Q: What sets Monument Home Loans apart?

A: Our service. While our interest rates are quite competitive, our customer service is what sets us apart. From your first phone call until your final signature, our loan officers and processing team are fully accessible whenever needed, day or night, weekday or weekend. We also understand that mortgages should not be one-size-fits-all. That’s why we offer one of the widest arrays of mortgage products in the DMV and work closely with clients to identify the program that best meets their needs and goals. As a result, we enable people from all walks of life to experience a smooth, predictable process that results in the best mortgage for their circumstances—and to have an experienced loan officer with them every step of the way.

Alair Arlington

MASEEH EXEER, PROJECT MANAGER

ANDREW HALL, PROJECT MANAGER

CHAD HACKMANN, REGIONAL PARTNER

JASON CHANEY, GENERAL MANAGER

JONATHAN OLARTE, PROJECT MANAGER

Awards/Honors:

NVBIA Custom Builder of the Year (2022)

NARI National Contractor of the Year (2021)

Arlington Green Home Choice Platinum Award (2020)

NARI Community Service Award (2020)

NARI Regional Contractor of the Year (2020, 2019)

Arlington, VA 22201

703-791-1317

chad.hackmann@alairhomes.com

www.AlairArlington.com

Q: How does Alair Homes stand out from the competition?

A: Alair Homes serves the communities in and around Arlington by building high-quality custom homes and renovations designed to fit each homeowner’s needs and budget. We take pride in all our projects, providing each with the same level of care, workmanship and top-notch customer service. We excel by treating all clients like friends and family. Understanding that this is likely the biggest investment of their lives, Alair supports the homeowner throughout the home-construction process.

Q: What can your clients expect when working with you?

A: Alair has developed detailed systems for giving every homeowner the one-on-one attention they deserve. Each homeowner has a direct relationship with their project management team from concept through

completion. As one satisfied homeowner recently shared, “We are very thankful to have been able to work with Andrew, our project manager, throughout our home-renovation process. He was always steady, calming, helpful and responsive.” Additionally, our proprietary Client Control™ system allows homeowners to seamlessly track every hour, every dollar and every selection related to their individual projects. This empowers homeowners to take charge of their home-construction experience and eliminates unwanted surprises and unexpected costs.

Q: How do you partner with your clients?

A: Every homeowner gets their information from slightly different places, and we help them separate what they have heard from what is realistic. In the end, the homeowner needs a trusted advisor that can honestly and transparently walk them through their options. That is what Alair does best.

DeFalco Home Design

TRIPP DEFALCO, AIA

Awards/Honors:

Bachelor of Architecture, Syracuse University

Licensed Architect since 1999

NCARB Certified to practice nationally

20 years practicing as an Architect

10 years managing a Design/Build firm

Arlington Magazine Winner, Best Architect 2022

3409 N. Potomac St. Arlington, VA 22213

703-483-2427

info@defalcohomedesign.com

www.defalcohomedesign.com

Q: How do you help your clients during construction?

A: I want my clients’ designs to be executed as we envisioned, so I spend a lot of time on construction sites. Though reviewing shop drawings and product submittals from the comfort of an architect’s office is helpful, there is no substitute for observing the build as it progresses. Even under the best of conditions, builders will have questions and can make the occasional mistake. Without the presence of an architect to help both client and builder make decisions and solve inevitable issues, the process can be stressful and the end product disappointing.

Q: How would your clients describe you?

A: I’ll use some of their testimonials: Tripp listens carefully and offers creative

solutions. He is organized, efficient and great at communication. We hope to work with him again someday!

Building a home from scratch can be overwhelming, and Tripp has a good sense of timing in terms of keeping the project moving while maintaining a manageable decision-making schedule for the client.

Not only did Tripp help us with a beautiful design for our Arlington home, he’s also deeply experienced on the construction side. Hiring him is like hiring an expert/advisor to have in your corner through the life of the project— from design, to permitting and beyond. Lastly, Tripp is level-headed, patient, responsive, and all around a very easy and pleasant person to work with. You would be very lucky to get him as your architect on your next project.

Diane Lewis

Q: What makes your client experience unique?

A: Our full-service real estate team draws on more than 30 years of experience in the North Arlington and McLean markets to give our clients an edge. Through our expert knowledge, we effectively customize our comprehensive approach to meet each client’s individual wants and needs, from sellers looking for the maximum value for their property to keeping first-time buyers on their budget. Whether we are arranging contractors, landscapers and stagers to show a listing in its best light or crafting innovative strategies to win in multipleoffer situations, we pride ourselves on going the extra mile to ensure our clients achieve successful outcomes. Especially important during these times

of low inventory, our relationships with an extensive network of agents allow us to bring off-market opportunities to the attention of our buyers. Once under contract, we are by our clients’ sides every step of the way, anticipating their needs and helping them navigate the entire home buying or selling process through settlement and beyond for a seamless transaction and positive experience.

Q: How would your clients describe you?

FA: “Diane was fantastic to work with— great knowledge of the Northern VA area and excellentcommunication. She is very proactive and was able to help me find a home in the neighborhood I wanted before it came on the market. She and her team were very responsive and delightful to work with.” —Buyer in North Arlington

Dominion Lighting

A DIVISION OF DOMINION ELECTRIC

Awards/Honors:

Furniture Lighting and Décor Showroom of the Year, 2021, 2022

Modern Luxury, Best of DC 2021, 2022, 2023

Home & Design, Designer’s Choice

ASID “Best Environment Designed for Retail,” 2021

ARTS Awards, Best Lighting Showroom –East/Atlantic Region 2023

Arlington Magazine, Best of Arlington 2023

5053 Langston Blvd. Arlington, VA 22207

703-536-4400

showroom@dominionlighting.com

www.dominionlighting.com

Q: What new ways have you found to support your clients and their projects?

A: Great lighting design can be daunting, so we’re always looking for opportunities to personalize our experience to address individual needs. Our website offers clients the ability to search thousands of options and create personalized wish lists from wherever they are on their own terms. The experience in our showrooms is just as easy: By scanning QR codes listed on every fixture we display, clients can explore available sizes, finishes, check inventory, and add to the wish lists they already started at home. They can comfortably partner with a member of our design team to refine, explore alternates and troubleshoot any technical issues before they become a problem. We’re never about a quick sale; we want to

build a relationship to ensure our clients’ needs are fully supported.

Q: What do you bring to the lighting industry that customers cannot find elsewhere?

A: Upon launching our new brand and showroom design three years ago, our goal was to not just be best-in-class, rather change the class itself. By reenvisioning our showrooms as immersive environments, we moved past selling “things” to selling inspiration, insight, and above all, expertise. While we’ve received amazing recognition within our industry and local design publications, we’re most thrilled by how our approach has been embraced by our clientele. Our builders, designers, and individual homeowners know we are their trusted single source for creating beautiful experiences at home: design, fixtures, controls and even sound.

Arlington Designer Homes

ANDREW MOORE

Arlington Designer Homes president Andrew Moore is a native Arlingtonian. He has served as a translator at the Arlington Free Clinic, on public school planning commissions and as President of the Custom Builders Council. Most recently he was awarded the prestigious “Best Green Home of the Year” award by the Northern Virginia Building Industry Association (NVBIA).

4719 N. 24th Road

Arlington, VA 22207

703-243-1752

arlingtondesignerhomes@gmail.com

www.ArlingtonDesignerHomes.com

Q: What makes Arlington Designer Homes unique?

A: We specialize in green, energy efficient building. As a true custom builder, we design our projects based upon what the customer needs and wants. We use design opportunities to highlight the best aspects of the lot we are building on. Whether it is the direction that light travels or some other unique detail, we have the ability to create the design that best fits our client’s site.

Q: What does it mean to be a green, energy-efficient builder?

A: Basically, it means offering a higher standard of building. We hire a thirdparty independent inspector to review our projects to ensure that the highest standards are met and exceeded. The result of this attention to detail is the

creation of more comfortable, healthier houses for our customers.

Q: How does your experience help your clients?

A: Arlington Designer Homes has been doing custom new homes and remodeling for over four decades. Although all projects are different, the processes through which we approach them are the same. It starts with our clients. We listen to their needs to determine if we are a good fit for their expectations. In turn, we evaluate whether they are a good fit for our systems and processes. Any good project owes its success to open, honest and continual communication. We learn how our clients best communicate and work with them that way, using tools such as weekly updates, our online client portal and on-site meetings. The ultimate goal is creating an open environment to support our clients.

Zimmermann Homes

ROB ZIMMERMANN

We are passionate about working together with our clients to build innovative homes that combine a level of performance and beauty that is tough to find elsewhere.

Falls Church, VA 22046

203-313-9697

Rob@ZimmermannHomes.com

www.ZimmermannHomes.com

Q: To what do you attribute your success in this competitive industry?

A: We pride ourselves on building custom homes that are unrivaled in performance, beauty and durability. All Zimmermann Homes come standard with upgraded products and building techniques that result in an attractive, energy-efficient and lowmaintenance home. Our approach has been validated by consistently being voted one of the area’s Best Builders by the readers of Arlington Magazine and most recently winning Best Builder in Falls Church.

Q: What can clients expect when working with Zimmermann Homes?

A: Celebrating sixteen years in the design/build market, Zimmermann Homes has diligently earned a reputation for being a reliable and high-quality builder. Clients can custom design a unique home with Zimmermann’s talented architect or

choose from dozens of established plans. From there you shop and pick your finishes with a stylish interior designer and the install is overseen by a seasoned project manager who is an artist in his trade. Related documents are accessible via a shared construction-management system and the team’s Realtor can assist with lot acquisition or even selling your home. The end result is a one-stop shop that often exceeds expectations.

Q: What else do you offer your clients?

A: Solar panels, battery storage and geothermal heating can be added by our clients by request! Also, Arlington residents have been reaching out about the county’s new zoning rules and are interested in having us build townhomes on their lots. In response, we created ‘RJZ Multi-Family’ to assist prospective clients and build such residences.

Color Wheel

KIMBERLEIGH BOSWELL WILL KNICELY

My husband and I would like to commend Will Knicely for how well he took care of us during our recent order with Color Wheel. He showed tremendous knowledge, excellent taste and dedication throughout the process. Plus, he’s a wonderful person with a great attitude!

— Margaret R., McLean

1374 Chain Bridge Road McLean, VA 22101 703-356-8477 x3 kboswell@mycolorwheel.com wknicely@mycolorwheel.com colorwheel.net mycolorwheel.com

Q: Why are you Home Experts?

A: We are home experts because of our deep passion and extensive experience in creating homes that reflect our clients’ personal style. We have deep roots in the community and decades of experience working in McLean, Arlington, Washington and the surrounding areas. Whether you need assistance with a single room or you’re looking to design an entire house, our goal is to bring your unique vision to life.

Q: What products and services do you provide?

A: Our Design Team offers comprehensive design services in our studio or at your home by appointment. Browse our showroom to get started. On display you will find custom window treatments from blinds, shades and shutters to draperies, roman shades and valances, using our extensive fabric library. We offer a variety of unique furniture lines, including seating in leather, reupholstery for a favorite piece, accent tables and storage ottomans. Choose from a selection of area rugs, carpet and flooring for your specific needs. Our extensive collection of designer wallcovering and two of the most sought-after paint lines, Benjamin Moore Paint and Farrow & Ball Paints, will complete the look.

But the most important thing we offer is customer service. Don’t take our word for it: As Amy O. in Arlington says, “Kimberleigh is simply a breath of fresh air when it comes to decorating and design. She makes you feel hopeful when you are overwhelmed, confident when you are indecisive and joyful when you are done, although you want to start another project with her soon after!”

MICHAEL VENTURA

Commonwealth Restorations

JOSH NEWFIELD

Specialties:

Whole home renovations

New homes on our lot or yours Additions of any size (Rear/Side Additions, Pop-Tops, Kitchens, Bathrooms, Screen Porches)

2430 S. Kenmore St., Arlington, VA 22206 2902 N. Sycamore St., Arlington, VA 22207 703-525-5255

office@commonwealthrestorations.com

www.commonwealthrestorations.com

Q: What services do you offer your customers?

A: We have a team to meet any building needs. Restorations, renovations and repairs, as well as new construction, are all part of our portfolio. Occupied and fully operational job sites are not a problem. And, if you prefer, we can plan, manage and build multi-phase projects. We offer an end-to-end client experience that includes seamless communication, budgeting, staffing, on-site organization and solid, quality craftsmanship every time.

Q: What are the advantages of working with a local company?

A: Commonwealth Restorations is Arlingtonbased and focused—our employees not only work here, they live here. Since the majority of Commonwealth’s projects are located within the county, we understand the unique needs and desires of Arlingtonians

and the nuances of the local market.

Q: What is “the Commonwealth difference,” and how does it benefit your clients?

A: “The Commonwealth difference” is our attention to detail, uniqueness of design and high-quality results—applied to every custom home project. We’re not the type of shop that offers limited options, saying take it or leave it. We encourage our clients to make the choices that will work best for them within their budget and style.

Our biggest challenge—and one we fully embrace—is devising cost-effective, creative solutions to our clients’ problems. There is nothing our team loves more than handing over a project to a customer after all of the hard work is completed and seeing the look of happiness on their face. We love to hear how our project has changed their life.

VSG Homes

VERONICA SEVA-GONZALEZ VICE PRESIDENT, COMPASS; CERTIFIED LUXURY HOME MARKETING SPECIALIST™; REAL ESTATE CONSULTANT, D.C., MD, VA

Veronica is a veteran Realtor® with 19 years of experience. Born and raised in Barcelona, Spain, she grew up surrounded by her parents’ real estate and construction business. A one-time professional swimmer on the Spanish National team, Veronica also worked as a labor law consultant for Deloitte, leveraging her labor law degree from the University of Barcelona.

202-361-6098 (m)

703-266-7277 (o) veronica@compass.com VSGHomes.com CompassConnected.com

Q: How do your clients describe you?

A: “I’ve used Veronica to both sell a condo and buy a home. When we sold, she took on the active role of project manager working with a contractor for repairs, improvements, painting and dealing with the stager. She listed the condo accurately and we had multiple offers over asking price. When buying in a very hot market, she made sure my offer was competitive, knowing exactly what to include and tailoring it to my comfort level. She has a great team and network to make sure the entire home buying process went smoothly.” —Kevin U.

“Veronica has helped me sell two properties. After my first experience with her, I knew I wanted her to be my agent for my next one. She is a true professional—knowledgeable, sharp, thorough, fast, proactive, very responsive and always looking out for my best interest. I have followed her advice throughout the process and both properties sold quickly and at the desired price. Her team provides support and makes the process go smoothly and efficiently.” —Katie M.

“Veronica and her team are hands down the BEST of the BEST. Her attention to detail, expertise and work ethic have genuinely made our experience with Veronica stress free. She does not pressure you, listens and explains the process from A to Z. She will also always get the most she possibly can for you as a client when negotiating. You can’t go wrong with Veronica and her team!” —Marcos C.

AJ Building Services

ANDY JELONEK

DANIEL SANDERS

Testimonial: AJ Building Services did a major renovation and addition for our home in Vienna. The owners, Daniel and Andy, are fantastic and one of them was onsite every day. AJ Building Services are professional, genuinely care about your vision, and are willing to go above and beyond. We would gladly use them again!

Servicing Northern VA

703-638-4666

aj.bld.services@gmail.com

www.ajbuildingservices.com @ajbldservices

Q: What makes AJ Building Services the premier Arlington contractor?

A: We’re a family-owned and operated home remodeling company with over 40 years of experience, specializing in custom home remodels, additions and carpentry. That experience is invaluable for projects in Arlington-area homes, which have a wide range in age, styles, building materials and homeowner needs. Over our careers, we’ve seen just about everything and solved many building challenges for clients.

Q: What makes you different from other home professionals?

A: Our philosophy is that consistent communication is integral to our clients’ needs. We pride ourselves on accessibility. We understand that

building a new home or remodeling your existing home can be challenging, so from start to finish we are onsite supervising our teams closely. We work directly with you to ensure the highestquality craftsmanship and satisfaction. With the many questions and concerns that a homeowner can have during construction, we are here to guide you through and deliver high-quality projects in an efficient manner.

Q: What brings you the most satisfaction in your work?

A: We truly enjoy what we do. Creating beautiful homes is our passion. Helping make our clients’ visions come true and seeing the joy on their faces when they are ready to move into their new home are the reasons we continue to do what we do.

MJ Design & Build

MIKE AND JACKIE ROSEN

“We thought it was great that they stayed in the planned timeframes, didn’t nickel and dime us for tweaks, and their crews were great to work with. MJ Design & Build made our project go as smoothly as possible, which I credit to their customer focus. We would certainly use them again!”

703-587-6802

info@mjdesignandbuild.com

www.mjdesignandbuild.com

Q: Tell us a bit about yourselves.

A: Owning MJ Design & Build, an Arlington-based design-build remodeling company serving Northern Virginia, has allowed my husband Mike and me to pursue our passion for uncovering the true potential of old homes, while retaining and enhancing the unique features of the region’s neighborhoods. In addition to deep roots in the area, we have an extensive background in real estate investment, construction and design. Mike has years of real estate and construction experience and I had a passion for home design, but another career. When COVID hit, I was able to join Mike full-time and MJ Design & Build was born.

Q: What services do you offer your clients?

A: MJ Design & Build’s portfolio includes a wide variety of projects, from kitchen,

bathroom and basement design to porches, decks and large-scale additions. The two of us handle every phase of a project, from the initial consultation through planning and design, building, and completion.

Q: What can clients expect when working with MJ Design & Build?

A: For starters, lots of face time with us. We are on the job site frequently, guiding our clients through every step of the process. We work within their budget and operate with transparency to avoid unnecessary surprises.

