“Dear PoPville,
I found this angle park job hilarious. 11th St NW between K and L. Blocking the bike lane. DC plates and all…smh”
Anyone know if this is a remnant of church parking allowed to angle park Sunday mornings in some spots? Or is this just a ridiculous parking job?
1051 H Street, NW
Thanks to a reader for sending word of the Allen Edmonds coming soon signage. Still no confirmation on Uniqlo though…
Allen Edmonds will be located right next door to the recently opened Tumi luggage shop on H Street.
It was almost exactly a year ago that we first learned Toro Toro from Chef Richard Sandoval was coming to 1300 I Street, NW. Now Washington Business Journal reports a new permit posted for:
“Interior renovations to 9,230 square feet on the first floor and basement level for the new, 240-seat restaurant Toro Toro.”
Toro Toro is a Richard Sandoval restaurant:
Toro Toro is a creative blend of Pan Latin styles and flavors. Chef-owner Richard Sandoval, whose accolades include Bon Appétit Restaurateur of the Year and Mexico’s Toque d’Oro, artfully spins South and Central American ingredients into small plates designed for sharing.
The beverage menu features innovative, hand-muddled cocktails, a collection of Latin wines and a variety of sugarcane spirits, which may be sipped at the Rum and Cachaca Bars. The vibrant décor fuses traditional and contemporary tastes, the perfect setting to savor Chef Richard Sandoval’s acclaimed cuisine.
You can see the menu for Toro Toro Dubai here. You can see a list of other Sandoval restaurants here.
This one will be located directly across the street from Franklin Sqare Park:
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, published by the History Press, Inc. and also the author of Lost Washington DC.
The recent closing of Famous Luigi’s after 70 years in business at 1132 19th Street NW brings to mind fond recollections of the many old-style Italian restaurants known as “red sauce joints” that used to offer Washingtonians pizza, pasta, and warm-hearted service in great abundance. DC has been home to Italian restaurants since at least the 1870s, but a handful from the first half of the 20th century stand out as pioneers. One of those was the place where Luigi Tito Calvi (1889-1963), the founder of Famous Luigi’s, got his start. It was Ciro’s Italian Village, at 1304 G Street NW downtown.
Circa 1932 postcard from Ciro’s Italian Village (author’s collection).
Ciro’s was creation of Ciro (pronounced “Cheero”) Gallotti (1883-1948), a feisty immigrant from Naples who had a lasting impact on the Italian restaurant scene in DC. Gallotti was an effusively outgoing individual (“one high-strung and ever exciting chum,” according to the Washington Post) who was well-suited to the role of restaurateur. He began not in the restaurant business but as a musician, a french horn player for the Italian Navy Band, according to a family history prepared by his nephew Marty Gallotti (1927-2013). Ciro loved music and played the horn since he was a boy. With his future wife Guilia, he emigrated to the U.S. in 1911, and the couple were married in New York City, where he got his first job with the Victor Herbert Orchestra before moving to Washington to live at the fashionable Raleigh Hotel (previously profiled here).
Undated photo of Ciro Gallotti (courtesy of Peggy Coyle).
In Washington, Gallotti played in the orchestra at the popular Knickerbocker Theater at 18th Street and Columbia Road NW in Adams Morgan. On January 28, 1922, a massive snowstorm dumped two feet of snow on DC roads and brought traffic to a standstill. As Gallotti tried to get to work that evening, he got stuck on 16th Street and decided he had no choice but to turn back home. That same night the Knickerbocker suffered one of the greatest disasters in the city’s history when the huge snowfall caused its roof to collapse onto a full house of moviegoers. Many of Gallotti’s fellow musicians were injured, and a few died. Gallotti took this as a sign that he should get out of the music business, and in October of that same year he opened his first restaurant, Gallotti’s Italian-American Restaurant, across the street from the Raleigh on Pennsylvania Avenue.
1201 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in 1919. Gallotti’s first restaurant would open here 3 years later (Source: Library of Congress).
We’ve previously profiled the little two-story building where he rented space, a shop that hosted many businesses over the years. Modestly advertising his new eatery as “a good place to eat where prices are moderate,” Gallotti struggled at first. For the first two years, in summer months Guilia would supplement the family’s income by running a concession stand in North Beach, Maryland. But Gallotti’s eventually caught on, and Ciro stayed in business at this location for at least 6 years. (more…)
It’s been a long time coming but the last signs of the Clement’s Pastry Shop are now gone from the 1300 block of G Street, NW.
In April Washington Business Journal reported:
“The Cafesjian Family Foundation of Minneapolis has submitted a request to raze 1338, 1340 and 1342 G St. NW, all of which back up to the historic but vacant National Bank of Washington building at 14th and G, which it also owns.”
It’s important to note the article’s author, Michael Neibauer, concludes:
“The 50,000-square-foot museum complex is in limbo, and based on a brief conversation I had with a museum representative, I’m less confident than ever that a museum will open in the bank building on 14th Street, two blocks from the White House.
