617 New York Avenue, NW
Marrakesh Restaurant has been located at 617 New York Avenue, NW since 1982. In late August we learned Marrakesh’s Dupont location had become La Kazbah at 2147 P Street, NW.
From Rasmus Auctioneers:
“The famous Marrakesh Morrocan restaurant has closed and will make a complete liquidation of all its 2 bars, substantial night club assets, kitchen and exotic decorative accents.”
We judged Marrakesh back in 2009.
4th and H St, NW
Last we heard Wiseguy NY Pizza was looking for pizza snobs to judge their New York style pizza coming to Mt. Vernon Square. No word on an exact opening date yet but a peek in the window reveals that it should be any day now:
Looks like they did an awesome job on the buildout but do you think the Yankees logo and memorabilia is a good idea for a city with a healthy dose of Nats fever? Or does it not matter as long as the pizza is delicious?
14th and Q St, NW
A reader writes:
I attended the Zoning Adjustment meeting this morning (9/18) and they [Parc Deux] were granted their variance to extend the building towards the alley for a refrigerated trash storage system.
I talked to the architect (Richard) and the Star representative (Phil) and found out they are on schedule to open in January and will have seating for 280. One of their biggest problems has been removing the contaminated soil leftover from the days as a laundry.
There had been rumors of a roof deck but they stated that is not in the plans but outdoor seating will be along Q street where the building steps back from the street.
The classic Foggy Bottom/GW bar – Froggy Bottom Pub, which came to 2142 Pennsylvania Ave, NW in 1985, is moving nearby to 2021 K Street, NW in the former Thai Kingdom space, which closed after 25 years in Aug. 2011. I spoke with a manager at Froggy Bottom who said they’d remain open in the Penn. Ave space until they move, which is expected in February. You can see their menu here but the manager said it would be completely revamped in the new space. Stay tuned.
2021 K St, NW
Any fans of Froggy Bottom?
2142 Pennsylvania Ave, NW via Froggy Bottom Pub
1518 K Street, NW
A new oyster bar and tapas restaurant is coming to downtown. Catch 15 will open up at 1518 K St, NW in the “late fall”. More info as they get closer to opening.
1323 Connecticut Ave, NW
Yola opened up in south Dupont back in Dec. 2010. While they had a very loyal following, they’ll be closing on Sept. 28th (h/t EaterDC.) From their Facebook page:
As you may have noticed, we made the difficult decision to close our doors on September 28th. There is not any one cause that influenced our decision to close, but we want to be clear that we remain wholehearted believers in green businesses and feel confident that businesses that stick to their morals can thrive in the right environment. We are confident that you will enjoy the concept that will move into our space and feel deeply grateful to them for making this transition smooth. They share our commitment to high quality and socially conscious food.
We would really like to thank you all, not just as loyal customers (we are deeply humbled by the number of people we saw every day), but also for being kind, generous, and making our days brighter. We met so many amazing people along the way and we feel grateful for your friendship.
Some of you may be wondering where we will go from here. David will return his attention full time to commercial real estate and Laura is not sure what she will do but is ready for a vacation! For the next month, we will be working hard to ensure that we go out with a bang, continue to provide excellent service, and find wonderful jobs for all of our employees. We were extremely lucky to have a staff of bright, committed, and kind individuals who worked extremely hard for us, so now it’s our turn to return the favor. If you would like to get in touch with an employee about employment, feel free to speak to them directly at some point over the next 30 days or to email [email protected].
Thanks for making Yola a special place. We will miss you, so keep in touch!
Laura, David, and the rest of the Yola team
District Bean reports:
“A new concept from the Neighborhood Restaurant Group (Buzz Bakery, Churchkey, Rustico, et al) will take its place.”
More info as it becomes available.
11th and Lamont St, NW
EaterDC reports:
“Just as Columbia Heights gem Room 11 gears up for its expansion, partner Ben Gilligan is stepping down as the restaurant’s head chef.”
From Craigslist:
Room 11, a small, independent, RAMMY award nominated restaurant in Columbia Heights is looking for a new Head Chef. The restaurant currently specializes in small plates American cuisine, in addition to wine and cocktails. The new chef should be interested in changing the menu to suit his/her talents, but also incorporate the current style. Candidates should have experience managing a kitchen with several line cooks and dishwashers, ordering from vendors, creating menus, preparing back of house schedules, taking inventory and controlling food costs.
Jerry’s Subs and Pizza closed at 4201 Connecticut Ave, NW in Van Ness back in April 2012. Now comes great news that the owners of Pho 14 (1436 Park Rd, NW) will be opening their 3rd location in this space. I spoke with the owners last night who said the Van Ness location should open shortly after the Adams Morgan location (1769 Columbia Rd, NW) opens in a couple of weeks. You can see Pho 14’s menu here.
4201 Connecticut Ave, NW
Also good news for this location is that it will have a great outdoor dining area:
3118 Georgia Avenue, NW
Back in early Aug. we noted that Ma Ma’s Southern Cuisine was getting renovated at 3113 Georgia Ave, NW. They are now looking to offer breakfast all day – literally. A recent request to amend their liquor license says they’d like:
“To operate 24 hours/day, seven days per week to serve food.”
