1317 14th Street, NW
@the_baseband tweets us on Friday:
“I don’t speak Spanish but I think La Villa in Logan just closed. Quite disappointing!”
I don’t speak Spanish either :) but looks like you can visit some of their sister restaurants and the ownership will also be opening one up on Georgia and Missouri by the new Walmart:
I had heard rumors that the corner was going to be developed, if so, I hope they are able to save the facade which has some great details: (more…)
3rd and K St, NE
“Dear PoPville,
Just walking by popular neighborhood Indian restaurant Indigo this morning (3rd & K St NE) and noticed a fresh coat of yellow paint (building used to be white). Perhaps in celebration of their one year anniversary? Certainly adds some much needed color to the neighborhood.”
Their one year anniversary is in Sept. but for whatever reason looks great! On June 4th they tweeted a photo of this menu – any must order items?
1336 14th Street, NW
In Saturday’s rant/revel post a reader commented:
“Rant: Ghana Cafe is closed! Just moved to Logan Circle recently and went there the first time last weekend. Thought it was strangely empty, but loved the food and planned on heading back many times. Walking past it yesterday, I discovered the chairs were empty out and the windows were half covered in newspaper! Anyone know what happened? Any tips on where else to get Ghanaian food?”
Ghana Cafe moved from Adams Morgan to Logan Circle back in Jan. 2010.
14th Street looking north towards Rhode Island Ave
Sadly word of the closure turned out to be true – I peeked in the window Sunday morning:
As for where else to get Ghanaian food – you could try the new (formerly Rahama) Appioo African Restaurant at 1924 9th St, NW (just south of U St. near the new Dino’s Grotto):
“We serve authentic Ghanaian cuisine, and our menu includes traditional dishes such as waakye, fufu, banku,tou zafi, red red, and abunabunu soup. Take a look at our menu page to see all of our offerings.”
1924 9th St, NW
12th and Evarts St, NE
Today’s big Brookland news remains the long delayed opening of Brookland’s Finest today (have a look inside and at their menus here) but here’s a close runner up according to a reader:
“Was at Menomale [2711 12th Street, NE] last night and got to talking with several of the folks working there. Apparently the owners of Menomale are going to be opening a pasta location down on the block (12th and Evarts). Similar to how Menomale focuses mainly on pizza, this new location will focus mainly on pasta. Said they should be opening by September December. Spoke with 3 employees independent and they all confirmed the new location!”
1314 ½ Ninth Street, NW
The tidbit came out of the Washington Post’s really interesting piece about “A Changing Little Washington”:
“Next year, O’Brien plans to close Seasonal Pantry and open a new concept in Little Washington, tentatively named Farm to Long Table.
He will be leaving a location on 9th street in the emerging Shaw neighborhood for what is currently a dilapidated former tavern and possible brothel from the 1830s that is 70 miles away.”
Seasonal Pantry opened on 9th Street back in June 2011. It will be interesting to see if O’Brien’s move has any impact on Sundevich too.
1926 14th Street, NW looking south toward T Street and Trader Joe’s
From a press release:
“James Beard award-winning chef Michael Schlow announces the June 8 opening of TICO restaurant in the Louis Development at 1926 14th Street, NW, Washington, DC. TICO, an affectionate name for a ‘local’ person in Costa Rica, is an American restaurant influenced by Schlow’s travels to Spain, Mexico and Latin America. The 45-item menu encourages guests to share and showcases creative ceviches, interesting tacos, seasonal small plates, a la plancha items, and entrées.
Elkus Manfredi Architects and StreetSense collaborated with Schlow to design a rustic space that reflects the casual yet imaginative spirit of TICO. Schlow’s wife, artist Adrienne Schlow, distressed the restaurant’s columns and brick walls, and some of her mixed media art and paintings can be found throughout the space as well. Michael, who also enjoys photography in his free time, contributed to the design with a few framed pieces from his travels to Spain. The 150-seat restaurant also features a 15-seat bar, as well as a ceviche bar with an additional seven seats, overlooking the open kitchen, allowing guests to be part of the action and see the workings of the culinary team.
A thoughtfully selected beverage menu, overseen by director of operations Steve Uhr, features an extensive list of more than 125 tequilas and mezcals, local and Latin beers, including an Añejo barrel aged DC Brau beer, and a cocktail list with a focus on small batch spirits. Guests who drink 88 different tequilas within eight months will be granted membership to Tico’s exclusive Tequila Club, which comes with invitations to special tastings, dinners, and other gifts. Riffs on classic cocktails will include the P90X, a Spanish take on a Manhattan and the wine list will feature varietals exclusively from North America, South America and Spain.
Schlow, considered to be one of the leading culinary professionals in the United States, opened the first TICO, named one of Esquire’s “Best New Restaurants in America” in Boston in 2011. He has tapped TICO Boston’s executive chef, George Rodrigues, to helm the kitchen in DC. Together, they will highlight seasonal ingredients and offer many dishes with a local slant such as Fried Chesapeake Oysters with Old Bay Spiked Romesco and a Blue Crab Taco with Bacon, Lettuce Pico, Tomato and Saffron, which will appear alongside signature dishes such as Crispy Manchego Cheese with Spicy Pomegranate-Honey Sauce and House-made Morcilla with Piquillo Peppers, Pickled Onions, and Mustard Vinaigrette.
