Raul Claros provides the evening's entertainment on the congas.

By ILENE SMITH
Falls Church Times Staff

July 30, 2010

Ok, so the heat is on…..summer is in full swing.  If you find yourself reading this, and you haven’t been to the hottest South American restaurant this side of Caracas, make your reservation soon to experience the hoopla for yourself.  The Washingtonian, Washington Post, Examiner and Guy Fieri from the Food Network channel can’t all be wrong.  And don’t let  its location in the Stratford Motor Lodge scare you away……remember the  old adage “don’t judge a book by its cover”…..rest assured, La  Caraqueña is not your standard motel diner experience !

Just three years in business, La Caraqueña’s chef and owner, Raul Claros, has been cooking up the most sumptuous Pan Latin food without big city prices. Born in Venezuela, Claros moved to Bolivia and began his passion for cooking at a very young age helping mom in the kitchen.  When he turned 17, Claros made “the big move to the USA to check it out.”  While working in restaurants perfecting his skills, he saw a “for lease” sign in front of the Stratford Inn. Taking a leap of faith, Claros made Falls Church City home to La Caraqueña, simultaneously fulfilling a life-long dream: owning a restaurant where he can serve patrons as if they were guests in his home.  Many of his recipes, especially the sauces, are old family recipes from his mother and “abuelita” – grandmother.

Hand-held meat pies are common in almost every culture, but the nuances of this mainstay snack can make all the difference.  Salteñas are Latin America’s entry in the hand held meat pie derby.  I didn’t realize how much I had been craving La Caraqueña’s salteñas until I recently traveled to Lithuania.   Looking to satisfy my craving in Vilnius, I ordered the closest thing I could find, a cepelini – a hand-held meat pie that is the staple dish of Lithuania. Although the cepelini was delicious, upon returning home, I scurried back to La Caraqueña to see if all the fame had changed this highly touted Falls Church City restaurant. I also wanted to conduct an admittedly unscientific and biased meat pie taste test separated by weeks of travel and thousands of miles of ocean. And the winner is…well, I’ll reveal that at the end of this review.

Sopa de Frijoles

To my delight, La Caraqueña was even better than I remembered, with faster, more attentive service.  I began my meal with the yuca frita with homemade salsa amarilla and pico de gallo.  This dish is heavy on flavor, but light on the appetite, and great way to begin your dining experience.  The yuca is sliced fresh before frying and thus crispy on the outside but tender on the inside.  Salsa amarilla literally means “yellow sauce” and is one of those secret recipes from Claros’ “abuelita”, made in some variant with hard‐boiled eggs blended with madeira wine, oil, and mustard.  My friend ordered the plátanos fritos and raved about them almost as much as I did the yuca frita.  The plátanos fritos are fried sweet plantains served with Latin white cheese and pico de gallo. The salteña was up next and it couldn’t have been more succulent.  I now understand why these tasty meat turnovers are eaten as a mid day snacks in South America on a daily basis.  My husband lived in South America for three years and agrees that he is hard pressed to find a better salteña than right here in the center of Falls Church City. For an extra kick, you can always add the green condiment sauce- jalapeños, cilantro and onions-to any item on the menu.  Even though it’s counterintuitive, a great way to stay cool is to eat hot chili peppers.  Most chili peppers have a natural substance called Capsaicin, which can actually lower your body temperature.  So bring on the heat, to add a chill.

After giving my tongue a few minutes to recuperate, I moved on to the arepas, which come in a dozen assorted varieties.  The carne mechada, one of the most popular, is a slow cooked, savory beef recipe that is unique and brings out the flavor of authentic Venezuelan cuisine.  No wonder it’s the most popular on the menu!  I had the Dominó – black beans smothered with shredded white cheese. You have your choice of either grilling or frying these delectable corn cakes. 

Polla La Caraquena

If soup floats your boat, then the sopa de frijoles is a wonderful thick Latin style bean soup that is accentuated by Spanish sausage and complemented with chunks of white Latin cheese and a heaping handful of fresh cilantro on top.  Pureed until smooth, the distinct flavor is drawn from the Spanish sausage.  For our dinner entrees we ordered both the Pollo La Caraqueña and Pollo a la Plancha, which were attractively presented on the plate and tasted even better than they looked. Pollo La Caraqueña is chicken baked Latin style- with beans and rice.  It tasted just as a classic dish should taste, oven-fresh and flavorful.  The Pollo La Caraqueña is a seasoned grilled chicken breast with another one of Raul’s secret sauces- homemade lemon caper – drizzled on top. We also tried the Lemon fish and Ocean mix and the general consensus was to steer towards the chicken and beef since they are cooked to as close as perfection as you can get. 

