4200 Wisconsin Avenue, NW
Firelake Grill will be located in the former Ruby Tuesday space at Van Ness and Wisconsin Ave, NW. A reader writes:
Here’s the latest on FIRELAKE GRILL from its owner:
“We expect to open sometime around Aug. 12th. We appreciate your interest and look forward to serving your hospitality needs and hopefully spend time together enjoying excellent classic American food.”
Photo by PoPville flickr user philliefan99
From a press release:
The Roof Terrace Restaurant and Bar at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, has debuted a new dinner menu to reflect the summer season. Whether grabbing a quick bite before a show or relishing in an elegant meal amidst stunning views, guests will delight in the new selection of appetizers, entrées and desserts.
Highlights from the menu include seasonal additions as well as staple items beloved by restaurant patrons. For starters, choose from a number of savory summer dishes like a refreshing bowl of Chilled Tomato Gazpacho topped with flavorful Serrano ham, or the Bibb Lettuce Salad served with local grilled peaches, cloth bound cheddar, marcona almonds and finished with honey vinaigrette.
New main course offerings include Pan Seared Sea Scallops with farm fresh peas and carrots and Olive Oil Poached Black Pearl Salmon with fava beans and tomato mint salad. Crowd-pleasing entrees like Beef Tenderloin Filet with horseradish potatoes and fresh spring vegetables and Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes with grain mustard sauce, pickled red onions, and frisée remain on the menu.
For the perfect ending, guests can indulge a sweet tooth with a choice of select desserts. The mouthwatering Warm Rhubarb Cobbler is topped with cinnamon crème fraiche ice cream and drizzled with balsamic anglaise. Dark Chocolate Biscuit is the ultimate chocolate confection served with silky chocolate mousse and ganache.Hours:
Dinner 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. before Concert Hall and Opera House evening performances; Kitchen Buffet Brunch 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. most SundaysReservations:
Strongly recommended; call (202) 416-8555 or visit opentable.com.Location:
The Roof Terrace Restaurant and KC Café are located at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F Street, NW, Washington, DC 20566.
Maketto (eventually landing at 1351 H St, NE) is having a three month residency at Hanoi House (2005 14th Street, NW – 14th and U St.) Anyone try them out yet?
A perk to the new wider Adams Morgan’s sidewalks – more outdoor seating on 18th Street. Thanks to a reader for sending – The Diner above is located at 2453 18th Street, NW and Tryst, below, is located at 2459 18th Street.
1316 9th Street, NW
The following was written by dcreba. She lives – and often eats – in Logan Circle. She previously wrote about the newly renovated Art & Soul.
It appears that Thally, the brainchild of co-owners Sherman Outhuok and executive chef Ron Tanaka, is closer and closer to a summertime opening. Construction was initially expected to complete by end of June but as these pictures show, the bones are finally in place and a tentative opening is slated for early August. Outhuok, former AGM and bar manager at Maple and managing partner at Posto, describes Thally – named for his daughter – as a modern American restaurant with a true neighborhood focus.
With the influx of new and often cost prohibitive restaurants opening in the area, Outhouk and his partners aim to make Thally a welcoming spot “with a comfortable vibe,” says Outhuok. “You know, you treat people as you would in your own home. Friendly, respectful.”
The 2100 square foot restaurant will seat 70 people, including 12 at the bar. High ceilings and industrial finishes will be tempered by bright graphics designed by Matt Hlubny, a local freelance artist. A 16′ granite bar will run half the length of one dining room wall; banquette seating will continue where the bar drops off. A godfather table will feature prominently in the front picture window, prime real estate for people watching and conducting business. There will be a semi private dining room in the back that is available for larger groups or events as well. The full bar will feature cocktails, 12 taps of rotating craft breweries, and housemade sodas. The wine list will change frequently, too – Outhuok envisions a list of 24 wines each day; six wines by the glass that will rotate weekly. Tanaka has full control of the menu, which will also change seasonally and emphasis will be on fresh ingredients and simple but elegant presentations. Tanaka’s focus is on delivering a menu that is “technique and flavor/food driven.” We’ll have to stay tuned to see what that will look like.
