News and notes from Reston (tm).

Friday, November 6, 2009

New Restaurants Popping Up Like an Earth-Toned Wack-a-Mole Game in Lake Anne Village Center

334637_114184514.jpgIt's been more than a year since the microwave tapas joint in the Lake Anne Village Center that replaced the Italian restaurant that went under after replacing the other Italian restaurant that went under went under. Now there are new signs of life, with one new eatery open and two others possibly following soon.

Roti Grill, a kebob house, opened its doors on Saturday, offering freshly prepared food in the Pakistani Punjab tradition, as well as some more Americanized meals, such as the charga chicken, a rotisserie chicken with tandoori spices. "It’s not fast food, but it’s food fast," said owner Naveed Ahmad, noting that it was a casual dining spot where a meal could be had for $10.

Meanwhile, work is being done in a unit next to the Reston Museum, where a sign reading, "sushi" now hangs in the window. And "for sale" signs are still displayed in the windows of the space formerly occupied by the Tavern on the Lake, but on Oct. 9, the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control posted notice that a group called American Restaurant and Lounge Concepts Inc. had applied for a liquor license for the location.
"Lounge Concepts" sounds like something out of a '70s stag film, but we'll take it. Roti Grill takes the place of a decent Moroccan joint that went under earlier this year. And we can only hope the "sushi" place serves raw fish straight out of Lake Anne. Who's hungry?

Posted by Restonian at 9:27 AM

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23 comments:

  1. Huh, didn't realize the Morrocan place had gone out of business, that's too bad. I went there once and while my experience was not fantastic, I was looking forward to going back for another look. Hope to see all those places up and running soon. Unfortunately they are all starting after the weekly farmers/crafts markets have ended for the season so I'm afraid that they will not see a lot of business (except for a few locals)...
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  2. That's too bad about the moroccon place. My husband used to take our young daughter there for lunch when the weather was nice on the weekends, and they would eat and watch the ducks on the lake.

    Glad at least it's been replaced by something interesting. We'll have to try it out sometime. I wonder what's going to happen to all these places when Lake Anne gets redeveloped.
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  3. Broke in Charter Oak (BiCO)Nov 6, 2009 10:14 AM
    Anonymous @ 12:25 PM: I wouldn't be too concerned about that. I've been hearing all sorts of "the end is near" hysterics from the "old timers" of Reston who are foaming at the mouth in the fetal position on the floor because they are afraid of change and progress since I moved here earlier this year, and to date the bogeyman hasn't arrived to replace any dated 1960s-era 2-story clusters or big-box stores with any dreaded transit-oriented developments or mixed-use projects that would house more people on less land (hence creating MORE open space). People were squawking about redevelopment plans for Fairway Apartments, but the last time I drove by on my commute to work this morning they were still there. Washington Plaza at Lake Anne is still has the same "dated" appearance it had as when I was apartment-hunting early this year. The Spectrum Center still sits as a sea of asphalt dotted with big-box stores in the heart of what is supposed to be our much-celebrated "cohesive downtown", which in and of itself is home to several embarrassing surface parking lots and underutilized parking garages.

    I wouldn't be very concerned about "redevelopment" and "Reston" in the same sentence as long as everyone is in a bubble of sheer terror and panic, thinking there's some sort of Catherine Hudgins conspiracy theory to...gasp..."Arlingtonize" or "Bethesdafy" us by blowing up everyone's cluster while they're at work and replacing them with lofts. Why can't we incorporate the GOOD things from those communities while retaining our tree canopy, parks, trail system, etc. that makes us unique and special? Reston in its present state NEEDS improvements before it can grow, so why not look to proven success stories like Arlington or Bethesda as examples to emulate instead of failures like Broadlands or South Riding? Far too many people in this town...errr..."census designated place"...have Loudoun County envy instead of "Inside the Beltway" envy.

    Before the cacophony of "leave Reston as it is and YOU go move to Bethesda or Arlington" begins, let me ask you all to take a look sometime at Ashburn and see if THAT is what you want the future of Reston to be as we continue to grow.
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  4. Hickory Cluster knuckle dusterNov 6, 2009 12:49 PM
    The 'dated' appearance of washington plaza is a protected historic landmark designed by an award winning architect. I hope its "dated" appearance does not change even after you've up stakes and gone for greener and denser pastures in Arlington.

