Blend 111, a new restaurant and wine bar, will celebrate its grand opening on Thursday in Vienna.
Touting itself as “the region’s first biodynamic restaurant and wine bar,” Blend 111 will feature food and wine from Spain, France and Venezuela, according to a press release.
The locally-owned restaurant (111 Church Street NW, Suite 101) will offer a prix-fixe lunch and dinner options, cold-pressed juices and a “micro-cafe” with organic coffee, pour-over-brewed coffee and espresso-based drinks.
Head Chef Nicolas Terrassin is from Châtellerault, a small village in France, and has worked in restaurants in France, Québec and the D.C. area. Michael Biddick is the restaurant’s owner, sommelier and chief coffee roaster.
The dinner menu includes choices like sustainable scallops and chickpea salad, while the brunch menu offers Venezuelan scrambled eggs and oatmeal brulee.
“Everything from your morning coffee, post work out organic cold press juices, to weekend brunch, happy hour and late-night dining is available at Blend 111 — all offering unique experiences,” the press release said.
Photo via Blend 111/Facebook
The Weekly Planner is a roundup of interesting events coming up over the next week in the Tysons area.
We’ve scoured the web for events of note in Tysons, Vienna, Merrifield, McLean and Falls Church. Know of any we’ve missed? Tell us!
Tuesday (Aug. 13)
- Stray Cats 40th Anniversary Tour — 8-11 p.m. at Wolf Trap (1551 Trap Road) — The band will celebrate its 40-year anniversary with a performance. Tickets start at $35.
Wednesday (Aug. 14)
- Wednesday West Coast Swing Lessons and Dance — 8 p.m. at Latin Dancer Studio (1057 W. Broad Street, Suite 221) — This event invites newbies and seasoned dancers alike to join lessons and an open dance floor later in the evening. Tickets are $15 for a lesson or just $10 after 10 p.m. for the social dance.
Thursday (Aug. 15)
- Karaoke Thursday! — 8-11 p.m. at Falls Church Distillers (442 S. Washington Street) — This locally owned distillery opens their doors for patrons to come to sing and enjoy some spirits.
Friday (Aug. 16)
- The Slambovian Circus of Dreams and Lumen Jingos — 8 p.m. at the Jammin Java (227 E. Maple Avenue) — The bands take to the stage for an evening of live music. Both bands have been described as “psychedelic.” Tickets are $25.
- McLean Famers Market — 8 a.m. at Lewinsville Park (1659 Chain Bride Road) — This event will feature fresh veggies and food from local vendors.
Saturday (Aug. 17)
- Family Bingo Party With Food for Others — noon-3 p.m. at Brandbox Lounge at Tysons Corner Center — Food for Others will host an event to raise awareness for their cause while attendees play games and win prizes.
Photo via The Slambovian Circus of Dreams/Facebook
A woman reported a man masturbating in public by Wildwood Park to the Vienna Police Department.
The incident took place shortly after 10 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 2, by Alma Street SE and Delano Drive SE.
From from the Vienna Police Department:
A resident reported that she observed a suspicious man on the bike path. The resident decided to follow
the man and saw him near a metal bridge. The subject had his pants to his ankles and was masturbating in public. The resident quickly left the area and called the police.
Police said that they searched the surrounding areas but couldn’t find the man.
In a separate incident, an employee reported that another employee embezzled money in the last few months from Patron Insurance Services (301 W. Maple Avenue), police said. The case is being investigated.
Photo via Facebook
A new tavern coming to Vienna will cater to beer lovers and W&OD Railroad Regional Park visitors.
Construction on the upcoming Bear Branch Tavern, owned by Chris Lefbom and Adam Lubar, began last week after city officials gave the green light on June 20. The faculty will serve a full restaurant menu, cocktails and more than 20 draft beers, Lefbom said.
Located at 133 E. Maple Avenue, the tavern will offer a large variety of amenities for patrons including two bars, a patio, indoor and outdoor fire pits, an oyster bar, frozen drink machines, bike racks as well as water coolers for people along the nearby W&OD trail.
