American Tap Room: Arlington’s Bold New Addition

If you drove through Arlington this past weekend, you may have noticed a peculiar site: four large spotlights dancing in the evening sky. The scene resembled something from a Hollywood premier, but in actuality, the premise was quintessential Northern Virginia.

The lights coming from the corner of Clarendon Boulevard and North Highland Street weren’t remnants from DC’s Fashion Night Out, but rather a new restaurant and bar.

This weekend marked the first weekend the new American Tap Room was open. The small chain took over the space previously occupied by Sette Bello and, within a week, has carved out a niche in the crowded Wilson Boulevard Entertainment Corridor.

American Tap Room opened its original location a few years back in the Reston Town Center and recently expanded to Bethesda. The Clarendon location is now the restaurant’s third space. All three eateries are dedicated to American culture past and present, offering an old-style tavern feel dedicated to modern concepts.

In Clarendon, management completely revamped the space they bought, creating a locale unlike anything the area has seen.

The exterior of the space is fresh and bold after receiving a totally new façade. Grey mullions and windows have been replaced by bright, intense red walls and wooden doors, meant to convey a 19th century feel to a restaurant that exists in the 20th century.

It’s designed to get noticed. The new American Tap Room is not shy. At Sette Bello, the signage was large, but obscure and impossible to see while cruising down Clarendon. That is no longer the case, with a massive “American Tap Room” marquee added above the entrance, as well as a fire pit above the main doors that rages every hour of the day.

Much like the exterior, the interior also tries to create a two-toned feel by blending past and present.

In the main entrance resides a baby grand piano and high back leather chairs. But take a seat at the bar, which is inlaid with thousands of pennies, and you’ll see modernity in action. The back of the bar is ringed with flat-screen TVs packed so tight they almost touch. And when your bartender hands you a menu, see it change from dark to light. Yes, the menus are actually on LED screens, which brighten when they are flipped open. In fact, they look like large Kindles.

The menu, despite the gimmick, is not designed to take away from the kitchen, which takes American cuisine and gives it an American Tap Room twist.

Appetizers range from traditional to unique, with chicken wings having a place next to deviled eggs and ceviche. The entrees follow a similar trend, with the familiar coexisting with the far out. A group of four diners could easily share dishes as comfortable yet disparate as hamburgers, Greek pizza, roasted chicken and lobster macaroni and cheese.

All the meals are cooked in the spacious open kitchen, which draws your eyes in with a stunning bronze hood.

Food aside, what would a tap room be without beer? American Tap Room takes its suds easily as seriously as its food. The restaurant constantly rotates selections, but on draft right now, visitors can find 35 beers, from the local, like Virginia’s Starr Hill Northern Lights, to the distant, like Germany’s Paulaner Hefeweizen

And the draft list is dwarfed by the bottle list, with 39 domestic beers served and well as fifteen international imports.

So, if the lights from this weekend didn’t send you immediately toward American Tap Room, find time soon to see this new standout in the restaurant scene.

Stafford County, VA Market Report – 9/14/11

Things are very interesting in Stafford right now.  The latest statistics are very indicative of what we as Realtors were feeling in Stafford last month.

It is very interesting to me that we are seeing these statistics as rates have been hovering around historic lows and there are lots of Buyers in the market place.  It seems as though many people are waiting for exactly the right house to come on the market and just haven’t been able to find what they are looking for.

Our inventories are so low, not just in Stafford, but in the surrounding areas as well that there are not a lot of new houses for people to look at, at any given time.

I think the last couple of weeks have been tough for people who have been considering putting their homes on the market!  No one really wants to do that during an earthquake, hurricane or even the first week or two of school if they can help it!   Please read on for the latest stats:

One of the only positives you can take away from the latest numbers are the average sales price to list price ratio.  Over the last year this number has continued to slowly creep up.  That is a great sign for Sellers who price their home well!

Don’t let these numbers discourage you!  We are still way better off than many parts of the country and our market is feeling much better overall!  New inventory will really help our market.  If you are considering selling your home, make sure and speak to a good, professional Realtor.  You may be surprised that now is a good time for you to sell!