Thally plans to soft open in early August and will be serving dinner exclusively Tuesday through Saturday evenings. The website, www.thallydc.com, is expected to drop in the next week and will provide additional details regarding menu, hours, and concept. It is located at 1316 9th Street NW, between N and O Streets.
M Cafe is coming to the southwest corner of 14th and R Street, NW. Awning is up and they look ready to go. Their Website says the “Grand Opening is Coming Soon!” It’s gotta be any day now.
A peek in the window:
A couple weeks ago we noted that Hogo (1017 7th Street, NW) would be previewing the menu of the new restaurant (still to be named) from Paul Ruppert (Room 11 etc.):
The project is coming into focus as a neighborhood bar with great bar food and a literary focus. Our back room will host literary events – author readings, book launches, poetry slams, fundraisers for literacy programs, and a Free Book library. Our chef, Makoto Hamamura, was the Sous Chef at Cityzen and we will offer elevated bar food plus a beverage program similar in quality to Room 11 and the Passenger. We hope to open around Labor Day.
Did anyone try out the menu?
Streets of Washington, written by John DeFerrari, covers some of DC’s most interesting buildings and history. John is the author of Historic Restaurants of Washington, D.C.: Capital Eats, to be published this September by the History Press, Inc. John is also the author of Lost Washington DC.
The early 20th century was in many ways a golden era for casual restaurants. The rules of the business were changing rapidly, and those who could tell which way the wind was blowing had the opportunity for tremendous success. Lunchrooms had been proliferating since the 1890s, offering fast, inexpensive meals to working folk who could no longer easily go home for lunch and who didn’t feel comfortable patronizing saloons. Then Prohibition killed off the saloons altogether, and the demand only increased for simple, homestyle cooking served quickly and inexpensively. Cafeterias were one solution. The first American eatery to be called a cafeteria had opened in 1893 at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago, and it was an instant hit. As cafeterias gained in popularity over the coming decades, they nearly always sold the same basic, no-frills “comfort” fare—breakfast dishes, sandwiches, meatloaf, salads, cakes, pies, and the like.
Postcard from 1932 (Author’s collection).
Perhaps the best known in Washington was Sholl’s Cafeteria and Dining Room, opened by Evan A. Sholl (1899-1983) in 1928 at Connecticut Avenue and L Street NW. Sholl, the second-youngest of 13 children born to a Pottsville, Pennsylvania farmer, had started out in life with little to his name. He earned a hardscrabble living at an assortment of odd jobs—busboy, window washer, shoe factory hand—just as J. W. Marriott was doing at about the same time. At age 20 he opened his first restaurant, which quickly bankrupted him. After that he went to work for the Kresge retail chain, which transferred him to its Washington store at 7th and E Streets NW in 1927. He regained his financial footing there and, with more experience under his belt, set out on his own again with Sholl’s Cafeteria. This time it worked. (more…)
4809 Georgia Avenue, NW
Thanks to a reader for sending the photo of the new Sandovan signage at 4809 Georgia Ave, NW. Back in June we learned RAS would be reopening under new management after abruptly closing in Dec. 2012. Stay tuned for Sandovan Restaurant and Lounge.
Back in January we learned Chef Richard Sandoval was opening up a Toro Toro at 1300 I Street, NW.
“New Restaurant steakhouse specializing in Part Latin cuisine with inside seating #260, Total Occupancy Load #500. Requesting a Sidewalk Café with #52 seats and Live Entertainment, DJ Dancing and Cover Charge. Dance floor located in basement approx. 400 Sq. Ft.”
You can see Toro Toro’s Miami food menus here and drink menus here.
1300 I Street, NW is located right across the street from Franklin Square park.
