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Westville is expanding beyond New York City with a new Clarendon restaurant, bringing its casual American menu and unusually broad selection of market vegetables to Arlington.
The restaurant at 2800 Clarendon Blvd. will open for in-person dining Monday, July 14, with 65 indoor seats and 30 outdoor seats. Delivery service is already available.
Founder Jay Strauss opened the original Westville in New York City’s West Village in 2003. The tiny restaurant had nine tables, 18 seats and no outdoor dining area, yet Strauss recalled seeing as many as 30 customers waiting outside.
Strong demand prompted Strauss and two partners to open a 55-seat East Village location about a year and a half later. Westville eventually grew to nine New York City restaurants. Strauss, who now works with eight partners, said the group recently began exploring whether the neighborhood-focused concept could succeed outside the city.
Arlington’s population density and proximity to Washington helped draw the company to Clarendon.
Westville’s menu centers on familiar American dishes, seasonal specials and a substantial list of vegetables. Diners can pair proteins such as breaded chicken cutlets or grilled salmon with two or three vegetable selections.
Options may include asparagus with Parmesan, beets with goat cheese, pesto mashed potatoes, and green peas prepared with bacon and caramelized onions. The restaurant began with eight vegetable dishes before expanding the selection to 21.
Strauss described Westville as vegetable-forward rather than vegetarian. Instead of treating vegetables as a minor accompaniment to a large serving of meat, the restaurant gives diners a wider range of produce-based choices.
One of its strongest sellers has been a kale salad made with blue cheese crumbles, pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries and marinated slivers of purple onion. Strauss said the restaurant favors classic combinations and flexible preparation methods over obscure ingredients.
The core menu has remained largely unchanged for 23 years, although individual dishes and seasonal offerings rotate. Strauss said the goal in Clarendon is to create the same kind of friendly neighborhood restaurant that attracts repeat customers.
Westville will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday. Weekend brunch will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., followed by dinner from 5 to 10 p.m.