One month after Wooboi Chicken’s opening, Chef Minwoo says that the Herndon eatery still has lines out of the door in the late morning and even one diner who came down from New Jersey for a taste of the Nashville Hot Chicken.
After pop-up locations around Maryland and Virginia last summer, Wooboi Chicken officially opened a brick-and-mortar spot in early February at 139 Spring Street, Suite 1.
The chicken is free-range, does not contain antibiotics and is fried in peanut oil, according to its website. For customers with peanut allergies, Wooboi Chicken has a separate fryer that uses canola oil instead.
The concept is based on Nashville Hot Chicken, which has its roots in a woman’s attempt to get back at her cheating man by serving him a super spicy chicken.
Minwoo told Reston Now that he has thrown in his own twists, including D.C. mumbo sauce made from pineapples, distilled wine, vinegar, tomato paste; Japanese-influenced brine; and a unique breading that Minoo calls a “fusion of fine dining and generic KFC and Popeyes.”
The chicken eatery offers six different levels of heat depending on how hot customers like their chicken — the code red and code blue options are the hottest and require an extra warning: a “waiver” on a chalkboard-painted wall where diners have signed their names.
Minwoo estimates that about 10 percent of the customers try either the red or the blue option, and about 5 percent of those “brave people” successfully finish their food. (If you’re not a spice person, don’t go above a level two, Minwoo says.)
This Reston Now reporter chickened out and tried one of the milder items from the secret menu instead — the Merkaroni Salad. (Town of Herndon Mayor Lisa Merkel took to Twitter to share her excitement about having a secret menu item named after herself.)
Other secret menu items to ask for include The Kracken, which is a double chicken sandwich inspired by Paul from Weird Brothers Coffee, and the Choi Fries, which are fries with D.C. mumbo sauce, chicken, cheddar cheese and mustard.
The secret menu isn’t the only surprise. The recipes change a little bit every day, Minwoo adds.
“I’m just going to try to make the best chicken sandwich I can.”
Quickway Japanese Hibachi is coming to Dulles Park in Herndon.
Quickway Japanese Hibachi combines the teppanyaki cooking technique — a type of grilling style — with a quick service restaurant setting, according to its website. The menu features different varieties of hibachi, bento boxes and sushi rolls.
The regional fast food chain leased a 1,200 square-foot space in the shopping center, according to a commercial real estate agency. An exact address has not been announced yet.
In addition to the Herndon spot, the hibachi chain also is “opening soon” in Silver Spring, Md. and Spotsylvania, Va.
Image via Google Maps
Ramen and Rice Bowl now has a “coming soon” sign up at its Herndon Centre spot.
No word yet, though, on an opening date for the fusion ramen restaurant at 482 Elden Street. The spot used to belong to Tipicos Gloria, a Central American eatery, before it relocated about 150 feet away to 470 Elden Street last year.
The restaurant currently has a liquor license pending for wine and beer.
Locals may have noticed that Vapiano, a restaurant chain that serves up Italian food in a fast-casual setting, keeps posting “store closed” signs at the Reston Town Center restaurant.
The closures are temporary as the Reston location (1875 Explorer Street) undergoes management changes and payment delays for staff, which have now been resolved.
Back in January, Vapiano SE, which operates the international restaurant chain, announced it would sell its shares of Vapiano Holding USA, LLC and seven of its subsidiaries in the U.S. to Plutos Sama Holdings Inc.
An attorney representing Vapiano’s new owners told Reston Now that the temporary closures are due to a transiton to a new general manager at the restaurant.
“We wanted to make sure that we trained him properly,” said Matthew Browndorf, the founding partner at Wilson Keadjian Browndorf LLP. He added that training has caused a “little bit of a disruption.”
Training is not the only reason why tensions have flared at the restaurant.
Andrew Corcoran, a managing partner for Wilson Keadjian Browndorf, LLP, told Reston Now that a transition in the payroll system caused a “slight delay” for employees who tried to cash their checks on payday, but that the payment problems and confusion have now been addressed.
Both Corcoran and Browndorf say that all of the staff have been paid now. Each Vapiano location has about 40 employees, Corcoran said.
Corcoran said he saw the “store closed” sign, which urged locals to go to the two locations in D.C., on Saturday (March 9) morning. The sign came down and the restaurant opened up that night and remained open over the weekend, Corcoran and Browndorf said.
Then during the late afternoon on Monday (March 11), Vapiano closed again.
Reston Now spotted a new sign on the door on Tuesday afternoon saying that the restaurant was set to open at 5 p.m. Corcoran said training was why the restaurant planned to open later that day.
The restaurant didn’t reopen, though. A local sent Reston Now a photo of a new sign on the door Tuesday evening that said in all capital letters: “Store closed. Vapiano will return to regular business hours Wednesday March 13, 209. Sorry for the inconvenience,” signed “Management.”