During a previous Friday night visit with friends, Raul was quite the host with a versatile repertoire of dining and entertainment.  After finishing our meal, while considering our entertainment options for the evening, it literally unfolded right before us. Before my plate was cleared from the table, I realized I had a pair of maracas in my hand and my husband was pounding away on the bongos.   Raul had positioned himself at the helm of the congas and the three of us suddenly had quite a little impromptu “concert” brewing.   Bongos and congas are very popular in Latin and Salsa music, which brings me to the last segment of the evening – Salsa dancing!!!  With the music grooving, soon the entire room was up and Salsa dancing like we were all good friends.  Raul’s on-the-spot Salsa lessons were a welcome added bonus.

If you have any room left for dessert, do not miss the cuatro leches or otherwise known as “four milks” cake.  If you thought the traditional Latin American tres leches cake was fabulous, the Cuatro leches take your taste buds to the next level. I am not a dessert aficionada but Wow!  This extremely moist, but not soggy, vanilla sponge cake, made with four milks, and slathered with sweet caramel sauce is…..well…. ¿Cómo se dice – “Perfeccion”?

Yes, La Caraqueña offers the 5 star experience – reasonably priced authentic Latin American food in a homey environment, with music, Latin culture and dancing perhaps included- how can you top that for an evening out in Falls Church City?

And by the way, the winner is…well let’s just say…! Viva la salteña!

Summing it up:   A-

Recommend:  salteñas – a must have, arepas- carne mechada, yuca frita, sopa de mani or sopa de frijoles and cuatro leches cake

Vegetarian:  a few items

Sound level: 68 decibels/ conversation is easy

Beverages:  full bar

Price Range:  Appetizers $4-$9, entrees $14-$20

Extras:  reservations accepted, although not necessary, credit cards, large parking lot, kid-friendly, disabled access, Zagat rated, outdoor seating

Serving:  Lunch and dinner (M, W, Th, F) 12pm -10 pm; Sat- 11am -10pm; Sun- 11am -9pm; closed on Tuesday

Located at 300 West Broad Street, Falls Church City

 http://www.lacaraquena.com/

July 29, 2010

This comment is my personal view as a taxpayer and a voter, not as Chairman of the Long-Range Financial Planning Working Group.

I was more than taken aback by the request from the Falls Church Housing Corporation (FCHC) for the City of Falls Church to bail it out of its current financial predicament.  In no way is this a “minor modification” of the terms set forth by the City Council for the Wilden Project.  It is a major change to the terms and to the project risks.  Anybody who understands real estate development would understand that fact and Mr. Young confirmed it in his interview with the FCT.  What we now have here is an admission by the FCHC that it is financially insolvent because it cannot make payment of its $2.7 million note due on August 7.  To be clear, the definition of financial insolvency is when a borrower cannot meet its financial obligations as and when they come due.  It also admitted that it may have to sell assets at a loss to make good on the note.

The FCHC also admits that it is attempting to help the Sawner estate settle its debt to the City.  It goes on to admit that whoever the other “partners” are who invested $750,000 in pre-development work will lose their funds.  The FCHC, for reasons that defy logic, spent $1.2 million on pre-development work when it had neither complied with the very soft terms set forth by the City Council nor had it lined up all of its equity and bank financing.  By way of clarification, a loan from the City does not qualify as equity by normal accounting principles, even for a non-profit.  Now, the FCHC has the audacity to ask the taxpayers of Falls Church for a bailout caused by financial mismanagement and overly optimistic forecasting for the entire Project.  The City would not just be bailing out the FCHC, but all of the parties associated with this project, according to the FCHC memo.

Any assertion that this project ever made financial sense for the City is distinctly contrary to a thorough and well-reasoned analysis prepared by Mr. Mike Novotny of the EDA and comments made by Mr. John Lawrence, Chairman of the Planning Commission, who voted against the project.  It would cost the City at least $100,000 in lost tax revenue–when every penny counts.  If this project made that much sense, perhaps Mr. Young should advance the FCHC $1 million, inasmuch as he would be a benefactor of the total project.

