“Lulu’s Winegarden (formerly Vinoteca), The communal, bottle-driven wine garden, will host a soft opening starting tonight”

1940 11th Street, NW courtesy Lulu’s Winegarden

From a press release:

“The team behind Michelin-honored Royal, Latin-inspired bar and eatery in Washington, DC’s LeDroit Park neighborhood, has just announced soft and grand opening dates for its next venture, Lulu’s Winegarden, just off U Street at 1940 11th Street NW. The communal, bottle-driven wine garden will host a soft opening starting tonight, February 19, through February 27 with abbreviated hours and a limited menu, and grand opening on Friday, February 28.

Dreamt up by local husband-and-wife team Paul and Brittany Carlson, the wine bar features with two lush garden patios, reimagined dinner party fare with hints of the southwest from chef and partner Cable Smith, and a fun and affordable under-$50 wine list curated by owner and wine director Paul. The name honors their 9-month-old daughter Lucilla. Paul currently owns the locally-treasured and esteemed Royal, and formerly operated long-lived and loved Vinoteca which closed in November 2019 after 12 years.

Evoking the atmosphere of a modern backyard wine party meets beer garden, the newly-renovated space brings the outdoors in, with an indoor ‘patio’ inspired by warm-weather climates. The open, airy space is accented by warm, earthy color tones, natural woods, decorative breeze blocks, twinkling string lights, glowing candles, a wall of dried flowers from Guatemala (a place very special to them, where Paul lived as a child and where he and Brittany married), and live greenery throughout.

As at a beer garden, groups are welcomed and most seating is communal, with four large handmade, shared wood tables featuring seating for up to 36, with built-in ice buckets to keep bottles chilled. There is also bar and ledge seating for 24, and plenty of standing room for lively gatherings. The indoor space will feature two large flat screen TVs and one large TV on the back patio to air sporting events, debates and more. The space is also family-friendly and dogs will be welcome on the front patio.

Lulu’s Winegarden will also feature two lush outdoor patios – a front street-side patio overlooking dynamic U Street, outfitted with more communal tables and heaters which will open in early March, and a charming back courtyard complete with outdoor grill and bocce court, which will be renovated and open later in spring 2020.

THE FOOD

The culinary program will be led by chef and partner Cable Smith, who helms the kitchen at Michelin Bib Gourmand-honored sister restaurant Royal in LeDroit Park. Chef Smith has created a playful and shareable menu perfect for a modern patio wine party. Lulu’s guests will find reimagined nostalgic snacks like French Onion Toast, featuring caramelized onion dip and salt & vin chips dusted in onion ash atop grilled sourdough ($13); a roe-topped Smoked Whitefish with red onion, dill, pickled shallot and calabrian chile, with grilled bread and fresh, crisp cucumbers for dipping ($14); and Chicken Corn Dog Bleu, a house chicken sausage wrapped in melty swiss, fried and served alongside ham fat dijonnaise ($12).

Fresh, vibrant flavors are displayed in the Grilled Carrot Salad, featuring cucumber, herbs, almonds, onion and radish, dressed in a lime vinaigrette on a swipe of hatch chile harissa feta ($12); and visually-stunning Roasted Beets on a bed of hot pink beet yogurt, goat cheese, avocado, citrus, pickled mustard, pistachio and watercress ($12). Chef Smith also offers allergy and dietary restriction-friendly options like a vegan Mushroom ‘Nduja Toast topped with pickled raisins and pine nuts on honey wheat ($13); and an avocado-dressed Lime Caesar with kale, romaine, sourdough crumb, avocado, onion, cucumbers and parmesan ($11).

Craving-curing sandwiches including a fermented chile-smothered Crispy Chicken Sandwich topped with dill pickled cabbage and house pickles on challah ($13), and a double-patty Lulu’s Burger griddled with melted kraft cheese, fancy sauce, bibb, house pickles, onion and tomato ($14); with fancy sauce-smothered House Shoestring Fries ($8) for snacking.

Like with the bar’s design, Chef Smith peppers in little culinary touches inspired by his many years living in the Southwest, best illustrated in his famous White Queso with roasted green chiles, cilantro, red onion, sour cream and pico, with freshly-fried tostadas for dipping ($10); a Crab Tostada topped with avocado, jalapeño, radish, cilantro, grapefruit and old bay aioli ($15); a smoked Pastrami Pork Belly with bbq aioli, crispy shallots, fermented red kraut and house pickles on Texas toast ($14); and a fiery Whipped Feta spiced up with hatch chile harissa, house everything spice and grilled bread ($9), rounding out the casual but innovative offerings.

Born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico and having most recently lived in Austin, Texas before joining the Royal team in 2017, Chef Smith is a kitchen veteran of acclaimed dining destinations such as Foreign & Domestic in Austin, Hugh Acheson’s Empire State South and Richard Blais’ HD1, both in Atlanta. Under his direction, Royal has maintained its esteemed position on Michelin’s Bib Gourmand list and was named “Casual Restaurant of the Year” in 2019 by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) in its annual RAMMY Awards.

THE WINE

Owner and wine director Paul Carlson has curated an exciting, affordable and bottle-driven wine program designed to offer really interesting wines at an exceptional value. The list will kick off with almost 50 wines, all just $49 a bottle, representing small producers hailing from both renowned regions and lesser-known terroirs. The unique list also features a small but mighty selection of Baja wines hailing from Mexico, an up-and-coming wine area the Carlsons fell in love with while traveling and tasting, including a natural rosé and a Sauvignon Blanc from Valle de Guadeloupe.

Dropping the wine margins that restaurants typically aim for and offering all of its bottles for the same price under $50, Carlson hopes to offer exquisite quality at a lower price, encouraging guests to explore regions and varietals they may not be familiar with, to discover phenomenal gems without worrying about cost.

“We want you to drink what you want, based on what you like and not on price,” says Carlson. “With all of our bottles under $50, we want people to feel comfortable both venturing out of their comfort zone, or going for just what they want.”

In addition to the extensive bottle list, Lulu’s Winegarden will offer eight by-the-glass wines for those who prefer to try as they go. Coming soon will be a menu section titled “Mags + Minis” featuring sharable large-format wines, half-bottles and canned wine.

Three-time finalist for “Cocktail Program of the Year” in the RAMW’s RAMMY Awards, Royal’s Alonzo Freeman has developed six creative cocktails ($12-$13) featuring seasonally-rotating fruits, herbs and botanicals, many of which can be made zero-proof for non-drinkers.

Cocktails include the refreshing Paid Vacation with mezcal, house tepache, Don Ciccio Mandarinetto and lime; the bubbly, spicy Est. 1930 with gin, strawberry habanero shrub, fino sherry and lemon; tropical The Oblinger with vodka, white rum, house coconut mint cordial and lime; the dry, tart From Miles Away with tequila, Suze, passionfruit and Bitter Bianco; and the clarified Caribbean Milk Punch with dark rum, black tea, citrus, spices and clarified milk. Freeman also incorporates wine into the Lulu’s Old Fashioned with a red wine reduction subbing in for simple syrup, with bourbon and bitters.

Lulu’s Winegarden will host its soft opening to the public with limited hours and menu from February 19-27 (5pm to 11pm from 2/19-2/22, 5pm to 9pm on 2/23, and 5pm to 11pm from 2/26-27) and then its grand opening on February 28. Lulu’s will regularly be open Wednesday through Thursday from 5pm to 11pm, Friday from 5pm to 1am, Saturday from noon to 1am, and Sunday from noon to 9pm.”