“The schedule was thinly staffed to begin with and some staff unexpectedly called out for illnesses and other personal issues, leaving the location unable to open,” Corcoran told Reston Now this morning.
Now, the restaurant is expecting to reopen today at 11 a.m., Corcoran said.
Reston now has a Peet’s Coffee tucked away by the Signature Apartments at Reston Town Center.
The coffeehouse chain officially opened its doors today (March 11) at 11830 Freedom Drive.
To celebrate the opening, coffee addicts can enjoy “Peet’s Week” with different special offerings every day at the Reston spot. (Ask a barista for the codes.) Here’s a peek at the upcoming ones:
- Tuesday: $1 off a medium beverage
- Wednesday: buy one beverage, get one free
- Thursday: half off an artisan baked good
Peet’s opening was the first from a list of several newcomers slated to arrive Reston Town Center this year.
Muse Paintbar didn’t open in the fall or winter. Now the wine and paint bar expects to open in a few months at Reston Town Center.
A spokeswoman for Muse Paintbar told Reston Now that the spot at 11943 Democracy Drive is expected to open this summer. (Reston Town Center also included it in a list of newcomers expected to open this year.)
Reston Now first reported about Muse Paintbar’s plans to come to Reston back in 2017.
Muse Paintbar, which combines painting instruction with a restaurant and bar, has 30 locations along the East Coast from Portland, Maine to Virginia Beach. Muse Paintbar is also “coming soon” to Arlington and Ashburn.
The wait is almost over for Bombay Velvet, a fine-dining, Indian restaurant, at RTC West.
With the inspections process winding down, the restaurant will open in late March at 12120 Sunset Hills Road, Owner Rajiv Chopra told Reston Now.
The restaurant will be the latest addition this year to RTC West’s food scene, which includes Honeygrow, Mezeh Mediterranean Grill and BGR The Burger Joint.
Famous Toastery, a breakfast and brunch restaurant, is also set to open this month, an employee told Reston Now.
Updated at 1:45 p.m. — Includes new information about Bombay Velvet’s opening.
Spring is less than two weeks away, and the change in seasons will also coincides with some new nail salons, fitness studios and restaurants at Reston Town Center and RTC West.
A fine-dining Indian restaurant, a brunch place and a nail salon are expected to arrive soon at RTC West.
Bombay Velvet is expected to open in late-March. An employee at Famous Toastery told Reston Now that it is aiming for an opening this month.
Signs say that Infinity Spa and Nails is “coming soon” to 12120 Sunset Hills Road, Suite 105.
Over at Reston Town Center, several of the announced newcomers have told Reston Now when they plan to open their doors.
Peet’s Coffee will hold a pre-opening party on Saturday (March 9) ahead of its official debut next week at 11830 Freedom Drive. While Peet’s throws its party, fitness studio Solidcore is slated to open its doors for the first time.
Reston Town Center is also expected to welcome The Glossary Nail Spa and Fox Restuarant Concepts’ North Italia soon. Later this summer, Restonians can expect DC Row this summer.
Pick your favorite below and tell us in the comments which other ones you are ready for.
Second and fifth images via Solidcore and North Italia websites
Finn Thai Restaurant and Bar officially opened in the North Point Village Center on Presidents’ Day (Feb. 18).
Finn Thai fills the former Payless spot at 1466 North Point Village Center. The spot has been empty since the discounted footwear retailer left in 2017.
The menu includes curry dishes, noodles, fried rice and vegetarian selections, along with a kid’s menu and wine selection. According to the restaurant’s Facebook page, selected steaks are half-priced on Mondays just for the Reston location.
Finn Thai has two other restaurants — one in Purcellville and the second one in Martinsburg, West Virginia.
Photo via Finn Thai Reston/Facebook
An upcoming program at a Herndon public school is going against the grain of conventional education by teaching students the value of community service and baking.
Students at McNair Elementary School (2499 Thomas Jefferson Drive) can expect the Bake for Good Program to arrive at their school next month.
Meant for fourth- to sixth-graders, the free program teaches students “the value of giving back to their community while learning to bake bread,” according to Fairfax County Public Schools. Representatives from King Arthur Flour, the sponsoring organization, will present the cross-curricular program, which has three main goals: learn, bake and share.
“Students will use practical applications of math, science, and comprehension skills while learning how they can make a positive impact in their local community,” according to the FCPS announcement.
Each student will then bake two loaves of bread — one to take home and one to donate to LINK, which provides emergency food and financial help to people in the western part of the county.
The program begins at McNair Elementary School on March 12.
Image via Google Maps
Four schools in the Reston and Herndon areas are part of 39 Fairfax County public schools taking part in a new after-school food program that provides free meals or snacks to any student.
Fairfax County Public Schools’ Office of Food and Nutrition Services announced the sponsorship of the At-Risk Afterschool Meals Program yesterday (Feb. 4).
