SER Restaurant to Serve Up Spanish-Inspired Comfort Food in Arlington

PHOTO (left to right) Christiana Campos-Candon, husband and restaurateur Javier Candon, and award-winning chef Josu Zubikarai pause for a photo in front of SER, their new restaurant opening soon in Arlington.

Ballston Business Improvement District Restaurant Challenge Winner Christiana Campos-Candon is teaming up with her husband and restaurateur Javier Candon, and award-winning chef Josu Zubikarai to open SER, a casual luxury eatery serving Spanish-inspired comfort foods at 1110 North Glebe Road in Arlington in​ February 2015, according to a news release from the venue. Here’s more about the opening, from the release:

Madrid native David Sierra, formerly of Fiola Mare and renowned restaurants Taberna del Alabardero and Cafe de Oriente in Spain, also joins the culinary team at soon-to-open SER as Sous Chef.

The 5,000 square foot restaurant with a turquoise, yellow and coral color palette reminiscent of the Spanish sea, sun, and beaches will feature an open kitchen counter, a cheese and charcuterie bar, raw bar, as well as a lunch shop during the day.

Zubikarai, a Basque native and best known in the United States as the original chef of DC’s famed fine dining Spanish restaurant, Taberna del Alabardero, drew inspiration for many of SER’s dishes from the beloved recipes of the team’s mothers, grandmothers, and even great grandmothers.

In an effort to showcase the different regional cuisines of Spain, SER will go beyond tapas and feature heartier comfort foods such as cochinillo (roasted suckling pig), bacalao al pilpil (salted cod in olive oil emulsion), txipirones en su tinta (squid in its ink), carrilleras de Iberia (braised pork cheeks) and sopa Donostiar-ra (fisherman’s soup), to highlight a few.

“While tapas are a culinary staple of the Spanish culture, our cuisine is far more extensive than just small plates,” said Zubikarai. “At SER we are providing guests with an authentic taste of the family meals we enjoy on a day to day basis in homes throughout Spain.”

SER will offer both lunch and dinner services, as well as weekend brunch. During lunch, guests can choose between a full menu with seated service or SER’s “Lunch Shop” featuring a variety of homemade sandwiches, soups and salads to go. Much like the typical food taverns in Spain, SER’s menu includes daily specials that highlight the country’s traditional dishes, as well as a “menu del dia” – a prix fixe three-course menu that changes daily based on what Zubikarai finds at the market.

The beverage program is a simple reflection of the cocktails, wines, beers and sherries that the Candon’s and Zubikarai enjoy with their family and friends. The wine list consists of both Old and New World selections, with more than half of the bottles $45 and under. The beer selection was carefully crafted with input from some of the team’s favorite beer aficionados. Finally, the cocktail list is the result of several bar crawls throughout Spain and experimental evenings at home.

Giving back to the community is paramount to SER’s team. For each and every meal served at SER, $0.25 will be donated to the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC). Through this partnership, SER hopes to inspire and motivate everyone who dines with them to help neighbors in need.

SER’s concept was years in the making but finally came to fruition as a result of being named the winner of the Ballston Business Improvement District’s Restaurant Challenge in the summer of 2014. “For as long as we can remember, we’ve dreamt of opening a place where people from all walks of life could hangout and enjoy home cooked meals that are simple, easy, and real,” said Campos-Candon. “SER brings us back home to Spain. It’s a place where the environment is casual and laid back, yet the team delivers first-class food, drinks and service to our guests.”

SER means “to be” in Spanish. It also defines the team’s vision and mission: food, service and ambiance that are Simple, Easy, and Real.

• • Location: 1110 North Glebe Road, Arlington, VA 22201
  • Phone: (703) 746-9822
  • ​Website: www.SER-restaurant.com​
  • Parking: Underground​ Garage (located under building)​; $2.00 during dinner service (entrance​on North Glebe Road​)
  • Hours: Sunday-Thursday, 11 am-10 pmFriday-Saturday, 11 am-12 am
  • Capacity: 140 indoor, 100 outdoor (patio)
  • Team: Chef/Proprietor Josu Zubikarai Sous Chef David Sierra Business Operations/Proprietor Javier Candon Guest Relations/Proprietor Christiana Campos-Candon General Manager Merv Laihow