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JULY 27, 2018
Restaurant Renaissance
Trail extension to offer new link to Fredericksburg
New dining options under construction across North Stafford
TRACY BELL
tbell@insidenova.com
W
ork being done on an extension of the Belmont-Ferry Farm Trail will ensure safe access for bikers and pedestrians making their way into Fredericksburg from Stafford, and vice versa, according to Stafford County park officials. Phase four has begun on the trail’s extension, with construction set to take place over the next few months, according to an announcement from the county, which reports the trail as being “30 years in the making.” Construction of the extension will allow a connection between the current terminus at Stafford’s John Lee Pratt Memorial Park and Chatham Bridge. Stafford County Board of Supervisors’ Chairwoman Meg Bohmke, R-Falmouth, spoke on behalf of the board and acknowledged the National Park Service and Kirsten Talken-Spaulding, superintendent of the Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park. She thanked them for their vision, for seeing how the trail benefits the mission of everyone involved and for their partnership in making the extension happen. “Recreational amenities and access to historical resources are assets that enrich and empower our community,” Bohmke said. Stafford County worked with the
GREG HAMBRICK
ghambrick@insidenova.com
N
orth Stafford has slowly added restaurants to the menu over the past few years, but residents will soon see an explosion of new options up and down Garrisonville Road — all of them opening their first Stafford locations. Northern Virginia-based Italian restaurant Paisanos is under construction at Stafford Marketplace, in a space a few doors down from the Shoppers grocery store. This will be one of six locations opening this year. The former day care center that has stood long-vacant on Garrisonville Road near Umi and Chick-filA is finally ready for development. Panda Express purchased the site at 318 Garrisonville Road last year for a new Chinese restaurant with a drive-thru. The site was recently cleared and signs are already up promoting the planned building. With work widening Garrisonville Road completed, construction equipment has returned to the site of The Garrison at Stafford. The mixed-used development is planned in the 400 block of Garrisonville Road. Tenant announcements have included Regal Cinemas and two high-profile new dining options: LongHorn Steakhouse and The Olive Garden. SWEETO BURRITO
Those options might be new to the menu in Stafford, but diners are likely still familiar with the names. One
Sweeto Burrito offers a unique take on what you put in a burrito, and the restaurants revel in the luchador culture. PROVIDED
that might be a fresh face: Sweeto Burrito. The restaurant offers the burrito experience guests might expect at Chipotle or Moe’s, but with a few unique options, like tater tots and french fries wrapped into the burrito. Competing with hundreds of restaurants in Prince William County, first-time restaurateur Michael Sarago chose an unorthodox location for his first Sweeto Burrito franchise three years ago: a small strip mall on
Minnieville Road that’s convenient for people who live around the corner, but it’s not in a busy part of the community looking for passersby. The restaurant found a following and Sarago eventually added two more locations nearby, one in the bustling Potomac Mills shopping district and another along busy Old Bridge Road in Lake Ridge. With his fourth location, expected RESTAURANTS
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