Rumors of a Good Stuff Eatery opening in Crystal City have been swirling around for ages, but this week, it’s finally happening. The popular burger spot’s suburban debut is officially tomorrow, but they opened for dinner last night and will do the same tonight because, well, hordes of people came.
We stopped by the new location and sat down with chef Spike Mendelsohn’s sister Micheline (same last name), and learned that the Mendelsohn team (mom and dad work there, too) expansion means that both locations will begin offering new things.
What new things? These:
• Cookies and cream and salted caramel shakes are now both are on the permanent menu at Crystal City, as is a steak burger. They will also appear on new menu boards going up at the Capitol Hill location in a week or so.
• Partnerships with Co Co Sala and with local T-shirt designer Jon Wye mean new merch. Co Co Sala has designed three custom chocolates modeled after popular Good Stuff milkshakes: Dark chocolate toasted marshmallow, milk chocolate Milky Way malt, and white chocolate with strawberry and Pop Rocks. Yup, they put Pop Rocks in the chocolate. Wye has designed new Good Stuff shirts–one’s available now, another is on its way.
So what’s different about the Arlington location?
• For starters, it’s about twice as big as the original, with a more open layout–so if you fail to get off on the aggressive mind games that come with scoring a table at the Cap Hill Good Stuff, you’re in luck. More registers mean lines should be shorter as well.
• There’s a semi-private space that can be rented for parties.
• The Creamery, where fresh custard is made every day and used in milkshakes, sits just behind a floor-to-ceiling piece of glass, so customers can watch the process. Judging by the reaction of the little ones at last night’s event, it will hypnotize your children with about the same intensity as that Krispy Kreme icing waterfall.
So what about further expansion, Micheline?
• Good Stuff’s third location in Georgetown will be open by the end of the year. “September . . . hopefully,” says Micheline. It will sit next to Rhino Bar at 3291 M Street, and it may have expanded hours to satisfy post-11 PM (and post-Rhino Bar) cravings.
Good Stuff Eatery Crystal City. 2010 Crystal Drive, Arlington. Opens officially on Wednesday, May 9. Open 11 AM to 11 PM, Monday through Saturday.
