In our last issue, we bid adieu to our longtime, extraordinarily talented dining critic and Home Plate columnist, David Hagedorn. It turns out the south of France, famous for its turquoise water, stunning beaches, delicious cuisine and world-renowned wines—not to mention 300 days of sunshine each year—proved too much for David and his husband to resist. They moved to Nice in October.
David first arrived in D.C. to attend Georgetown University and pursue a career in the foreign service. He graduated at the top of his class, but another path called his name. He fell in love with the hospitality business and became an acclaimed chef and restaurateur. After 25 years of success, he transitioned to writing and became a renowned food journalist. David also co-authored several cookbooks for celebrity chefs, including Todd Gray, Cathal Armstrong and Vikram Sunderam.Â
An advocate at heart, David was a fundraiser extraordinaire. He created the Chef’s Best Benefit for Food & Friends and Chefs for Equality for the Human Rights Campaign. We will miss him and his talent, expertise, humor and insights. He made Arlington Magazine a better publication.
With this issue, we welcome our new dining critic, Warren Rojas. A D.C. native, Warren holds degrees from James Madison University (Go Dukes!) and American University. His 20+ years as a journalist have progressed along two unrelated but parallel tracks—as a food writer and a congressional correspondent. His food coverage has graced the pages of Eater DC and Northern Virginia Magazine, and he’s currently writing for The Washington Post as well as Arlington Magazine. His congressional reporting has been featured in Bloomberg Law, Roll Call, CQ Magazine, Business Insider and many other outlets.
Please welcome Warren. Click here to read his first review for the magazine. We gave it four stars. I hope you will, too.
Shifting to our cover story, you will find this year’s Best of Arlington results on page 40. The story features reader and editor favorites in more than 60 categories, and it is organized into seven main sections, like Food & Drink and Health & Fitness. The categories cover the gamut, from burgers to brunch, live theater to local bands, new restaurants to neighborhood bars, pet sitters to pickleball courts and a whole lot more. There’s something for everyone and, because we cover Arlington, McLean and Falls Church, you will see people, places and businesses represented from all three communities.
I hope you enjoy our January/February Best of Arlington issue. As always, we love hearing from you. Please send your thoughts, ideas and feedback to me at greg.hamilton@arlingtonmagazine.com. Letters to the editor should be sent to jenny.sullivan@arlingtonmagazine.com. Best wishes to you and your families for a happy, healthy and prosperous 2026!
Greg Hamilton, Publisher