Dear PoPville,
I’ve been confused and amused by the ongoing saga of Wagamama. I saw the door was open and there was a man inside cutting plywood. Seems like a baby step though, because the entire space was a concrete shell. It’s pretty much waiting for Godot at this point.
This def. looks promising compared to just a couple of weeks ago.
Wagamama will be, at some point, located at 418 7th St, NW in the former Olson’s bookstore.
418 7th St, NW
707 6th St, NW
Free wine alert.
From a press release:
On Saturday, March 31 Boxwood Estate Winery of Middleburg, VA will release its Rosé 2011. Graffiato will be the first and only restaurant in the District of Columbia to carry the new vintage through April 7. Join us for a complimentary glass of Rosé from 12-2pm and stay for lunch to enjoy several dishes Chef Isabella created to pair with the wine.
Scallop Caponata $16
eggplant, zucchini, basil
Crudo of Hamachi $10
sofrito, roasted tomatoes
Saffron Spaghetti $12
clams, chili
Advance reservations are recommended, but not required as Rosé will be available to all guests 21 and over at the first floor bar and in the main dining room.
Rose 2011 Blend:
Merlot: 46%
Cabernet Franc: 35%
Malbec: 19%
Tasting Notes:
Pale pink-orange color. Aromas of fresh apricot ,strawberry, thyme, and star anise, leading to strawberry and savory flavors. Extraordinary balance, freshness and length.
Signs for “Healthy Eating” have gone up at the corner of 7th and D St, NW in Penn Quarter. A permit posted on the front door lists the name as Protein Bar. More when they get closer to opening this summer.
Back in Aug. 2011 a reader asked what was happening with the Wagamama that was supposed to be coming to the old Olson’s bookstore at 418 7th St, NW in Penn Quarter. Well, there is one small crack in the paper by the front doors and a peek inside reveals that early 2012 isn’t looking good:
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!
Back in Sept. 2011 a press release was issued saying:
Casual French eatery Le Pain Quotidien and exclusive retailer of photographic equipment Leica Camera, Inc. will soon fill the last available retail bays at 975 F Street, NW, in DC’s East End.
The Leica Camera space is also expected to open before the end of this year, and will include a product showroom, image gallery, and a studio where customers will have the opportunity to try out the company’s finest cameras. The 1,837 square foot boutique will be Leica’s first stand-alone store in the country, although the product line has been preferred by White House photographers and other prominent photojournalists for decades.
In Nov. 2011 the Le Pain Quotidien opened at the corner of 10th and F St, NW. But walking past 975 F St, NW this weekend, while Le Pain bustled, there was still only papered windows next store teasing me with “Leica Store Washington DC”.
I know the trend, lately, has been for camera stores to close or downsize but I still have hope for the Leica store.
Graffiato is located at 707 6th St, NW in Chinatown. We’ve previously judged them here.
From an email:
Chef Isabella adds weekend brunch and a $20 weekday lunch option. Start dates and sample menus are outlined below.
News from the Bar
Head Mixologist, Taha Ismail has been barrel-aging negroni and it is ready for sipping. He used a honeycomb bourbon barrel to age the cocktail for five weeks.Barrel Aged Negroni $10
catoctin creek gin, campari, carpanoWeekend Brunch
Saturday & Sunday, 12-3pm
Beginning February 25Sample Brunch Menu
Cinnamon Knots $6
nutellaMeatballs $10
creamy polenta, farmed eggSpaghetti Carbonara $12
pancetta, parmesan, eggBreakfast Pizza $17
bacon, potato, broccolini, cheddarApple Calzone $12
whipped mascarponeFrom the Bar
Bloody Mary $10
olive, mozzarellaBloody Sparkling $10
blood orange puree, proseccoTraveling Riverside Blues $10
blueberry infused grappa,
local sparkling wine, grapefruitWeekday $20 Lunch Menu
Available Monday-Friday, 12-4pm on the first floor only
Beginning February 27Choose any three items from the Wood Oven, Vegetate, Dessert or Beverage sections of the special menu featuring 10 dishes and three boozy beverages. The regular a la carte lunch menu will continue to be available throughout the restaurant.
Speaking of Italian restaurants, Elisirlocated at 427 11th St, NW in Penn Quarter is getting a new bar menu.
Dinner Bar Snack Menu
Martini of Burrata and Parma Prosciutto
Parma prosciutto, Green olives mousse, Polenta crackers and Frisee salad
$16House Made Roasted Italian Sausage Panino
Parsley/vinegar green sauce, roasted bell peppers, goat cheese, black olives
bread
$12Cheese Plate
Taleggio with Piedmontese hazelnuts – Gorgonzola with red beet caviar –
Pecorino di cava with pickled plum tomato jam – La tour with prosecco gelatin
and coffee dust- Caciotta magna capra with saffron pear batons and green
tomato marmalade
$16Assorted Seafood Frittura
Fried Shrimp, Calamari and Sea scallops with Serrano peppers, caper berries
and Salmoriglio dipping sauce
$16Braised Pork Ribs
Marinated spicy rubbed, broccolini, red wine caramel
$14Tempura Artichoke Hearts
Savory eggplant Caponata salad, Pesto sauce, micro greens
$12
José Andrés’ Jaleo is located at 480 7th Street, NW (we judged it back in April 2010.)
Rasmus Auctioneers says:
Jaleo of Washington DC is undergoing a multi million dollar renovation an will liquidate all dining furnishings and dacor by internet only auction.
Online Bidding Only
Starts Closing At: Friday, February 24, 2012 at 12:07 PM ESTInspection
Begins: Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 8:00 AM EST
Ends: Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 11:00 AM EST”
Wow, can’t wait to see how this reno turns out. Stay tuned.
Back in Oct. 2011 we learned that an Italian restaurant called Caldo was coming to 300 Massachusetts Ave, NW. Caldo pulled out of the space when owner, Chef Alfio decided to open up Zuppa Fresca in NoMa (incidentally I’ve gotten many emails from folks saying Zuppa Fresca is now open for dinner – menu here: Zuppa_Dinner_Menu.)
At any rate this meant the retail space at 300 Massachusetts Ave, NW remained vacant. Until now. A new liquor license application says that the Carving Room (not to be confused with Cafe Carvy which recently opened downtown) will be a:
“New Restaurant. House cured and hand carved sandwiches. Occupancy load is 65. Sidewalk Café with 50 seats”
Sounds potentially awesome. I’ll be sure to update when they get closer to opening.
Ed. Note: The storefront is actually on 4th St, NW. You can see from the photo below the storefront on 4th looking north towards the intersection of Massachusetts Ave and H St, NW.
