Big news for fans of Ben’s Chili Bowl.
@HStreetDC_ tweeted the good word last night:
“It’s going to be @benschilibowl! On the first floor at 10th/H. Second floor will have open kitchen with seating/bar.
@Benschilibowl does not intend to serve booze at the downstairs section of the resto at 10th/H, only upstairs.”
10th and H St, NE was the former home to George’s Place Mens Wear.
438 Massachusetts Ave, NW
Back in early Feb. 2012 Sixth Engine opened in Mt. Vernon Square at 438 Massachusetts Ave, NW. Their Website says:
“Engine Co. No. 6 is one of the oldest firehouses in the District and the first of Cluss’s nearly 100 buildings to be constructed in D.C. in the late 19th century. It’s one of only 11 still standing. The kind of fires we’re putting out have changed a bit, but the original helmet still hangs above our door.
This eatery is born of the fire in the bellies of five long-serving D.C. restaurateurs and longtime friends. Jeremy Carman, Gavin Coleman, Paul Holder, Paul Madrid, and Tim Walsh are also the names behind Town Hall restaurant and bar in Glover Park and the Dubliner Irish pub in Capitol Hill.”
You can see their menus here. Anyone check them out yet? Any must order items?
Back in early Jan. 2012 we learned about the new Chef, Garret Fleming, coming to The Pig in Logan Circle at 1320 14th St, NW. Now we have an opening date – May 14th and a bit more info on the menu:
The Pig is hand crafted food, with respect for the whole animal, and an emphasis on local farms. The menu blends Chef de Cuisine Garret Fleming’s culinary experience in American Southern and Italian cooking. Whole Pigs, some Heritage, are crucial to the menu’s philosophy and are sourced from Eco Friendly Farms in Virginia. The diverse menu also features other locally sourced ingredients from organic farms such as: Dragon Creek in Virginia for specialty fish; Irwin Mushrooms in Pennsylvania; Trickling Springs in Pennsylvania for eggs and dairy; and most notably, EatWell DC’s very own EatWell Natural Farm in La Plata, Maryland. The Pig will serve dinner nightly at 5pm, with a target open date of May 14, 2012. Saturday & Sunday Brunch will follow a few weeks later.
The menu is mainly designed around sharing plates with prices ranging from $4 to $14; including: Cassoulet of white beans, boar, veal tongue and rabbit; Scallops crudo with citrus fennel; and Mushrooms beurre blanc, with puff pastry and duck yolk. The highlight of the menu though are The Pig Platters, showcasing house cured meats, Chef’s terrine, house pickles, condiments, local cheese and artisanal breads. Supper plates are also available for those less inclined to share.
The Pig drink menu has an extensive list of handcraft cocktails and house made mixers as well as American craft beers, boutique bourbons and earth friendly wines. It will be one of the few restaurants in DC offering tap wines from kegs, with two whites and one red on “draft.” Vineyards invited to The Pig’s tables must meet strict qualifications for taste and menu pairing and are either produced locally or practice sustainable or biodynamic farming.
The Pig’s décor will blend industrial with urban; dramatic lighting, patinas and striking art from another era and medium.
I told you I had a lot of scuttlebutt this week… Back in March 2010 a liquor license application was posted for a new spot called The Independent which was slated to be:
“Coffee House, bar lounge, 199 seats and total occupancy of 235 on first floor and storage on first and basement. Summer Garden with 75 seats and a total occupancy of 90.”
I now hear that Richard Sandoval is looking to take it over and make it a Peruvian restaurant. Sandoval is the Chef behind El Centro, Masa 14 and many others.
This would be huge news for this section of Florida Ave, NW. I think this would fit in nicely with the recent additions of Howard Theatre, Shaw’s Tavern and Bistro Bohem. Hard to imagine it would happen just a few years ago. Now it seems like a natural fit.
Of course, this is just scuttlebutt so I have no official confirmation at this point. I’d give this one a 78% accuracy rating.
There is so much scuttlebutt to share this week. Yesterday when we spoke about the closing of Italiano Cafe at 1113 V St, NW a reader says that word on the street is that a taqueria will be taking over the Italiano Cafe space. He also shares that Izakaya Seki coming next door should be open in late May or early June.
So, do you like the idea of taqueria at this location?
Thanks to a reader for noting that the Guitar Bar placard was no longer posted at 1216 Connecticut Ave, NW (above Shake Shack) in Dupont. The Guitar Bar was supposed to be an:
“Upscale tavern serving European sausages, hotdogs, pretzels and popcorns featuring DJ and background music. No designated dance floor – no dancing. Summer Garden with 210 seats. Seating capacity is 60. Total occupancy load is 330.”