To put the $1 million request into the context of the Schools’ budget, that would be the equivalent of 12 teaching positions plus 2 or 3 support staff.  Down the road, the subsidized cost of at least $100,000 per annum would be the annual equivalent of 1.5 teaching positions.  If we go through the math of the project, it is expected by the FCHC that in 15 or 16 years the City would essentially forgive the $2 million loan.  How many teachers or policemen or firemen does that equate to?

In terms of the financial gimmickry of the FCHC request, if I understand Mr. Rogers’ memo to the City Manager, taxpayer funds will flow from the City to the FCHC and then back and forth between the FCHC and the Sawner estate, with a some portion of the funding maybe returning to the City in some guise to make it appear this is nothing more than a usual and customary fiscal arrangement.  It would also allow Mr. Young to proceed with his development and then recoup $25,000 per parking space from the City.

I think that the City Council would be making a huge mistake taking taxpayer funds that were meant to restore the depleted fund balance and finance operations such as public safety and the schools and redirect funds for 66 subsidized housing units.  The City Manager even stripped the CIP of all but $385,000 of capital expenditure to fund the operating budget.  We just heard from the City Manager that he had approached Davenport & Co., the City’s investment bankers, about going to the debt markets to fund the depleted CIP.  The Assistant Director of Finance has confirmed that tax collections are running $3.5 million behind last year.

After we listened to City employees pleading for their jobs in the Council Chambers (and on the City’s TV station) just 3 months ago, this is a major insult to them and their families.  At the end of the day, the real issue is not whether the City Council would be voting on 66 subsidized housing units in the middle of the commercial district to be funded by depleting the fund balance again, but whether this Council wants to bail out the financial mismanagement of the FCHC and place further strain on the City’s operating budget.

Even if the City borrows the money from a bank, it would be sending the wrong signal to every household in the City that had to accept a 16% hike in real estate taxes to support the City’s operating budget, not bail out an entity that is admitting insolvency.  It is an audacious argument on the part of Ms. Jackson and Mr. Rogers to say that the Virginia Development Housing Authority would turn its back on Falls Church for not funding this $1 million request for an admittedly insolvent FCHC.  The Council needs to call in an independent auditor to examine the finances of the FCHA and its financial controls and not bail out the FCHC.  The City should not the “bailout banker” of last resort for a non-profit that speculates in land development.

Mr. Sommerfeld is a businessman who lives in Falls Church City

Editors’ Note:  The Falls Church Times has invited the Falls Church Housing Corporation to submit a Community Comment making the case for its request in this matter, and we invite others to share their views on this topic or others of importance to the City.  Our comment policy appears in our “About” section.  Please send your submissions to contact@fallschurchtimes.com.

Driving Under the Influence, 400 Roosevelt Blvd., July 20, 2:17 a.m., police arrested a 34 year old Silver Spring, MD man for DUI.

Larceny from Building, 300 N. Washington St., between July 18, 11:40 a.m., and July 20, 9:42 a.m., unknown person(s) entered Columbia Baptist Church, and stole an employee’s wallet that contained cash, several debit and credit cards, and a Virginia Driver’s License.  The suspects are described as follows:  W/M, in his 60’s, 5’10” tall, grey hair, wearing grey pants, a white shirt, and a black coat;  W/F, in her 50’s, 5’8” tall, 200 lbs., wearing a summer dress, and dark open toe shoes.

Driving Under the Influence, N 11th St/Roosevelt St., July 21, 12:45 a.m., police arrested a 41 year old Springfield man for DUI.

Commercial Burglary, 501 N. Washington St., All Tune Auto Repair, between July 20, 7:30 p.m., and July 21, 8:00 a.m., unknown person(s) forced entry into a business, and stole $35 in cash.

Larceny from Building, 500 blk Roosevelt Blvd., between April 15, and July 23, 2:48 p.m., unknown person(s) stole a black Smith & Wesson M&P 340 revolver from the residence.

Drunkenness, 300 Park Ave., July 24, 11:34 a.m., police arrested a 52 year old man of no fixed address for DIP.

