Clarendon Grill Is Closing After More Than 20 Years in Business

The Shutter

A fixture of the Clarendon nightlife scene will soon be gone: ARLnow reports that it’s the end of the line for bar, restaurant and music venue Clarendon Grill. The venue’s Facebook goodbye reads in part:

Our hearts are heavy as we share that the doors of the Clarendon Grill will be closing for good at the end of October. We were not ready, but sometimes things happen to change the course. Some of you were around when the doors of the Clarendon Grill first opened back in the 1996 and some of you may not have been born yet. Either way we have truly enjoyed being the go to place for live music in Clarendon.

Legal news

The Washington Post reports that prosecutors dropped charges of second-degree assault and improper sexual contact against Michael Darby, who is behind Arlington’s Australian restaurant Oz and is a cast member on Bravo’s Real Housewives of Potomac. Darby had been accused of groping a cameraman who was filming an episode of the show.

Politics

WAMU details the steps that D.C. restaurants like Equinox are taking to prepare for the possibility of protesters in the dining room. Lacy MacAuley of Smash Racism D.C., which protested Ted Cruz at Fiola, explained that the group has eyes and ears in restaurants across the city. “So when they go out and try to schmooze at a restaurant and try to network at a restaurant, it’s not a safe space,” MacAuley told WAMU. “And they’re going to hear from us.”

Restaurant history

The DC Oral History Collaborative is working on a project where Asian chefs in the District tell their stories, and the Washington Post talked to Thip Khao’s Seng Luangrath and Mandu’s Yesoon Lee about their life’s work.

The Shutter

Pandora’s Seafood House and Bar was evicted from its space at Rockville Town Square, Bethesda magazine reports.

Controversies

A carryout window slated for in-the-works Mexican restaurant Urbano 116 is proving to be controversial, at least to Alexandria’s city council, according to Washington Business Journal.

Food media

Soupergirl founder Sara Polon is going to be on an episode of ABC’s Shark Tank in October, and she talked to DCist about the experience.

Renovations

The Light Horse in Old Town Alexandria is unveiling a fancy new dining room, and the Washington Business Journal has photos of the upgrades.