Mount Vernon Squangle

601 Massachusetts Ave, NW

From scuttlebutt back in 2014, RPM Italian from celebrity couple Giuliana and Bill Rancic is close to opening.  Thanks to a reader for sending the shot of the new signage.  You can see their Chicago menus here. It will be interesting to see how they do with Alta Strada about a block away. Stay tuned for an exact opening date.

465 K Street, NW

From an email:

“Alta Strada, Michael Schlow’s recently opened Italian restaurant in City Vista, debuted its lunch service on Monday, May 2. The lunch menu features several new items, such as the “kitchen sink” chopped salad with gorgonzola, chicken, salumi, radish, tomato and cucumber with a red wine vinaigrette, and a selection of sandwiches including the Sicilian tuna with spicy cauliflower, pine nuts and caper aioli, and a crunchy eggplant parm sandwich. Lunch sized portions of the restaurant’s signature pastas are also available, as well as a selection of pizzas such as the Margherita and a special seasonal pie with spring ramps, asparagus and organic egg. Lunch is available Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Please find the full menu here.

601 Massachusetts Ave, NW

A reader reports:

“The new RPM Italian restaurant has started putting signage up. Space looks huge – seems to cover half the ground floor of the building. It’s located in he 601 Mass building.”

Ed. Note: Previously we learned, “Restaurant serving modern and classic cuisine with 300 seats and a Total Occupancy Load of 350. Requesting a Sidewalk Cafe with 90 seats and a Summer Garden with 60 seats.”

655 K Street, NW

“Shouk is a new quick-serve restaurant that aims to re-think comfort food…..so we’ll have you in & out in quickly & comfortably!”

Menu and a peek inside after the jump. (more…)

425 I Street, NW

From a press release:

“Turkish-born restaurateur Hakan Ilhan is pleased to announce the Monday, May 2nd opening of his new 160-seat restaurant, Ottoman Taverna, at 425 I Street, NW, Suite #107, Washington, DC 20001, located between K & I on 4th Street), which will open for dinner service with lunch and brunch following shortly. Atlanta-based Matt Norris of Norris Design is the design firm of record for Ottoman Taverna. The design scheme for the restaurant’s distinctive interior pays homage to the turn-of-the-century casual restaurants found throughout the arrondissements of Istanbul.

At Ottoman Taverna, the menu will be comprised of classic dishes that incorporate traditional cooking techniques to pay tribute to the true flavors of Ottoman cuisine. Ottoman Taverna’s dinner menu will feature, soups and salads, cold and hot meze, flats breads, and entrees. Small plates will range from $7 to $14.95, and entrées from $16.74 to $24.75. Highlights from the dinner menu include Kırmızı Mercimek Çorbası, red lentil soup with onion, tomatoes, and paprika oil; Grilled Calamari Fattoush Salad with pearl couscous, tomatoes, cucumbers, and crispy pita chips; Confit Garlic Hummus, chickpeas, garlic, tahini, paprika and served with pita bread; Ímam Bayıldı, roasted eggplant stuffed with tomatoes, onions, and basil oil; Çerkez Tavuğu, Carcashian chicken with walnut, garlic, and paprika oil; Karides Güveç, shrimp stew with a saffron tomato broth, garlic chips, and fresh herbs; İçli Köfte, bulgur wheat köfte stuffed with ground lamb and beef, walnuts, and parsley sauce; Sucuklu Pide, flat bread with spicy lamb sausage, cows’ milk cheese, arugula, and marinated red onions; Adana Kebab, char grilled lamb and beef kebab seasoned with red pepper and herbs; Karnıbahar, cauliflower stew with tomatoes, cipollini onions, and parsley; Hünkar Beğendi, slow braised lamb shank served over eggplant puree; Tavada Levrek, pan-seared Branzino with mashed fingerling potatoes, capers, tomatoes, olives, and sautéed spinach, as well as Moussaka, eggplant, potato, ground beef, and béchamel sauce.

Additionally, guests will want to experience Ottoman Taverna’s Happy Hour offered Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the bar. One can anticipate a featured menu featuring hot and cold meze, as well as select flat breads for half the regular menu price. Happy Hour menu highlights include Midye Dolma, mussels stuffed with herbed rice, pine nuts, and currants; Hummus, chickpeas, garlic, tahini, paprika, served with pita bread; Muhammara, red peppers, walnuts, olive oil, served with pita bread; Şakşuka, crispy zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers served over tomato and mint yogurt sauce; Sucuk Şiş, grilled spicy beef sausage; Sigara Böreği, homemade dough wrapped with feta cheese and parsley; Falafel, chickpea fritters with tahini sauce; Lahmacun Flatbread, crispy thin flat dough topped with ground lamb, special spices, and served with lettuce and tomatoes, as well as Kekikli Keçi Peynirli Pide, flat bread with goat cheese, fresh thyme, oven roasted tomato served with arugula and marinated red onions. Happy Hour menu items range in price from $3.50 to $6.”

(more info and tons of photos after the jump.) (more…)

Alta Strada and Conosci located at 465 K Street, NW

Ed. Note: Anyone try Alta Strada yet?

From a press release:

“James Beard award winning chef Michael Schlow will open Conosci, [pronounced ka-no-shi], on Friday, April 15. Conosci, which translates loosely to ‘do you know?’ or ‘are you aware of’ in Italian, is an intimate 30-seat crudo bar, tucked away inside Schlow’s latest DC restaurant, Alta Strada City Vista. Guests enter through lush, blue velvet drapes to be transported to a completely different dining experience from Conosci’s Italian counterpart, which serves imaginative crudos, a daily soup, seasonal vegetable dishes, and other inspired creations. (more…)

655 K Street, NW

Thanks to a reader for sending a quick update on Shouk. Gotta be any day now till doors open.