Author: Angela Woolsey

Angela Woolsey is the site editor for FFXnow. A graduate of George Mason University, she worked as a general assignment reporter for the Fairfax County Times before joining Local News Now as the Tysons Reporter editor in 2020.

Around Town

Fairfax well-represented on 2026 list of 50 Best Restaurants in N. Va.

By Angela Woolsey
Facade of a modern restaurant entrance with a dark sign reading CLARITY NEW AMERICAN RESTAURANT above glass doors.
Clarity at Reston Town Center (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Fairfax County had a strong showing in this year’s round-up of the 50 Best Restaurants in the region by Northern Virginia Magazine.

Unveiled in full at noon today (Wednesday), the annual tribute to Northern Virginia’s top dining establishments features a total of 24 eateries in Fairfax, including five that made the ranked top 10 released last Friday (Oct. 16) and seven that are making their first-ever appearances on the list.

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Around Town

Beach-themed taco stand Surfside ready for McLean opening

By Angela Woolsey
Surfside Taco Stand storefront with large yellow window panels displaying the logo, brick facade, and a blue oval Surfside sign above the entrance.
Surfside Taco Stand will open on Oct. 22, 2026 at Chesterbrook Shopping Center in McLean (staff photo)

Fairfax County fans of D.C.’s Surfside will no longer have to cross the Potomac River to indulge in its tacos and laid-back beach vibes.

The Tex-Mex restaurant is set to open in McLean’s Chesterbrook Shopping Center at 6218 Old Dominion Drive tomorrow (Thursday), property owner Federal Realty confirmed to FFXnow.

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News

FCPD seeks public’s help to find burglars targeting chain restaurants

By Angela Woolsey
CCTV still of a front entrance lobby: glass doors, metal frame, interior on the left; timestamp 10-08-2026 Thu 02:26:52 in the top-left corner; 'Front Entrance' visible on the bottom-right.
Surveillance footage of a burglary at Hook & Reel in Bailey's Crossroads (via FCPD/YouTube)

Fairfax County police are investigating a series of potentially connected burglaries targeting mostly fast-casual chain restaurants, dating back to July.

The first burglary was reported on July 13 at 8:05 a.m., drawing officers to a Taco Bamba in Springfield’s Backlick Shopping Center (6691-A Backlick Road).

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News

FCDOT recommends changes to make Route 29 safer in West Falls Church

By Angela Woolsey
Two-lane suburban street with cars in traffic, utility poles and wires on both sides, a stop sign on the left, and a cloudy sky.
Route 29 near Lawrence Drive and the National Funeral Home and Memorial Park cemetery in West Falls Church (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The Fairfax County Department of Transportation is recommending a number of improvements that it hopes will make the West Falls Church segment of Route 29 safer for all travelers, especially pedestrians and bicyclists.

Community members attending a public meeting at Timber Lane Elementary School last Wednesday (Oct. 14) generally seemed to embrace the proposed changes, which include new sidewalks, a shared-use path, and crosswalks, but some lamented the project’s limited scope and undefined timeline.

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News

Planning commission lauds work on ‘complex’ Lake Fairfax Business Center development plan

By Angela Woolsey
Modern multi-story apartment complex with glass balconies, retail on the ground floor, and a landscaped plaza with red umbrellas nearby.
A multifamily residential building with a public plaza and retail space at Business Center Drive and Wildlife Center Drive in EYA's proposed Lake Fairfax Business Center redevelopment (via Poole & Poole Architecture/Fairfax County)

Plans to transform most of the Lake Fairfax Business Center in Reston into a mixed-use neighborhood are heading to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors for a final vote.

Developer EYA secured a supportive recommendation from the Fairfax County Planning Commission last Wednesday (Oct. 14) after its legal representative confirmed that any lingering disagreements with county staff can be resolved by the time the rezoning application reaches the board next month.

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News

Abandoned school building in Reston burns down in two-alarm fire

By Angela Woolsey
Two-panel nighttime scene of a house on fire, flames and smoke billowing from windows as firefighters spray water from hoses (trees in foreground).
Firefighters battle a two-alarm fire consuming a former Fairfax Christian School building at 1624 Hunter Mill Road in Reston (via Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department/Facebook)

A former school building on the Reston border that has been empty for nearly a decade burned down last night (Sunday) in a two-alarm fire.

Units with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department were initially dispatched at 10:25 p.m. to an address on Crowell Road before seeing smoke closer to the Dulles Toll Road and determining that the correct address for the reported fire was 1624 Hunter Mill Road, according to scanner traffic.

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News

UPDATED: Teen on e-bike injured in crash near McLean High School

By Angela Woolsey
Suburban street intersection on Westmoreland Street with crosswalks, parked cars, and leafless trees on a sunny day.
Westmoreland Street approaching Clearview Drive near McLean High School (via Google Maps)

A teen was hospitalized this morning (Monday) after she was struck by a driver while riding an electric bicycle near McLean High School.

Initial details about the crash are limited, but the Fairfax County Police Department says the 15-year-old girl appears to have been riding in a crosswalk at Westmoreland Street and Clearview Drive when she was struck.

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Around Town

Reston Winterfest set for 2026 return with new, kid-friendly ‘Polar Play Park’

By Angela Woolsey
Nighttime outdoor Christmas tree display with colorful lights; visitors stroll among illuminated trees.
Visitors take in the Enchanted Forest at Reston Association's 2025 Winterfest (courtesy Reston Association)

Tickets are now up for grabs to this year’s Winterfest, Reston Association’s increasingly popular holiday tradition.

According to RA, last year’s festival drew more than 10,000 people over three days, and even more attendees are expected when it returns to Brown’s Chapel Park (1525 Brown’s Chapel Road) for a fourth year on Dec. 3-5 from 5-9 p.m.

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News

Three pedestrians hit, one fatally, in Fairfax County crashes over weekend

By Angela Woolsey
Fairfax County police siren (file photo)

Two pedestrians were seriously injured and another was killed in three separate vehicle crashes on Fairfax County roads this past weekend.

Officers with the Fairfax County Police Department responded yesterday (Sunday) at 3:47 a.m. for a crash involving a pedestrian on southbound Route 28 near Air and Space Museum Parkway, according to a press release issued this afternoon (Monday).

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Around Town

Half of N. Va.’s 10 best restaurants are in Fairfax, Northern Virginia Magazine says

By Angela Woolsey
Chef presenting thinly sliced marbled beef on a black plate with a smoky effect, surrounded by dipping sauces and vegetables on a marble table.
A platter of steak ready for grilling from Ingle Korean Steakhouse (photo by Rey Lopez/Northern Virginia Magazine)

There has been some upheaval at the top of Northern Virginia Magazine’s annual ranking of the region’s best restaurants, but Fairfax County and Fairfax City remained dominant with five spots among the top 10.

After placing first or second for each of the past five years, including a no. 1 finish in 2025, Executive Chef Bertrand Chemel’s 2941 in the Fairview Park area of West Falls Church slipped to no. 7 in the 2026 Top 10 Best Restaurants list released today (Friday) by the magazine.

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