Letter To The Editor: On Losing Patio Dining At Vienna's Blend 111

Editor's note: The letter to the editor below is in response to the May 11 Vienna Town Council vote outdoor dining guidelines, which will affect the outdoor patios at Blend 111 and Bazin's on Church. The views expressed below are the author's own. If you wish to submit a letter to the editor on a local topic, please email Emily.Leayman@patch.com.

Patrons Bid Farewell to a Truly Unique Dining Experience as Town Council Members Vote to Return Patio Dining at Blend 111 to a Parking Lot

By Sue Ann Gleason

I am writing in response to a recent decision by the Vienna Town Council to eliminate the patio at Blend 111 with a vote of 5-2 [6-1 final vote], supporting a unanimous recommendation from the Planning Commission to terminate all outdoor dining within 75 feet of a residential area on July 1.

My husband (immune compromised and very much still at risk) and I ventured out both Christmas and New Year’s Eve to enjoy the tasting menu. We were like two little kids enjoying our first outing in the snow, warmly wrapped in scarves and sweaters, oblivious to the cold.

Individual heaters popped out of tin cans like space age contraptions smiling welcome! Our faces were aglow, both in light of appreciation and in the experience itself. We enjoyed a creamy soup “cocktail,” an extraordinary array of appetizers sitting atop small stones and a main course that left very little room for dessert. Suffice it to say, we didn’t leave hungry. My husband was even willing to try caviar for the very first time because who ‘wouldn’t’ want to bite into a morsel of salmon wrapped in a crunchy strip of plantain topped with little beads of salty wonder?

Yes, the food will still be there. Yes, there are other outdoor restaurants to enjoy in Vienna, but this one is a cut above the rest and we will dearly miss the outdoor experience and ambiance this restaurant created.

I can’t imagine the residents on the street above preferring parking lot fumes to the quiet clatter of plates, the aroma of beautifully crafted meals, and the muffled conversation of diners below. I would like to see the Town of Vienna working “with” its businesses and residents to come up with creative solutions so that all can flourish and thrive.