Larceny from Vehicle, 1051 E. Broad St., Koons Ford, between July 24, 7:17 a.m., and July 25, 7:00 a.m., unknown person(s) stole two written prescriptions from the center console of a vehicle while it was being serviced.

Residential Burglary, 700 blk Highland Ave., July 26, between 8:55 a.m., and 3:15 p.m., unknown person(s) entered a home, and stole 2 laptops, a Wii console with games, a camera, ring, and a bracelet.

(EDITORS’ NOTE: Some stories just can’t be written any better.  In case you missed this sweet-corn-taste-test story the first time, we reprint it here in time for you to visit the Farmers Market on Saturday to conduct your own.)

By JIMMY SCARANO
Falls Church Times Staff

July 17, 2009

Sweet corn season is just getting underway, and there is no better way to take advantage of it than a trip to the City’s awesome farmers market.

Last Saturday I scurried around to every corn-toting vendor I could find so that I could gather up samples for a taste test.  I ended up with gorgeous ears from eight different stands:

Threeway Farm
Lois’s Produce
Penn Farms
Westmoreland Farm
Laurel Grove Farms
Thank God It’s Fresh (aka TGIF)
Toigo Orchards
Musachio Produce Farm

I got some pretty weird looks as I rushed back to my car with the ears of corn kept separate between my fingers and in several plastic bags on my arms so that I knew which one was from which farm.

When I got to the car I quickly lined them up and wrote down the name of the farm and a number corresponding to the order that I arranged the corn.  A perfect system!  I was able to keep track of the number of each corn after shucking and cooking them all, but by that time I had also forgotten which farm was which number on my notepad, making for a blind taste test.

Unfortunately, two of the ears were so unmistakably from two particular farms, so I knew what those were during the testing.  The first corn that I knew the identity of was from Toigo Orchards, because they sell the Mirai variety that has a distinct kernel and was the only yellow one of the bunch.  The second corn that I knew the origin of was from Musachio Produce Farm, and that’s because Musachio’s corn was cold to the touch and the only one that was noticeably wet and sticky.  This is due to the fact that owner Mike Musachio chills his corn on ice the night before to keep the sugars from turning to starches.

Other than that, it was a completely blind taste test for me.

Eager to have at least a few totally oblivious tasters, I decided to include my mom, sister, brother, and cousin in the tasting.  That way we could arrive at a truly unbiased verdict for the best sweet corn available in Falls Church.

When I told them they would be participating in a corn-tasting test (yes, I told them, they didn’t really have a choice), there were some moans and groans, but once the aroma of corn hit the air, everyone was all smiles.  Honestly, who doesn’t love sweet corn?

Here are some of the precautions we took to make sure the testing went as fair as possible:

Scarano family does the taste test

1. All the corn was cooked in the same manner- lightly steamed in less than an inch of water for just a few minutes, until it was just cooked through.

2.  While we tasted, no one was allowed to say anything positive or negative about a particular ear of corn because we didn’t want anyone being influenced by other people’s reactions.

3. Everyone wrote down their comments about each corn according to its number so that no one could go back and change their mind based on what other people said.  There was written proof of everyone’s true feelings about the corn.

Aside from those parameters, the taste test was pretty much just me and my family sitting around and gorging on corn.

When the test was complete and all the corn was sufficiently destroyed, I proclaimed that I had three clear favorites: #1, #7, and #8.  To my shock, everyone else agreed convincingly.  Though all the corn was pretty tasty, these three trumped the competition in flavor, texture, and aroma.

I quickly retrieved my notepad to reveal which farms had won the contest.  But there really wasn’t much drama for me personally.  Two of the winners were the two ears of corn that I already knew the identity of- Toigo Orchards (Corn #7) and Musachio Produce Farm (Corn #8).  But let me assure you there was no foul play involved.  Remember, my family whole heartedly agreed that these were two of the best ears on the table and they had no idea where they were from.

Corn #1, it turned out, was from Threeway Farm.

The best part about the taste test was reading some of the descriptions of the corn on everyone’s little comment card.  Tasters noted “earthy and sour notes” in some ears as well as “corny” flavor in others.  Texture seemed to be almost as important as flavor.  Some praised “crisp, juicy” kernels while others enjoyed “mealy, soft” ones. I didn’t know my family members had such refined palettes.