For me, design is about more than what we think looks good. I seek to understand how our clients work and live, and what brings them joy. I help people embrace their individual style in a way that not only looks beautiful, but functions beautifully as well.

Weiler’s Lawn and Landscape

WILL WEILER

We offer high-end, quality landscape upgrades and maintenance to enhance our customers’ investments. While we won’t sacrifice quality for price, we’ll always strive to maximize value on your behalf.

138-R W. Jefferson St. Falls Church, VA 22046 703-241-2611

info@weilers-lawn.com www.weilers-lawn.com

Q: Why should I consider working with Weiler’s Lawn and Landscape?

A: We were founded in Arlington and have been serving Northern Virginia since 1981. Enhancing your yard is an investment— to get the most out of your investment, you’ll need the services of an experienced landscape designer who will go the extra mile to meet your needs. We will work with you to develop an appealing plan that works with the existing landscape.

Q: What services do you offer your customers?

A: We can provide backyard amenities, such as water features and fire pits, that add beauty and sound to your landscape. We custom craft stone benches, sitting walls and outdoor kitchens. We build retaining walls and patios. We can help solve drainage problems by installing catch basins, dry creek beds, downspouts and

more. Our knowledgeable staff provides quality landscaping, softscaping, and plant design consultation and installation. We offer various customizable landscaping and lawn maintenance contracts designed to keep your property healthy and looking great all year.

Whatever your outdoor needs, you can trust in our integrity, creativity, knowledge, experience and longevity to beautify the grounds of your home or business today.

Q: How do you support the local economy?

A: As a local company, we are invested in the well-being of neighborhood communities and helping build the local economy. We hire locally and work with numerous local vendors who provide us with the raw materials we use in our work. This is our home, too—we’re proud to do our part to help it thrive.

Heartland Design and Remodeling

DAWN PARKER, SALES CONSULTANT AND DESIGNER

MARTY FLETCHER, DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION

LIZ LEE, CKBD, UDCP, CAPS, ARCHITECTURAL DESIGNER

“At Heartland Design and Remodeling we strive to deliver a first-class experience to all of our clients, from your initial consultation, to our top-notch design capabilities and through to the completion of your project.”

— Glen Miracle, President and Founder

6712 Old McLean Village Drive, McLean, VA 22101 703-369-3000 | info@heartlanddesign.com www.hearlanddesign.com

Q: What brings you the most satisfaction in your work?

A: Dawn Parker: Hands down, being able to offer the ability to rethink how a client uses their home through space planning and creative use of existing spaces, even if it’s a space that is ancillary to the actual space being remodeled. We have the expertise and the experience to offer many “what ifs” for a client to think about regarding how they might change the use of new or existing spaces in their home.

Q: How do you employ new technology to help your clients?

A: Liz Lee: Technology to help clients bring their vision to life has come a long way. I can now create custom materials and show the client in 3D their exact finishes. Links can be sent to clients

to walk through the spaces on their computers and phones. We can even put clients in a virtual reality world and have them virtually walk their spaces.

Q: What is the most significant change in the industry during your career?

A: Marty Fletcher: That’s a tough one. There have been many new technologies and procedures that have had a great impact on the built industry, such as BIM, drones, modular construction, virtual and augmented reality, 4D simulations, and 3D printing. I also believe a significant change during my career is the labor shortage. There are more openings for construction jobs than ever before. The construction industry overall must present itself to younger generations as a lucrative and fulfilling career path.

Michelle and Yuri Sagatov

MICHELLE SAGATOV

Gold Group, Washington Fine Properties 4200 Fairfax Drive, Suite 250, Arlington, VA 22203 703-402-9361 | michelle.sagatov@wfp.com | michellesagatov.com

YURI SAGATOV

CEO of Sagatov Design + Build info@sagatovhomes.com | sagatovhomes.com

Q: Who is your typical new construction client?

A: Our buyer client profiles can vary significantly because we assist clients of all types with their new construction needs. Over the past year, we have assisted clients who desire a fully custom home in finding suitable buildable lots, designing and constructing the house, and even providing interior design. Additionally, we have assisted clients in researching other builders, reviewing construction documents and serving as a reliable source of information for any questions about different aspects of the building process. We also assist clients in purchasing spec homes. In those cases, we accompany our clients during house walkthroughs and provide insights into the local builders’ reputation, cultivated over years in the industry. We make a great team and are new construction experts.

Alyssa Cannon

REALTOR, MCENEARNEY ASSOCIATES

My decade of experience working as a concierge in a top Washington hotel uniquely positions me as a real estate agent who delivers dedicated, top-quality service.

4720 Langston Blvd. Arlington, VA 22207 703-585-8167

acannon@mcenearney.com www.alyssacannon.com

Q: What brings you the most satisfaction in your work?

A: There’s no one way to do this job. Everyone’s story is different. Understanding my clients is critical for thinking of creative ways to find a home they love—or to sell their home with the timing and value that works best. Some of these client relationships have even developed into wonderful friendships. You get top-notch support from a seasoned expert when you work with me!

Stellar Cellar

SHELLY HAN WAS thinking about her family’s future, contemplating how she might someday live contentedly under one roof with her aging parents or her grown daughters in the 1939 Ballston red-brick Cape Cod she bought 30 years ago.

In the interim, she wanted to maximize her income potential. So she tapped Arlington designer Kate Hougen of Mira Jean Designs to transform the home’s 750-square-foot walk-out basement into a chic, one-bedroom apartment unit. Han now rents out the space to traveling nurses and other professionals who come to the DMV to work three-month stints.

The design of the unit combines

custom touches and thoughtful savings in a light-filled, open plan. Hougen painted the walls a crisp white and installed durable vinyl plank flooring with a warm, textured finish that looks like wood grain. The full-size kitchen features Ikea Kasker quartz countertops with a waterfall edge, stainless steel Whirlpool appliances and mod Ikea cabinets.

For a touch of luxury, Hougen commissioned a Baltimore woodworker to craft the kitchen’s open walnut shelving. The unit also contains a full-size washer and dryer.

In the bathroom (not shown), simple, sophisticated finishes include black-grouted subway tile, matte black

Mosaic plumbing fixtures, hexagonal floor tiles and a floating acrylic vanity from Wayfair.

“[We said] yes to black-and-white, yes to a fairly minimalist approach, but not stark,” says the designer, who scored a mirror on Overstock and a light fixture from CB2.

The rental unit’s private glass entry door overlooks Han’s lush backyard, channeling natural light inside. A cute bistro set on the stone patio is perfect for morning coffee or a “wine down” happy hour.

Han half-jokes that the basement kitchen is now nicer than her kitchen upstairs. Someday, she may claim the lower level as her own permanent abode. “If I was going to spend the money to do it,” she says, “I wanted it to be something that I felt comfortable in.” ■

PROJECT CREDIT: Mira Jean Designs mirajeandesigns.com

great spaces ■ by Jennifer Shapira | photo by Carl Bruce of Struxture Photography

A budget-friendly basement makeover yields a pretty, short-term rental unit.

June’s Most Expensive Home Sales

22201 (Arlington)

650 N. Jackson St.

List Price: $3 million

Sale Price: $2.99 million

Days on Market: 185

Listing Office: KW Metro Center

Neighborhood: Ashton Heights

Year Built: 2023

Bedrooms: 5

Full/Half Baths: 5/1

22202 (Arlington)

2500 S. Fern St.

List Price: $1.9 million

Sale Price: $1.9 million

Days on Market: 7

Listing Office: Varity Homes

Neighborhood: Aurora Hills

Year Built: 2016

Bedrooms: 6

Full/Half Baths: 5/1

22203 (Arlington)

226 N. Park Drive

List Price: $995,000

Sale Price: $1.07 million

Days on Market: 7

Listing Office: Compass

Neighborhood: Arlington Forest

Year Built: 1940

Bedrooms: 3

Full/Half Baths: 2/0

22204 (Arlington)

1624 12th St. S.

List Price: $1.5 million

Sale Price: $1.47 million

Days on Market: 104

Listing Office: Compass

Neighborhood: Arlington View

Year Built: 2022

Bedrooms: 5

Full/Half Baths: 5/0

This information, courtesy of Bright MLS as of July 19, 2023, includes homes sold in June 2023, excluding sales in which sellers have withheld permission to advertise or promote. Information should be independently verified. The Bright MLS real estate service area spans 40,000 square miles throughout the mid-Atlantic region, including Delaware, Maryland, Washington, D.C., and parts of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. As a leading Multiple Listing Service (MLS), Bright serves approximately 100,000 real estate professionals who in turn serve over 20 million consumers. For more information, visit brightmls.com.

1163 Chain Bridge Road, McLean SALE PRICE: $13.25 MILLION

KAREN AND CANDEE

FOUND ME A GREAT HOME with a candy cupboard!

CLOS E PARTNERS

■ prime numbers

22205 (Arlington)

6240 18th Road N.

List Price: $1.58 million

Sale Price: $1.66 million

Days on Market: 4

Listing Office: TTR Sotheby’s International Realty

Neighborhood: Overlee Knolls

Year Built: 1951

Bedrooms: 4

Full/Half Baths: 4/0

22206 (Arlington)

3315 Kemper Road

List Price: $875,000

Sale Price: $880,000

Days on Market: 2

Listing Office: KW United

Neighborhood: Shirlington Crest

Year Built: 2009

Bedrooms: 3

Full/Half Baths: 3/1

22207 (Arlington)

3632 36th Road N.

List Price: $3.75 million

Sale Price: $3.75 million

Days on Market: 261

Listing Office: Compass

Neighborhood: Rivercrest

Year Built: 2021

Bedrooms: 6

Full/Half Baths: 6/3

22209 (Arlington)

1781 Pierce St. N.

List Price: $2.48 million

Sale Price: $2.48 million

Days on Market: 1

Listing Office: The Mayhood Co.

Neighborhood: Rosslyn

Year Built: 2021

Bedrooms: 2

Full/Half Baths: 2/1

22213 (Arlington)

6543 36th St. N.

List Price: $1.9 million

Sale Price: $1.9 million

Days on Market: 2

Listing Office: Long & Foster Real Estate

Neighborhood: Berkshire Oakwood

Year Built: 2004

Bedrooms: 5

Full/Half Baths: 4/1

22101 (McLean)

1163 Chain Bridge Road

List Price: $13.8 million

Sale Price: $13.25 million

Days on Market: 102

Listing Office: Washington Fine Properties

Neighborhood: Langley Farms

Year Built: 2010

Bedrooms: 6

Full/Half Baths: 7/3

22102 (McLean)

1198 Windrock Drive

List Price: $4.2 million

Sale Price: $3.98 million

Days on Market: 6

Listing Office: Long & Foster Real Estate

Neighborhood: The Courts

Year Built: 1989

Bedrooms: 7

Full/Half Baths: 6/3

22041 (Falls Church)

6224 Edgewater Drive

List Price: $2.2 million

Sale Price: $2.18 million

Days on Market: 4

Listing Office: D.S.A. Properties & Investments

Neighborhood: Lake Barcroft

Year Built: 1959

Bedrooms: 5

Full/Half Baths: 4/0

22042 (Falls Church)

2807 Woodlawn Ave.

List Price: $939,000

Sale Price: $1.01 million

Days on Market: 6

Listing Office: RE/MAX Allegiance

Neighborhood: Greenway Downs

Year Built: 1952

Bedrooms: 5

Full/Half Baths: 3/1

22043 (Falls Church)

2301 Providence St.

List Price: $2.21 million

Sale Price: $2.11 million

Days on Market: 65

Listing Office: Sheridan-MacMahon

Neighborhood: North Idylwood

Year Built: 2019

Bedrooms: 6

Full/Half Baths: 6/1

22044

(Falls Church)

6318 Crosswoods Circle

List Price: $2.2 million

Sale Price: $2.86 million

Days on Market: 9

Listing Office: RE/MAX Distinctive Real Estate

Neighborhood: Lake Barcroft

Year Built: 1985

Bedrooms: 4

Full/Half Baths: 4/1

22046

(Falls Church)

2347 Walnut St.

List Price: $2.1 million

Sale Price: $2.1 million

Days on Market: 9

Listing Office: RE/MAX Distinctive Real Estate

Neighborhood: Speer

Year Built: 2021

Bedrooms: 5

Full/Half Baths: 4/1

3632 36th Road N., Arlington SALE PRICE: $3.75 MILLION

UNVEILING A NEW REAL ESTATE POWERHOUSE FIRM

McEnearney Associates and Middleburg Real Estate/Atoka Properties

Two of the most respected names in local real estate – McEnearney Associates and Middleburg Real Estate/Atoka Properties – have combined their exceptional talent and resources into one powerhouse firm. This new merger will unlock myriad benefits with an expanded network of talented and exceptional agents, an increased portfolio of listings, a luxury presence, curated marketing, advanced data analytics, and – most importantly – a seamless experience for homebuyers, sellers, landlords and tenants.

This strategic union will expand the firm’s footprint to 16 offices throughout Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia while affirming the long-standing traditions of excellence to transform the future of independent real estate.

From left to right: Scott Buzzelli, David Howell, Maureen McEnearney Dunn, Dave Hawkins, Peter Pejacsevich

■ by David Hagedorn | photos by Deb Lindsey

Winged VICTORY

Carey and Yuan Tang return to their hometown with Ellie Bird, a delightful, family-friendly restaurant.

OH, I THINK I’d love some fried oysters in my larb gai is not a thought that ever occurred to me. But I’m grateful it did to chef Yuan Tang, who brings those two dishes together in a wonderful marriage of flavors and textures at Ellie Bird, the Falls Church restaurant he and his wife, Carey, opened in April.

The larb gai familiar to us in Thai and Lao cooking is a salad of ground chicken, red onion, toasted rice powder and herbs dressed in lime juice and fish sauce. For his riff, Tang mixes the chicken and onions with housemade curry paste, puffed black rice and hazelnut vinaigrette (which imparts toasty notes) and tops it with diced apples and cilantro. He then surrounds the larb with four plump, batter-fried oysters and bibb lettuce leaves for wrap-making.

“It’s a take on surf and turf,” the chef explains. With its tartness, saltiness, crunch and brightness, I’d call it one of the tastiest and most innovative dishes of the moment.

It’s clear the Tangs know what they are doing. Their fine-dining sister restaurant in D.C., Rooster & Owl, earned

a vaunted Michelin star in 2021. Now they’ve parlayed that savoir faire into a more casual setting at Ellie Bird, where everything—the décor, the beverages, the superlative food—is on point. The staff, I’m thrilled to say, disproves the myth that it’s impossible to find good service in restaurants nowadays.

Opening in the new Founders Row development was a homecoming of sorts for the Tangs, both of whom grew up in Falls Church. (Yuan’s family emigrated from Hong Kong when he was 12.) As teenagers, both worked in restaurants on Broad Street—he at Red Lobster, she at Applebee’s.

They moved to New York City in 2008 so Yuan could follow his dream of a culinary career, leaving behind a lackluster job as a federal auditor. He would later drop out of cooking school,

The dining room at Ellie Bird

Carey & Yuan Tang

opting for on-the-job training at three Michelin-starred restaurants in Manhattan: Jean-Georges, Dovetail (now closed) and The Modern.

The couple returned to the DMV in 2014, started a family and opened Rooster & Owl in 2019. They now live in the Sleepy Hollow neighborhood of Falls Church.

Named for their second daughter, Ellie Bird is open and airy, with high

ELLIE BIRD

125 Founders Ave., Falls Church 703-454-8894 | elliebirdva.com

HOURS

Dinner: Tuesday to Thursday, 5 to 9 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 5 to 9:30 p.m.

Brunch: Saturday and Sunday, 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

PARKING

Plenty of free parking in the Founders Row garages

PRICES

Starters: $12 to $19; Entrées: $21 to $65; Desserts: $12 to $14 (plus a meringue dessert for two for $18)

ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows. The dining room is a cheery spot with herringbone-patterned floors, caned accent panels, a midcentury color palette (teal, blush pink, chartreuse), and a colorful pop-art mural reminiscent of Roy Lichtenstein.

Conceived by D.C.-based //3877 Design, the setting includes whimsical nods to the avian nomenclature of the Tangs’ two restaurants—pink neon birdies on the wall, birdcage-like framing around booths and bold, bird-patterned wallpaper in the bathroom.

The 3,200-square-foot space seats 70, including an eight-seat bar. At press time, a 40-seat covered patio was in the works.

I’m sorry to disappoint naysayers, but I have nothing negative to say about the food here. Tang’s menu offers 20 savory dishes, all of which are reliant on fresh, seasonal ingredients. It’s a concise collection with nothing extraneous; each dish is beautifully presented and sings with flavor, texture and color.

Start with a breadbasket of fluffy pineapple buns (a Rooster & Owl signature), focaccia and grilled scallion butter, and some cocktails—perhaps This Is Your Brain on Pisco, a pretty purple pisco sour made with pineapple and hi-

biscus. For a refreshing, spirit-free option, It Takes Two to Mango is a mélange of mango, peach and lime.

In addition to the oyster larb gai, I’m taken by the Little Gem wedge salad dressed with herby green goddess yogurt dressing and topped with candied bacon and blue cheese from FireFly Farms in Maryland. The salad, a summer garden that comes to life with each bite, is a stunner.

Equally snazzy are the ricotta gnudi (dumplings) garnished with fresh peas, pea tendrils, queso fresco and a sprinkling of sunflower seeds—a picture-perfect taste of the season.

Given the chef’s penchant for cooking with whatever is fresh, many of these dishes will have rotated out by the time this review goes to print. One with permanent status, however, is the Vietnamese French onion soup, which finds a phô-inspired oxtail broth loaded with chunks of oxtail meat and enhanced with lemongrass, star anise, cinnamon and fish sauce. Add croutons, Parmesan and loads of gooey Gruyere cheese and it becomes a rich, hearty liquid rendition of a French dip sandwich, packed with depth.

