It’s not too early to begin planning for the fall. Flavors of Fall, a free annual festival that includes live entertainment, dancing and family activities, returns to Reston Town Center on October 6.

Admission and parking are free for the event. Restaurants will serve up samplings of their favorite falls menus. Tickets are $1 each or $20 for 24 tickets. Most food tastings require between one and five tickets.

Beer prices are five tickets for a 16-ounce, mainstream beer, six tickets for a 12-ounce craft beer and three tickets for a five-ounce craft beer.  Wine is six tickets for a five-ounce poor and one ticket per wine tasting.

More information on the event will be released soon. The event is produced by the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce.

Photo via Facebook

Taste of Reston, Northern Virginia’s largest outdoor festival, took place on Friday and Saturday, bringing food and visitors to Market Street.

The 28th annual event is a fundraiser for Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce‘s INCspire Education Foundation, which aims to help businesses grow by providing educational opportunities.

“This is the best-attended ‘Taste’ we’ve had in five years, thanks to our participating organizations, community turnout, and great weather,” said Mark Ingrao, CEO of the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce.

This year’s Best of Taste restaurant winners are as follows:

• First Place: Choolah Indian BBQ
• Second Place: Agora
• Third Place: Guapo’s Restaurant

Organizers plan to conduct a debrief on the event to determine how to enhance the festival.

Photos by Don Renner

Foodies can enjoy food from more than 20 restaurants during Taste of Reston, a two-day festival in Reston Town Center (11900 Market Street) tomorrow and Saturday.

The event is produced by the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce.

Taste of Reston is the largest outdoor food festival in Northern Virginia and has been voted “Northern Virginia’s Best Food Festival” by Virginia living magazine for the past six years.

A family carnival, which includes games and food, will also be held at Lake Fairfax on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. A free shuttle will transport attendees to and from the tasting event throughout the day. Carnival tickets are available online.

Garage parking is free during the event. Food vendors will compete in the “Best of Taste” competition. Last year’s winners were M&S Grill, Agora Restaurant and Tavern 64.

The festival will take place from 3-11 p.m. on Friday and from noon to 11 p.m. on Saturday.

Tickets are needed to purchase food, beer, and wine at the event. They are $1 each or $20 for $24. Beer prices require five tickets for mainstream beer and six tickets for craft beer. Wine costs six tickets for five ounces pour and one ticket per wine tasting.

File photo

Attention, food lovers: Taste of Reston, the area’s largest outdoor food festival, is coming to Reston Town Center on June 15 and 16.

The event features samplings from the region’s eateries, live music, beer and wine gardens and a family fun zone. Admission is free, but tickets for tastings can be purchased online or on the day of the event.

Garage parking will remain free throughout the event, which runs from Friday, June 15 from 3-11 p.m. and on Saturday, June 16 from noon to 11 p.m.

The event is produced by the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce and was voted as the best food festival of Northern Virginia by Virginia Living last year.

Participating restaurants include Agora Restaurant, Choolah Indian BBQ, Founding Farmers Reston, McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurant and Trader Joe’s.

Live entertainment will take place in several areas: the main pavilion, which will include regional bands; Library Street stage, which offers interactive entertainment for kids; and the Explorer Street Local & Live Lounge, which will feature acoustic artists.

Volunteers can sign-up online.

Photo by Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce

A little extra planning for the weekend — Not planning to dine out? Carrabba’s Italian Grill (12192 Sunset Hills Road) is launching its own food delivery service. [Reston Patch]

And a little early planning for Easter — Frying Pan Park and Lake Fairfax Park are hosting several events in late March, including an eggspectular “Eggstravaganza.” [Fairfax County Government]

Chimney causes Reston townhouse fire — Heat escaping from gaps in a chimney caused a townhouse fire over the weekend. No injuries were reported, but damages are estimated at around $65,000.  [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department]

In rumor mill this week — Restonians have asked us if Reston Association plans to close Lake Thoreau. Their head spokesman says Reston Association’s staff plan to discuss details of a future demand analysis of RA pools at the board’s May 7 meeting.

(Editor’s Note: This post was updated at 9:50 a.m. to clarify the subject of discussion by RA staff at the board’s May meeting)

Flickr pool photo via vantagehill

A new dessert spot is coming to Herndon Centre, according to signs posted in the storefront of 348 Elden St.

The tenant, Dessert Lounge, will offer ice cream, coffee and falooda, a cold dessert popular in the Indian subcontinent that is traditionally made with rose syrup, jelly, milk, ice cream and vermicelli.

A.J. Dwoskin & Associates, Inc., the real estate development and management firm involved with the site, did not immediately return a request for more information.

Signs indicate Dessert Lounge is coming soon. The new spot will join a center with tenants like Popeye’s , McDonald’s and Mom’s Organic Market. The vacant site was previously home to a nail salon. The shopping center also has jewelry stores, medical offices and other restaurants

Four sites in the center are currently available for lease, according to the center’s website.

Plaza America, will welcome Grill Kabob, an Afghan restaurant with other locations in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, soon. A sign announcing the arrival of the chain, which serves made-to-order kabobs and other authentic specialities, was posted in the vacant storefront yesterday.

Grill Kabob will replace Primo Italiano at 11888 Plaza America Drive. The pizza and sub restaurant, which had called the shopping center home since it opened in the 1990s, left in May 2015.

Since then, the location has remained vacant. Staples, which was located in the same shopping center at 11620 Plaza America Drive, also closed on Oct. 7. Total Wine & More, a beer, wine and spirit purveyor, plans to open by the end of the year.

A restaurant representative said it was unclear when Grill Kabob will open. The owner was unavailable for comment. The restaurant launched in 1998 with its first location in the food court at Springfield Mall and has since opened in 14 locations, including stand-alone restaurants.

Mahmoud Mahdjoub, a journalist in Afghanistan, immigrated to the United States, joining his two cousins who fled Afghanistan during the Soviet-Afghan war in 1980. The chain’s website describes Grill Kabob as one of the largest kabob chains in the country.

The restaurant in Reston is just under 4 miles away from another location in Herndon. Other nearby restaurants are located in Dulles Town Center,  Tysons Corner Mall and Manassas Mall. Its menu includes an assortment of kabobs, sandwiches, gyros, salads, falafel platters and more.

Management has begun hiring for all positions as Nando’s Peri-Peri (12120 Sunset Hills Road) as the Portuguese-style chicken restaurants gears up for its opening day on Nov. 13, according to a company representative.

Nando’s has about 1,200 restaurants in 23 countries on five continents. It was founded in 1987 in South Africa, with its first location debuting in the United States in D.C. nearly nine years ago. Other restaurants are located at One Loudoun and the Mosaic District.

The business will open a little over a month after a Starbucks opened next door. The Starbucks is the fifth in Reston and progress continues at Mezeh Mediterranean Grill, which will also sit next to Nando’s.

The company is hiring for all positions. Company representatives dispersed information outside the location early this week.