The three winners separated themselves from the pack by hitting a good combo of sweetness, texture and corniness.  Threeway Farm’s corn was sweet and delicate, with a light corn flavor that everyone liked.  Toigo Orchards’ was by far the sweetest of the bunch, but so sweet that some of the corn flavor was lost.  But it was also pleasantly crisp and if you like really, really sweet stuff (and many people do) then you’ll love it.

Musachio’s pearly white corn was utterly delicious- not too sugary, corny, buttery, and bursting with juicy corn milk.  It was probably my overall favorite.  And I have little doubt that part of the reason it’s so good is that Musachio takes that extra step to ice it down.

From City and Staff Reports

July 21, 2010

Paul Taylor, the City’s Chief Technology Officer for six years, is resigning effective July 23 to accept a job with the federal government.

For the immediate future,  Assistant City Manager Cindy Mester will assume many of the managerial-level duties of the position. Other IT Director responsibilities will be absorbed by the City’s IT contractor, Intellidyne.

Prior to filling the IT director position, the City will conduct an IT infrastructure and operational assessment in conjunction with the Falls Church City Public Schools to look for opportunities to consolidate and coordinate IT functions.

During this season’s budget deliberations, it was noted by City Council that all IT operations are carried out under contract with Intellidyne.  City Manager Wyatt Shields praised Taylor for his negotiation skill, as he worked to obtain the best deal for the City with the IT contractor.

Taylor is the third key City official to resign in the past two months. Chief Financial Officer John Tuohy resigned June 25, and Planning Director Suzanne Cotellessa is resigning effective August 12.

Destruction of Property, 400 blk. N. Maple Ave., July 13, 11:15 a.m., unknown person(s) smashed the driver’s side window out of a Chevrolet Cavalier that was in the parking lot.

Larceny, 100 blk. W. Marshall St., July 14, 8:13 a.m., unknown person(s) stole a metal patio set that was in the driveway of the residence for sale.

Motor Vehicle Theft, 1051 E. Broad St., July 16, 7:00 a.m., unknown person(s) stole a copper 2003 Nissan Murano from the Koons Ford Parking lot just prior to being serviced.

Shoplifting, Rite Aid, 1003 W. Broad St., between July 16, 11:30 a.m., and July 17 12:36 p.m., unknown person entered the establishment, and stole a carton of Marlboro Light 100’s valued at $53.36.  The suspect is described as a W/M, 6’0” tall, approximately 160 pounds, wearing a black baseball cap, white t-shirt with the letters “USA” on the front, yellow shorts, and black flip flops.

Driving Under the Influence, 200 blk. E. Broad St., July 19, 4:02 a.m., police arrested a 25 year old Arlington man for DUI.

Drug/Narcotic Violation, 1000 blk W. Broad St., July 19, 3:47 p.m., police arrested a 54 year old Chincoteague, VA. man for inhaling drugs/noxious chemicals.

July 18, 2010

Finally. After waiting more than five months, my husband Alex and I received a building permit — the green light — for our green house project.

I got a voice mail a few days ago from a city official in Falls Church, Va., informing us that our January application had been approved. My builder Arjay West also e-mailed the good news, adding: “I can hardly believe it.”

“Woo-hoo!” cheered my architect Heather Daley.

Did I jump for joy? Did I hoot and holler, knowing I could finally tell folks we’re breaking ground? Did we celebrate with margaritas and shrimp jambalaya at our favorite Falls Church hangout, Clare and Don’s Beach Shack?

I continued straightening our rental townhouse, and when Alex got home from work, I casually mentioned, “Oh, we got the permit,” after recapping the day’s events.

We simply had waited too long. I was full of anticipation January 15th when I walked confidently into the red brick City Hall and dropped off our grading plan and, a week later, our construction set, but the subsequent process was so draining, frustrating and mystifying that I lost enthusiasm.

(Click here to read the full story on the USA Today website.)

By DAVID CHAVERN

July 17, 2010

I recently read the “Blueprint for Action” that was proposed by four of our Council members, and followed some of the rhetoric on local blogs on what we need to do to address the City’s fiscal challenges.  While there are a number of good ideas floating around, I am struck by how we seem to have reverted (once again) to what I have called the “magic office building syndrome”.  This is the mistaken belief that the City should be able to easily attract 100% commercial development that will shower us with revenue without imposing any costs.  Further, the only reason that we haven’t gotten this type of development in the past is that we haven’t “wanted” it hard enough.  All we need is a pair of ruby slippers and some more money to “promote” the City and, viola, the magic building will appear from the sky and pay for our schools.