From the list of entrées, the carrot garganelli (ridged tubular pasta) shine

Braised lamb shank with crispy shallots

in a creamy sauce made with feta cheese, carrot purée and toasted black pepper. Tang finishes this clever take on cacio e pepe with carrot shavings, toasted pumpernickel breadcrumbs, verdant dill oil and sprigs of mint and dill. The dish reflects the chef’s trademark balance of sweetness, texture, color, acid, salt and herbaceousness.

That same balance is evident in a bouillabaisse of Nordic cod, Hokkaido scallops and littleneck clams whose underpinning fish fumet (stock, in this case made with charred fish frames) is emboldened with Korean chili flakes, fennel and garlic. Kimchi fennel salad, tiny cubes of tofu, chili peppers, honey and charred scallion oil round out this powerhouse dish. Use the grilled focaccia that comes with it to sop up the broth.

The tender lamb shank, braised in red wine and finished with a glaze of fish sauce and vinegar, is a stick-to-theribs offering suitable to fall weather. It’s served on a bed of grated cauliflower “tabbouleh” with apricots, almonds and chopped parsley and crowned with crispy shallots.

I’ve saved my biggest rave of all for one of the side dishes. I’m a sucker for spaetzle, those wonderful, squiggly lit-

tle German dumplings made by drizzling batter through a colander into boiling water. Yang’s creamed spinach spaetzle—inspired by steak house creamed spinach—is up there with the best I’ve had. He makes the flour-based batter with spinach purée and sour cream, rendering the dumplings a vivid green, and sautees them with Dijon mustard cream sauce, mint, parsley, dill and chives. They’re sublime.

On the dessert menu, pastry chef Rachel Sherriffe’s fudgy, moist chocolate cake, made with coffee and buttermilk and frosted with chai-spiced buttercream, is billed correctly as “Can’t miss!” (Take the à la mode option.)

Another winner is a cheesecake sundae featuring graham-cracker and cream-cheese ice creams and frozen cheesecake cubes, topped with warm pecan praline and crushed graham crackers.

Going out with kids? Ellie Bird’s dining room overlooks a courtyard green space with fountains, allowing parents to send their children outside to play and keep an eye on them from the comfort of their table.

The restaurant also has a “Little Birdie’s” menu featuring kid-tested options such as carrot garganelli with butter

WHAT TO DRINK

program is perfectly attuned to Ellie Bird’s charm. Six cleverly named, well-balanced signature cocktails ($13 to $16) are listed with little drawings of the barware in which they’re served. Resting Beach Face is a refreshing mélange of rum, cognac, peach liqueur and mint, served over crushed ice in a hurricane glass. For a kicky, tangy quaff that brings the heat, try the Spice Up Your Life, made with mezcal, gochujang, grapefruit and rice wine vinegar. There are also two spiritfree cocktails ($8).

The compact but nicely curated wine list includes three sparkling, one rosé, seven whites and eight reds, all of which are available by the glass ($12 to $18) or bottle ($48 to $72). The list heavily favors California, but Middleburg’s Boxwood Winery shows up with a sauvignon blanc and an “Ellie Bird x Boxwood” red blend.

and Parmesan (plus optional asparagus); cornflake-crusted chicken tenders; a Lunchables-esque “char-cute-rie” assortment of cheese, crackers, fruits, veggies and ham; and naan pizza.

It’s an excellent gateway to introduce children to food that is whimsical, fresh, seasonal and downright delicious—just like we grown-ups get to enjoy at Ellie Bird. ■

Beverage director Christopher Sang’s

Kimchi bouillabaisse

This Is Your Brain on Pisco

What’s Nue?

My eyes nearly pop out of my head when I see the seafood tower ($127) at Nue, an elegant Vietnamese restaurant that opened in Founders Row in April. Artfully arranged on banana leaves, it’s teeming with whole Maine lobster, green-lipped mussels, Spanish octopus with Fresno chile emulsion, colossal shrimp with yuzu nuoc

mam (fish sauce) and oysters with buttermilk vinaigrette.

The Falls Church restaurant, which seats 77 inside and 24 outside, is owned by Happy Endings Hospitality and shares its kitchen with two of the company’s other brands—Chasin’ Tails seafood and Roll Play, a fast-casual spot serving Viet street food.

Nue is the brainchild of Happy Endings partner and chief marketing

officer Tuyêt Nhi Lê, who named the restaurant after a 1931 portrait of a nude (nue, in French) by her greatgreat-uncle, Vietnamese artist Lê Pho. (The painting sold for $1.4 million in 2019 at Christie’s in Hong Kong.)

D.C.-based architecture firm HapstakDemitriou+ designed the restaurant space, although Lê had a hand in it. Vivid and ethereal, it includes an Impressionist-style mural in hues of magenta, lilac, pink and teal that curves into a cascading display of three-dimensional flowers. “I love Indochine and modern Frenchish style,” says Lê, who lives in Founders Row.

Chef Daniel Lê (no relation) oversees Nue’s kitchen, but Tuyêt Nhi’s mother, Tuyêt Hoa Vuong, is responsible for many of the recipes. Don’t miss the seafood cha gio, crispy rice paper-wrapped spring rolls stuffed with crab, shrimp, pork and taro ($15); silken chicken liver mousse with Thai chilies and peanuts ($14); pappardelle with Vietnamese short rib ragu ($36); and coconut curry risotto with Hokkaido scallops ($42).

Cocktails ($16 to $18), such as the Cloudy Dreams (Empress gin, yellow Chartreuse, hibiscus and lemon) and the Tropical Kickoff (tequila, Cointreau, Aperol, coconut milk, lime juice), are excellent. The wine list features 14 bottles ($54 to $140), 11 of them available by the glass ($12 to $28). nuevietnamese.com

Nue in Falls Church

A seafood tower at Nue

ORDER THIS now

Oh, Shucks!

Corny? You bet I am, which is why I go crazy for The Shuck Shack, a Pentagon City mall food court kiosk that specializes in roasted corn on the cob coated with various slatherings (such as butter, chili-lime mayo, salsa or crema) and sprinkled with your choice of over two dozen seasonings, among them lemon-pepper, Creole spices or cinnamon sugar. My favorite offering is the World-Famous Mexican Street Corn ($7), a version of elote made with lime crema, chililime seasoning and Parmesan cheese. The corn is roasted to perfection and the combination of sweetness, saltiness, crunch, richness and tang adds up to a super-satisfying summertime (or anytime) snack. theshuckshack.com

Bean Boost

It’s early in the morning and the enticing aromas of lavender, cinnamon and vanilla dance in the air, thanks to the spoonful of Spice n’ Nice flavoring I added to my espresso beans before grinding them.

Entrepreneurs Mariya Cherk and Risa Lin met and became friends while working for the same tech company. In August 2022, they launched their line of herb and spice mixes, with options including cinnamon apple, cardamom rose,

lavender vanilla and vanilla chai. Each 50-gram container ($19.99) flavors 50 cups of coffee. Lin serves as COO while Cherk’s title is CFO—chief flavor officer.

Like so many new businesses, their idea grew out of the pandemic. When Covid precautions meant that Cherk couldn’t hang out in her favorite coffee shops, she decided to become her own barista, ordering various syrups and flavorings online and making concoctions in her Falls Church home. “My health started declining,” she says. “My hair was falling out and I was gaining weight. I realized these creamers and syrups had lots of sugar, preservatives, gums and other additives in them. It was appalling.”

So Cherk, who comes from a family of medical professionals in Ukraine, decided to create her own flavorings, heeding advice from her grandmother, who asked, “Why not use cardamom and rose like we do? You grew up on that!”

Spice n’ Nice flavorings are free of preservatives, but do contain birch xylitol, a natural sugar alcohol. The mixes can be used with a drip coffee maker, French press, pourover dripper, Keurig, Nespresso or espresso machine. They can be added to other hot beverages, too.

Find them online, and at Junction Bakery & Bistro in Del Ray and Union Kitchen in Ballston. spice-n-nice.com

Seasoned corn on the cob at The Shuck Shack in Pentagon City

Risa Lin and Mariya Cherk

Cardamom rose flavoring from Spice n’ Nice

places to EAT

ARLINGTON

A Modo Mio Pizzeria

5555 Langston Blvd., 703-532-0990, amodomio pizza.com. Joe’s Place Pizza and Pasta has rebranded with a new chef, a new menu centering on woodfired pies and an interior makeover. L D $$

Aladdin Sweets & Tandoor

5169 Langston Blvd., 703-533-0077. Chef Shiuli Rashid and her husband, Harun, prepare family recipes of curries and kebabs from their native Bangladesh. L D $$

Ambar Clarendon

2901 Wilson Blvd., 703-875-9663, ambarrestau rant.com. Feast on Balkan fare such as stuffed cabbage, mushroom pilav and rotisserie meats.

O R L D G V $$

Arlington Kabob

5046 Langston Blvd., 703-531-1498, arlingtonka bobva.com. Authentic Afghan fare includes kebabs, wraps, shawarma and quabli palou (lamb shank with rice). L D $$

Arlington Rooftop Bar & Grill

2424 Wilson Blvd., 703-528-3030, arlrooftop.com. There’s plenty of bar food to go with the games, from burgers and wings to oysters and flatbread.

O

C R L D A G V $$

Assembly

1700 N. Moore St., 703-419-3156, assembly-va. com. The 29,000-square-foot food hall above the Rosslyn Metro contains a smorgasbord of din-

ing concepts, from oysters and cocktails to Asian street food, tacos and diner fare, plus a gourmet market with prepared foods. B R L D G V $$

B Live

2854 Wilson Blvd., 571-312-7094, bliveva.com. Find beach-inspired eats, a Bloody Mary bar and live music five nights a week in the former Whitlow’s space in Clarendon. o R L D A $$

Baba

2901 Wilson Blvd., 703-312-7978, baba.bar. This subterranean cocktail lounge is a sister to Ambar next door. A $$

Bakeshop

1025 N. Fillmore St., 571-970-6460, bakeshopva. com. Hit this tiny storefront for coffee, cupcakes, cookies, macarons, icebox pies and other treats. Vegan sweets are always available. B V $

Ballston Local s

900 N. Glebe Road, 703-852-1260, ballstonlocal. com. Pair your local brew with a plate of poutine or a New York-style pizza. L D V $$

Banditos Tacos & Tequila

1301 S. Joyce St., 571-257-7622, banditostnt. com. Mexican street food, tequila, mezcal and sugar-skull décor keep the party going at this Westpost cantina. o L D G V $$

Bangkok 54

2919 Columbia Pike, 703-521-4070, bangkok54res taurant.com. A favorite for Thai curries, grilled meats, stir-fry, noodles and soups. L D V $$

Bar Bao

3100 Clarendon Blvd., 703-600-0500, barbao.com. The trendy watering hole serves dishes reminiscent of Chinese and Taiwanese street food, plus sake, soju and Asian fusion cocktails. L D V $$

Bar Ivy

3033 Wilson Blvd., 703-544-8730, eatbarivy.com. Executive chef and master forager Jonathan Till turns out seasonal dishes like squash blossom panzanella and octopus with elderberry teriyaki at this breezy, West Coast-style hive in Clarendon. O D V $$$

Barley Mac

1600 Wilson Blvd., 703-372-9486, barleymacva. com. Upscale tavern fare, plus more than 100 kinds of whiskey and bourbon. R L D A G V $$

Bartaco

4238 Wilson Blvd. (Ballston Quarter), 571-3908226, bartaco.com. A lively spot for tacos (13 kinds) and tequila. Feels like vacation. L D V A $$

Basic Burger

1101 S. Joyce St., 703-248-9333, basicburger. com. The homegrown eatery (and food truck) cooks with locally sourced, certified Angus beef and cagefree, antibiotic-free chicken. L D $$

Bayou Bakery, Coffee Bar & Eatery

1515 N. Courthouse Road, 703-243-2410, bayou bakeryva.com. Chef David Guas’ New Orleans-inspired menu changes often, but you can always count on beignets and gumbo. Breakfast all day on weekends. O C B R L D G V $

Beauty Champagne & Sugar Boutique

576 23rd St. S., 571-257-5873, beautybysociety fair.com. Find champagne, cookies, cocktail fixings and small plates at this woman-owned bistro and market. Closed Mondays. L D $$

KEY: Price designations are based on the approximate cost per person for a meal with one drink, tax and tip.

$ under $20

$$ $21-$35

$$$ $36-$70

$$$$ $71 or more

o Outdoor Dining

c Children’s Menu

Breakfast

Brunch

Lunch

Dinner

After Hours/Late Night G Gluten-Free V Vegetarian

s Best of Arlington 2022 or 2023 Winner

Joon

Bethesda Bagels

1851 N. Moore St., 703-312-1133, bethesdabagels. com. The popular D.C.-area chain has an outpost in Rosslyn. Eat a sandwich! O L V $

BGR the Burger Joint

3129 Langston Blvd., 703-812-4705, bgrtheburger joint.com. Top your dry-aged beef, veggie or turkey burger with add-ons like grilled jalapeño, pineapple or fried egg. C L D V $

Big Buns Damn Good Burger Co. s

4401 Wilson Blvd., 703-276-3032; 4251 Campbell Ave., 703-933-2867, eatbigbuns.com. Satisfy your cravings with “designer” burgers, shakes, beer and booze. L D $$

Bob & Edith’s Diner

2310 Columbia Pike, 703-920-6103; 539 23rd St. S., 703-920-2700; 5050 Langston Blvd., 703-594-0280; bobandedithsdiner.com. Founded in 1969, the 24hour eatery whips up pancakes, eggs, grits, meatloaf, shakes and pie à la mode. B L D A V $

Bollywood Bistro Express

4238 Wilson Blvd. (Ballston Quarter), 571-3121071, bollywoodbistroexpress.com. Build your own bowl with fillers such as chicken tikka, paneer, chana masala and pickled onions. L D V $$

Bonsai Sushi at Crystal City

553 23rd St. S., 703-553-7723, crystalbonsai sushirestaurant.com. A go-to for sushi, sashimi, yakisoba, tempura, teriyaki. Closed Mondays. L D $$

Bostan Uyghur Cuisine

3911 Langston Blvd., 703-522-3010, bostanuyghur. com. Discover the wonders of Uyghur Chinese dishes such as kebabs, lagmen (hand-pulled noodles), manta (dumplings) and honey cake. L D $$

Brass Rabbit Public House

1210 N. Garfield St., 703-746-9977, brassrabbit pub.com. Pair carrot “fries” and lettuce wraps with craft cocktails like the El Conejo, featuring tequila, carrot juice, ginger, lime and cilantro.

O R L D V A $$

Bronson Bierhall

4100 Fairfax Drive, 703-528-1110, bronsonbier hall.com. You’ll find communal tables, German and regional beers, sausages, schnitzel and cornhole in this 6,000-square-foot ode to Munich.

O L D A $$

Buena Vida

2900 Wilson Blvd., buenavidarestaurant.com. Savor an unlimited tasting menu of Mexican dishes by chef Jaime Garciá Pelayo Bribiesca, plus one of the best rooftop bars around. O R L D $$

Busboys and Poets

4251 S. Campbell Ave., 703-379-9757, busboys andpoets.com. Known for its poetry slams, onsite bookstore and social justice programming, the café offers an eclectic menu with oodles of options for vegetarians. O C B R L D G V $$

The Café by Kitchen of Purpose

918 S. Lincoln St., 703-596-1557, kitchenofpur pose.org/cafe. Operated by the nonprofit Kitchen of Purpose (formerly La Cocina VA), this lunch spot serves soups, salads, sandwiches, pastries and Swing’s coffee. L V $

Café Colline

4536 Langston Blvd., 703-567-6615, cafecolline va.com. Helmed by executive chef Brendan L’Etoile, the cozy French bistro in the Lee Heights Shops satisfies with dishes such as paté maison, duck confit and chocolate pots de creme. O L D $$

Café Sazón

4704 Columbia Pike, 703-566-1686, cafesazon. com. A homey Bolivian café specializing in dishes such as silpancho and empanadas. B L D V $$

Caribbean Grill

5183 Langston Blvd., 703-241-8947. Cuban prepara-

tions such as jerk-style pork, fried plantains and black bean soup are mainstays. C L D G V $

Carlyle

4000 Campbell Ave., 703-931-0777, greatamerican restaurants.com/carlyle. The original anchor of Shirlington Village is a reliable pick for fusion fare, happy hour and Sunday brunch. O C R L D G V $$$

CarPool Beer and Billiards

900 N. Glebe Road, 703-516-7665, gocarpool. com. Mark Handwerger’s garage-themed watering hole has pool, pub grub and an extensive beer list, including “house” suds brewed at sister bar the Board Room. D A $

Cava

1201 Wilson Blvd., 703-652-7880; 4121 Wilson Blvd., 703-310-6791; cava.com. Build your own salad, wrap or bowl, choosing from an array of Greek dips, spreads, proteins and toppings. L D G V $$

Cava Mezze

2940 Clarendon Blvd., 703-276-9090, cavamezze. com. Greek small plates include octopus, roasted eggplant, zucchini fritters, souvlaki, briny cheeses and succulent lamb. R L D G V $$$

The Celtic House Irish Pub & Restaurant

2500 Columbia Pike, 703-746-9644, celtichouse. net. The pub on the Pike serves up pints alongside favorites like corned beef and traditional Irish breakfast. C R L D A $$

Charga Grill

5151 Langston Blvd., 703-988-6063, chargagrill. com. How do you like your chicken? Choose Peruvian, jerk, Tandoori or Pakistani charga or sajii preparations at this flavor-packed eatery and takeout. L D $$

Chase the Submarine

1201 S. Joyce St., 703-865-7829. What’s for

lunch? Subs at this Westpost sandwich shop from chefs Tim Ma and Scott Chung include meatball, banh mi, marinated mushroom, and PBJ with potato chips. L V $

Cheesetique

4024 Campbell Ave., 703-933-8787, cheesetique. com. The cheese shop and wine bar offers small plates, cheese boards and more. O B L D V $$

Chicken + Whiskey

3033 Wilson Blvd., chickenandwhiskey.com. Dig into pollo frito sandwiches, pork belly arepas, yuca fries, pisco punch and whiskey cocktails at Enrique Limardo’s Peruvian chicken joint. c L D A $$ Chiko s

4040 Campbell Ave., 571-312-0774, chikodc.com.

The Chinese-Korean concept by chefs Danny Lee and Scott Drewno serves fan favorites like cumin lamb stir-fry and double-fried chicken wings, plus a few fun dishes that are exclusive to the Shirlington location. C D G V $$

Circa at Clarendon

3010 Clarendon Blvd., 703-522-3010, circabistros. com. Bistro fare ranges from salads and small plates to steak frites and wild mushroom pizza. Sit outside if you can. O R L D A G V $$$

Colony Grill

2800 Clarendon Blvd., 703-682-8300, colonygrill. com. The Stamford, Connecticut-based pizza chain specializes in ultra-thin-crust “bar pies” with a spicy, pepper-infused hot oil topping. L D G V $$

Copperwood Tavern

4021 Campbell Ave., 703-522-8010, copperwood tavern.com. The hunting-and-fishing-themed saloon serves up steaks and chops, draft beers and 30 small-batch whiskeys. O R L D $$$

Mah-Ze-Dahr

Cowboy Café s

4792 Langston Blvd., 703-243-8010, thecowboy cafe.com. Cool your heels and fill up on sandwiches, burgers, brisket and chili mac. An outdoor beer garden features a mural by Arlington artist MasPaz. Live music on weekends. O C R L D V $$

Crafthouse

901 N. Glebe Road, 703-962-6982, crafthouse usa.com. Locally sourced bar food, plus Virginia beer, wine and spirits equals a good time. O L D A $$

Crystal City Sports Pub

529 23rd St. S., 703-521-8215, ccsportspub.com. Open 365 days a year, it’s a sure bet for big-screen TVs, pool tables, trivia and poker nights, beers and bar snacks. C B R L D A G V $$

Crystal Thai

4819 First St. N., 703-522-1311, crystalthai.com. A neighborhood go-to for traditional Thai curries, grilled meats and house specialties like roast duck.

