Cathal Armstrong's White House Recognition; Spike Mendelsohn Making Taste of Arlington Appearance

WHITE HOUSE CHEFS—Cathal Armstrong may not have taken home this year's James Beard Award for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic, but he did get something even better. Apparently, on April 22, the White House honored the Restaurant Eve chef as a "champion of change" for the work he's done to promote childhood nutrition through his non-profit Chefs as Parents. [EaterWire]

EVENT PLANNING—Well, he hasn't had the best of news cycles, but word from the 2011 Taste of Arlington planners is that Spike Mendelsohn is going to be making an appearance at the event on May 22. The chef will be in attendance from 1 to 3 p.m. signing autographs at the food event highlighting Arlington's restaurant scene. Tickets are $20 and available online. [EaterWire]

MT. VERNON TRIANGLE—So Taste of Arlington is still a week away, but on Saturday at 2 p.m. Mount Vernon Triangle hosts its own taste event! Sample fare from Kushi, Mandu, Taylor Gourmet and more for a mere $15 (if you buy in advance online). [EaterWire]

ARLINGTON—ARLnow is tracking the Westover Market's application for live entertainment at its beer garden and reports that the county staff has recommended against the proposal. [ARLnow]

Cathal Armstrong [Photo courtesy Restaurant Eve]