Rather than blame a lack of desire, I would suggest that folks dig a little deeper and try to diagnose the underlying dynamics.   After all, Northern Virginia has had several office and retail booms (and busts) over the last couple of decades, but they always seem to pass the City by.  Aside from the Flower Building, there hasn’t been any 100% commercial office buildings built in the City in many years.  I doubt that reflects a lack of desire.

Here are some facts to be dealt with:

• Land in Falls Church is expensive compared to more suburban areas  – and that means commercial rents have to be high;

• Our commercial zones are not walkable from a Metro station;

• Parcels of property in our commercial zones are small, and most border on residential properties.  (The City was, in fact, strip zoned within an inch of its life in the 1950s.)

• We generate almost no foot traffic in our commercial core.

I will add my opinion (albeit well-informed, I think) that the general public in the City has high anxiety when it comes to density of any kind.  When people start to say that 6 stories is “too high” then you know you have some challenges.

As to retail specifically, I would love more retail and, from the Council bench, I often bemoaned the fact that I couldn’t buy a shirt in the City even if I wanted to.  I also commented, though, on the density needed to support national retail and issued a public challenge that no one ever took up — namely “name a development with national retail that has been built in the DC metro area in the last 10 years that would physically fit in any commercial zoned area of the City.” Can you name one?

So, understanding those challenges, I would encourage anyone in the City who wants commercial development to go forth and build it.  There are no major legal or regulatory impediments that I am aware of (the Flower Building was built “by right” with no Council approval required.)  In fact, by my motion, the entire north side of the City Center area was reserved solely for 100% commercial development.  Express your desire through cash and build, baby, build!

On the other hand, if the fundamentals don’t make sense for such development then be open to other alternatives.  Mixed-use is one, but not the only one.  How about allowing 10 (or more) story buildings in the City Center?  Special tax districts?  Condemnation?  In other words, if you want to get serious about development then get real, real serious and don’t wish on a star.

By FALLS CHURCH CITY COMMUNICATIONS

July 17, 2010

Suzanne Cotellessa, General Manager for Development Services for the City of Falls Church, has announced her resignation effective August 12 in order to devote full time to her ailing husband.

Cotellessa is the second key official to resign in as many months. The City’s Chief Financial Officer resigned in June, and City Manager Wyatt Shields is using an executive search firm to assist in filling that position.

“Sue has brought tremendous energy, smarts, and experience to the City’s Department of Development Services over the past 18 months,” said Shields.   “She is a natural leader and her departure from the City will be sorely felt when she takes leave.  My best wishes go with her as she takes care of what is most important in life.”

Cotellessa, a certified planner, zoning administrator and arborist, has been the General Manager of the Department of Development Services since January 2009.

By CURT NETTE
Special to the Falls Church Times

Thirty Boy Scouts and 13 leaders from Falls Church Troop 895 recently returned from a two-week trip to Colorado, where they hiked in Rocky Mountain National Park, rode a cog train to the top of Pikes Peak, traveled 1,000 feet underground in the Mollie Kathleen gold mine.

The scouts also hiked in the Garden of the Gods, toured the Indian cliff dwellings at Manitou Springs, saw rescued wolves at Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center, walked over the 955-foot high suspension bridge at Royal Gorge, and enjoyed a chuck wagon dinner at the Flying W Ranch.

They also visited the Denver Mint and State Capitol and attended a Colorado Rockies baseball game complete with a spectacular sunset and fireworks.

Overnight accommodations included army barracks at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs, the Denver armory, and Snow Mountain Ranch in Granby.

The second week of the two-week adventure was spent camping at Peaceful Valley Scout Ranch working on merit badges including first aid, camping, horseback riding, emergency preparedness, wilderness survival, rifle and shotgun shooting, archery, environmental science, lifesaving, canoeing, space exploration, astronomy and small boat sailing.

The troop takes a similar Big Trip every four years as well as monthly camping trips, hikes and other adventures.

For more information about Troop 895, visit www.troop895.us.