701 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
January 18th, 2019 – Washington D.C. Thanks to Phil Yabut for sharing:
“Furloughed federal employees waited in a Soviet-esque line to get food assistance from Jose Andres.” (more…)
Penn Quarter
950 F Street, NW
This is the former Sculpt DC space. Updates when illumin8 has an exact opening date.
9th and G St, NW via DCPL
From the D.C. Public Library:
“In 2020, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library will open after undergoing a $211 million modernization. The building will not only redefine how a central library serves District residents, but it will also celebrate Dr. King’s life, recount his unique work in the District and support the values that made him a champion of civil rights and equity.
“The modernization of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library gives us the opportunity to ensure that one of the city’s most important civic buildings embodies the values of one of our country’s most important leaders,” said Richard Reyes-Gavilan, executive director of the DC Public Library. “When people walk into this building next year, they will be awed by the amazing new spaces and inspired by how our new services advance the ideals of the ‘beloved community’ that Dr. King imagined.”
New or enhanced spaces will add 100,000 square feet of public space to the modernized library. To capitalize on this increase, the Library is developing plans to activate every public space in the building every hour of every day it is open. (more…)
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624 E Street, NW
On the heels of Matchbox taking over the old Hen Quarter space on the other side of E Street comes some more good lunching news for Penn Quarter – I hear that “There’s a Sweetgreen going into the old Taylor Gourmet spot at 624 E St NW. Coming this May.” I give this a 73% 93% accuracy rating. [Update: Douglass Development just like a tweet about this, so I’m taking that as a very good sign.] Fingers crossed and stay tuned!!
750 E Street, NW
Hen Quarter closed Dec. 31st (RIP Austin Grill foreva). At that time there was speculation in the comments that a Matchbox was coming. You can see Matchbox’s other locations and menus here.
Thanks to Mark Lyon for sharing some nice intel on the former Hen Quarter space: (more…)
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801 9th Street, NW
UPDATE:
Statement from Barry Gutin, president and CEO of Guest Counts Hospitality:
“We appreciate the DC Attorney General’s continuing efforts to protect Washington’s transgender community. Immediately following this regrettable incident, Cuba Libre implemented all training and signage requirements expressed today in the settlement with the Attorney General. Our focus now is to help ensure safety for DC’s transgender community at all area restaurants.
We have engaged Ruby Corado, founding member of Casa Ruby, to conduct a workshop on Understanding the Transgender Community and Ensuring Compliance with DC Regulations. Casa Ruby is the only LGBTQ bilingual and multicultural organization in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area that provides social services and programs catering to the most vulnerable in the city and surrounding areas.
This workshop and training will be held at Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar (801 9th Street, NW) on Monday, January 28 from 2 to 4 p.m. It is open to DC area restaurant owners and managers only. Creating a welcoming atmosphere and dining environment for guests and staff members is vital for all public facing businesses operating today. This workshop will help restauranteurs understand the challenges of the LGBTQ community, steps that can be taken to ensure compliance with local regulations and how to foster an inclusive and safe environment.
We invite restaurant representatives to confirm their attendance by Sunday January 27 at 6 p.m. via RSVP.”
From the Attorney General’s Office:
“Attorney General Karl A. Racine today announced a settlement with Cuba Libre Rum Bar and Restaurant for discriminating against a transgender District resident and also introduced legislation to clarify the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) ability to protect District residents from discrimination. Cuba Libre, a downtown restaurant, made headlines last year when an employee attempted to prevent a transgender District resident from using a bathroom that corresponds to her gender identity. OAG’s settlement with Cuba Libre requires the restaurant to stop discriminating against transgender residents, institute policies and employee training to ensure compliance with the District’s non-discrimination laws, and pay the District $7,000 for a penalty and legal costs. The legislation introduced by OAG today, the “Attorney General Civil Rights Enforcement Clarification Amendment Act of 2019,” will clarify OAG’s authority to bring lawsuits regarding violations of the District’s Human Rights Act (HRA). (more…)
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405 8th Street, NW
From a press release:
On the heels of the much-anticipated opening of his breakout project Table, Chef Frederik de Pue has released details on a second restaurant project, Azur. The full-service, upscale casual European style seafood spot is slated to open on New Year’s Eve in the Penn Quarter neighborhood of Washington, DC.
The restaurant is located at 405 8thStreet NW in the space previously occupied by Think Food Group’s Café Atlántico by Chef José Andrés. In late September 2012 Chef De Pue and partners purchased the building, driven by great timing of the sale and the ideal downtown location to open his ‘dream’ restaurant project.