L D V $$

Dama Pastry Restaurant & Cafe

1503 Columbia Pike, 703-920-3559, damapas try.com. The Ethiopian family-owned business includes a breakfast café, market and dining room.

B L D V $$

Darna

946 N. Jackson St., 703-988-2373, darnava.com.

Grilled kebabs, mezze and traditional Lebanese comfort foods are served in a modern setting. The upstairs is a hookah bar. L D V $$

Delhi Dhaba Indian Restaurant 2424 Wilson Blvd., 703-524-0008, delhidhaba.com. The best bargain is the “mix and match” platter,

which includes tandoori, seafood, a curry dish and a choice of rice or naan. O L D G V $$

Detour Coffee

946 N. Jackson St., 703-988-2378, detourcoffee co.com. This comfy cafe has a college vibe and serves up locally roasted coffee, light bites and weekend brunch. O B R L V $

District Taco

5723 Langston Blvd., 703-237-1204; 1500 Wilson Blvd., 571-290-6854; districttaco.com. A local favorite for tacos and gargantuan burritos. C B L D G V $

Don Tito

3165 Wilson Blvd., 703-566-3113, dontitova.com. Located in a historic building, the sports bar specializes in tacos, tequila and beer, with a rooftop bar. O R L D $$

Dudley’s Sport & Ale

2766 S. Arlington Mill Drive, 571-312-2304, dudleyssportandale.com. A spacious sports bar with wall-to-wall TVs, a roof deck, a ballpark-inspired beer list and weekend brunch. O C R L D A $$

Earl’s Sandwiches

2605 Wilson Boulevard, 703-647-9191, earlsinarling ton.com. Made-to-order sandwiches use prime ingredients, like fresh roasted turkey. O B L D G V $

East West Coffee Wine

3101 Wilson Blvd., 571-800-9954. The Clarendon cafe serves espresso drinks, brunch (try the massive Turkish breakfast spread), sandwiches, tapas, beer and wine. B L D $

El Charrito Caminante

2710-A N. Washington Blvd., 703-351-1177. This

bare-bones Salvadoran takeout counter hits the spot with tacos, burritos and pupusas. L D V $

Eli’s Taqueria

3207 Columbia Pike, 703-663-4777. Dig into beef birria tortas, shrimp tacos and pupusas at this homey spot (a spin-off of the Taqueria La Ceibita food truck) run by Nevi Paredes and his daughter, Yorktown alum Elizabeth Marquez. L D $

El Paso Café

4235 N. Pershing Drive, 703-243-9811, elpaso cafeva.com. Big portions, big margaritas and bighearted service make this Tex-Mex cantina a local favorite. C L D G V $$

El Pike Restaurant

4111 Columbia Pike, 703-521-3010, elpikerestau rant.com. Bolivian dishes satisfy at this no-frills institution. Try the salteñas stuffed with chicken or beef, olives and hard-boiled egg. L D $

El Pollo Rico

932 N. Kenmore St., 703-522-3220, elpollorico restaurant.com. A local institution, this rotisserie chicken mecca gained even more street cred after a visit from the late Anthony Bourdain. L D V $

El Rey

4201 Wilson Blvd., 571-312-5530, elreyva.com. The Ballston outpost of the beloved U Street taqueria serves tacos, margs and draft brews in a colorful interior featuring street-art murals by Mike Pacheco. L D A $$

Elevation Burger

2447 N. Harrison St., 703-300-9467, elevationburger. com. Organic, grass-fed beef is ground on the prem-

■ places to eat

ises, fries are cooked in olive oil and the shakes are made with fresh-scooped ice cream. O L D V $

Endo Sushi

3000 Washington Blvd., 703-243-7799, endosu shi.com. A neighborly spot for sashimi, teriyaki, donburi and maki. L D V $$

Epic Smokehouse

1330 S. Fern St., 571-319-4001, epicsmoke house.com. Wood-smoked meats and seafood served in a modern setting. O L D G $$$

Federico Ristorante Italiano

519 23rd St., 703-486-0519, federicoristorante italiano.com. Find pasta, chianti and red-checkered tablecloths at this Crystal City trattoria co-owned by Freddie’s Beach Bar proprietor Freddie Lutz.

L D V $$

Fettoosh

5100 Wilson Blvd., 703-527-7710. Overstuffed pita sandwiches and kebabs keep the kitchen fired up at this bargain-priced Lebanese and Moroccan restaurant. C R L D G V $

Fire Works

2350 Clarendon Blvd., 703-527-8700, fireworks pizza.com. Wood-fired pizzas and more than 30 craft beers on tap are mainstays. You can also build your own pasta dish. O C L D A G V $$

First Down Sports Bar & Grill

4213 Fairfax Drive, 703-465-8888, firstdownsports bar.com. Three cheers for draft beers and snacks ranging from sliders to queso dip. L D A V $$

Four Sisters Grill

3035 Clarendon Blvd., 703-243-9020, foursisters grill.com. Here, the family behind Four Sisters in Merrifield serves up banh mi sandwiches, papaya salad, spring rolls and noodle dishes. O L D $$

The Freshman

2011 Crystal Drive, thefreshmanva.com. Nick Freshman’s neighborly dining concept has something for every appetite and every time of day, from coffee and breakfast sandwiches to oysters and negronis. O B L D V $$

Galaxy Hut

2711 Wilson Blvd., 703-525-8646, galaxyhut.com.

Pair craft beers with vegan bar foods like “fricken” (fake chicken) sandwich melts and smothered tots with cashew cheese curds. L D A G V $$

Gharer Khabar

5157 Langston Blvd., 703-973-2432, gharerkhabar togo.com. Translated as “home’s food,” this artfilled, 14-seat café serves Bangladeshi fare cooked by chef Nasima Shreen. L D $$

Good Company Doughnuts & Café

672 N. Glebe Road, 703-243-3000; 510 14th St. S.; gocodough.com. The family- and veteran-owned eatery serves house-made doughnuts, Intelligentsia coffee and savory cafe fare. B L V $$

Good Stuff Eatery

2110 Crystal Drive, 703-415-4663, goodstuff eatery.com. Spike Mendelsohn’s Crystal City outpost offers gourmet burgers (beef, turkey or mushroom), shakes, fries and salads. L D G V $

Grand Cru Wine Bar and Bistro 4301 Wilson Blvd., 703-243-7900, grandcru-wine. com. This intimate European-style café includes a wine shop next door. O R L D G $$$

Green Pig Bistro

1025 N. Fillmore St., 703-888-1920, greenpig bistro.com. Southern-influenced food, craft cocktails, happy hour and brunch draw fans to this congenial neighborhood hideaway. R L D G V $$$

Greens N Teff s

3203 Columbia Pike, 571-510-4063, greensnteff. com. This vegetarian, fast-casual Ethiopian carryout prompts customers to choose a base (in-

jera bread or rice), then pile on spicy, plant-based stews and other toppings. O L D G V $

Guajillo

1727 Wilson Blvd., 703-807-0840, guajillo mexican.com. Authentic Mexican dishes such as carne asada, mole poblano and churros are favorites. O C L D G V $$

Guapo’s Restaurant

4028 Campbell Ave., 703-671-1701, guaposres taurant.com. Expect hearty portions of all the TexMex standbys—quesadillas, enchiladas, fajitas, tacos and burritos. O C R L D G V $$

Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ

1119 N. Hudson St., 571-527-0445, gyu-kaku.com. Marinated meats, veggies and seafood are cooked on tabletop grills. L D $$

Gyu San

4300 Wilson Blvd., 571-312-7373, gyusan.com. Go for Japanese barbecue, sushi, soba noodles and saki. L D G $$$

Hanabi Ramen

3024 Wilson Blvd., 703-351-1275, hanabiramen usa.com. Slurp multiple variations of the popular noodle dish, plus rice bowls and dumplings. L D $$

Happy Eatery

1800 N. Lynn St., 571-800-1881, thehappy eatery.com. Asian comfort foods (think banh mi, noodle soups, rice bowls and bubble tea) are the draw at this Rosslyn food hall. L D $$

Haute Dogs

2910 N. Sycamore St., 703-548-3891, hautedogs andfries.com. Cookout fare goes gourmet with hot dog toppings ranging from banh mi with sriracha mayo to a buffalo dog with blue cheese, celery and ranch. L D $

Hawkers Asian Street Food

4201 Wilson Blvd., 703-828-8287, eathawkers. com. Satisfy your craving for hot chicken, pork belly bao and other Asian street foods, plus sake, whiskey and zero-proof quaffs. G V L D $$

Heidelberg Pastry Shoppe

2150 N. Culpeper St., 703-527-8394, heidelberg bakery.com. Fill up on baked goods as well as Old Country specialties such as bratwurst and German potato salad. Closed Mondays. B L $

Highline RxR

2010-A Crystal Drive, 703-413-2337, highlinerxr. com. A Crystal City bar offering draft beers, draft wines, a whiskey menu and a retractable wall that opens up in nice weather. O L D A $$

Hot Lola’s

4238 Wilson Blvd. (Ballston Quarter), 1501 Wilson Blvd. (Rosslyn), hotlolas.com. It’s all about Kevin Tien’s Nashville-meets-Sichuan hot chicken sandwiches. L D $

Inca Social

1776 Wilson Blvd., 703-488-7640, incasocial.com. Empanadas, saltados, ceviche, sushi and pisco sours round out the menu at this Peruvian cousin to the original in Dunn Loring. R L D G V $$

Ireland’s Four Courts 2051 Wilson Blvd., 703-525-3600, irelandsfour courts.com. The beloved pub in Courthouse is back, serving corned beef and Guinness burgers alongside pints of ale and stout.

c R L D A V $$

Istanbul Grill 4617 Wilson Blvd., 571-970-5828, istanbulgrill virginia.com. Feast on Turkish meze and kebabs at this homey spot in Bluemont. L D V $$

The Italian Store 3123 Langston Blvd., 703-528-6266; 5837 Washington Blvd., 571-341-1080; italianstore.com. A cultstatus favorite for pizzas, sandwiches, prepared entrées, espresso and gelato. O L D G V $

Kabob Palace

2315 S. Eads St., 703-486-3535, kabobpalaceusa. com. Grilled meats, pillowy naan and savory sides.

L D A G V $$

Kanpai Restaurant

1401 Wilson Blvd., 703-527-8400, kanpai-sushi.com. The STTR (spicy tuna tempura roll) is a must at this Rosslyn sushi spot. O L D G V $$

Khun Yai Thai 2509 N. Harrison St., 703-536-1643, khunyaithai va.com. Serving “homestyle Thai” cuisine, it’s owned by the same family behind popular Thai Pilin in Falls Church. L D G V $$

King of Koshary

5515 Wilson Blvd., 571-317-7925, kingofkoshary. com. Washington Post critic Tim Carman dubbed its menu “Egyptian food fit for royalty.” Try the hearty namesake dish, grilled branzino, beef kofta, roasted chicken or any of the tagines (stews). L D G $$

Kusshi

1201 S. Joyce St., 571-777-1998, kusshisushi. com. Feast your way through shishito peppers, sushi, oysters and mochi at this Westpost café. Or splurge for omakase. O L D G V $$$

L.A. Bar & Grill

2530 Columbia Pike, 703-685-1560, labargrill.com. Regulars flock to this dive bar on the Pike (L.A. stands for Lower Arlington) for cold brews and pub fare. D A $$

La Coop Coffee

4807 First St. N., 571-257-7972, lacoopcoffee. com.Stop by this cheery café for single-origin Guatemalan coffee, house-made horchata, breakfast sammies, empanadas and ice cream. B L $

La Côte D’Or Café

6876 Langston Blvd., 703-538-3033, lacotedorarling ton.com. This little French bistro serves standards like crepes and steak frites. O R L D G V $$$

Layalina

5216 Wilson Blvd., 703-525-1170, layalinares taurant.com. Lebanese and Syrian dishes have delighted diners since 1997 at this family-owned restaurant. Closed Mondays. O L D A V $$

Lebanese Taverna

5900 Washington Blvd., 703-241-8681; 1101 S. Joyce St., Pentagon Row, 703-415-8681; lebanese taverna.com. A homegrown favorite for mezze, kebabs, flatbreads and more. O C L D G V $$

Le Pain Quotidien

2900 Clarendon Blvd., 703-465-0970, lepainquo tidien.com. The Belgian chain produces Europeanstyle cafe fare. B L D G V $$

The Liberty Tavern

3195 Wilson Blvd., 703-465-9360, thelibertytavern. com. This Clarendon anchor offers a spirited bar and creative cuisine fueled by two wood-burning ovens. O C R L D A G V $$$

Livin’ the Pie Life 2166 N. Glebe Road, 571-431-7727, livinthepielife. com. The wildly popular pie operation started as an Arlington farmers market stand. B L V $$

Lost Dog Café

5876 Washington Blvd., 703-237-1552; 2920 Columbia Pike, 703-553-7770; lostdogcafe.com. Known for its pizzas, subs and craft beer selection, this deli/café supports pet adoption through the Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation.