Anyone know if plans have changed?
The Guitar Shop officially closed Oct. 31st, 2011:
4201 Connecticut Ave NW
“Dear PoPville,
Jerry’s Pizza on Van Ness and Connecticut Ave, NW has been closed since last Monday. Word in the street is that it’s going for good. It’s not fancy gourmet, but the vacancy is always a bummer.”
From a press release:
Brewery Ommegang of Cooperstown announces our first-ever Ommegang Hop Chef Competition.™ The competition invites innovative DC area chefs to prepare and pair dishes with fine Ommegang ales. Each chef creates two dishes showcasing imaginative beer and food pairing skills. The dishes, along with Ommegang ales chosen to go with them, are served to professional judges and a consumer audience. The competition will produce fourteen delectably different dishes, offer at least seven different beers, and promises plenty of culinary surprises. The Hop Chef Competition is part of the Ommegang program known as Great Beer Deserves Great Food®, a national initiative dedicated to the idea that fine beer deserves its rightful place at the table with fine foods. The Hop Chef Competition brings that idea to life for 200 lucky tasters.
The Ommegang Hop Chef Competition takes place April 28, 1- 4 pm, at the historic Atlas Theater on H Street. Seven hot DC area chefs compete, eight area notables judge, and 200 lucky tasters can buy tickets to watch, taste, sip, and vote for a People’s Choice Winner. Chefs are Jamie Leeds, Hank’s Oyster Bar; Jeff Eng, Clyde’s of Tower Oaks; Bradley Walker, Boundary Road; Mike Bonk, Sonoma; Nicholas Stefanelli, Bibiana; Mark Marrocco, Magnolias at the Mill; and Will Artley, Pizzeria Orso.
This Ommegang Hop Chef Competition is the first in a series of chef’s cook-offs across the US, culminating in a Grand Hop Chef cook-off at Ommegang’s Belgium Comes to Cooperstown festival in August 2012. The competition is put together by Brewery Ommegang and Chef Teddy Folkman, Ommegang Culinary Ambassador and chef/owner of DC’s beloved Granville Moore’s Gastropub. The competition is co-sponsored by Saveur Magazine, Shun Knives, Gel Pro Mats, Lodge Enamel Cookware, Cuisinart, and Chefware Branded Chef Coats. The Hop Chef Competition is also sponsored by ‘Share Our Strength’ Taste of the Nation program. Net proceeds benefit ‘Share our Strength’ and its efforts to end childhood hunger
Hop Chef Competition judges include Greg Engert; beer director, Birch and Barley/ Churchkey; John Guattery, executive director, Matchbox Food Group; Tammy Tuck, beer writer, Washington City Paper; Nycci Nellis, host “Foodie and the Beast, Talk Radio and NBC TV; Bart Vandaele, chef/owner Belga Cafe; Bonnie Benwick, Deputy Food Editor, Washington Post; Simon Thorpe, president/CEO Brewery Ommegang and Duvel USA; and Saveur Magazine.
Tickets are limited, so please purchase in advance at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/237993. Learn more about the Ommegang Hop Chef Competition and our sponsors at greatbeerdeservesgreatfood.com
Lots of folks have been wondering about the status of the Z Burger coming to the Tivoli (remember when this was Mayorga coffee?) in Columbia Heights:
From Aquiline, Laina (ANC 1A05) via the Columbia Heights Listserv:
There will be one FINAL community meeting with Z Burger in an attempt to resolve the three remaining issues of contention surrounding Z Burger’s sidewalk cafe (NE corner 14th St & Park Rd NW) application to the DDOT Public Space Committee. The issues, in order of concern, are:
1) proposed removal/relocation of an existing granite bench
2) proposed fencing around the seating area
3) number and arrangement of seatsThe meeting will be:
Mon. Apr. 23
7pm
Park Triangle Apts., rooftop
1375 Kenyon St NWPlease attend if you can. Your voice is important to helping Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 1A – www.anc1a.org – make the best decision when it votes on the application at its Wed. May 9 meeting.
The community’s desired alternative proposal and Z Burger’s best counter (Option 1) are attached for your review.
Ed. Note: Multiple inquiries I’ve made with Z Burger about their status remain unanswered.
Thanks to a reader for sending the heads up. When I stopped by yesterday afternoon it looked like the inside was all cleaned out. Italiano Cafe opened back in May 2011 at 1113 V St, NW. This location was briefly home to V Street Cafe and Gori Cafe prior to that. Do you think this block of V Street can get enough foot traffic to support a restaurant/cafe? Izakaya Seki will be coming right next door at 1117 V St, NW.
