Boqueria opens second D.C. Location in Penn Quarter

Prince Of Petworth March 5, 2019 at 10:22pm

777 9th Street, NW

Ed. Note: This is the former OYA (briefly BOE) space. Boqueria opened their first D.C. location in Dupont Circle back in 2012.

From a press release:

“Restaurateur Yann de Rochefort and Executive Chef Marc Vidal are thrilled to announce the opening of their vibrant Spanish tapas bar and restaurant, Boqueria, in Penn Quarter at 777 9th Street NW. This marks the second Boqueria location in the DC area.

courtesy Boqueria

The menu, crafted by Chef Marc Vidal with support from Chef de Cuisine George Rodrigues, features the restaurant’s signature shareable Spanish tapas, made from carefully sourced ingredients.

Among time-honored favorites like pulpo a la plancha, pan con tomate, and paella; the menu also offers rotating market dishes that honor both seasonal and local ingredients. A rotisserie for spit-roasting whole meats will be an integral part of the restaurant’s expansive open kitchen, complete with chef’s counter seating. The rotisserie will turn out succulent dishes such as Pollo Rustido (whole chicken spit-roasted and served with seasonal vegetables, honoring the Catalan tradition of communal Sunday meals), Codillo de Cerdo (slow roasted pork shank and stewed apricots), Costillas Matanza (braised baby back ribs finished with a Pedro Ximénez glaze), and other evolving specials.

courtesy Boqueria

The new location will also offer large-format dishes meant for amiable sharing among friends, including a Paella Feast fit to serve as many as 50 guests and featuring deluxe ingredients like head-on red shrimp, mussels, and clams, cooked in stock made from white wine, brandy and Maine lobster. The communal traditions of Spain will also be celebrated with a traditional Cochinillo Dinner, a family-style spread featuring a whole suckling pig, artisanal meat and cheese platters, signature Boqueria tapas, and seasonal sides.

Upon entering the restaurant, Penn Quarter guests will be greeted by chefs behind the impressive 30-seat marble island bar, preparing artisanal cheese boards, platters of hand-sliced Jamón Ibérico, and pan con tomate. Catering to the post-work and cocktail crowd, the extensive bar area will offer chef Vidal’s new Bar and Pintxos Menu, featuring small snacks like Mejillones en Escabeche (Pickled Mussels with Kennebec potato chips and marinated olives) and Gambas a la Sal (Salt-baked head on shrimp). These salty and savory bites will pair perfectly with sangría, a caña of Spanish beer or glass of wine.

Boqueria Penn Quarter also opens with a new brunch menu complete with Brunch Paella: a riff on the classic featuring bomba rice, shrimp, pork belly, piquillo peppers, kale and organic farm eggs, Rotisserie Chicken: served with fried eggs and roasted root vegetables, and Churro Waffles: cinnamon sugar-dusted waffles with wild strawberries and blueberries, whipped butter and maple syrup. Guests can enjoy brunch a la carte or as a “Brunch Feast” with free-flowing mimosas and sangría.

To complement the food, there is a rotating list of Boqueria’s beloved seasonal and traditional sangrías, an all-Spanish wine list featuring wine flight experiences designed to carry you through Spain, signature cocktails, classic vermouths, and aperitivos from Beverage Director Kieran Chavez. For those looking for thoughtfully crafted non-alcoholic cocktails, Chavez has also created a menu of innovative zero-proof drinks using the unique, non-alcoholic distilled spirit Seedlip.

Boqueria Penn Quarter was designed by DC-based Architecture and Interior Design firm //3877, who drew inspiration from early European modernism. The warm and contemporary space is instantly welcoming from the street, with airy, 12′ ceilings, floor-to-ceiling French doors opening onto bistro-style sidewalk seating, and a dramatic, four-sided bar with a glowing white oak and reeded glass display illuminating carefully curated spirits. The bar and main dining areas each have their own unique function and vibe, unified through the use of refined materials such as white oak, blackened steel, and imperial danby marble. The main dining room is framed by honeyed oak tufted banquettes surrounding central high-top communal tables. A set of steps carries guests up to an additional seating area adjacent to the lively open kitchen, with cozy booths and a 12-seat chef’s counter where guests have a perfect view of the chefs in action.

Guests looking for a more intimate celebration have the option of using Boqueria’s private dining room, designed to seat up to 18 guests. Just off the main dining room, the enclosed white oak clad room features a custom ebonized oak dining table, statement lighting and seamlessly integrated technology including a concealed flat screen TV.

courtesy Boqueria