L D G V $$

Lucky Danger

1101 S. Joyce St., Unit B27 (Westpost), luckydanger. co. Chefs Tim Ma and Andrew Chiou put a fresh spin on Chinese American takeout with dishes such as duck fried rice and lo mein. L D V $$

Lyon Hall s

3100 N. Washington Blvd., 703-741-7636, lyonhall

arlington.com. The European-style brasserie turns out French, German and Alsatian-inspired plates, from charcuterie and sausages to mussels and pickled vegetables. O C R L D A V $$$

Mah-Ze-Dahr

1550 Crystal Drive, 703-718-4418, mahzedahr bakery.com. Café fare at this bright newcomer to National Landing includes coffee, pastries, focaccia, sandwiches and snacks. O B L D $

Maison Cheryl

2900 Wilson Blvd., 703-664-0509, maisoncheryl. com. Seared duck breast, steak frites and madeleines are among the offerings at this French American bistro. R L D V $$$

Maizal

4238 Wilson Blvd. (Ballston Quarter), 571-3966500, maizalstreetfood.com. South American street food—arepas, empanadas, yuca fries, Peruvian fried rice, street corn and churros. L D V $

Mala Tang

3434 Washington Blvd., 703-243-2381, mala-tang. com. Chef Liu Chaosheng brings the tastes and traditions of his hometown, Chengdu, to this eatery specializing in Sichuan hot pot. O L D G V $$

Mario’s Pizza House

3322 Wilson Blvd., mariopizzahouse.com. Open into the wee hours, it’s been cooking up subs, wings and pizza since 1957. O C B L D A $

Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls

4017 Campbell Ave., 571-431-6530, masons lobster.com. Order lobster rolls your way (butter or mayo) at this Shirlington outpost of the Annapolis, Maryland-based seafood chainlet. L D $$

Mattie and Eddie’s

1301 S. Joyce St., 571-312-2665, mattieand eddies.com. It’s not just an Irish bar. Chef Cathal Armstrong’s kitchen serves farm-to-table dishes like lobster pot pie, house-cured corned beef, sardines on toast, and Irish breakfast all day. O R L D $$$

Maya Bistro

5649 Langston Blvd., 703-533-7800, bistromaya. com. The family-owned restaurant serves Turkish and Mediterranean comfort food. L D V $$

McNamara’s Pub & Restaurant

567 23rd St. S., 703-302-3760, mcnamaraspub. com. Order a Guinness and some corned beef or fish and chips at this watering hole on Crystal City’s restaurant row. O R L D A $$

Meda Coffee & Kitchen

5037 Columbia Pike, 571-312-0599, medacoffee kitchen.com. A casual café serving coffee, baked goods and traditional Ethiopian dishes like kitfo and tibs. C B L D G V $$

Me Jana

2300 Wilson Blvd., 703-465-4440, mejanarestau rant.com. Named for an old Lebanese folk ballad, this Middle Eastern eatery offers prime peoplewatching in Clarendon. O C L D G V $$

Mele Bistro

1723 Wilson Blvd., 703-522-0284, melebistro.com. This farm-to-table Mediterranean restaurant cooks with fresh, organic, free-range, regionally sourced, non-GMO ingredients. O R L D G V $$

Meridian Pint 6035 Wilson Blvd., 703-300-9655, meridianpint. com. A brewpub serving craft suds, burgers, salads and bar food. C R D A G V $$

Metro 29 Diner

4711 Langston Blvd., 703-528-2464, metro29. com. Classic diner fare includes triple-decker sandwiches, mile-high desserts, burgers, roasted chicken and breakfast. C B R L D V $

Mexicali Blues

2933 Wilson Blvd., 703-812-9352, mexicali-blues.

com. The colorful landmark dishes out Salvadoran and Mexican chow. O C R L D G V $$

Moby Dick House of Kabob 3000 Washington Blvd., 703-465-1600; 4037 Campbell Ave., 571-257-8214; mobyskabob.com. Satisfy that hankering for Persian skewers and flavorful sides. L D $$

Mpanadas

2602 Columbia Pike, 571-312-0182, mpanada usa.com. Try barbecue pork and cheeseburger empanadas, birthday cake paletas and java chip macaroons at this family-owned South American cafe. B L D $

Mussel Bar & Grille

800 N. Glebe Road, 703-841-2337, musselbar.com. Chef Robert Wiedmaier’s Ballston eatery is known for mussels, frites, wood-fired pizza and more than 100 Belgian and craft beers. O L D $$

Nam-Viet

1127 N. Hudson St., 703-522-7110, namvietva.com. The venerable restaurant specializes in flavors of Vietnam’s Can Tho region. O L D V $$

Nighthawk Pizza

1201 S. Joyce St., nighthawkpizza.com. A joint venture of restaurateur Scott Parker, chef Johnny Spero and Aslin Beer Co., this Westpost brewpub serves low-ABV beers, personal pizzas and smash burgers. L D V $$

Northside Social Coffee & Wine

3211 Wilson Blvd., 703-465-0145, northsidesocial arlington.com. The homey, two-story coffee and wine bar (with a big patio) is always busy...which tells you something. O B L D V $$

Oh K-Dog

4238 Wilson Blvd. (Ballston Quarter), 703-5673376, ohkdog.com. Try a fried Korean rice dog with add-ins like sweet potato, cheddar or squid ink. L D $

Old Dominion Pizza

4514 Langston Blvd., 703-718-6372, olddominion pizza.com. Order thin crust or “grandma style” pies named after local high school mascots. L D G $

Open Road

1201 Wilson Blvd., 703-248-0760, openroadgrill. com. This second location of the American saloon (the first is in Merrifield) is a solid pick for burgers and beers, or a proper entrée and a craft cocktail.

O L D $$

Origin Coffee Lab & Kitchen

1101 S. Joyce St., 703-567-7295, origincoffeeco. com. The industrial-chic coffee shop roasts its own beans and serves all-day breakfast, as well as bar munchies and dinner plates. O B R L D V $$

Osteria da Nino

2900 S. Quincy St. (Village at Shirlington), 703820-1128, osteriadaninova.com. For those days when you’re craving a hearty portion of spaghetti and clams, or gnocci with pesto. O D G V $$$

O’Sullivan’s Irish Pub

3207 Washington Blvd., 703-812-0939, osullivans irishpub.com. You’ll find owner and County Kerry native Karen O’Sullivan behind the bar, pouring pints and cracking jokes. L D A $$

Our Mom Eugenia

4044 Campbell Ave., 571-970-0468, ourmom eugenia.com. See Falls Church listing. L D $$

Palette 22

4053 Campbell Ave., 703-746-9007, palette22.com. The gallery-café specializes in international small plates. O R L D V $$

Pamplona

3100 Clarendon Blvd., 703-685-9950, pamplona va.com. Spanish tapas, paella, grilled fish, pintxos, cocktails, snacks and sangria. O R D A V $$

■ places to eat

Mpanadas

Peking Pavilion

2912 N. Sycamore St., 703-237-6868. This family-owned restaurant serves standbys such as moo shu pork and beef with broccoli. L D $$

Peter Chang Arlington s

2503-E N. Harrison St., 703-538-6688, peterchang arlington.com. The former Chinese Embassy chef brings his fiery and flavorful Sichuan cooking to the Lee Harrison Shopping Center. C L D $$

Pho 75

1721 Wilson Blvd., 703-525-7355, pho75.res taurantwebexpert.com. The piping-hot soup at this local institution is all about fresh ingredients. O L D V $

Pie-tanza s

2503-B N. Harrison St., 703-237-0200, pie-tanza. com. Enjoy pizza (including gluten-free options), calzones, lasagna, subs and salads. C L D G V $$

The Pinemoor

1101 N. Highland St., 571-970-2592, thepine moor.com. Reese Gardner’s country-western saloon turns out steaks, burgers, local seafood and weekend brunch. O R L D G V $$

Pines of Florence

2109 N. Pollard St., 703-566-0456, pinesofflor encearlingtonva.com. Find classics such as linguine with pesto, veal parm and chicken cacciatore, plus housemade pizza and subs. L D V $$

Pirouette

4000 Fairfax Drive, pirouette.cafe. Pair your favorite vino with cheese, whole roasted fish, a pork cutlet for two and other enticing plates at this Ballston cafe and wine shop. L D G V $$

Poppyseed Rye

818 N. Quincy St., poppyseedrye.com. Pick up sandwiches, biscuits, salads, avocado toast, cold-pressed juice, flower bouquets and gift items (beer and wine, too) at this pretty café in Ballston. O r L D G V $

Pupatella s

5104 Wilson Blvd.; 1621 S. Walter Reed Drive, 571-312-7230, pupatella.com. Enzo and Anastasiya

Algarme’s authentic Neapolitan pies are considered among D.C.’s best. O L D V $$

Pupuseria Doña Azucena

71 N. Glebe Road, 703-248-0332, pupuseriadona azucena.com. Beans, rice and massive pupusas at dirt-cheap prices. C L D V $

Quarterdeck

1200 Fort Myer Drive, 703-528-2722, quarterdeck arlington.com. This beloved shack has served up steamed crabs for 40 years. O C L D V $$

Queen Mother’s Fried Chicken

1601 Crystal Drive, 703-997-8474, queenmother cooks.com. Chef Rock Harper’s celebrated fried chicken operation is an ode to his mom. L D $

Quincy Hall

4001 Fairfax Drive, 703-567-4098, quincyhallbar. com. Go for pints, meatballs and New York-style pizza at this spacious beer hall in Ballston. L D $ Quinn’s on the Corner

1776 Wilson Blvd., 703-640-3566, quinnsonthe corner.com. Irish and Belgian favorites such as mussels, steak frites, and bangers and mash, plus draft beers and a big whiskey selection. B R L D A $$

Ragtime

1345 N. Courthouse Road, 703-243-4003, ragtime restaurant.com. Savor a taste of the Big Easy in offerings such as jambalaya, catfish, spiced shrimp and oysters. Or feast on the waffle and omelet bar every Sunday. O R L D A V $$

Rasa

2200 Crystal Drive, 703-888-0925, rasagrill.com. Build a bowl with options like basmati rice, chicken tikka, lamb, charred or pickled vegetables, lentils, chutneys and yogurt sauces. O L D G V $

Ravi Kabob House

350 N. Glebe Road, 703-522-6666; 250 N. Glebe Road, 703-816-0222. Curries, kebabs and delectably spiced veggies keep this strip-mall café plenty busy. C L D V $$

Rebellion on the Pike

2900 Columbia Pike, 703-888-2044, rebellionon thepike.com. The irreverent tavern sports a deep

list of craft beers and whiskeys, and serves burgers, six kinds of wings and other pub grub.

O R B D A $$

The Renegade

3100 Clarendon Blvd., 703-468-4652, renegadeva. com. Is it a coffee shop, restaurant, bar or live music venue? All of the above—with snacks ranging from lambchop lollipops to lo mein. B L D A $$

Rhodeside Grill

1836 Wilson Blvd., 703-243-0145, rhodeside grill.com. Find chops, meatloaf, burgers and po’boys accompanied by every kind of hot sauce imaginable. O C R L D A V $$

Rice Crook

4238 Wilson Blvd. (Ballston Quarter), ricecrook.com. Korean-inspired rice bowls, salads and wraps made with locally sourced meats and produce. L D $$

Rien Tong Asian Bistro 3131 Wilson Blvd., 703-243-8388, rientong.com. The large menu includes Thai and Chinese standards, plus sushi. L D V $$

Rocklands Barbeque and Grilling Co. s 3471 Washington Blvd., 703-528-9663, rocklands. com. Owner John Snedden has been slow-cooking barbecue since 1990. O C L D G V $

Rosa Mexicano

1100 S. Hayes St., 202-783-5522, rosamexicano. com. Dive into ceviche, margaritas, guacamole made tableside and mains such as duck carnitas enchiladas. O C R L D V $$$

Ruffino’s Spaghetti House 4763 Langston Blvd., 703-528-2242, ruffinosarling ton.com. Dig into classics such as veal Parmigiana and chicken piccata. C L D V $$

Rustico

4075 Wilson Blvd., 571-384-1820, rusticorestau rant.com. You’ll find more than 400 beers to complement dishes from pizza to pastrami pork ribs. O C R L D G V $$

RusUz 1000 N. Randolph St., 571-312-4086, rusuz.com. The family-run bistro serves hearty Russian and

Uzbek dishes such as borscht, beef stroganoff and plov—a rice pilaf with lamb. L D $$

Ruthie’s All-Day s

3411 Fifth St. S., 703-888-2841, ruthiesallday.com.

Chef Matt Hill’s “meat and three” serves up woodsmoked proteins with creative sides like kimchi dirty rice and crispy Brussels sprouts with fish sauce vinaigrette. Breakfast (with house-made biscuits) offered daily. O B R L D G V $$

Sabores Tapas Bar

2401 Columbia Pike, 571-970-1253, saboresva. com. Dig into ceviche, lomo saltado and classic gambas al ajillo at this tapas bar on the Pike. R L D G V $$

Saigon Noodles & Grill

1800 Wilson Blvd., 703-566-5940, saigonnoodles grill.com. Traditional Vietnamese pho, banh mi and noodle dishes round out the offerings. L D $$

Salt 1201 Wilson Blvd., 703-875-0491, saltrosslyn.com. The speakeasy-style cocktail bar serves tasty nibbles (cheese plates, oysters, carpaccio) with classic sazeracs and old fashioneds, as well as nouveau craft cocktails. D $$

The Salt Line s

4040 Wilson Blvd., 703-566-2075, thesaltline.com. Hit this seafood-centric oyster bar for clam chowder, lobster rolls, stuffies, smash burgers and fun cocktails. c O R D $$$

Samuel Beckett’s Irish Gastro Pub

2800 S. Randolph St., 703-379-0122, samuel becketts.com. A modern Irish pub serving Emerald Isle recipes. O C R L D A G V $$

Santé

1250 S. Hayes St. (inside the Ritz-Carlton), 703412-2762, meetatsante.com. Mediterranean fare includes shrimp saganaki, whole roasted branzino and lamb “osso bucco.” B R L D G V $$$

Sawatdee Thai Restaurant

2250 Clarendon Blvd., 703-243-8181, sawatdeeva. com. The friendly eatery (its name means “hello”) is frequented by those craving pad thai or pad prik king. L D V $$

Screwtop Wine Bar and Cheese Shop

1025 N. Fillmore St., 703-888-0845, screwtop winebar.com. The congenial wine bar/shop offers tastings, wine classes, and small plates for sharing and pairing. O C R L D G V $$

Seamore’s 2815 Clarendon Blvd., 703-721-3384, seamores. com. Feast on sustainably sourced seafood, from oysters, clams and mussels to arctic char and yellowfin tuna. Brunch on weekends. O R L D G V $$$

Seoulspice

1735 N. Lynn St., 703-419-5868, seoulspice.com. Korean fast-casual comfort food, anyone? L D G V $

SER 1110 N. Glebe Road, 703-746-9822, ser-restau rant.com. Traditional Spanish and Basque dishes in a colorful, friendly space with outstanding service.

O R L D V $$$

Sfoglina Pasta House

1100 Wilson Blvd., sfoglinapasta.com/rosslyn. Visit Fabio Trabocchi’s Rosslyn location for housemade pasta (you can watch it being made), a “mozzarella bar” and Italian cocktails. Closed Sundays.

O L D V $$$

Silver Diner

4400 Wilson Blvd., 703-812-8600, silverdiner. com. The kitchen cooks with organic ingredients, many of which are sourced from local suppliers. Low-calorie and gluten-free menu choices available. O C B R L D A G V $$

Skydome

300 Army Navy Drive, 703-416-3862, hilton.com.

Savor craft cocktails, Mediterranean-influenced dishes and views of the D.C. skyline in this revolving restaurant atop the DoubleTree Hilton in Crystal City. Closed Sunday and Monday. D G V $$$

Sloppy Mama’s Barbeque

5731 Langston Blvd., 703-269-2718, sloppyma mas.com. Joe and Mandy Neuman’s barbecue joint offers wood-smoked meats galore—brisket, pork, chicken, ribs, turkey, sausage. Plus hearty sides and banana pudding for dessert. O B R L D $$

Smokecraft Modern Barbecue

1051 N. Highland St., 571-312-8791, smokecraft bbq.com. Every menu item here is kissed by smoke, from ribs, crabcakes and spaghetti squash to the chocolate cherry bread pudding on the dessert list. O L D G V $$

South Block

3011 11th St. N., 703-741-0266; 1550 Wilson Blvd., 703-465-8423; 4150 Wilson Blvd., 703-4658423; 2121 N. Westmoreland St., 703-534-1542; 1350 S. Eads St., 703-465-8423; southblockjuice.com. Cold-pressed juices, smoothies and acai bowls. O B L V $

Sparrow Room

1201 S. Joyce St., 571-451-7030, sparrowroom. com. Scott Chung’s back-room mahjong parlor presents dim sum and Chinese-inspired craft cocktails in a moody setting. Open Thursday through Sunday, 5-11 p.m. D $$

Spice Kraft Indian Bistro

1135 N. Highland St., 703-527-5666, spicekraft va.com. This contemporary concept by restaurateurs Anthony Sankar and Premnath Durairaj gives Indian classics a modern spin. O L D $$

Spider Kelly’s 3181 Wilson Blvd., 703-312-8888, spiderkellys.com.

The “come as you are” bar offers a sizable beer list, creative cocktails, salads, burgers, snacks and breakfast at all hours. C D A G V $$

Stellina Pizzeria

2800 S. Randolph St., 703-962-7884, stellina pizzeria.com. Pay a visit for Neapolitan pies, fried artichokes, squid ink pasta and a deli counter with house-made pastas, sauces, antipasti and dolci to take home. O L D $$

Supreme Hot Pot 2301 Columbia Pike, 571-666-1801, supreme hotpot.kwickmenu.com. This Pike eatery specializes in Szechuan hot pot, as well as skewered meats and a few Cajun seafood dishes. D G $$

Sushi Rock

1900 Clarendon Blvd., 571-312-8027, sushirockva. com. Play a little air guitar while sampling sushi rolls and beverages named after your favorite bands, from Zeppelin to Ozzy to Oasis. D A G V $$

Sushi-Zen Japanese Restaurant s 2457 N. Harrison St., 703-534-6000, sushizen. com. An amicable, light-filled neighborhood stop for sushi, donburi, tempura and udon. C L D V $$

Sweetgreen

4075 Wilson Blvd., 703-522-2016; 3100 Clarendon Blvd., 571-290-3956; 575 12th Road S., 703-8881025; 2200 Crystal Drive, 703-685-9089; sweet green.com. Locally grown ingredients and compostable cutlery make this salad and yogurt chain a hub for the green-minded. O C L D G V $

Sweet Leaf

2200 Wilson Blvd., 703-525-5100; 800 N. Glebe Road, 703-522-5000; 650 N. Quincy St., 703527-0807; sweetleafcafe.com. Build your own sandwiches and salads with fresh ingredients.

O C B L D $$

Taco Bamba s

4000 Wilson Blvd., 571-777-1477; 4041 Campbell Ave., 571-257-3030; tacobamba.com. Taco options

JOIN US ALL SUMMER LONG for BBQ & beer on our patio Watch sports on our outdoor TV!

3471 Washington Blvd. Arlington, VA 22201 703-528-9663

Rocklands Barbeque has everything you need for a great BBQ meal - from a family dinner to a corporate lunch and more!

Your Hometown Barbeque Since 1990

3471 Washington Blvd. Arlington, VA 22201 703-528-9663

range from classics (carnitas, birria) to the El Rico Pollo, stuffed with “Peruvian-ish” chicken, green chili puree, aji Amarillo aioli, salsa criolla, serrano chile and crispy potato. B L D V $

Taco Rock

1501 Wilson Blvd., 571-775-1800, thetacorock. com. This rock-themed watering hole keeps the margaritas and Micheladas flowing alongside creative tacos on housemade blue-corn tortillas.

