Kimmel usually sends Rodriguez to do the remote segments that he doesn't want to do himself, like playing a scary game of soccer on the roof of the show's El Capitan Theater with Brazilian superstar soccer player Neymar Jr. Now Rodriguez stands off to the side of the camera every night during Kimmel's show, still in the parking attendant uniform he wore before he became a 21st-century Larry 'Bud' Melman, the lovable, cackling sidekick from NBC's Late Night With David Letterman. Kimmel religiously watched and recorded Letterman's show during his teenage years in Las Vegas. He used to take me out to eat and I was about to pay and he'd go, 'Guillermo, no, I got it. 'He was always making sure you had lunch, making sure you ate and that you drank water and had coffee. 'He was really a sweet guy,' Rodriguez says of Potenza. He became so popular that when he died in 2011, The New York Times honored him with a featured obituary with a photo alongside his nephew. Potenza became known as an affable personality who often gave people (including celebrities) cash right out of his pocket. As with Rodriguez, Kimmel made Potenza famous as he sent him to interview celebrities. Rodriguez started on the show as more of a correspondent and a co-sidekick to Kimmel's beloved Uncle Frank Potenza, a former New York City police officer known for his extreme generosity. 'I get to meet a lot of people, I get to eat different types of food and everybody is so nice to me,' Rodriguez says. It's all part of his weeklong trip on the 'Guillermobile,' a large orange tour bus that has a huge picture of Rodriguez's face emblazoned on both sides. Rodriguez came to the State Fair of Texas on Tuesday to be one of the first to try some of the new foods that are finalists in the Big Tex Choice Awards. The show frequently sends Rodriguez across the country for remote segments that usually involve drinking and eating the local cuisine. Kimmel has taken his show from his homebase in Los Angeles to his original hometown of Brooklyn for a week of shows at the Brooklyn Academy of Music for three of the last six years. Barrett told Kimmel about it and the host said, 'We got to put this guy in the show,' according to an interview with Rodriguez last year in People magazine. A few months into the late night show, former Mighty Mighty Bosstones singer and then-show announcer Dicky Barrett caught Rodriguez, who was then working as a parking lot attendant for the studio, sleeping in his car. Rodriguez has been on the show almost since its premiere in 2003. I'm blessed to have a job working for him.' 'The show, it's fun for me and it's great,' Rodriguez says. Studies indicate that there is a lower exposure risk when outdoors, but the level of risk involved with patio dining is contingent on restaurants following strict social distancing and other safety guidelines.The great Hank Kingsley from The Larry Sanders Show once called being a late night host's sidekick 'a dying art,' but Guillermo Rodriguez, the parking lot attendant turned sidekick for ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live, is bringing it back from the dead. More information can be found at coronavirus.dc.gov. The Washington Post is tracking coronavirus cases and deaths in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. However, this should not be taken as endorsement for dining in, as there are still safety concerns. Virginia allows restaurant to host indoor dining without capacity limits as long as tables are spaced 6 feet apart.

Restaurants on this map may temporarily close due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, so check with a business before showing up. Neighborhood Filipino bar Bistro 1521 is temporarily closed due to the pandemic.

The redevelopment that led to Ballston Quarter, a mixed-use mall with full-service restaurants and its own extensive food hall, Quarter Market, adds more exciting places to eat. area chefs have also been eyeing Ballston for expansion: award-winning chef Victor Albisu opened a Taco Bamba location on Wilson Boulevard in August, and Navy Yard’s popular seafood hangout the Salt Line has plans to open an outpost right around the block. Arlington’s Ballston neighborhood has long been a place to find food from all over the world, from Egyptian foul at King of Koshary to Russian dumplings, Sichuan hot pot, or Peruvian chicken.

Sidekick bakery