Ashburn, VA Market Report – 9/12/11

Wow, Ashburn leads the market in Loudoun County.  Sales volume has a dramatic increase over June, 2010, the average sales price is 11% above that of Loudoun County’s $428,522 as well as being well above Northern Virginia’s average sales price of $439,728, while the number of active listings remains relatively stable.

Statistics for zip codes 20147 and 20148:

All indications show that the Ashburn market will enjoy a steady increase in value.  Even though new home builder sales have decreased over the past month or so, the Ashburn market continues to be one of the “hot beds” of new construction in Northern Virginia, with new single family and town homes leading the charge in the Brambleton area.

If you are considering selling your home, now is the time!  Choose from well known, reputable companies, interview 2 or 3 Realtors active in your market, and compare their marketing plans, internet exposure, and social media interaction.

Information obtained from statistics supplied by Metropolitan Regional Information Systems and analysis and comment by Jim Agnew, Managing Broker, Avery Hess, Realtors, Dulles-Westfields Regional Office, Centreville, VA 20120

Labor Day Events Abound In D.C. and Maryland

Labor Day is here, and with it comes summer’s last long weekend. While that means fall and winter will soon arrive, it also means there is one last chance to enjoy some final summer festivities the city has to offer.

This three-day weekend both Maryland and Washington, D.C. are inundated with events that can fill your calendar.

Labor Day Weekend kicked off Thursday at the Gaylord National Resort at National Harbor. There, in Princes Georges County, is Abbey Road on the River, a five-day tribute to the Fab Four.

And just who might the Fab Four be? The Beatles, of course, only the most popular band of all-time. At the Gaylord National Resort, starting Thursday at 3 p.m., over 50 Beatles tribute bands take the stage to perform sets dedicated to John, Paul, George and Ringo.

From Thursday to Sunday night, people can Twist and Shout all the way until two in the morning. On Monday, the concert ends much earlier, at 6:00 p.m.

Tickets for a single day of admission run from $35-75. Any level will get you into the show, with the most expensive passes offering reserved seating near the stages.

If you’re interested in music, but with a more local vibe, than the National Symphony Orchestra’s Labor Day Concert is the perfect destination.

Performed on the West Lawn of the Capitol, this free concert occurs every Sunday before Labor Day. The 2011 theme is Legends of Washington Music, and with it comes an eclectic mix of tunes. The NSO performs everything from the marches of John Phillips Sousa to the upbeat go-go hits of D.C. legend Chuck Brown.

The concert kicks off at 8:00 p.m. on Sunday night, with seating on the Capitol grounds opening at five. The Sunday forecast calls for some occasional showers, so attendees should know that in case of inclement weather, the concert will be moved to the Kennedy Center.

Speaking of the Kennedy Center, with Labor Day comes one of its annual innovative traditions: Page-to-Stage.

Each year, on Labor Day weekend, the Kennedy Center opens its doors to various local troupes and allows them to perform rehearsals and readings on the Kennedy Center’s grandiose stages. This year, the Kennedy Center has invited over 40 different groups to perform. The plays and musicals are free for the public to attend, an unparalleled and unique way to take in a future show.

Now in its tenth year, Page-to-Stage runs from Saturday to Monday, with hours varying by day. On Saturday and Monday, the shows run from 1:00 p.m. to 10 at night. On Sunday, there is only an hour’s worth of shows, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., in case the NSO concert needs to be rescheduled.

And what would Labor Day be without an outdoor festival? One of the biggest in the area is in Greenbelt, Maryland and runs from Friday to Monday.

The Greenbelt Labor Day Festival, held at the Greenbelt Community Center, has everything one could want in a Labor Day festival, from carnival rides and games to an art show and petting zoo to musical performances.

Among the events at the festival are the blues group, The Mary Shaver Band, who will perform on Saturday from 12 to 3 p.m. And if you are bringing kids, also on Saturday, is the Full Mayhem Magical Circus Show, which takes the stage from 3:30 to 4:15 p.m.

With many locals leaving the city for one last vacation, do the opposite and enjoy the wonderful and numerous activities that are here this weekend.