B L D V $$

Taqueria el Poblano

2503-A N. Harrison St., 703-237-8250, taqueria poblano.com. Fresh guacamole, fish tacos, margaritas and mole verde transport patrons to the Yucatan. C L D G V $$

3471 Washington Blvd. Arlington, VA 22201 703-528-9663

Ted’s Bulletin & Sidekick Bakery

4238 Wilson Blvd. #1130 (Ballston Quarter), 703848-7580, tedsbulletin.com. The retro comfort food and all-day breakfast place has healthier fare, too— which you can undo with a visit to its tantalizing bakery next door. C B R L D G V $$

Texas Jack’s Barbecue

2761 Washington Blvd., 703-875-0477, txjacks.com. Brisket, ribs and pulled pork, plus sides like raw carrot salad and smashed cucumbers. O L D A $$

T.H.A.I. in Shirlington

4209 Campbell Ave., 703-931-3203, thaiinshirling ton.com. Pretty dishes include lemongrass salmon with black sticky rice. O L D G V $$$

Thai Noy s 5880 Washington Blvd., 703-534-7474, thainoy.com. Shimmering tapestries and golden Buddhas are the backdrop in this destination for Thai noodles, curries and rice dishes. L D $$

Thai Square 3217 Columbia Pike, 703-685-7040, thaisquarerestaurant.com. The signature dish is No. 61, deep-fried, sugar-glazed squid topped with crispy fried basil. O L D G V $$

TNR Cafe 2049 Wilson Blvd., 571-217-0766, tnrcafe.com. When you have a hankering for Peking duck, moo shu chicken, Szechuan beef or bubble tea. L D G V $$

Toby’s Homemade Ice Cream

5849-A Washington Blvd., 703-536-7000; 510 14th St. S.; tobysicecream.com. Stop in for cups, cones, floats and sundaes. Coffee, pastries and bagels available in the morning. B L D V $

Tortas Y Tacos La Chiquita

2911 Columbia Pike, 571-970-2824, tortasytacosla chiquita.com. In addition to its namesake foods, the eatery that started as a food truck also does alambres, huarache platters, flautas and more. B L D $

Trade Roots 5852 Washington Blvd., 571-335-4274, fairtrade roots.com. Lisa Ostroff’s Westover gift shop and cafe serves fair-trade coffee, tea, pastries, salads, organic wine and snackable fare like mini empanadas and Portuguese flatbread. O B L $

Troy’s Italian Kitchen 2710 Washington Blvd., 703-528-2828, troysitalian kitchen.com. Palak and Neel Vaidya’s mom-andpop serves pizza, pasta and calzones, including a lengthy vegan menu with options like “chicken” tikka masala pizza. L D G V $

■ places to eat

True Food Kitchen

4238 Wilson Blvd. (Ballston Quarter), 703-5270930, truefoodkitchen.com. Emphasizing “anti-inflammatory” fare, the menu will convince you that healthy tastes good. O L D G V $$

Tupelo Honey Café

1616 N. Troy St., 703-253-8140, tupelohoneycafe. com. The Southern fusion menu includes dishes like roasted snapper with sweet potato and farro. C R L D $$

Turu’s by Timber Pizza

4238 Wilson Blvd. (Ballston Quarter), timber pizza.com. Neapolitan(ish)-style pizzas fresh from a wood-fired oven. L D V $$

Uncle Julio’s Rio Grande Café

4301 N. Fairfax Drive, 703-528-3131, unclejulios. com. Tex-Mex highlights include mesquite-grilled fajitas, tacos and margaritas. O C R L D $$$

UnCommon Luncheonette

1028 N. Garfield St., 571-210-0159, uncommon luncheonette.com. Take a break from the usual at this Manhattan-style diner, where the comfort fare includes biscuits and gravy, poutine and a Nashville chicken sandwich. B L $$

The Union

3811 Fairfax Drive, 703-356-0129, theunionres taurant.us. Owner Giridhar Sastry was formerly executive chef at The Mayflower Hotel in D.C. His eclectic menu includes Mumbai panini (chaat masala, cilantro chutney, Havarti cheese, veggies), sesame wings and calamari with Lebanese garlic sauce. o C L D $$

Urban Tandoor

801 N. Quincy St., 703-567-1432, utandoorva.com. Sate your appetite with Indian and Nepalese fare, from tandoori lamb to Himalayan momos (dumplings). Lunch buffet daily. L D V $$

Weenie Beenie

2680 Shirlington Road, 703-671-6661, weenie beenie.net. The hot dog stand founded in 1954 is still serving half smokes, bologna-and-egg sandwiches and pancakes. B L D $

Westover Market & Beer Garden

5863 N. Washington Blvd., 703-536-5040, westo vermarketbeergarden.com. A hive for burgers and draft microbrews. The adjoining market’s “Great Wall of Beer” stocks more than 1,000 domestic, imported and craft brews. O C L D A $$

Which Wich

4300 Wilson Blvd., 703-566-0058, whichwich.com. A seemingly endless menu of sandwiches and wraps with more than 60 toppings. O B L D V $$

Whino

4238 Wilson Blvd., 571-290-3958, whinova.com. Part restaurant/bar and part art gallery, this latenight spot (open until 2 a.m. Thursday-Saturday) features cocktails, shareable plates, street-art murals and “low brow” art exhibits. L D A $$

William Jeffrey’s Tavern

2301 Columbia Pike, 703-746-6333, william jeffreystavern.com. Brought to you by the owners of Dogwood Tavern, this pub on the Pike features Prohibition-era wall murals and mixes a mean martini. O C R L D A G V $$

Wilson Hardware Kitchen & Bar

2915 Wilson Boulevard, 703-527-4200, wilson hardwareva.com. Order a boozy slushy or craft beer and head the roof deck. The menu includes small plates, burgers and entrées like steak frites and duck confit. O R L D A G V $$$

Yayla Bistro

2201 N. Westmoreland St., 703-533-5600, yayla bistro.com. A cozy little spot for Turkish small plates, flatbreads and seafood. Pita wraps available for lunch only. O C L D $$

Yume Sushi

2121 N. Westmoreland St., 703-269-5064, yume sushiva.com. East Falls Church has a destination for sushi, omakase (chef’s tasting menu) and a sake bar with craft cocktails. L D V G $$$

FALLS CHURCH

2941 Restaurant

2941 Fairview Park Drive, 703-270-1500, 2941. com. French chef Bertrand Chemel’s unlikely sanctuary in a suburban office building offers beautifully composed seasonal dishes and expert wine pairings in an artful setting. C L D V $$$

Abay Market Ethiopian Food

3811-A S. George Mason Drive, 703-820-7589, abaymarketethiopian.com. The seasoned grassfed raw beef dish kitfo is the specialty at this friendly, six-table Ethiopian café. L D $$

Al Jazeera

3813-D S. George Mason Drive, 703-379-2733. The top seller at this Yemeni cafe is oven-roasted lamb with yellow rice. L D $$

Alta Strada

2911 District Ave. (Mosaic District), 703-2800000, altastrada.com. Chef Michael Schlow’s menu includes house-made pastas, pizza and modern Italian small plates. R L D $$$

Anthony’s Restaurant

3000 Annandale Road, 703-532-0100, www.an thonysrestaurantva.com. The family-owned diner serves standbys like spaghetti, pizza, gyros and subs, plus breakfast on weekends. R L D V $$

B Side

8298 Glass Alley (Mosaic District), 703-676-3550, bsidecuts.com. Nathan Anda’s charcuterie, smashburgers and beef-fat fries steal the show at this cozy bar adjoining Red Apron Butcher. L D $$

Badd Pizza

346 W. Broad St., 703-237-2233, baddpizza.com. Order a Buffalo-style “cup-and-char” pepperoni pie and a baddbeer IPA, locally brewed by Lost Rhino Brewing Co. L D $$

Bakeshop

100 E. Fairfax St., 703-533-0002, bakeshopva.com. See Arlington listing. B V $

Balqees Restaurant

5820 Seminary Road, 703-379-0188, balqeesva. com. The Lebanese and Yemeni specialties include lamb in saffron rice, saltah (a vegetarian stew) and saffron cake with crème anglaise. O L D V $$

Bamian

5634 Leesburg Pike, 703-820-7880, bamianres taurant.com. Try Afghan standards like palau (seasoned lamb with saffron rice) and aushak (scallion dumpling topped with yogurt, meat sauce and mint). C L D V $$

Bartaco

2920 District Ave. (Mosaic District), 571-549-8226, bartaco.com. See Arlington listing. L D V A $$

Bing & Bao

7505 Leesburg Pike, 703-734-0846, bingandbao. com. Chinese street foods (crepes, steamed bun and fried rice) are the main attraction at this fast-casual eatery. Founders Rachel Wang and Mark Shen hail from Tianjin, China. L D V $

Caboose Commons

2918 Eskridge Road (Mosaic District), 703-6638833, caboosebrewing.com. The microbrewery has a hopping patio. Order house brews and creative eats, from wings and fried pickles to plant-based buddha bowls. O L D V A $$

Café Kindred

450 N. Washington St., 571-327-2215, cafe

kindred.com. Pop in for a yogurt parfait, avocado toast, grilled eggplant sandwich, or an espresso fizz. B R L V $$

Celebrity Delly

7263-A Arlington Blvd., 703-573-9002, celebrity deliva.com. Matzo-ball soup, Reubens and tuna melts satisfy at this New York-style deli founded in 1975. Brunch served all day Saturday and Sunday.

C B L D G V $

Chasin’ Tails

944 W. Broad St., 571-777-9596, chasintailsss. com. Go for a Viet-Cajun crawfish boil, char-broiled kimchi oysters or scallop crudo with citrus vinaigrette. L D $$

Clare & Don’s Beach Shack

130 N. Washington St., 703-532-9283, clareand dons.com. Go coastal with fish tacos, coconut chicken or one of the many meatless options, and maybe catch some live outdoor music. Closed Mondays. O C L D A G V $$

District Dumplings

2985 District Ave. (Mosaic District), 703-884-7080, districtdumplingsfairfax.com. Asian-style dumplings, sandwiches and wraps. L D $$

District Taco

5275-C Leesburg Pike, 571-699-0660, district taco.com. See Arlington listing. C B L D G V $

Dogwood Tavern

132 W. Broad St., 703-237-8333, dogwoodtav ern.com. The menu has something for everyone, from ancient grain Buddha bowls to jambalaya, burgers and coconut-curry salmon.

O C R L D A V $$

Dominion Wine and Beer

107 Rowell Court, 703-533-3030, dominionwine andbeer.com. Pairings come easy when a café shares its space with a wine and beer shop. Order up a plate of sliders, a cheese board or some Dragon shrimp to snack on while you imbibe.

O R L D V $$

Duangrat’s 5878 Leesburg Pike, 703-820-5775, duangrats.com. Waitresses in traditional silk dresses glide through the dining room bearing fragrant curries and grilled meats at this longstanding destination for Thai cuisine. O R L D V $$

El Tio Tex-Mex Grill

7630 Lee Highway, 703-204-0233, eltiogrill.com. A family-friendly spot for fajitas, enchiladas, lomo saltado, combo plates and margaritas. O L D $$

Elephant Jumps Thai Restaurant

8110-A Arlington Blvd., 703-942-6600, elephant jumps.com. Creative and comforting Thai food in an intimate strip-mall storefront. L D G V $$

Elevation Burger 442 S. Washington St., 703-237-4343, elevation burger.com. See Arlington listing. O L D V $

Ellie Bird

125 Founder’s Ave., 703-454-8894, elliebirdva. com. From the owners of D.C.’s Michelin-starred Rooster & Owl, a family-friendly concept serving cheffy dishes such as kimchi bouillabaisse, octopus ceviche and braised lamb shank with apricot chutney. c o D G V $$$

The Falls Restaurant & Bar 370 W. Broad St., 703-237-8227, thefallsva.com. Chef Harper McClure turns out crabcakes, clever salads and other seasonal dishes in the restaurant formerly known as Liberty Barbecue. But don’t worry, Liberty fans: The fried chicken and brisket are still on the menu. O R L D G V $$$

Fava Pot

7393 Lee Highway, 703-204-0609, favapot.com. Visit Dina Daniel’s restaurant, food truck and catering operation for Egyptian fare such as stewed fava

beans with yogurt and lamb shanks with okra. And oh the bread! B L D G V $$

First Watch

5880 Leesburg Pike, 571-977-1096, firstwatch. com. Popular dishes at this breakfast and lunch café include eggs Benedict, lemon-ricotta pancakes, housemade granola, power bowls and avocado toast. O CB R L V $$

Haandi Indian Cuisine

1222 W. Broad St., 703-533-3501, haandi.com. The perfumed kebabs, curries and biryani incorporate northern and southern Indian flavors. L D V G $$

Harvey’s 513 W. Broad St., 540-268-6100, harveysva.com. Chef Thomas Harvey’s casual café brings roasted chicken, beer-cheese cheesesteaks, banana splits and other comfort fare to Falls Church City.

O C B R L D V $$

Hong Kong Palace

6387 Seven Corners Center, 703-532-0940, hong kongpalacedelivery.com. The kitchen caters to both ex-pat and American tastes with an enormous menu of options. C L D $$

Hong Kong Pearl Seafood Restaurant

6286 Arlington Blvd., 703-237-1388. Two words: dim sum. L D A V $$

Huong Viet

6785 Wilson Blvd., 703-538-7110, huong-viet. com. Spring rolls, roasted quail and shaky beef are faves at this cash-only Eden Center eatery.

C L D G V $$

Ireland’s Four Provinces

105 W. Broad St., 703-534-8999, 4psva.com. The family-friendly tavern in the heart of Falls Church City serves pub food and Irish specialties.

O C B R L D $$

Jinya Ramen Bar

2911 District Ave. (Mosaic District), 571-3272256, jinyaramenbar.com. Embellish your tonkotsu or umami-miso broth with more than a dozen toppings and add-ins. O L D A V $$

Junction Bistro, Bar & Bakery

2985 District Ave. (Mosaic District), 571-378-1721, junctionbakery.com. Stop in for coffee, pastries, drinks and an all-day cafe menu. O L D A V $$

JV’s Restaurant

6666 Arlington Blvd., 703-241-9504, jvsrestaurant. com. A dive bar (the best kind) known for its live music, cold beer and home-cooked meatloaf, lasagna and chili. L D A V $$

Kamayan Fiesta

301 S. Washington St., 703-992-0045, kamayan fiesta.com. Find Filipino specialties such as chicken adobo, pork in shrimp paste, lumpia (egg rolls) and cassava cake. B L D V $$

Kirby Club

2911 District Ave., 571-430-3650, kirbyclub.com. From the owners of D.C.’s Michelin-starred Mayd¯an, a lively kebab concept that allows diners to mix-andmatch proteins, dips and sauces. D V $$

Koi Koi Sushi & Roll

450 W. Broad St., 703-237-0101, koikoiva.com. The sushi is fresh and the vibe is fun. O L D $$

Lantern House Viet Bistro

1067 West Broad St., 703-268-2878, lantern houseva.com. Satisfy that craving for pho, noodles and banh mi at this family-owned Vietnamese eatery. L D G V $$

Lazy Mike’s Delicatessen

7049 Leesburg Pike, 703-532-5299, lazymikesdeli.com. A come-as-you-are Falls Church institution churning out homemade ice cream, packed sandwiches and breakfast faves.

La Tingeria

626 S. Washington St., 571-316-6715. A popular food truck in Arlington since 2012, David Peña’s concept also has a brick-and-mortar location in Falls Church. The queso birria tacos are a must. Open Wednesday-Sunday. L D $

Le Pain Quotidien

8296 Glass Alley (Mosaic District), 703-4629322, lepainquotidien.com. See Arlington listing. B L D V $$

Little Saigon Restaurant

6218-B Wilson Blvd., 703-536-2633. Authentic Vietnamese in a no-frills setting. O L D $$

Loving Hut Vegan Cuisine 2842 Rogers Drive, 703-942-5622; lovinghut fallschurch.com. The Vietnamese-inspired vegan eatery offers menu items like rice vermicelli with barbecued soy protein and claypot rice with vegan “ham.” L D G V $$

MacMillan Whisky Room

2920 District Ave. (Mosaic District), 240-994-3905, themacmillan.com. More than 200 kinds of spirits are offered in tasting flights and composed cocktails. The food menu includes U.K. and American pub standards. O R L D $$

Mark’s Duck House

6184-A Arlington Blvd., 703-532-2125. Though named for its specialty—Peking duck—it offers plenty of other tantalizing options, too, such as short ribs, roasted pork and dim sum. R L D A V $$

Meaza Restaurant

5700 Columbia Pike, 703-820-2870, meazares taurant.com. Well-seasoned legumes and marinated beef are signatures in this vivid Ethiopian banquet hall. O C L D G V $$

Miu Kee

6653 Arlington Blvd., 703-237-8884. Open late, this strip-mall hideaway offers Cantonese, Sichuan and Hunan dishes. L D A $$

Moby Dick House of Kabob

444 W. Broad St., 703-992-7500, mobyskabob.com. See Arlington listing. L D $$

Mom & Pop 2909 District Ave. (Mosaic District), 703-9920050, dolcezzagelato.com. The little glass cafe serves light fare, snacks, gelato, coffee, beer and wine. O B R L D A $$

Nhu Lan Sandwich

6763 Wilson Blvd., 703-532-9009, nhulancafe.com. This tiny Vietnamese deli at Eden Center is a favorite for banh mi sandwiches. L D V $

Northside Social Falls Church

205 Park Ave., 703-992-8650, northsidesocial va.com. Come by in the morning for a breakfast sandwich and a latte. Return in the evening for a glass of wine and a plate of charcuterie, or a woodfired pizza. O B L D V $$

Nue

944 W. Broad St., 571-777-9599, nuevietnamese. com. The elegant Viet-modern menu (think grilled oysters, coconut-curry risotto and a seafood tower with yuzu nuoc cham) has a stunning space to match. R L D G $$$

Oath Pizza

2920 District Ave. (Mosaic District), 703-688-6284, oathpizza.com. The dough here is grilled and seared in avocado oil (for a crispy texture) and the toppings are certified humane. L D G V $$

Open Road

8100 Lee Highway, 571-395-4400, openroadmerri field.com. See Arlington listing. O C R L D $$

The Original Pancake House

7395-M Lee Highway, 703-698-6292, ophrestau rants.com. Satisfy your breakfast cravings with

pancakes, crepes, waffles, French toast and more.