The raze, as I understand it, has little to do with the museum. More likely, it is related to the District’s attempted “blight” classification, which would come with with a property tax rate six times the standard commercial rate. Get rid of the building, get rid of the tax bill.”
You can read about plans for the Armenian Genocide Museum here.
Demo starts on the 1300 block of G Street, NW:
Ed. Note: You can read a great history on the National Bank of Washington building on the corner here.
14th and G Street, NW
1518 K Street, NW
A few weeks ago we learned that Catch 15 oyster bar would be opening up the week of Christmas – here are more details from a press release:
“The Grand Opening of Catch 15 Restaurant and Oyster Bar is slated for December 27th, 2013, just in time for the New Year. Located at 1518 K Street NW in the Peyser Building, a historic remnant of “Washington’s Wall Street”, the sophisticated restaurant space accommodates 91 guests indoors, with outside seating for warmer months for up to 30 guests. Catch 15 is open seven days a week, with hours from 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday – Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 a.m., and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Inspired by their diverse backgrounds, Executive Chef Vincent Torres and owner Tony Kowkabi collaborated on an eclectic menu, catering to DC’s ever expanding international culture, including a selection of small plates and ceviches, stuffed oysters, and a raw bar, with fresh oysters, clams, and shrimp offerings year round. The menu features a strong emphasis on seafood, with meatier fare, such as Grilled Beef Filet with Portobello mushrooms, Plancha-seared Duck Breast, and Lamb Tagine. Torres honed his craft under the direction of renowned Master Chef Yannick Cam of Provènce and Coco Loco, at Eleventh Hour and with Kowkabi in Solé Restaurant at the Washington Harbour.
The indoor/outdoor Ice Bar serves as a signature aspect of the restaurants design plan, allowing for pull-up sitting from the outdoor patio during warmer weather. Inside, a marble bar outfitted with flat screen TV’s and plush leather bar stools, will offer a variety of artisan and classic cocktails, an expansive wine list, and a host of craft beers. Intimate booth spaces, and a cozy lounge area perfect for large groups, accented with a beautiful gas fireplace, and state of the art sound and visual effects complete the restaurants inviting and casually sophisticated atmosphere. “We plan to make Catch 15 a focal point of DC dining culture”, said owner Tony Kowkabi, a longtime restaurateur. “We’ve designed Catch to feel like home; it’s the type of place that guests come to enjoy a great time, with great food and great people, and they never want to leave.”
13th and Pennsylvania Ave, NW
What an awesome name! A recent liquor license application says Boss Shepherd’s will be a:
“New restaurant serving American cuisine. Occasional entertainment including light music and jazz. Occupancy load is 127.”
Hours will be Sunday through Thursday, 7am – 2 am, Friday and Saturday 7 am – 3 am.
Washington Business Journal reports it comes from:
“Paul Cohn, founder of J.Paul’s and senior executive officer of the Capital Restaurant Concepts [Though he will be leaving CRC, the group is also behind] Old Glory BBQ, Georgia Brown’s, Paolo’s Ristorante, Neyla, The River Club and Club Zei, along with several locations of Paul Bakery”
Boss Shepherd’s will be located just down the block from Warner Theatre:
Check out a statue of the famous Boss Shepherd after the jump. (more…)
From K Street.
1132 19th Street, NW
End of an era. From the Washington Post:
“The pizza-and-pasta parlor will cease operations after Saturday night’s service, just a month or so after the restaurant celebrated its 70th anniversary at the same address, 1132 19th St. NW near Dupont Circle. A young Italian immigrant from Genoa, Luigi Calvi, opened the place in 1943 as a pizzeria, nothing more.”
Any fans of Famous Luigi’s?
They were located on 19th Street between L and M between the new Sophie’s Cuban Cuisine and G Street Food.
Update from a press release:
“For 70 years… since November 2, 1943, Famous Luigi’s has occupied a prime location on 19th St. NW in downtown Washington, DC. Legend has it that with the opening of his pizzeria, owner Luigi Calvi was the first person to introduce pizza to the nation’s capital. Luigi passed away in 1961 and left the restaurant to his niece Maddelena and her husband Corrado Bruzzo, who emigrated from Italy at that time to come run the business. The Bruzzos moved their family, including grandparents and their young daughter, into the upstairs flat above the restaurant, and turned the pizzeria into a full-service Italian eatery, complete with delicious, authentic family recipes, including homemade pastas and ravioli that the city had not yet seen.
The Bruzzo’s children Deborah and Corrado Jr. literally grew up in Famous Luigi’s. Wishing to pass along a strong work ethic, the Bruzzos taught their children the business from an early age. At five-years-old, Deborah was shown how to roll-out pizza dough using a Coco-Cola bottle instead of a rolling pin, and that began her life in the family business. In 2009, Deborah’s father Corrado Bruzzo passed away, and Famous Luigi’s traditions continued under the management of Deborah and her brother Corrado Jr.