“We took over an old bank so we decided to keep the framed drive-thru area and turn it into a three season-enclosed porch area with operable windows,” co-owner Chris Lefbom said.
The owners hope to open the tavern for operation in February 2020. Lefbom said that they will have “a little more clarity on the menu” once they hire a chef, which they are still in the interview process for.
“Adam and I have lived in Northern Virginia since we were toddlers and have always loved the small-town feel of Vienna,” Lefbom said. “We feel the area could use the addition of a neighborhood tavern and we love being next to the W&OD trail in the heart of Vienna.”
Image via Google Maps, second image via Vienna Planning Commission
In Fairfax County — one of the wealthiest areas in the country — about 56,000 people experience food insecurity.
Several organizations around the Tysons area are trying to improve the county’s 4.9% “Food Insecurity Rate,” according to 2017 data compiled by Feeding America, a hunger-relief organization.
Across Northern Virginia, up to 90,000 people go hungry every day, according to Food for Others.
Food for Others obtains food through food rescue operations and food drives and provides emergency food assistance via the warehouse (2938 Prosperity Avenue) in Merrifield, food distribution at 16 sites and supplements to 16 other organizations.
The warehouse is open from 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. on weekdays. People who go to the neighborhood sites are asked to bring their own grocery bags and tell the volunteers how many people are in the household.
On Wednesdays and Fridays, people can go to these Falls Church sites:
- Corner of Ellison and Irving streets off West Street at 5:45 p.m.
- 2802 Hollywood Road — parking lot of Wexford Manor Apartments south of Savannah Street — at 6:15 p.m.
Several other organizations in the Tysons area offer emergency assistance to people experiencing food insecurity.
Share, Inc. is a nonprofit run by volunteers that provides emergency assistance to people in McLean and nearby areas. Share’s food and used clothing room is located in space donated by the McLean Baptist Church at 1367 Chain Bridge Road.
In addition to the year-round food pantry, Share offers family emergency financial assistance, recycled furniture, back-to-school supplies and refurbished laptop computers.
The Committee for Helping Others (CHO)
CHO is a Vienna-based nonprofit that has an emergency food pantry in facilities provided by the Vienna Presbyterian Church at Vienna Court Condos, 133 Park Street NE.
Staffed by volunteers, CHO serves people in the Vienna, Oakton, Dunn Loring, and Merrifield areas. People interested in picking up food must make an appointment by calling 703-679-8966 or email [email protected].
Falls Church Community Service Council
The council offers several programs from clothing to financial to food assistance. The food pantry at the Knox Presbyterian Church (7416 Arlington Blvd) provides non-perishable and fresh food from donations and local food drives. The council also buys extra food when it has adequate funding.
“Church volunteers bag and deliver a week’s supply of food to clients,” according to its website. Volunteers also deliver meals three days per week to people at home who can’t make meals for themselves.
For students, Fairfax County Public Schools has several programs to keep kids fed during the summer and during the school year.
Warehouse Fire in Tysons — A fire broke out in a warehouse in the 8400 block of Tyco Road in Tysons Sunday (Aug. 4) evening, which firefighters “quickly extinguished.” No injuries have been reported. [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue/Twitter]
Behind the Scenes of Cirque du Soleil — Pawel Walczewski shared what it’s like being one of the aerial artists who plays Waz in Cirque du Soleil’s “VOLTA.” The show is currently in Tysons until Sept. 29 [DC Metro Theater Arts]
Woman Struck, Killed by Car in Falls Church — “Fairfax County police arrested a man who allegedly struck and killed a Falls Church woman who was walking with a child in the West Falls Church area Saturday afternoon.” [Tysons Reporter]
Visions for Vienna — The Washington Business Journal dove into the town’s “crippling clash between supporters of Vienna’s small-town history and businesses with an eye on the future.” [Washington Business Journal]
Out With the Old, In With the New (Lightbulbs) — Back in July, the Board of Supervisors voted to “require LEDs instead of less-efficient high-pressure sodium streetlights in new developments. This relatively simple change marks a significant step forward in the county’s pursuit of policies that benefit the environment and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.” [Fort Hunt Herald]
Falls Church Holding Flash Flood Forum — “The City of Falls Church announced Tuesday that it has organized a public forum for Wednesday, Aug. 7, at 7 p.m. at the Council Chambers of City Hall for a “July 8 Flood, Impact, Recovery and Response” forum. Citizens are invited to attend as City staff and elected officials review the impact of the flash flood last month.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Falls Church Expands Senior Tax Program — “Measures to better enable older Falls Church residents to “age in place” rather than move out of their homes that were approved by the F.C. City Council last month will benefit all City taxpayers, F.C. Treasurer Jody Acosta [said].” [Falls Church News-Press]
Photo via Fairfax County Fire and Rescue/Twitter
A fire that broke out in a Vienna home caused roughly $125,000 worth of damage and displaced four residents, the fire department said.
