Chinatown

709 D Street, NW

From a press release:

“On Wednesday, March 12, The Partisan debuts its reincarnation of the meat-centric restaurants that long dominated the dining scene in Washington. The Partisan is both physically and conceptually joined at the hip to Red Apron butcher shop, which opened just two weeks ago in Penn Quarter. The 100-seat restaurant and bar is a collaboration between Nathan Anda and Chef Ed Witt, who blend a whole-animal butcher sensibility and old world techniques with modern American cooking.

Underpinning The Partisan’s menu is a tireless commitment to sourcing that is at the core of Red Apron’s operation. All of the meats served at The Partisan are sustainably raised –many by local farmers that work with Red Apron exclusively and are Animal Welfare Approved.

Guests are encouraged to begin with a sampling of Nathan Anda’s handmade charcuterie products presented in the form of a check-the-box, a la carte menu. The rotating selection of approximately 30 items are broken in to flavor categories such as bright, spicy hot, smoky, rich & smooth, herbal & floral, etc. and cover a wide variety from dried salamis, pates, and rillettes to smoked sausages and 15 month-aged culatello. All charcuterie boards are served with freshly baked tigelles and accompaniments.

The Partisan’s main menu eschews traditional order-by-course offerings and is instead broken up by source or animal (beef, poultry, pork, and fish). Each section is composed of dishes in a range of portion sizes, aimed at encouraging sampling and exploration. The opening menu includes dishes such as Bolognese, with housemade pasta, guanciale and heart ragout, and lard toasted breadcrumbs; Braised Spanish Octopus with tomato, oregano, and fingerling potatoes; 120 Day Dry Aged Beef Carpaccio; and Corned Beef Belly with braised cabbage, grated pumpernickel, and pickled mustard seeds.The dishes range in size from small to medium and can be complemented with salads, slaws and vegetable sides.

Some select items are designed for the table to share, such as the Roasted Pig Head served with salsa verde, pickled peppers, and arugula & pig ear salad; the Rotissi-Fried Chicken, a brined and rotisseried chicken that is deep fried and served with honey hot sauce; and the Bollito Misto, a stew of cotechino, smoked heart, belly, pickled tongue, pork bone marrow and tenderloin with calabrian aioli.

To offer a touch of sweetness to the meal, Pastry Chef Tiffany MacIsaac has prepared creative twists on nostalgic favorites like the Snicker’s Terrine with peanut butter cheesecake, peanut caramel and chocolate glaze; Lemon Meringue Pie, a meyer lemon eclair, with torched swiss meringue and graham cracker crumbles and Fried Apple Pie with bacon, caramel, graham crumble, candied pecans and vanilla bean ice cream. A chef’s favorite the Fernet Ice Cream Float with ginger beer, lime zest, Fernet Branca ice cream and ginger molasses cookies is also a tempting finish.

On the beverage side, The Partisan is tapping the talents of a dream team of talented beverage experts: Brent Kroll, Jeff Faile and Greg Engert, making the 20+ seat bar a destination for wine, spirit and beer drinkers alike. (more…)

6th and H Street, NW

Finally a new tenant for the former video store at the corner of 6th and H St, NW – pizza.

707 H Street, NW

Thanks to @dewbertdc for tweeting us the photo above. 707 is the former home of Capital Q BBQ which closed in 2012. From a press release:

“Cava Mezze has finalized a lease agreement to expand its fast-casual restaurant, Cava Grill, with a location in Chinatown at 707 H Street NW, set to open this summer. Drawing from the success of Cava Mezze’s modern take on Greek food, Cava Grill brings these authentic flavors to the fast-casual setting, redefining signature dishes for budget-,time-, and health-conscious customers. The restaurant’s format will fit well in Chinatown’s diverse and busy neighborhood.

Founders Ike Grigoropoulos, Ted Xenohristos, Chef Dimitri Moshovitis, and business partner Brett Schulman are spearheading the expansion, which first opened in Bethesda January 2011. “The authenticity of our food has been the driving force behind our restaurants,” noted Ted Xenohristos. “It goes back to our mothers’ cooking –fresh, flavorful food, shared with family and friends. We are excited to bring Cava Grill to Chinatown and open our first Cava Grill in downtown DC.”

Grigoropoulos, Xenohristos, Moshovitis, and Schulman plan to continue expanding Cava Grill, opening several outlets in the Washington, D.C., metro area, as appropriate locations become available. Cava Grill has five locations in Bethesda, Tenleytown, Columbia Heights, Merrifield, and Tysons Corner. Cava Mezze Restaurant opened in 2006 in Rockville, expanding later to Capitol Hill and Clarendon, VA, and has been recognized as one of Washington’s best restaurants.”

You can see Cava’s menu here.

photo courtesy of Nando’s

Update on Nando’s revamp at 819 7th Street, NW from from an email:

“You can see our new booth seating, Freestyle machines, and South African art — among other new touches. And most importantly: We’re celebrating the restaurant’s re-opening with all-day happy hour today! Including $5.95 sangria pitchers and beers starting from $2.50.”

photo courtesy of Nando’s

photo courtesy of Nando’s

Thanks to a reader for sending:

“The Red Apron in PQ [709 D Street, NW] is covered with signs strongly suggesting they’re going to open the week of February 24th.”

On their facebook page – Red Apron writes:

“Restaurant openings are always a crazy time, but man are we getting excited to open up in Penn Quarter & open The Partisan. #Dstreetiscoming”

819 7th Street, NW courtesy of Nando’s

From an email:

“I wanted to share that our 7th Street location – the first Nando’s PERi-PERi in the U.S., which opened in 2008 — is getting a much-deserved revamp. The restaurant will be taking a break today and tomorrow. We’ll be back on Thursday and Friday with an all-day happy hour! ($5.95 sangria pitchers; beers from $2.50)

We understand people may be frustrated and going through withdrawals from their favorite cockerel, so we’ll be apologizing outside our door with “Sorry for the Cock Block” vouchers for a free appetizer once we’re back.

We like to make sure each restaurant design is unique, and we use only real and natural materials, so we’re just doing a quick refresh. We’ll be putting in new South African art, changing the seating arrangement, and installing new Coca-Cola Freestyle machines.”