But now, Famous Luigi’s has retired. After 70 years, its last dinner was served on Saturday, December 21st. After more than 40 years in the family business herself, Deborah Bruzzo, feeling that the time was right to pass the baton, has decided to retire as well. She will start a new chapter (literally), by becoming an author; for she is already writing a book about her family, the Famous Luigi’s experience, and the life lessons that it has taught her.
Deborah is particularly at peace with this decision, as she sees her family’s restaurant tradition being continued in a new location with a new generation. Osteria Marzano, which opened this summer in Alexandria, VA, is the dream of her daughter, Elena Bruzzo Pouchelon, who also grew up in the family business. Elena is Osteria Marzano’s Managing Owner in charge of the front of house, and her step-father Carmine Marzano is Executive Chef and Co-Owner, who also happens to be Deborah Bruzzo’s husband.
Deborah wishes to extend her sincere thanks and appreciation to all of Famous Luigi’s wonderful patrons and staff through the decades. Fans of Famous Luigi’s are encouraged to visit Osteria Marzano to experience how its Italian family tradition continues in an upscale dining restaurant.
Osteria Marzano serves classic brick oven pizzas, delicious handmade pastas, hearty main courses and a well-curated wine, beer and cocktail selection, as well as a variety of small “Assaggini” Italian tapas-style sharing plates uniquely available at the bar. Located in the Kingstowne region of Alexandria, VA, Osteria Marzano is a sophisticated, 6,100 sq. ft. venue for lunch, drinks, or dinner.
Osteria Marzano
6361 Walker Lane. Suite 140 (Metro Park VI)
Alexandria, VA 22310″
More photos after the jump. (more…)
815 Connecticut Avenue, NW
From a press release:
“In January 2014, Ashok Bajaj’s first Washington restaurant, The Bombay Club, located at 815 Connecticut Avenue, NW, a block from the White House, will celebrate a milestone – its 25th birthday. Award- winning restaurateur Bajaj moved to Washington, D.C. in 1988 and opened The Bombay Club that same year. He convinced his landlord that the nation’s capital was ready for a fine dining Indian restaurant. The Bombay Club’s immediate success was the catalyst for Bajaj to build his successful restaurant collection, which includes eight top tier dining establishments in the city.
In commemoration of this special 25th year, The Bombay Club will feature a selection of classic Indian dishes during the month of January. These dishes have rotated on and off the restaurant’s menu since its opening, due to their popularity and requests by frequent guests. At lunchtime guests can enjoy a two-course menu, plus a complimentary Indian petit four for $25 per person, excluding tax and gratuity, (complete menu is posted below). Then, at dinner service, a complimentary glass of champagne will be presented with the entrée course in celebration of the anniversary. The Bombay Club will also observe Restaurant Week, January 13-19th and the featured dishes will be incorporated into these lunch and dinner menus as well.
A selection of new cocktails will also be showcased in January. They are priced from $10 to $12 and include the Mango Bellini, Mango Puree &Sparkling Wine; the Mumbai G&T, Infused Gin, Lime and Tonic; Raj Cup, Pimms Lemon Juice & Soda; Singapore Sling, a very traditional recipe for the 25th anniversary of Port, Lemon Juice and Sparkling Wine, and the Kamla (Lotus Flower), Vodka St. Germain (Elderflower Liqueur), Lemon Juice with a Lemon Sugar Rim and Punjabi Punch, Orange Juice with Spices and Amrut Old Port Indian Rum.
Prepared by Executive Chef Nilesh Singhvi, The Bombay Club’s anniversary highlights include Mango Shrimp, with mango and ginger; Goan Masala Crab, with lump crab, spices, onions and fresh curry leaves; Tandoori Scallops, with tomato cilantro chutney; Paneer Tikka, with cottage cheese, yogurt, peppers and tomato; Chicken Chop, with coriander, clove and black cardamom; Tandoori Salmon, ginger, garlic, yogurt and garam masala; Lamb Vindaloo, peri-peri masala, onions, potato; Lobster Lababdar onion, tomato, fenugreek, garam masala;Fish Moilee, rockfish, coconut, ginger and clove; Green Chili Chicken, with onion, tomato, dill, cilantro, peppers and spinach; Tandoori Trout, fresh trout, ginger, garlic, pomegranate; Gosht Palak, with lamb, brown onion, spinach and cinnamon; and Bombay Thali, with market fresh vegetables,paneer and dal. Entrées include rice, naan, garlic naan and roti.Prices will range from $18 to $28. For dessert Mango Crème Brulee, with kiwi and pineapple; Carrot Halwa, with carrot, milk, almonds and ginger cream, and Rabri, an Indian milk pudding and fresh blueberries are anniversary featured specials.
Full menu after the jump. (more…)