One school in Reston and three in Herndon requested that the program provide them with meals. They include:
- Herndon Elementary School (630 Dranesville Road)
- Herndon Middle School (901 Locust Street)
- Hutchison Elementary School (13209 Parcher Avenue)
- Dogwood Elementary School (12300 Glade Drive)
Alexandria topped the list with the most requests from 16 schools, followed by 10 in Falls Church.
The program is part of the Child and Adult Care Food Program, which is backed by the United States Department of Agriculture. It is managed by the Virginia Department of Health’s Child and Adult Care Food Program.
Photo via @fcpsnews/Twitter
More sandwich options just arrived in Reston.
Sprout Cafe recently opened at One Reston Overlook (12011 Sunset Hills Road).
Retail brokerage firm Rappaport tweeted a picture outside of the cafe that shows writing on a window advertising its salads, sandwiches and “savory soups.”
This is the Rockville, Md.-based cafe’s second location, according to the tweet.
Image via Rappaport/Twitter
Wooboi Chicken is set to hold a soft opening tomorrow ahead of its grand opening next week.
The grand opening at 139 Spring Street, Suite 1 — the former spot of Metro Cafe — is set for Feb. 5, Wooboi Chicken told Reston Now.
The chicken eatery posted on its Facebook page today that it plans to have a soft opening with a limited menu tomorrow (Jan. 30) from noon to 4 p.m. Government workers and law enforcement officers can receive 10 percent off of their entire order.
Wooboi Chicken had pop-up locations in Maryland and Virginia last summer.
The “Nashville hot chicken” is free-range, does not contain antibiotics and is fried in peanut oil, according to its website. For customers with peanut allergies, Wooboi Chicken has a separate fryer that uses canola oil instead.
Depending on how hot customers like their chicken, Chef Minwoo will offer six different levels of heat, along with five options for sides.
Image via Google Maps
Updated at 10:45 a.m. — Includes information about feeding the TSA workers from Gaurang Shah.
Vapiano in Reston Town Center has been pitching in to help government workers as the partial federal government shutdown looms on without an end in sight.
The recent efforts stemmed from a desire to “take care of those who take care of us during this political standoff,” according to a press release.
Earlier this week, the Italian restaurant at 1875 Explorer Street offered 50 percent off for furloughed federal workers on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
Gaurang Shah, the local behind the Reston Going Out Group on Meetup.com and a Vapiano regular, approached the restaurant with an idea: ask for food donations to serve to TSA workers.
Vapiano then created a menu of homestyle Italian meals. Shah told Reston Now that he pitched in supplies and other food, along with reaching out to a TSA Supervisor at Dulles International Airport who agreed with the proposal.
Shah said that hundreds of TSA workers came to the restaurant for the food.
Our Team Vapiano Reston Town Center ❤️ did treat our Washington Dulles International Airport #TSA Team ❤️ Thank you for your service ❤️ #GovernmentShutdown #GovernmentShutdownstories pic.twitter.com/GzfoQ95oxV
— Vapiano USA (@VapianoUSA) January 21, 2019
On MLK Day we'd like to give back to the community & offer all furloughed Federal Workers 50% off their entire check. Just come by & show your government ID when checking out. See you in a bit!#GovernmentShutdown #MLK2019 pic.twitter.com/7K5GqIiuXd
— Vapiano USA (@VapianoUSA) January 21, 2019
Image via Vapiano/Twitter
Reston Town Center unveiled today (Jan. 24) six newcomers slated to open later this year.
“It is our mission to continue to enhance the RTC experience and provide the community with brands that excite and entice all,” Retail Leasing Director Stephanie Friedman said in a press release.
The newcomers are the following:
The new dining and retail will provide “a diverse mix of shopping and restaurant options,” according to the press release, which does not include their expected opening dates or addresses.
Peet’s Coffee has already posted job openings for its future spot in Reston Town Center.
Located across the country, True Food Kitchen focuses on offering food based Dr. Andrew Weil’s anti-inflammatory diet, according to its website. In Virginia, the chain currently has spots in Arlington and Fairfax.
Reston Now previously reported that Fox Restaurant Concepts plans to open its North Italia concept in RTC at 11898 Freedom Drive — the space Neyla Mediterranean Bistro previously occupied before it closed in 2018.
While Boston Properties originally said North Italia would open in the winter, an employee told Reston Now that it will open later this spring.
Muse Paintbar also planned to open in the winter after it blew past its original fall date, Reston Now previously reported. Its website says that the Reston spot at 11943 Democracy Drive is “coming soon.”
The store combines painting instruction with a beer and wine bar and will host daily painting sessions.
Meanwhile, the Glossary Nail Spa wrote that it is “coming soon” to 1771 Library Street in a Facebook post on Dec. 20.
DC Row will offer high-intensity, low-impact group workout training. This will be its second location after launching at District Wharf in May 2018, according to the press release.
The press release says that various other tenants will be announced in the following months.
File photo