“It may seem a bit ambitious to open two restaurants back to back, but I’ve had Table in the works for quite a while. When the opportunity to purchase the Atlántico building came up, we couldn’t let it go,” explained Chef de Pue. “With Azur I can showcase a true seafood restaurant, and what I’ve gained in working at the Michelin-rated Sea Grill restaurant in Brussels and in other amazing kitchens in Europe. I’m excited to bring all my experience to this restaurant and look forward to trying out some new ideas in the kitchen.”
The Menu
Inspired by a culinary career that began in hisnative Belgium, Chef de Pue has envisioned the menu at Azur to draw on European classics with contemporary flavors and translations. The menu focuses on high quality products from sustainable seafood purveyors, with mainstream varieties of fish and shellfish including lobster, tiger prawns, crab, oysters and mussels. Some harder to find and not-often seen seafood and other dishes will be offered as well.
Azur will offer traditional classics such as Bouillabaisse and Moules-frites, appetizer, salad and entrée selections, as well as shellfish dishes with modern twists, including Chef de Pue’s take on Pesce al Sale. The menu will also include a smaller selection of meat dishes and vegetarian offerings. A full raw bar located on the third level will offer fresh oysters and shellfish and a separate, smaller bar menu will be available in the bar/lounge. Pastry Chef Kieu-Linh Nguyen, formerly of the Park Hyatt in San Diego, CA, will head the pastry program at Azur with a focus on seasonal desserts.
The restaurant will serve dinner in the initial opening phase, with lunch and weekend brunch added in early spring 2013.
The Bar
Designed to pair well with the seafood-centric menu, the bar program at Azur will focus on wine and craft beer, with a cocktail menu designed by one of DC’s premier mixologists, Jon Arroyo. A large selection of white wines and delicately flavored cocktails will change seasonally and complement the food menu, with accents of lavender, citrus, and florals. The wine focus will be on white varietals, and will also include burgundies, sparkling, and sweet reds available by the glass, half and full bottles. A rotating selection of craft and organic beers will be ondraught at the bar.
Azur is serving tea exclusively from Teaism, its Penn Quarter neighbor and regional tea purveyor, and all water will be filtered in house with Natura Water technology, eliminating waste associated with bottled water.
The Space
The notable location was originally a power substation for the city and changed hands many times before becoming a jewel in the restaurant collection of noted chef José Andrés, with Café Atlántico, in 1995. The restaurant shuttered in mid-2011, to re-emerge as America Eats Tavern until July of this year when the building was put up for sale.
The building interior remains open and airy, with much of the previous architecture intact. Virginia-based designer Natascha Folens of NF Interior managed design and décor for the soaring 6,000 squarefoot space. The feeling is contemporary, with hues of the ocean and sea accented by handcrafted furniture pieces, simple yet interesting lighting and chandeliers, finishes, textures and details to enhance the natural appearance of the various levels and environmental zones. Each space offers comfort and provides a clean and complementary backdrop to the food, the oyster bar and energy of the overall restaurant experience.
Up to 135 seats will be available for dining at any given time, with a full oyster bar with seating for six occupying the space where the former Minibar was located, on the uppermost level of the building. On the third level, the more formal dining room accommodates approximately 65 seats, with some group seating for up to 22 guests. The main level offers a large bar and lounge style seating. (renderings below). Azur will also offer private dining accommodations for large groups with advance reservation on the fourth level.”
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Photo by old town drafting
ESPN Zone is located at 555 12th St, NW. AP reports:
“The Walt Disney Co. said Wednesday that it is closing five ESPN Zone restaurants in Baltimore, Chicago, New York, Las Vegas and Washington, D.C., saying the economics of the business were “very challenging.”
When we discussed World Cup viewing possibilities ESPN Zone came up a few time. I’m now liking Public Bar in Dupont as a good replacement. (Though I’m still praying I can get a seat at Momo’s on U St.)
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I guess I’m on a bit of an Asian theme for the restaurants this week… SEI is located at 444 7th Street, NW. It looks pretty sweet, if a bit high end. Is this a special occasion restaurant? Any must order dishes?
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This is great timing as I was just asking a friend of mine what was going on with the old Waffle House located near E Street Cinema. Ed. Note: We saw An Education which I thought was terrific. I received an email update from the Downtown BID today with the news. They write:
Look for the old Waffle House (522 10th Street) to become the second DC location for Tackle Box, a Pure Hospitality Restaurant Group lobster shack. Located across from Ford’s Theatre (511 10th Street), the Waffle House offered steaks, grilled chicken and pork chops for breakfast, in addition to waffles, hot cakes and French toast. A different aroma will waft through the 10th Street corridor once Tackle Box, a casual sustainable seafood option, opens this fall and begins serving wood-grilled fish, crispy oysters, lobster rolls and other fare.
We judged the Georgetown location of Tackle Box here.