All the info on the new Wine Bar that will replace bindaas: “Little Black Bird Will Land in Cleveland Park Opening in September”

3309 Connecticut Avenue, NW

From a press release:

“Ashok Bajaj of Knightsbridge Restaurant Group is pleased to announce the upcoming September opening of Little Black Bird at 3309 Connecticut Avenue, NW, next door to Sababa. With 30 seats in the main dining room and eight seats at the bar, this new, inviting wine bar will replace the original Bindaas, located in the Cleveland Park neighborhood, which will close on August 6. The name Little Black Bird is a nod to the French word for blackbird, merle. In turn, the name Merlot is derived from the word merle, which was a local dialectical word to describe blackbirds in the region. Merlot quickly began to gain popularity, and winemakers began widely planting the grape many referred to as “little blackbird” in the Bordeaux region of France. There is the possibility that the name is a reference to the dark skin of the grape or to the blackbirds that have a fondness for eating the grapes off the vine.

Executive Chef Ryan Moore, who helms the kitchen at popular Sababa, which offers modern Israeli cuisine, will oversee the wine bar menu for Little Black Bird. The wine list, which will have approximately 100 wines by the bottle and 12 by the glass, is being developed by Ranon (Ron) Balter, the group wine director of Knightsbridge Restaurant Group. Wines by the bottle range from $44 to $90. Wines by the glass will range from $12 to $18. Craft cocktails at Little Black Bird will be the creation of General Manager George Manolatos and will be priced at $12 to $16 each. Examples include Sherry Cocktail#2, Rye, Strega, Amontillado, Orange Bitters; DC Sour, Bourbon, Lemon, Red Wine Float, and the Greek Side Car, Metaxa, Cointreau, Lemon, and Orange.

“Our goal for the wine program is that it must pair well with the broad spectrum of dishes that the chef will be preparing,” states Group Wine Director Ron Balter. “Our wine list will be global and eclectic while embracing many of the classics. I am proud of the number of sustainable, organic, and biodynamic wineries. Our team at Little Black Bird will also notate vegan wineries along with other dietarily impactful choices available to our guests. The wine list will have solid representation from around the Mediterranean and its neighbors including Lebanon, Israel, Greece, and Morocco. A comprehensive list should challenge our guests to experience new things while still being familiar. As with all our Knightsbridge restaurants, the food will be artisan-driven and so to the wine list, as we seek out an exceedingly high quality-to-value ratio. Of course, the list will regularly evolve and change to reflect new menu items, seasonality, and exploring the rich textures of the wine world.”

“It was time for a change here in Cleveland Park, to revive a wine bar concept, like the original Bardeo, which closed in 2016 to open Bindaas. This is a refreshing option for the neighborhood, explains Ashok Bajaj. “Knightsbridge has two additional Bindaas locations in downtown Washington with larger kitchens to support the Indian street food menu created by James Beard award-winning chef Vikram Sunderam. This will give Ryan Moore the flexibility to utilize the entire kitchen facilities in Cleveland Park to support his creative menus for both Sababa and Little Black Bird.”

At Little Black Bird, guests can anticipate an adventurous menu with prices ranging from $12 to $34. One will find Appetizers such as Tart Flambe, Bacon Lardon, Onion, Gruyere, Garlic Labneh; Icelandic Cod, Escabeche, Crispy Rice, Chili, Lime Avocado; Roasted Squid, Shiitake, Butter, Garlic, Cress and Sandwich Bubble, B.L.T. Encapsulated in Crispy Bread. Soccas choices include Traditional, Olive Oil, Chick Pea; Flat Bread Mediterranean, with Olive, Tomato. Onion, Fresh Herbs, and Lobster, with Carrot, Ginger, and Mascarpone. Entrees include Hearth Roasted Bronzino, Lemon, Thyme, White Wine, Olive; Lamb Loin, Fava Bean Puree, Cumin Yogurt, Pickled Carrots and Squash Gnocchi, Brown Butter, and Sage. For dessert, there are selections such as Single Malt Butterscotch Pudding Flight, with Macallan for $12, Laphroaig for $10, and Balvenie for $12, and Red Wine Poached Figs, with Star Anis, Clove, and Cinnamon.

Bajaj has tapped James Beard Foundation’s award-nominated restaurant designer Martin Vahtra of Projects Design Associates of New York to design the new décor for Little Black Bird. Guests will find the new décor takes inspiration from Paris, France’s art deco period. A bold botanical wallpaper and overhead planters will add an organic vibe to the restaurant. The new flooring sports a herringbone pattern, complemented by heavily veined white marble that sits atop the scalloped tile bar front. One will also find classic French cafe window treatments, pendant lighting, and larger petal-style suspended lights. Comfortable seating choices include blush and elm green dining chairs from Italy, blush-colored bar stools, and neutral, soft gray banquettes in the dining room.

“The overall design scheme for Little Black Bird is to create an intimate setting where one will feel welcome and comfortable stopping in for drinks once a month or weekly,” states renowned designer Martin Vahtra. “This deco wine bar channels an intimate bar in Paris, and it will be a vest pocket kind of place that one feels good about frequenting in the Cleveland Park neighborhood. The scale here is richly enlivened by the botanical, organic accents used throughout the space.”

Little Black Bird will be open Sunday through Tuesday from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and Wednesday-Saturday from 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m”