1309 5th Street, NE

From a press release:

EDENS, one of the nation’s leading retail real estate owners and developers, announced today that 2011 New York Rising Star Sustainability Chef, John Mooney, will open a restaurant in Union Market in Spring 2013.

Mooney’s latest venture, Bell Book & Candle in New York’s West Village, has received critical acclaim for his ability to fuse conventional cooking with a more recent and driving inspiration, sustainability.

“I am thrilled to come back to DC and become part of the Union Market community with its storied history in the DC food culture. The authenticity and commitment to quality of the Market is very aligned with our approach to the food and hospitality experienced at our restaurant,” says John Mooney.

At Union Market, Mooney will open a restaurant with a contemporary American menu. His philosophy is to keep things closest to their natural form, which will result in a seasonal menu based on which ingredients are available at the specific time. Most of the food items used in the menu will be sourced from Union Market vendors and his Union Market rooftop garden, where he plans to grow vegetables, fruits and herbs.



4619 41st Street, NW

A restaurant called Fork and Spade is coming to the retail space of the new building at 4619 41st Street, NW next to the Dancing Crab in Tenleytown. A recent liquor license posted says Fork ‘n Spade will be a:

“New Restaurant serving American cuisine with various types of live music, DJ, and dancing. Seating is 150. Total occupancy load is 200. Sidewalk Café with approximately 40 seats.”

Their Website says:

The Fork & Spade will be farm-to-table establishment offering innovative American Cuisine with a twist. Our mission is to provide quality, delicious, local, fresh food to the DC Metro Area. We want to bring the area’s best products, raised and grown at local farms, directly to our customers. We plan on doing this three ways; first with a food truck that can hit the roads and literally deliver our food to the community, next by establishing a temporary pop-up restaurant in our brick and mortar space so that we can serve our neighbors as soon as possible, and finally by opening the completed space at 4619 41st Street, NW that will seat approximately 150 guests and serve both lunch and dinner seven days a week. During the summer months there will be additional seating outside on our patio. The Fork & Spade will be a family friendly restaurant that, as our name suggests, will remind our customers of the synergy between the dinner table and the farm.

Culinary Institute of America graduates and Executive Chefs, Alexander Bous, and his fiancee Renee Straus, and Executive Sous Chef Robert Cain, adopt a humble approach to educating guests through delicious food, wine, beer and spirits in a communal environment. Boasting high quality local food and unique menu design, the Fork & Spade will be an elegant yet approachable New American restaurant with regionally influenced plates and beverages in a family friendly atmosphere. Our bar will offer a generous selection of wines and beers by the glass as well as wine and beer flights, non-alcoholic beverages and cocktails that encourage our guests to experience and explore new flavors and sensations.

Ultimately, we will strive to strengthen the bonds of community between farmers, chefs, and our customers by feeding them deliciously prepared, high quality, local food. We are committed to conducting and promoting sustainable business practices on a local, national, and global level. We hope to make our internal community a positive influence on our external community and we believe that by offering our guests a night out that is highly enjoyable and educational, we will create an experience unlike any other. This experience, along with an attractive offering of unique beverages and creative seasonal menus, we believe, is what ‘dinning out’ should be about.



1747 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Thanks to a reader for sending word that it looks like Upper Crust Pizzeria has closed downtown. We judged them back in June 2011. While their website is still live, there voice mail has not been updated since April. The reader also sends a link to a Boston Herald story that says:

The Upper Crust pizza chain has shuttered 10 of its restaurants in the Bay State and Washington, D.C. as the struggling eatery, which is going through bankruptcy, tries to preserve cash flow and stay open long enough to attract a buyer.

DeGiacomo said an infusion of funds totaling $120,000 would get the restaurants back up and running and allow 170 workers, including several part-time employees, to get their jobs back.



Stephen Starr’s Parc from Philadelphia

We’ve been waiting a long time for the Stephen Starr restaurant (originally to be named Parc Deux, now Le Diplomate) coming to Logan Circle at the corner of 14th and Q St, NW. I think it’s gonna be well worth the wait. This past weekend I took a trip to Philadelphia and ended up at Parc (the sister restaurant of the one coming to DC) for brunch and while admittedly I’m no food critic this place is freaking awesome. If they are able to replicate the look and feel of this place – Logan Circle is in for a huge score. Not only is the food delicious but the atmosphere and the service was some of the best I’ve ever experienced. You can check out their menu here. Anyway, just wanted to share the good news.



1124 9th Street, NW

Finally some movement at the ‘Good Food Coming Soon’ space next to Corduroy across the street from the Convention Center. A recent liquor license application says it will be called Baby Wale and will be a:

“A casual restaurant serving roast chicken and lobster sandwiches to local residents with a seating capacity for 150 people. Total occupancy load of 150.”



1426 H Street, NW

Woodward Table’s website says:

Jeffrey and Sallie Buben’s Woodward Table, housed in the historic Woodward Building is a concept that exudes a timeless feel with neighborhood charm. Located just one block from The White House, Woodward presents a “table” of dining possibilities with two eateries…the main restaurant with its creative and diverse American menu and Woodward Takeout Food, a sprite artisanal alternative for breakfast and lunch.

Entering the main restaurant through the historic great hall, diners have grand view of the immense thirty-eight foot bar with its stitched leather top and Beaux Art styled tile. Come early for Happy Hour to sit in the rich comfortable booths that line the windows on H Street or gather around the high top pubs that complete the grand bar area, the perfect venue for drinks, dining and people watching.

The exhibition kitchen is highlighted by an impressive hearth oven that seems to command the dining room with intimate booth seating, banquettes and tables. The dining room combines the historic past of the neighborhood and the Woodward Building with contemporary finishes, soft saffron lighting, warm resonant fabrics and touches of copper piping woven throughout the dining room and bar.

The soul of Woodward Table’s cooking involves creating seasonal American cuisine derived from iconic American dishes, a chef’s contemporary approach and a regional repertoire of ingredients. Market inspired flatbreads cooked in the restaurant’s open hearth, slow cooked casseroles, oven roasted vegetables, house made charcuterie, succulent grilled fish, steaks and chops are a sampling of the myriad of menu options. Savor mouth watering desserts created by the pastry chef for a delightful finish to the meal. Our Table is your table.

Woodward Takeout Food aka WTF, adjacent to the restaurant, creates a quick serve American breakfast or lunch for the busy Washingtonian. In the morning, eat in or take out fluffy buttermilk biscuits, flavorful breakfast sandwiches, cinnamon sticky buns or delicious granola followed by the smooth intense flavored estate grown coffee. Specialty soups, fresh market salads and creative sandwiches concocted with house made smoked brisket, cured hams, cider brined turkey, signature pickles and condiments on daily baked bread make for an exciting over-the-top experience, the perfect lunch alternative for a timely meal. Complement everything with old fashioned sodas, specialty lemonade, floats, luscious shakes, not to mention perfect lemon squares, brownies and blondies or a seasonal caramel apple for a sweet treat.

Woodward Takeout Food is like being in a good cook’s kitchen…a venue of sights and sounds with the bakery of the entire restaurant located at one end. Smell the fresh baked bread and other concoctions as you place your orders. Relax and eat!

You can see their menus here.

Young and Hungry’s Jessica Sidman noted the apparently unintentional unfortunate acronym:


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