Fire investigators have determined a malfunctioning space heater ignited combustible items, causing the accidental home fire in the 400 block of Old Courthouse Road, according to Fairfax County Fire and Rescue.
“A Vienna police officer was patrolling the area and noticed smoke pushing out of a basement window and notified Vienna [Police Department] dispatch,” the fire department said.
Firefighters responded around 2 p.m. on Sunday, July 28, and “quickly extinguished” the fire in the basement in a two-story, single-family home.
No firefighter or civilian injuries were reported. Four residents were offered Red Cross assistance, which they declined.
Photo via Fairfax County Fire and Rescue/Twitter
Parents thought someone had entered their Vienna home and taken things while they were on vacation — not knowing their son’s friends had come over.
The parents, who live in the 200 block of Cedar Lane SE, had been on away since July 10, according to Vienna police.
More from the Vienna Police Department from a July 30 report:
When they arrived home, they found signs that someone had been in their apartment. Multiple items were moved, some items were missing, and kitchen items had been used. A neighbor advised they saw multiple people inside the residence and assumed they were family friends.
It was later determined that the resident’s juvenile son gave his key to friends and allowed them to use the apartment while the family was away.
Police counseled the son about “providing false to the police,” according to the report. “It was determined that no charges would be placed and the parents will handle the matter.”
Photo via Facebook
Jazz Haaren, a 19-year-old from Vienna, died Wednesday (July 24) after falling from a popular photo spot in D.C.
Police said that Haaren “fell off the Alexandria Aqueduct in Georgetown about 11:45 p.m. and landed in a boat moored in the water below… The D.C. Medical Examiner Office said Haaren’s death has been ruled accidental,” according to the Washington Post.
While Tysons Reporter does not know the circumstances around how she fell, the location is a popular spot for photography and views of the Potomac River.
Haaren was a student at Old Dominion University in Norfolk and lead hostess at Sweetwater Tavern in Merrifield, according to her LinkedIn.
Known for her love of animals, she had a “dog blog” and posted many pictures of herself with bunnies, horses, dogs and cats on her Facebook and Instagram accounts.
For her birthday this year, Haaren asked in a Facebook post for people to donate to the Animal Rescue Corps, writing, “I’ve chosen this nonprofit because their mission means a lot to me, and I hope you’ll consider contributing as a way to celebrate with me.”
Funeral services will be held Saturday, Aug. 17, at the National Funeral Home (7482 Lee Hwy) in Falls Church. The memorial service is set to start at 11 a.m.
Photo via Jazz Haaren/Facebook
Another bubble tea shop is now open along Maple Avenue in Vienna.
TeaDM Mini recently opened a new location at 142 W. Maple Avenue — the former spot of E.G. Comics. The shop combines bubble tea with electronic dance music.
A grand opening celebration took place on June 30 — about a month after Gem Tea opened at 155 W. Maple Avenue.
The two bubble tea shops are less than 300 feet from each other, facing each other across Maple Avenue, according to Google Maps.
Photo via TeaDM Mini/Facebook