Guests can opt to leave their dinner selections to the chef, based on appetite and budget. The aptly named “Can’t Decide” menu entails a multi-course chef’s choice meal – ranging from “Kind of Hungry” at $35/person, “Forgot Lunch” at $55/person, to the “Full on TICO Experience” at $85/person.
TICO will initially open daily for dinner Sunday through Thursday 4:00 p.m. until 12:00 a.m. Friday and Saturday will be from 4:00 p.m. until 2 a.m. Weekend brunch and happy hour will be added soon thereafter. On the opening night of Sunday, June 8, only walk-ins will be accepted. TICO will take limited reservations for the opening week via phone, and will begin accepting reservations through OpenTable in the coming weeks.”
Lots more photos after the jump. (more…)
1433 H Street NE (at Maryland Ave)
Argonaut’s new (to me) retractable patio covering is looking good:
14th and T Street, NW
I’ve had a few requests that we talk about Lupo Verde who opened up at 14th and T St, NW back in February. Their website says:
“Authentic, rustic, Italian fare featuring a variety of small plates, house-made breads and pastas, antipasti, pizzas al tegamino and a selection of fresh meats and seafood, such as our popular whole roasted fish, grilled sirloin steak and a premiere selection of cheeses and salumi. The daily specials are posted on the chalkboard.
Customers can purchase 70% of the restaurant’s menu “to go” including 50 cheeses (five of which are made in-house while the rest are made from local farmers or imported from Italy) sold by the ounce, two house-made prosciuttos and several other house cured meats. Fresh and dried house-made pastas are available for purchase by the kilo, along with rustic house-made sauces and breads.
An intimate 100-seat restaurant spread over two floors. The main level features a 15-seat bar of Carrara marble and hand-painted Italian tile and a 25-seat lounge. It also houses the Cheese Shop showcasing a variety of imported and house-made cheeses and salumi. Upstairs guests feel as though they stepped into a private residence with lofty ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows, luxurious wall coverings, and substantial crown and base molding. Guests will find an intimate 10-seat marble bar, and 50 additional dining seats including a semi-private alcove. The cupola dining table, named the Sophia Loren, is also a focal point of the room seating groups of up to eight.
A gated, outdoor patio is also available during the spring and summer months (weather permitting) and can accommodate up to 40 guests.”
You can see their cucina and bar menu here and their cheese and salumi menu here.
Any fans?
Photo by PoPville flickr user clif_burns
Potentially huge news from the Washington Business Journal:
“The group [The Smith] is eyeing a space in the area formerly intended for Apple on Eye Street NW facing the CityCenter’s Northwest Park, adjacent to where Momofuku’s David Chang is also said to be looking at space.”
The Smith’s website says:
The Smith is a casual American Brasserie with three upbeat locations in New York City: The Smith East Village, overlooking bustling Third Avenue, The Smith Midtown, in the heart of Manhattan, located on 51st Street and Second Avenue and The Smith Lincoln Center directly across from historic Lincoln Center.
Utilizing local products and purveyors, the breakfast, lunch, brunch and dinner menus feature a selection of familiar bistro dishes. Signature dishes at all locations include Crispy Fried Calamari “Brooklyn Style,” Pot of Mussels with chardonnay-dijon broth and perfectly cooked hand cut fries and four different cuts of steak prepared char broiled, served with a choice of homemade sauces including béarnaise, green peppercorn and chimichurri. Most of the desserts are fun twists on classics, including Sticky Toffee Pudding, S’mores in a Jar and Hot Fudge Sundae with almond bark and flourless chocolate cake.
Our bars offer an elaborate menu of classic and signature cocktails made with fresh fruit and herbs. We serve seven local hand crafted beers on tap and have a selection of 20 wines available by the glass or carafe as well as a hand selected bottle list.
The crowd at The Smith is eclectic, attracting after-work colleagues, late-night revelers, families for Sunday brunch and more. Our guests come for all occasions – a drink after work, a quick bite before a movie, a business dinner, or to celebrate a birthday.
You can see their menus here.
My folks actually live around the corner from one of these and I’ve had the occasion to visit a few times. I’m a big fan and while I was a big supporter of an Apple store opening here, I think The Smith would be a great addition to the District dining scene. It reminds me of Philly’s Le Parc opening in DC as Le Diplomate. The Smith is a big beautiful space that I think will be equally as successful as Le Diplomate if they open here. Keeping my fingers crossed.
“Dear PoPville,
I was out walking in Petworth and saw a note that Petworth Citizen has started serving brunch. the menu (attached) looks like a lunch/dinner bar menu with a few waffles thrown in. I ate the chicken and waffles, and that was good, but I’d like opinions from others about whether they find this an appetizing selection for brunch. No pancakes? No french toast? No omelettes? Egg and grits as a starter? This all seems out of the ordinary to say the least. I don’t expect Citizen to have a menu that is long and complicated (when Coupe opened up, I was pretty disappointed and I hoped that the chef would take a machete to the menu and redirect resources to making a few great dishes), but this menu seems lacking. I’ll be interested to hear what others think.”
So what do you guys think a proper brunch menu should look like? What’s the closest one to perfect that currently exists? And out of curiosity since a related question was asked in the rant/revel yesterday – how often/how many times a month do you go out to brunch?