Chinatown

Dear PoPville,

Wanted to pass along some info that I was just given about a Pop-up Soup Shop this week. Ping Pong Dim Sum Chinatown (900 7th St, NW) will be operating a Pop-up Soup shop today and Thursday to help beat these winter weather blues! From 11:30am-1:30pm, people in the Chinatown neighborhood can “pop over” to the Chinatown restaurant where they will be passing out complimentary to-go containers of their Veggie Wonton soup, which consists of shitake mushrooms and spinach filled wontons in a coconut kefir lime broth.

While I don’t know if 54 degrees counts as winter weather blues – I’m always happy to pass on word of free soup!

From a press release:

The long-awaited arrival of the first brick and mortar location of Red Apron, a locally sourced whole animal butchery and small batch producer of handmade charcuterie, is officially in sight. Red Apron is pleased to announce that in the fall of 2012 they will be opening a 3,600 square-foot shop at 709 D Street, NW in downtown Washington, D.C.

Celebrated Chef Nathan Anda conceived Red Apron in 2008, and over the past three years, Red Apron has grown into one of the D.C. area’s premier butcheries and producers of handmade charcuterie. With the resourcefulness of an old world butcher and the creativity of a trained chef, Nate has created an expansive pantry of both classic and original products, all of which will be available at the Red Apron shop when it opens in Washington’s vibrant Penn Quarter neighborhood.

Red Apron will offer nearly 80 different products, all made with meats that have been responsibly raised and carefully sourced from local farmers. Red Apron’s pantry will include raw cuts, roasts, traditional and original salumi, pates and rillettes, smoked meats, sausages and hot dogs, prepared foods, and provisions such as sauces and stocks. In addition to a well stocked butcher case, the shop will also be open for lunchtime business, offering a rotating menu that will allow Anda to apply his creativity in the kitchen to his wide array of products. Menu items will undoubtedly include hand-crafted hot dogs, sausages, and sandwiches that will highlight Red Apron’s delicious cured products.

The space on D Street that will be Red Apron’s home was once the Union Hardware Building, and it has recently been beautifully restored by Douglas Development, the current owner. The historic bones of the space include exposed red brick walls, light-filled windows and an open layout, making it the perfect fit for Red Apron.

Chef Nate Anda brings a combination of classic training, immersion in the craft of charcuterie, and commitment to butchery traditions to Red Apron. Anda first started cooking under Chef Angelo Vangelopoulos at the Ivy Inn in Charlottesville. There and at New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier, Nate learned about the craft of charcuterie. After graduation, Nate returned to the Washington, D.C. area and worked at the kitchen in Equinox for two years before being tapped to help open Salamander Market. In 2004, Nate was chosen to become the executive chef of Tallula and the adjoining gastropub EatBar, which opened three years later. At Tallula and EatBar Nate quickly built an expansive charcuterie program, sourcing whole animals and butchering them at the restaurant. In 2008, with the support of Michael Babin of the Neighborhood Restaurant Group, Anda founded Red Apron Butchery.

ABOUT RED APRON

Chef Nathan Anda conceived Red Apron as a locally sourced, whole animal butchery and producer of handmade charcuterie. With the resourcefulness of an old world butcher and the creativity of a trained chef, he has created an expansive list of both classic and original products. Anda sources pigs and cows from local farms that raise their animals responsibly, and he chooses the right breed and feed for each product. Red Apron is proud to support small, local farms that follow sustainable practices and to promote whole animal butchery and utilization. For more information and a full list of products please visit www.redapronbutchery.com.

We’ve previously admired the building at 918 F St, NW – now we can admire the inside too.

Photo courtesy of LivingSocial

From LivingSocial press release:

“Today, LivingSocial announced the opening of 918 F Street, a first-of-its-kind live events venue where LivingSocial and its merchant partners will offer pop-up restaurants, classes and hands-on activities. An ambitious test for the company, 918 F Street will give local merchants additional space and state-of-the-art facilities to reach new customers and share the best of Washington, DC.

“Since its inception, LivingSocial has been successful in creating unique experiences that help our members discover the best of their town,” said Doug Miller, SVP New Initiatives for LivingSocial. “918 F Street will serve as a venue for special experiences where local residents can try the hottest pop-up restaurants, take a yoga or painting class, learn to make sushi or participate in scores of other social activities. In our state-of-the-art facility, local merchants get the resources, space and audience they need to scale their businesses and reach new customers. We believe this is the next step in the evolution of local commerce and complements our existing offerings.”

The venue, which has six floors plus a basement, was created to be flexible enough to host a wide range of activities. Among its capabilities, 918 F Street features a state-of-the-art culinary kitchen for visiting chefs to host distinctive pop-up restaurants; a 36-person demonstration kitchen for cooking and baking classes with live automated video feeds of the chef; three flexible spaces that can be adapted for dining, dancing, classes, workshops and more; a basement bar where consumers can learn mixology or taste local brews.

918 F Street gives local merchants more space, flexibility and opportunity to create unique experiences for consumers without interrupting operations at their normal place of business.

918 F Street’s inaugural event will be a sneak peek of Bandolero, the highly-anticipated restaurant from Mike Isabella, Chef/Owner of Graffiato and Top Chef All-Stars Runner-Up. Bandolero is scheduled to open Spring 2012 in Georgetown and will feature modern Mexican small plates with a large, tequila-infused cocktail menu.

“LivingSocial is opening a first-of-its-kind venue – from kitchen to tabletop – that allows me both a training opportunity for my team and a chance to test recipes for our menu,” said Isabella. “I’m excited to be the first in the 918 F Street kitchen testing my concepts for the new restaurant, and I look forward to seeing guests react to some Bandolero dishes and cocktails before it opens.”

List of activities and events after the jump. (more…)