Restaurants

1155 14th Street, NW

From a press release:

Zentan and Kimpton Restaurants are pleased to announce the arrival of Jennifer Nguyen as new executive chef. Chef Nguyen joins the Zentan team with more than 10 years of experience from top kitchens in Philadelphia, San Francisco and Las Vegas, having worked in award-winning restaurants including Chef Masaharu Morimoto’s Morimoto and Thomas Keller’s Bouchon. Chef Nguyen plans on taking the next several weeks to settle in to Zentan’s kitchen and Washington, and will unveil her new menus in May. Under the new chef’s leadership, Zentan’s cuisine, while remaining modern Asian in its style, will be strongly influenced by Japanese flavors, representative of Nguyen’s strengths and experience. Kimpton Restaurants also announces that effective March 31, their partnership with Chef Susur Lee and Zentan will come to an end.

Nguyen brings unique culinary skills from her experience at an array of Asian restaurants, specifically in Japanese kitchens all over the country. While working at Starr Restaurant Group in Philadelphia, she trained under Chef Michael Schulson as sous chef at the Pan-Asian restaurant Pod, which was known for its prominent sushi bar program. She soon earned a promotion to chef de cuisine at the esteemed Japanese restaurant, Morimoto. With robust experience in several restaurant kitchens, she quickly landed a job as executive chef at San Francisco’s Ozumo, a Japanese restaurant known for its sushi bar, robata grill and sake lists, and where she also strengthened her skills in kushiyaki and sushi techniques.

A stint in Las Vegas afforded Nguyen the opportunity to cook at Bouchon and Wynn Las Vegas’ Red 8 Restaurant. Her desire to return to the East Coast brought her to Washington, where she brings her Japanese culinary expertise to Zentan. Her experience with sushi, omakase and yakitori programs will shape the new menus at Zentan, while her affinity for Vietnamese cooking and Thai ingredients will inspire the flavors of her dishes.

Founded in 2009, Zentan opened in partnership with Toronto-based chef, Susur Lee. Chef Lee and Kimpton have agreed to end their partnership at the restaurant and Chef Nguyen will now direct the kitchen and menu development at Zentan. More details on her menus will be made available when they are unveiled in late spring.

We previously judged Zentan back in April 2010. You can see their current menus here.

Againn closed their downtown location at 1099 New York Avenue, NW back in Nov. 2012. Now comes word of their replacement – Casa Luca.

From a press release:

James Beard Award Winning Chef Fabio Trabocchi today announces plans to open Casa Luca, an authentic 130-seat casual Italian restaurant, at 1099 New York Avenue, NW in Washington, DC.

Every chef is a product of a place and a tradition. Named for his nine-year-old son who has already begun apprenticing with his father in the kitchen at Fiola, Casa Luca vino e cucina will be a homage to Trabocchi’s family heritage and his upbringing in the Le March region of Italy, among sharecroppers, fishermen, artisans, truck drivers and everything in between. Casa Luca will feature the traditional, authentic and affordable cooking of Le Marche families.

“My father taught me not just about cooking, but about food sourcing and sustainable farming. When I was growing up, these were not trends; they were and still are the way of life for Italians,” says Chef Trabocchi. “These are the core values that will shape the culinary direction at Casa Luca.”

The menu will include charcuterie and cheese selections, Le Marche flatbreads such as crescia and chichì, antipasti and salads del campo (from the fields), housemade pastas, and main courses, such as roasted and grilled meats and fish. Presentations will be straightforward, allowing the fresh, seasonal ingredients to shine. Traditional dishes will take on a rustic elegance, appealing to modern palates craving familiar flavors, such as:

· Montefeltro Flatbread “Crescia” with Broccoli Rabe
· “Chichirichì di Offida” Stuffed with Onions and Roasted Peppers
· Mussels Alicia with Tomato “Marinara”
· San Leo Ravioli of Greens, Parmigiano, Lemon Zest and Fresh Herbs
· Scrippelle ’Mbusse Crepes of Pecorino, Truffles, and Hen Consomme
· Monkfish with Baby Artichokes, Scallions and Dill “Porchetta” style
· Giuseppe “Braciole” Pork Chop with Zolfino Beans “Cacciatora” style
· Salami al Cioccolato Marchigiano in small and large sizes to share

In the spirit of traditional Italian osterie that offered only one dish daily, Casa Luca will feature rotating daily specials such as Lamb Chop “Scottadito” on Tuesdays and Porchetta Ascolana on Thursdays.

Chef Trabocchi hopes to cultivate a traditional tavern feel for the bar with approachable beverage options and a convivial ambiance. Wine on tap – vino alla spina – is customary in small towns across Italy, and Casa Luca will offer several sparkling, white and red selections on tap. To remove the inhibition and confusion of price from guests’ wine selection, Wine Director John Toigo will offer 20 accessible, food friendly bottles from across Italy and Spain – 10 whites and 10 reds – at only $28. Traditional Italian aperitifs and liquors will take a place of pride on Bar Manager Jeff Faile’s well-curated cocktail menu.

Casa Luca’s interior design will evoke the warm atmosphere Trabocchi family dinners in both Italy and Spain. Much like the menu, traditional and artisanal accents will coexist harmoniously within the modern exterior framework of the building. The interior will showcase hand-blown glass lamps from producer Gordiola in Maria Trabocchi’s home of Mallorca and hand printed textiles from a family of artisans at Antica Stamperia Marchi near the Le Marche coast, juxtaposed against the sleek building façade.

Chef Fabio Trabocchi is the chef/partner of Fiola, a modern trattoria located in the heart of DC’s Penn Quarter neighborhood. Since opening the restaurant in April 2011, Fiola has received numerous accolades, including a three-and-a-half star review from Washingtonian Magazine, which also ranked the restaurant #4 in its “100 Very Best Restaurants” list for 2013, and a three-star review from The Washington Post. Bon Appetit named Fiola one of America’s “Best New Restaurants” of 2012, and the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington honored Fiola with the “Best New Restaurant” award that same year. Fiola was also nominated for the “Best New Restaurant” award by the James Beard Foundation and was included in Esquire Magazine’s “10 Best New Restaurants” feature in 2011.

1099 New York Avenue, NW