C B R G V $

Our Mom Eugenia

2985 District Ave. (Mosaic District), 434-3394019, ourmomeugenia.com. This family-owned spot is beloved for its real-deal Greek fare, from saganaki to souvlaki. O L D $$

Padaek

6395 Seven Corners Center, 703-533-9480, padaekdc.com. Chef Seng Luangrath’s celebrated Falls Church eatery, hidden in a strip mall, offers both Thai and Laotian cuisine. L D G V $$

Panjshir Restaurant

114 E. Fairfax St., 703-536-4566, panjshirrestau rant.com. Carnivores go for the kebabs, but the vegetarian chalows elevate pumpkin, eggplant and spinach to new levels. O L D V $$

Parc de Ville

8926 Glass Alley (Mosaic District), 703-663-8931, parcdeville.com. Find French fare such as salmon rillettes, duck confit, tuna nicoise and steak frites at this spacious Parisian-style brasserie. Hit the rooftop lounge for cocktails. O R D $$$

Peking Gourmet Inn

6029 Leesburg Pike, 703-671-8088, pekinggour met.com. At this James Beard Award semifinalist for “Outstanding Service,” it’s all about the crispy Peking duck. C L D G V $$

Pho 88

232 W. Broad St., 703-533-8233, pho88va.com. Vietnamese pho is the main attraction, but the menu also includes noodle and rice dishes. Closed Tuesdays. L D $$

Pho Ga Vang

6767 Wilson Blvd., 571-375-8281, phogavang. com. Find more than 12 kinds of pho, plus other Vietnamese homestyle dishes at this Eden Center café. L D G $$

Pizzeria Orso

400 S. Maple Ave., 703-226-3460, pizzeriaorso. com. Neapolitan pies and tempting small plates, such as arancini with chorizo and Brussels chips with shaved grana. O C L D G V $$

Plaka Grill

1216 W. Broad St., 703-639-0161, plakagrill.com. Super satisfying Greek eats—dolmas, souvlaki, moussaka, spanakopita. L D V $$

Preservation Biscuit s

102 E. Fairfax St., 571-378-1757, preservation biscuit.com. Order the signature carb with housemade jams, or as a sandwich with fillers ranging from fried chicken and candied bacon to guacamole and egg with lemon aioli. O C B L V $

Pupuseria La Familiar

308 S. Washington St., 703-995-2528, pupuseria lafamiliar.com. The family-owned Salvadoran eatery turns out pupusas, fried yucca, chicharron, carne asada and horchata. L D $$

Puzukan Tan

8114 Arlington Blvd., 571-395-4727, puzukantan. com. From brothers Sam and Kibum Kim comes this Korean barbecue destination featuring tabletop grills, dry-aged meats, banchan and ramen. O L D $$$

Raaga Restaurant

5872 Leesburg Pike, 703-998-7000, raagarestau rant.com. Chicken tikka, lamb rogan josh and cardamom-infused desserts. O L D G V $$

Rare Bird Coffee Roasters

230 W. Broad St., 571-314-1711, rarebirdcoffee. com. Lara Berenji and Bryan Becker’s charming Little City café roasts its own beans and makes a mean latte, with seasonal specials. L D $

Rasa

2905 District Avenue (Mosaic District), 571-3780670, rasa.co. See Arlington listing. L D G V $

■ places to eat

Red Apron Butcher

8298 Glass Alley (Mosaic District), 703-676-3550, redapronbutchery.com. The premium butcher shop and deli sells hot dogs, burgers, charcuterie, prime steaks and sandwiches. L D V $$

Rice Paper/Taste of Vietnam

6775 Wilson Blvd., 703-538-3888, ricepapertasteofvietnam.com. Try a combo platter of pork, seafood and ground beef with rice-paper wraps at this Eden Center favorite. L D G V $$

Roll Play

944 W. Broad St., 571-777-9983, rollplaygrill. com. Stop in for Viet street foods such as banh mi, pho and build-your-own rice paper rolls.

L D G V $$

Settle Down Easy Brewing

2822 Fallfax Drive, 703-573-2011, settledowneasy brewing.com. Pair a pint from the nanobrewery’s rotating beer list with tacos from neighboring El Tio Tex-Mex Grill. Closed Mondays. O L D $

Sfizi Café

800 W. Broad St., 703-533-1191, sfizi.com. A family-owned trattoria, deli and wine shop serving classic Italian fare—pasta, pizza, parm. L D $$

Silver Diner

8150 Porter Road, 703-204-0812, silverdiner.com. See Arlington listing. C B R L D A G V $$

Sisters Thai

2985 District Ave. (Mosaic District), 703-280-0429, sistersthai.com. The vibe feels like you’re dining in your cool friend’s shabby-chic living room. L D $$

Solace Outpost

444 W. Broad St., 571-378-1469, solaceoutpost. com. The Little City microbrewery serves housebrewed suds, plus fried chicken, five kinds of fries and wood-fired pizza. D A V $$

Spacebar

709 W. Broad St., 703-992-0777, spcbr.com. The diminutive bar offers 24 craft beers on tap and 18 variations on the grilled cheese sandwich.

D A V $$

Sweetgreen

2905 District Ave. (Mosaic District), 703-9927892, sweetgreen.com. See Arlington listing.

O C L D G V $

Sweetwater Tavern

3066 Gatehouse Plaza, 703-645-8100, great americanrestaurants.com. A modern alehouse serving seafood, chicken, ribs, microbrews and growlers to go. C L D G $$$

Taco Bamba s

2190 Pimmit Drive, 703-639-0505, tacobambares taurant.com. Tacos range from traditional carne asada to the vegan “Iron Mike,” stuffed with cauliflower, salsa macha and mole verde. B L D $

Taco Rock

1116 W. Broad St., 703-760-3141, thetacorock. com. See Arlington listing. o B L D V $$

Takumi Sushi

310-B S. Washington St., 703-241-1128, takumiva. com. The sushi and sashimi here go beyond basic. Think tuna nigiri with Italian black truffle, or salmon with mango purée. Closed Sundays and Mondays.

L D V $$

Ted’s Bulletin

2911 District Ave. (Mosaic District), 571-830-6680, tedsbulletinmerrifield.com. See Arlington listing.

C B R L D $$

Thompson Italian s

124 N. Washington St., 703-269-0893, thompson italian.com. Gabe and Katherine Thompson’s celebrated kitchen turns out house-made pastas and some of the best desserts around.

$$$

Trio Grill

8100 Lee Highway, 703-992-9200, triomerrifield. com. Treat yourself to steaks, seafood, raw bar, craft cocktails and live piano music. O D $$$

True Food Kitchen

2910 District Ave. (Mosaic District), 571-3261616, truefoodkitchen.com. See Arlington listing.

O C R L D $$$

Uncle Liu’s Hotpot

2972 Gallows Road, 703-560-6868, uncleliushot pot.com. Customers do the cooking in this eatery inspired by the ubiquitous hot pots of China’s Sichuan province. L D V $$

MCLEAN

Agora Tysons

7911 Westpark Drive, 703-663-8737, agoratysons. com. The Dupont Circle mezze restaurant brings its Turkish, Greek and Lebanese small plates to a second outpost in Tysons. R L D G V $$$

Amoo’s Restaurant

6271 Old Dominion Drive, 703-448-8500, amoos restaurant.com. The flavorful kebabs and stews are crowd pleasers at this hospitable Persian establishment. O C L D G V $$

Aracosia

1381 Beverly Road, 703-269-3820, aracosia mclean.com. Score a table under strings of white lights on the covered patio and order savory Afghan specialties such as braised lamb shank and baadenjaan chalou (roasted eggplant with saffron rice). O L D V $$

Asian Origin

1753 S. Pinnacle Drive, 703-448-9988, asian originva.com. Liu Chaosheng’s restaurant hits all the standards (kung pao chicken, beef with broccoli) plus twists like pumpkin with steamed pork. L D V $$

Badd Pizza

6263 Old Dominion Drive, 703-356-2233, badd pizza.com. See Falls Church listing. L D $$

Big Buns Damn Good Burger Co. s

1340 Chain Bridge Road, 571-456-1640, eatbig buns.com. See Arlington listing. L D $$

Café Oggi

6671 Old Dominion Drive, 703-442-7360, cafeoggi. com. Choose among classic Italian dishes such as mozzarella caprese, beef carpaccio, spaghetti with clams and tiramisu. O L D G V $$$

Café Tatti French Bistro

6627 Old Dominion Drive, 703-790-5164, cafetatti. com. Open since 1981, the kitchen whips up classic French and continental fare. Closed Sundays.

L D G V $$$

Call Your Mother Lil’ Deli 6216 Old Dominion Drive, 571-395-9097, call yourmotherdeli.com. Andrew Dana and Daniela Moreira’s wildly popular “Jew-ish” deli serves bagel sandwiches and babka muffins from a pink trailer in the Chesterbrook Shopping Center.

o b R L V $

Capri Ristorante Italiano

6825-K Redmond Drive, 703-288-4601, capri mcleanva.com. A chatty, family-friendly spot known for tried-and-true Italian dishes such as spaghetti carbonara and veal Marsala. O C L D G V $$$

Circa

1675 Silver Hill Drive, 571-419-6272, circabistros. com. See Arlington listing. O L D V $$$

Eddie V’s Prime Seafood

7900 Tysons One Place, 703-442-4523, eddiev. com. Total steakhouse vibe, except with an emphasis on seafood (and steaks, too). L D $$$$

Él Bebe

8354 Broad St., 571-378-0171, el-bebe.com. Feast on tamales, tacos, street corn, mole and tequila-based cocktails. C O L D V $$

El Tio Tex-Mex Grill

1433 Center St., 703-790-1910, eltiogrill.com. See Falls Church listing. L D $$

Esaan Tumbar

1307 Old Chain Bridge Road, 703-288-3901, esaanmclean.com. This tiny eatery specializes in northern Thai dishes—papaya salad, larb, nam tok. A good bet for those who like heat. L D $$

Fahrenheit Asian

1313 Dolley Madison Blvd., 703-646-8968, fahren heitasian.com. A no-frills destination for Sichuan spicy noodles, dumplings, mapo tofu and other Asian comfort foods. L D V $$

Fogo de Chao

1775 Tysons Blvd., 703-556-0200, fogodechao. com. The upscale chain showcases the Brazilian tradition of churrasco—the art of roasting meats over an open fire. R L D $$$

Founding Farmers

1800 Tysons Blvd., wearefoundingfarmers.com. The farm-to-table restaurant features Virginiasourced dishes and drinks. B R L D $$$

Han Palace 7900 Westpark Drive, 571-378-0162, hanpalace dimsum.com. Pay a visit to this all-day dim-sum emporium for made-to-order buns, dumplings, crepes, roast duck and noodles. L D $$

Ichiban Sushi

6821-A Old Dominion Drive, 703-48-9117, ichiban sushimclean.com. A neighborhood go-to for sushi, udon, tempura and teriyaki. Closed Sundays. L D $$

J. Gilbert’s s

6930 Old Dominion Drive, 703-893-1034, jgil berts.com. Everything you’d expect in a steakhouse and lots of it—prime cuts of beef, lobster, wedge salad, steak-cut fries and cheesecake.

C R L D G V $$$

Jiwa Singapura

1702U Tysons Galleria, 571-425-4101, jiwasinga pura.com. Discover Singaporean street foods and elevated dishes such as snow crab with chili sauce at this new concept by acclaimed chef Pepe Moncayo. O D G V $$$

Joon

8045 Leesburg Pike, 571-378-1390, eatjoon.com. Lamb-pistachio turnovers, roasted branzino with barberries and rotisserie-style duck with sour-cherry rice are among the tantalizing options on the upscale Persian menu. L D V $$$$

Kazan Restaurant

6813 Redmond Drive, 703-734-1960, kazanrestau rant.com. Zeynel Uzun’s white-tablecloth restaurant, a fixture since 1980, is a nice spot for kebabs, baklava and Turkish coffee. L D V $$

Kura Sushi

8461 Leesburg Pike, 571-544-7122, kurasushi. com. Choose maki and nigiri from a revolving conveyor belt at this Tysons sushi bar, where drinks are served by a robot. L D G V $$

Lebanese Taverna

1840 International Drive, 703-847-5244, lebanesetaverna.com. See Arlington listing.

O C L D G V $$

Lost Dog Café

1690-A Anderson Road, 703-356-5678, lostdog cafe.com. See Arlington listing. L D $$

Maman Joon

1408 Chain Bridge Road, 571-342-4838, maman joonkitchen.com. Get dolmeh, falafel, lamb shank

and kebabs (plus a built-in Z Burger with shakes in 75 flavors) at this Persian eatery. L D V $$

Masala Indian Cuisine

1394 Chain Bridge Road,703-462-9699, masa lava.com. A specialty here are “momos,” Nepalese dumplings with meat or vegetable fillings. The menu also includes tandoori biryani and Indian curries. L D V $$

McLean Family Restaurant

1321 Chain Bridge Road, 703-356-9883, themcleanfamilyrestaurant.com. Pancakes, gyros and big plates of lasagna hit the spot, and you may stumble upon a politico or two. Breakfast served until 3 p.m. daily. C B L D V $$

Miyagi Restaurant

6719 Curran St., 703-893-0116. The diminutive sushi bar gets high marks for its friendly service and fresh maki and nigiri. L D $$

Moby Dick House of Kabob

6854 Old Dominion Drive, 703-448-8448; 1500 Cornerside Blvd., 703-734-7000; mobyskabob.com. See Arlington listing. L D $$

Mylo’s Grill

6238 Old Dominion Drive, 703-533-5880, mylos grill.com. Enjoy spanakopita, souvlaki and American classics. Friday is prime-rib night. O B L D $$

Pasa-Thai Restaurant

1315 Old Chain Bridge Road, 703-442-0090, pasa thairestaurant.com. Go for a classic Bangkok curry, or a chef’s special such as spicy fried rockfish with chili-basil-garlic sauce. O L D $$

Patsy’s American 8051 Leesburg Pike (Tysons), 703-552-5100, pat sysamerican.com. Find greatest-hit dishes from other Great American Restaurants properties in a space resembling a vintage railway station.

O C R L D A G V $$

Pulcinella

1310 Chain Bridge Road, 703-893-7777, pulcinella restaurant.com. A stop for classic spaghetti and meatballs, linguine and clams and wood-fired pizza since 1985. L D $$

Randy’s Prime Seafood & Steaks

8051 Leesburg Pike (Tysons), 703-552-5110, randysprime.com. Randy’s (named for Great American Restaurants co-founder Randy Norton) serves prime cuts, duck-fat fries, seafood towers and other steakhouse standards. L D G $$$$

Rocco’s Italian

1357 Chain Bridge Road, 703-821-3736, roccos italian.com. The Juliano family makes everything in-house from family recipes. O C L D G $$

Roots Provisions & Grocery

8100 Old Dominion Drive, 703-712-7850, roots provisions.com. Part café and part gourmet market, it's got sandwiches, smoothies, acai bowls, salads, espresso drinks, pie, cocktails and graband-go snacks and pantry staples. B L G V $

Silver Diner

8101 Fletcher St., 703-821-5666, silverdiner.com. See Arlington listing. C B R L D A G V $$

Simply Fresh

6811 Elm St., 703-821-1869, simplyfreshva. com. A local favorite for pulled pork, chicken and brisket. Plus Greek diner fare. family-style takeout meals and breakfast. O C B L D G V $

Star Hill Biergarten

1805 Capital One Drive, starrhill.com. Anchoring

The Perch, an 11-story-high sky park, this indoor-outdoor beer garden offers more than 20 brews on tap, plus wine, cocktails and snacks like soft pretzels with beer cheese and burgers. O C L D V $

Tachibana

6715 Lowell Ave., 703-847-1771, tachibana.us.

Falls

Stellar sushi aside, the chef’s specials here include starters such as clam miso soup, monkfish paté and savory egg custard. C L D $$

The Union 1379 Beverly Road, 703-356-0129, theunionres taurant.us. See Arlington listing. o C L D $$

Urbanspace

2001 International Drive, urbanspacenyc.com/ tysons. Travel the culinary globe at this Tysons Gal-

leria food hall with options like Cantonese barbecue, empanadas, donburi and U.K.-style fish and chips. C R L D $$

Wren

1825 Capitol One Drive S., thewatermarkhotel. com. Topping the Watermark Hotel, chef Yo Matsuzaki’s sleek izakaya offers Japanese American fare (hamachi tartare, Wagyu burgers, miso-marinated sea bass), stupendous cocktails and sweeping skyline views. D G V $$$

The

SCOTT SUCHMAN

by Colleen Kennedy

shop local

Green Is Good

Christina Foy’s two-bedroom Arlington apartment is a veritable urban jungle. Hundreds of plants fill the Ikea glass cabinets she’s converted into mini greenhouses, while her shelves and windows are lined with lush ferns, variegated crotons and spiky succulents in knotted macrame holders.