    Would that all of the Reston shopping areas were as pleasant and enjoyable to WALK around.

    Anyways BiCo, there are plans to redevelop Fairway. They hide information like that here on the Restonian!
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  5. Under utilized parking at the Towne Center? I take it you don't go there during work hours. Those parking garages are plenty utilized.
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  6. I wonder how many people will use the subway when they discover they have to walk a quarter-mile just to get to the edge of Reston Town Center. I already see that very few people actually walk to the Harris Teeters. At least, they get to tear things down at the Wiehle Avenue station and try to do it right.
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  7. P&Z will review the Fairway apts plan December 7 at 7:30 RA headquarters. Since we don't have roller derby, P&Z hearings are the best contact sport Reston has to offer.

    BiCO you should peruse the county's comprehensive plan before you speak with authority about our county supervisor's intentions. Don't know where to find it? Try googling "Reston, special study, fairfax county."
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  8. The Convict in the GulagNov 7, 2009 08:15 AM
    I believe in high density. In fact, I think that the county should redevelop Stonegate, Winterthur and Shadowood as high-density, market-rate towers. That would also have the added benefit of reducing our crime statistics and increasing the county's personal property tax reciepts. It's win-win for everybody.

    They should include some extra recreational facilities as well. More pool lanes, maybe some indoor tennis, a gym and some workout studios, maybe even some climbing walls. Oh, and lest we forget, a roller rink. Definitely, gotta have a roller rink too.

    Bring Roller Derby to Reston!
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  9. What? You think they will take all the poor people from Stonegate and Winterthur and Shadowwood and make them go somewhere else? They will redevelop large sections of Reston and scatter low-cost housing across all of those areas. Then the gangs won't be concentrated in one area. It will be an experiment in social engineering. Maybe it will be better. Maybe.
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  10. The Convict in the GulagNov 7, 2009 02:16 PM
    Maybe they should move some of those folks over by North Point. You know, maybe buy up Bennington Woods and turn that into Section 8 housing. I can't think of a good reason that South Reston should have all of the fun.
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  11. Is "cabrini green" a DRB-approved color?
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  13. I think the architect stole the design for that side of the plaza from the Flintstones.
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  14. Anybody know what happened to the Moroccan place -- moved elsewhere or just bankrupt?

    I was mildly disappointed to see it went tits up apparently right before I moved to within walking distance of it.
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  15. Very sad that the Moroccan restaurant left. They made their own pita and it was wonderful.
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  16. Brooklyn Bridge SalesmanNov 9, 2009 05:34 PM
    If it were a Mexican restaurant opening up, I guess the headline could read "New Restaurants Popping Up Like an Earth-Toned Guac-a-Mole Game in Lake Anne Village Center".
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  17. For shame, Brooklyn Bridge Salesman. That joke was not politically correct. You should embrace diversity instead of ridiculing our neighbors.
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  18. Convict, I love your plan! Most gigs I have had in Reston I bicycle to work. Alas, my current office would take me down the trail through Stonegate (or Siren City) and Hunter's Woods (Murderers Row.) The only way an old guy, alone on a bike, could survive that route every day at the same time is packing heat.

    Sadly, my employer has a picture of a crossed-out gun in the lobby to protect employees from crazed gunmen. So a gat is out. Market-rate Stonegate!
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  19. politically correct? we are too PC .
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  20. We agree, we as a nation have become too pc.
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  21. Brooklyn Bridge SalesmanNov 10, 2009 10:10 AM
    Screw political correctness.

    But so that the PC Nazis don't get their knickers in a knot, let me state for the record that some of my best friends are avocados.
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  22. We do need to be sensitive of other people's sensibilities. We shouldn't, however, lose our ability to laugh at ourselves.

    Would that be Johnny Avocado, Brooklyn Bridge Salesman?
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  23. Lake Anne revitalization has been approved:
    http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpz/projects/adoptedtext.pdf

    There are seven County identified Revitalization Areas including Lake Anne. The next step is interested developers taking on the effort. While the County makes it very appealing to developers to execute in a Revitalization area -- these are still tough times, and developers are hesitant to take on new financing.
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