Chinatown

Located at 415 7th St, NW, Merzi recently opened up back in Dec. ’10. So far I’ve been hearing great things. So any must order items? You can see their menu here. For those who’ve been has the place been pretty crowded?

From a press release:

Top Chef All-Stars Runner-Up Mike Isabella will open his first restaurant, Graffiato, in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., on June 23. The no-frills two-story eatery, composed of bricks, cinder blocks, wooden booths and teak composite countertops, is a raw space reminiscent of the Italian bistros Chef Isabella grew up frequenting in New Jersey, yet the menu is anything but traditional Italian fare. Artisanal pizzas, house-made seasonal vegetable dishes, locally procured meats and cheeses and Italian-inspired small plates comprise the menu, which is sourced almost entirely from the East Coast.

Graffiato is a two-story 5,000-square-foot space with industrial finishings. The steel-covered wood oven is the centerpiece of the first floor, surrounded by a cinder-block bar and chairs for a dozen guests to dine while interacting with Chef Isabella and his pizzaiolos. Concrete floors, original exposed brick and barn lights bring an outdoor feel inside. Wooden tables, handcrafted by Chef Isabella and his father-in-law, compliment the wooden booths and the simplicity of the design.

The second floor seats about 100, including a ham bar with a table-height wooden counter for seven guests. Cured meats and fresh-stretched mozzarella are prepared at this station. Unlike a traditional charcuterie bar, the hooks hanging above the counter display various meat cleavers instead of hams.

I just noticed that New Big Wong had applied for a liquor license so I thought I’d check to see if there were any fans. New Big Wong is located at 610 H St NW:

New Big Wong Restaurant welcomes you to a pleasant and memorable dining experience.

We feature authentic Cantonese and Szechuan cuisine. We take pride in serving you the finest Oriental cuisine in the area. Our menu is a suggestion for your selection. The sauce is the magic ingredient, which blends the meat, poultry, seafood, or chicken with fresh vegetables to create unique dishes. Each dish is prepared to order. The spicy dishes are prepared to the degree of your taste. Please notice the dishes offered for the diet conscious – low in sodium and mildly seasoned.

You can see their full menu here.

Any fans?

Elisir Restaurant is comint to 427 11th St, NW between E St and Pennsylvania Ave, NW (near E Street Cinema.) A recent liquor license application says:

New Restaurant. European flares specializing in the sale of fine Italian food with culinary classes from time to time. Live music or DJ for occasional private parties. Occupancy load is 117. Sidewalk Café 26 seats.

Not exactly sure what “European flares” are but I’m all for fine Italian food and sidewalk cafes so this sounds great.

Oya is located at 799 9th St NW. We took a look back in Dec. ’08 but since a lot of time has passed an some new features have become available – I thought it was time to check in again. So in addition to what you think about the restaurant in general – are there any fans of the prix fixe menus and to go options?

Over the weekend Penn Quarter Living broke the news that “they will be closing TenPenh on June 30, 2011 due to unsuccessful lease renewal negotiations.”

Tenpenh is/was located at 1001 Pennsylvania Ave, NW. We judged them to very positive review back in March ’11. I’ll be sure to keep a close eye on the space to see who moves in.

According to their Web site:

In Spring 2011, Chef/Owner Mike Isabella will open Graffiato, an Italian-inspired restaurant in the Penn Quarter neighborhood of Washington, DC. The 120-seat spot will allow Chef Isabella to interact with guests while he crafts comforting dishes from seasonal produce and house made meats, hand-rolled pastas and marinated vegetable accoutrements. The two-story layout will feature an open butcher’s bar on the second floor and a large wood-fire oven tucked behind a U-shaped counter with 15 barstools on the first floor. Both stations encourage dialogue between the guests and chefs.

Chef Isabella will serve seasonal, artisanal pizzas and small plates inspired by the food he grew up eating in New Jersey prepared by his Italian American grandmother. With heavy influence from Chef Isabella’s Mediterranean and Latin culinary training, Graffiato promises to be anything but a traditional Italian eatery. Roasted potato gnocchi, tender pork ribs, bone marrow with cured lemon, and veal cheeks parmigiano are a few of the anticipated wood-oven dishes. Warm made-to-order fresh-stretched mozzarella and spiced red beets with pork fried almonds are sure to be popular first plates. When the kitchen closes, the oven will stay fired to feed Washingtonians looking for a late-night bite.

Food, wine and beer will be sourced domestically, and often from the East Coast. Look for unique cocktails, barrel wine and Prosecco served straight from a tap.