A product designer by day, Foy says she’s using her side hustle, Plants & What Knot, to help others bond with nature.

It all started after her partner’s death three years ago, when she began selling plants as a fundraiser in his memory. “It was a way for me to stay connected with him,” she shares, “and to create something good out of something that was so terrible.”

During that time, Foy also picked up macrame, a hobby that eased her anxiety and allowed her to create cozy holders for her greenery.

Catering to plant novices, Foy specializes in easy care plant species—such as various kinds of pothos ($8-$28) and air plants resembling little “jellyfish” in knotted holders ($12 and up). Each purchase comes with simple care instructions and growth tips.

“It’s about pairing the right plant and person— knowing if you are hands-on or want something low maintenance,” Foy says. “I try to help people understand how to listen to their plant, because your plant will tell you what it wants.”

Her product line also includes macrame accessories ranging from mini-disco balls ($12) to intricate geometric plant holders affixed to driftwood ($28 and up).

“Watching people grow as plant parents is so cool,” she says. “I love when people return to my stand to tell me how their plant baby is doing now.”

Shop her wares online and at various pop-up markets in the DMV. plantsandwhatknot.com

Christina Foy, founder of Plants & What Knot

Crystal Ellis was feeling creatively stilted and in need of a change when she attended Oprah’s “The Life You Want” Tour in 2014. Though she had studied fashion and at one point planned to work in fashion merchandising, she’d ended up in pharmaceutical sales.

“Elizabeth Gilbert [of Eat Pray Love fame] was a speaker. She talked about living your life without fear and with passion, about taking risks,” Ellis remembers. “Something just clicked.”

Within a month, she was taking a jewelry course and designing gemstone bracelets that she initially gave as holiday gifts. By New Year’s Day of 2015, she had launched a side business, B.Birdwatcher Spiritual Stones.

“I could’ve gone with ‘Crystal’s Crystals,’ ” she says with a laugh. Instead, she chose a moniker that references a family nickname, as well as a storyline in the old sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies.

Since then, the Arlington resident’s interest in spirituality has led her to study Buddhism and chakra theory. She’s traveled to Portugal and South Africa to see how the semiprecious gemstones she uses are ethically mined, and to Greece to purchase antique coins and charms for her designs.

Ellis believes gemstones have certain metaphysical properties. Green garnet, she says, gives the wearer confidence to weather conflicts. Blue spinel promotes peace, white howlite imparts tranquility and rose quartz symbolizes love. Her bracelets ($90$180) are often adorned with a charm, too—perhaps a nature symbol such as a mushroom or butterfly, or a Buddhist icon, or empowering words.

Some custom pieces are made to match clients’ life circumstances. “I always ask, ‘What are you trying to manifest? What’s going on in your life?’ ” Ellis says. One bracelet featured healing stones for a woman grieving her brother’s passing. Another—a wristband of garnet beads and a butterfly charm— was designed to give a client strength during cancer treatments.

Don’t believe in talismans? Even New Age skeptics will find that the bracelets make for pretty wrist candy. Ellis sells her creations online, at area pop-up markets and at Painted Tree Boutiques in Midlothian, Virginia. bbirdwatcher.com

Wrist Management

Gemstone bracelets by Crystal Ellis

ON THE MENU

BY NEVIN MARTELL

Icould hear my stomach rumbling, but I was distracted from my hunger by the views. Cruising down U.S. 211 on a sunny spring morning, Rappahannock County unfolded on either side in wide-screen beauty. Fields dotted with golden hay bales gave way to verdant forests in fine fettle, the Blue Ridge Mountains looming in the background, rendered in deepening shades of bluish gray.

My destination was the Mint Cottage, a pastel peppermint Airbnb perched on the edge of Washington, Virginia. Recently renovated and artfully decorated with a neo-Nordic sensibility, this chic country getaway, with its well-equipped kitchen, would serve as my home base for the next few days.

If I felt like cooking a meal, there were plenty of places nearby to grab fresh ingredients, including ecologically grown produce from Sperryville’s Waterpenny Farm and superb apples at Williams Orchard in Flint Hill. Every Saturday from spring well into fall, the Rappahannock Farmers Market in Sperryville features Bean Hollow Grassfed’s meats, almost-too-beautiful-to-eat breads from Jackalope Ridge, cheflevel ’shrooms by Madison Mushrooms and more.

But on this trip, my plan was to eschew the kitchen in favor of exploring Rappahannock’s vibrant restaurant scene.

Later that day, I addressed my hunger pangs by meeting friends at Patty O’s for dinner. A two-minute walk from the cottage, the Frenchand Americana-inspired cafe/bakery from chef Patrick O’Connell is located kitty-corner to The Inn at Little Washington, his celebrated Michelin 3-star restaurant. We began with a

Agnolotti with fresh herbs at Blue Rock

n driving range

squat jam jar of pimento cheese with crackly, caraway seed flatbread that snapped into shards perfect for scooping the iconic Southern dip. I then treated myself to the half-pound burger topped with a coverlet of gooey Comté cheese and crispy onions. Between it and the well-executed side of frites, I was beyond satisfied. No dessert required.

The next day, after grabbing an empowering oat milk latte at Before & After cafe, I rendezvoused with a friend for a hike in Shenandoah National Park to burn off the previous night’s indulgences. We chose the challenging Little Devil Stairs trail, which wends its way up the mountains for nearly 1,500 feet along a gurgling stream, past charming waterfalls and over rocky tumbles. Upon achieving the ridgeline, we found an Instagram-ready overlook and enjoyed a picnic before taking a leisurely stroll back down to the trailhead.

That evening I dined at Houndstooth, a romantic one-seating-a-night restaurant tucked inside Glen Gordon

Manor in Huntly. Chef Dayn Smith’s five-course tasting menu began with toothsome asparagus paired with grapefruit segments and vanilla gelée.

Next came a gingery carrot soup accented with toasted coconut and creme fraiche espuma, served with freshbaked, butter-slathered sourdough.

A postcard view of Old Rag in Shenandoah National Park

A decadent burger at Patty O’s Cafe & Bakery

If You Go

Sperryville is 70 miles southwest of Arlington and accessible only by car. Mint Cottage. On the outskirts of Little Washington, this charming neoNordic cottage offers an elegant retreat with an extensively outfitted kitchen, lots of room for lounging and entertaining, and beautiful countryside views. airbnb.com/rooms/706344641755070814

Blue Rock. Pineapple & Pearls alum Bin Lu oversees an engaging tasting menu experience with head-turning presentations, electric flavor combinations and luxe addendums. bluerockva.com

Patty O’s Cafe & Bakery. The Inn at Little Washington’s little sister is both a charming cafe serving up classy casual French and Americana favorites and a blue-ribbon bakery specializing in boules, baguettes, flaky croissants and dainty pastries. pattyoscafe.com

Houndstooth. Hunt Country modernism meets Old World technique at this one-seating-a-night, five-course tasting menu restaurant under the watchful eye of chef Dayn Smith, whose artful plates showcase the season and region. houndstoothrestaurant.com

Before & After. This cozy, always-buzzing coffee shop is the de facto heart of Sperryville, serving caffeinated beverages, excellent pastries and hearty sandwiches. beforeandaftersperryville.com

Sperryville Corner Store. The boutique market offers casual grab ’n’ go fare, gourmet grazing board accoutrements, pantry staples, a formidable butcher’s counter and a well-curated selection of beer and wine. cornerstoresperryville.com

Mint Cottage

Mint Cottage interior

Chocolate-bourbon pecan pie at Patty O’s

The main dish, a braised short rib paired with pink-centered tenderloin, came with a port shallot sauce that required another round of bread—not that I was complaining. For those interested in wine, the restaurant offers an impressive list, 500 varietals strong and stored in its 4,000-bottle wine cellar, which you can tour upon request after your meal.

As I headed to the car, fireflies blinked over the lawn under a velveteen blue-black sky. Driving back to the cottage along narrow, undulating roads, I encountered several deer, their eyes gleaming ghostlike in the darkness. Outside the cottage, I took a moment to marvel at the glittering stars. They seemed notably brighter without the competition of harsh city light.

A few nights later, for a change of scenery, I moved over to Blue Rock,

Fried chicken at Blue Rock

The patio at Blue Rock

a boutique inn on 80 pristinely maintained acres, complete with a picturesque pond and a rolling vineyard. One of the inn’s two dining options is a casual tasting room offering shareable small bites and a few entrees, including exceptional fried chicken.

In the intimate, modern dining room next door, chef Bin Lu (an alum of Pineapple & Pearls in D.C.) oversees a four-course tasting menu that revels in showcasing whatever is fresh at local farms, indulgent ingredients and surprising flavor combinations.

Case in point was a bowl of saffronaccented rice pilaf, bejeweled with trout roe, sugar snap peas and the gentle zing of preserved etrog, a lemonlike citrus fruit. Another standout: agnolotti, plump with nixtamalized grits, in a Parmesan broth punctuated by fiddlehead ferns. Caviar with hoecakes (cornmeal pancakes) was offered as a supplemental; I couldn’t say no.

The inn has five rooms upstairs— plus a chic farmhouse on the property that can sleep 10 guests.

The next morning, I took my breakfast onto the small rooftop terrace to savor the gorgeous views and splendid weather. A muffin, fruit salad, yogurt and granola are all included—as is coffee or tea—but the pro move is to order the cold fried chicken as an addendum. It comes with vinegar-forward hot sauce hiding a slow burn that helped kick-start the day.

After checking out of Blue Rock, I stopped at the Sperryville Corner Store, a wonderfully bougie market stocked with an excellent meat counter, cutabove pantry staples, local produce, grazing board goodies, blue-ribbon snacks, a curated selection of beer and wine, and well-constructed sandwiches. The house-made baked goods include must-buy oaty Park Ranger cookies with shredded coconut and chocolate chips.

Turning the car out of Sperryville and back onto U.S. 211 heading eastward, I tucked into a mustard-slathered ham and cheese sandwich, a Park Ranger cookie waiting in the wings. This would fuel the ride home, allowing me to enjoy a taste of Rappahannock bliss for just a little longer. ■

Nevin Martell is a freelance writer, forager, and gardener based in Silver Spring, Maryland. Follow him on Instagram @nevinmartell.

Peaches from Jenkins Orchards near Sperryville

Mit zvahs

College Class

Opened in April on the University of Virginia campus, Kimpton’s The Forum Hotel is a study in both Jeffersonian-era architecture and state-of-the-art design. Its parklike setting, tucked between UVA’s law and business schools, includes a serene 5-acre botanical garden complete with an amphitheater, waterfall, bridges and walking paths with native and globalthemed plantings.

Inside, the contemporary decor includes plenty of cozy seating areas. The navy-blue-walled library room, “The Case Study,” has cognac-colored leather sofas, a long working table and built-in shelves displaying a selection of intriguing

books, including Annie Leibovitz’s Wonderland

The hotel’s 198 guest rooms and 10 suites feature comfortable beds and a chair (or sofa), minibar with local treats, yoga mat and an LED smart TV. If you neglected to pack something, a “Forgot It? We’ve Got It!” list includes everything from a cellphone charger to a curling or straightening iron, lint rollers and more.

Complimentary coffee and tea are served each morning in the lobby living room (or enjoy your cup from a plump-cushioned chair on the adjacent balconies overlooking the gardens). Don’t miss social hour, held each evening, for a glass of wine or beer and a savory snack (complimentary). The hotel’s craft beer bar, The Good Sport, serves

brews and a delicious smashburger. Birch & Bloom, a steak and seafood restaurant, offers seasonal menus that draw from Virginia’s orchards, vineyards and farms.

While dogs are tolerated at many hotels, The Forum all-out welcomes them, with plenty of space for pooches in the outdoor dining areas, plus an in-room dog bed, food and water bowls (no extra charge) and complimentary dog treats for the duration of your stay. Order a “barkuterie” board at Pups on the Patio night (Mondays). Rates begin at $289 per night and include the complimentary use of bikes, binoculars and bird-watching materials.

Kimpton’s The Forum Hotel, 540 Massie Road, Charlottesville, Virginia; 434-365-2600; forumhotelcharlottesville.com

get away ■ by Christine Koubek Flynn CRIS MOLINA (BEDROOM); MELODY ROBBINS (EXTERIOR)

The Forum Hotel in Charlottesville

Art Pairings

Visit Pennsylvania for wine pairings of another kind. Launched in October 2022 in collaboration with the Arts & Cultural Council of Bucks County, the Bucks County Wine & Art Trail showcases outdoor artworks ranging from colorful botanicals to landscape paintings, created plein air style among the vines.

Sip—and savor the art—at seven vineyards and wineries. Trail stops include Bishop Estate Vineyard and Winery, home to a popular Dark Bishop cabernet sauvignon and, often, live music and food trucks (bishopestatepa.com); Wycombe Vineyards, a place to glamp among the vines with a private picnic (wycombevineyards.com); and Crossing Vineyards and Winery, which hosts live music on Sept. 1, 8 and 15 (crossingvineyards.com).

Get the free mobile “passport” at VisitBucksCounty.com/WineandArtTrail for detailed vineyard information and addresses, plus an opportunity to win one of the outdoor art reproductions. Check in digitally at three or more trail stops and receive a set of fine art note cards (gratis), featuring works created along the trail.

Bucks County Wine & Art Trail, 215-639-0300, visitbuckscounty.com/ wineandarttrail

Pastoral Pleasures

Set on 35 acres of lush landscaping, meadows and woodsy paths, the historic Brampton Bed and Breakfast Inn on Maryland’s Eastern Shore has an array of new offerings. David and Hilari Rinehart acquired the Chestertown property in August 2020, retained many on the talented staff (beloved by guests) and got to work elevating the inn’s outdoor spaces to include an expansive pergola-covered deck, a terrace overlooking the grounds for alfresco dining, and a beautifully landscaped circular patio with a large firepit surrounded by Adirondack rockers. A shore-to-table feast prepared over a cauldron by acclaimed Eastern Shore chef Kurt Peter is one of the new experiential offerings (check Brampton’s website for details and dates).

Relax indoors in the manor house’s living room, stocked with books and games, or in one of the seven spacious rooms and suites. Six private cottages (two are pet-friendly) dot the property. At edge-of-the-woods Mulberry Cottage, you can nap in a hammock for two, take a soak in the tub on the screened-in porch and read on the front porch swing (or in the king-size bed with a view of the fireplace). Each guest accommodation includes luxury linens, custom bath products and cozy robes; some have a jetted or soaking tub, and/or a gas (or wood-burning) fireplace, available for use Nov. 15 through March 31.

Savor treats galore, from fresh-baked cookies and pastries to breakfasts such as croissant French toast or frittatas with homegrown asparagus, plus afternoon small bites with tea (all included). Better still, you can enjoy a new setting each time, whether it’s in the two-sided glass dining room, on the peaceful front porch, or delivered to your cottage.

The inn is a 2-mile drive to artsy Chestertown, home to galleries, restaurants, shops, history and art exhibits at Kent Cultural Alliance’s new Raimond Cultural Center (kentculture.org). You’ll find 20-plus public art sculptures scattered throughout town. Brampton rates begin at $229 per night. Brampton Bed and Breakfast Inn, 25227 Chestertown Road, Chestertown, Maryland; 410-778-1860; bramptoninn.com

Plein air painting in Doylestown, Pennsylvania

The Brampton Bed and Breakfast Inn

School Choice

Half a century ago, this short-lived educational experiment in Arlington got high grades from students.

and an auto mechanics lesson for girls.

“Everyone was quite excited about being able to take whatever classes they wanted,” says Yvonne Gibbie Harney, a Wakefield alumna who now lives in West Virginia. “One class was in early child development. The class took a field trip to Howard University to visit their child care center. The other class I took was about reading and writing mystery and suspense stories. I loved it.”

ON A SUNNY April day in 1970, five students sat in a circle in the grass outside Wakefield High School, their hands collectively clasped together so that their arms resembled spokes on a wheel. This “happening of hands,” as the activity was called, was part of a class in tactile stimulation and sensory relaxation—just one of the unusual school offerings over the course of one week that was unlike anything students had ever experienced.

The Experiment in Free-Form Education, or EFFE (pronounced “Effie”), was a week of largely student-directed learning that began at Walt Whitman High School in Maryland in 1969 and spread to a few other Washington, D.C.-area high schools over the next

two years. Adapters on the Virginia side included Washington-Lee (now Washington-Liberty) and Wakefield in Arlington and George Mason (now Meridian) in Falls Church. Yorktown had its own version known as Progressive and Innovative Education, or PIE.

During EFFE week, students were exempt from their regular curriculum so they could join (and in some cases, lead) classes in such subjects as religion, coin collecting, ballet, cooking, bricklaying, quantum physics and civil rights. One EFFE class at Wakefield consisted of an afternoon jam session with a flutist in flowing flower-power regalia. Other EFFE options were probably considered transgressive at the time: a sewing tutorial for boys

EFFE was a natural corollary to the student activism erupting across the country during the Vietnam War era. By the late 1960s, an Arlington Youth Council had formed to advocate for student choices, including EFFE. School administrators and the local press paid attention. “The clear consensus…was that it sure beats study hall,” one Northern Virginia Sun reporter wryly noted. “For a week, anyway.”

Although EFFE didn’t last, progressive educators and students pointed to its popularity when they proposed a new student-led secondary school to the Arlington school board in 1970. That program—H-B Woodlawn—opened the following year.

Often referred to as “Hippie High” after its debut, H-B is still going strong more than 50 years later.

“I felt the EFFE program was a success, as did most of my friends,” Harney says. “It allowed students to experience other subjects that they may not have known about or been interested in previously. There was something for everyone.” ■

Wakefield High School students in 1970

LUXURY. ACCOMPLISHED.