burgers

Shake Shack Coming to Union Station in Mid-2014

By Prince Of Petworth

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Photo by PoPville flickr user pablo.raw

“Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG) is proud to announce it will deepen its ties to the Washington, DC metropolitan area when it brings Shake Shack® locations to Union Station – Washington, DC and Tysons Corner in Northern Virginia. Both Shacks are slated to open in mid 2014.

Prominently located in the vibrant Capitol Hill neighborhood, Shake Shack Union Station will be in the original West Hall of the restored and revitalized landmark building, which dates back to 1907.”

Shake Shack currently has locations at 9th and F St, NW in the Spy Museum and at 1216 Connecticut Ave, NW.

TD Burger Opens in NoMa on Monday – Check out the Menu and a Look Inside

By Prince Of Petworth

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Chef Timothy Dean

Back in April we learned that a TD Burger from Chef Timothy Dean of Top Chef fame would be opening up a new spot in the former Zuppa Fresca space in the Loree Grand at the corner of 3rd and K St, NE. They open up on Monday at 4pm and I was able to step inside for a quick look and chat with the chef.

I have to admit I don’t watch Top Chef (I don’t have cable), so I promise I wasn’t starstruck, but Chef Dean is a very very cool dude. Super nice and super enthusiastic about the space. Also he’s originally from DC – the Kenilworth neighborhood near the aquatic gardens. Anyway, a bit about the space – There’s seating for 68 inside and 60 outside. In addition to burgers there will be, pizza, wings, salads and sandwiches. The service will be fast and quality. You order by the door and then get a number to place at your table and a runner will bring your food. However, there will be a full bar so a cocktail server will come by if you want to order a drink:

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A full bar including 6 beers on tap and 60-65 craft beers in bottles and cans

They open Monday at 4pm but after 10 days or so they will also open for lunch. And while delivery could be available in the future – carryout will also be available right away.

Lots of patio seating for up to 60:

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250 K Street, NE

Hours of operation:

M-TH 11 am – 10 pm; bar & late-night menu 10 pm – midnight
F-Sa 11 am – 11 pm; bar & late-night menu 11 pm – 1 am
Sun 11 am – 10 pm

Oh yeah, one more thing – plans are for a bistro concept from Dean coming “to this side of town” in the near future too!

More photos and a look at the full menu after the jump. (more…)

Judging Restaurants – Burger Tap & Shake

By Prince Of Petworth

Burger Tap & Shake is located at 2200 Pennsylvania Ave, NW. When we judged District Commons earlier this week a few folks mentioned that Burger Shake & Tap was actually their sister restaurant. Their Website says:

It shares kitchen, keg space, and restrooms with District Commons, the Passion Food Hospitality restaurant now anchoring the CIrcle, but takes the casual vibe to whole new realm.

We grind – on premise – throughout the day a custom blend of 3–day aged, naturally raised Pineland Farms beef chuck and brisket. Char-griddled and served on a buttered, toasted, house made bun. By focusing on premium sourcing and in-house production – from pickles to ice cream – we are able to serve a great burger at a great price.

BTS is a counter service, seat-yourself burger joint with an atmosphere of no-nonsense industrial chic: light cement floors, an exposed black ductwork ceiling, and a cement bar faced with rough-hewn reclaimed wood. The walls of the open stainless steel grill-kitchen are lined with work-a-day subway tile. When your burger is ready, it is presented on a quarter-size metal sheet pan topped with a sheet of paper – no fuss, no muss, no plate!

How do the burgers compare to some other burger spots around town?

PoP Pre-Preview – Z Burger Coming to the Tivoli in Columbia Heights

By Prince Of Petworth

Back in Oct. ’10 I shared some scuttlebutt that a Z Burger was coming to Columbia Heights in the old Mayorga/Nori Nori sushi spot in the Tivoli. The last interesting update came in March ’11 when I learned the former ticket booth space out front will be used to sell milk shakes.

Last weekend I was allowed to take a quick tour and share some photos. I’m told they’re now shooting to open in 3-4 weeks. And when you look at the photos you can tell why the renovations have been taking so long. I should say folks who remember Mayorga and Nori Nori will recognize one big change right away – they’ve closed off the second floor and created a huge open dining space:

I’ll be sure to update with an exact opening date once it’s finalized. After the jump check out a bunch more photos of how it looks on the inside. (more…)

Dorothy Moon Gourmet Burger Food Truck Launches

By Prince Of Petworth

I just spotted the Dorothy Moon food truck on Sat. at Farragut Square. Looks like they just launched. From their Facebook page:

Launching November 2011 – Serving the DC area with the best burgers two guys can make
Description
The menu will consist of 5 burgers (for now) as well as a list of
toppings in which one could create their own scrumptious burger.
-All burgers will be hand-pattied with the best natural beef found in the area Menu:

1)The Dorothy – Fried Egg, Smoked Bacon and Mild Cheddar Cheese

2)The Tony Pepperoni – Homemade Marinara Sauce, Mozzarella Cheese and Pepperonis

3)The Mexican Entourage – Homemade Guacamole, Pico de Gallo, Jalapenos, and Mild Cheddar Cheese

4)The Classic – Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, Smoked Bacon, Mild Cheddar Cheese, Swiss Cheese, Mayonnaise, Ketchup and Mustard

5)The James Madison – Grilled Teriyaki Mushrooms, Smoked Bacon, and Swiss Cheese

Like the sound of the burgers?

After they’ve been rolling a while we’ll have Queenedix for a 5-Second Rule critique.

PoP Burger Patrol: Go Burger No Longer Coming to 1317 Connecticut Ave, NW? To Share Casa Nonna Space

By Prince Of Petworth

Last spring we learned that a Go Burger was supposed to be coming to 1317 Connecticut Ave, NW in Dupont Circle. In April a liquor license application was applied for and the entire front window was covered with a screen featuring repeating GO BURGER logos covering the whole window. And before that there was one big logo like this:

This past weekend I noticed that the screen has been removed (see the first photo above). And peeking in the window it looks like zero work has been completed.

So with Rogue States closing across the street – it looks like all hopes now rest on Shake Shack (which is progressing nicely) in the Fudruckers space a few blocks south. And of course BGR The Burger Joint is already open a few blocks north at 1514 Connecticut Ave, NW.

But wait, I’m now just seeing that they tweeted on Feb. 7th:

“There will be a small outpost of GO Burger sharing the Casa Nonna space. Hoping to open our doors late spring.”

Casa Nonna (same owners) is the newish Italian place located in the old California Pizza Kitchen at 1250 Connecticut Ave, NW.

Wild. Does a Go Burger outpost in the Casa Nonna space sound like a good idea?

UPDATE 505pm: turns out that the above tweet was referencing the Casa Nonna in NYC. I’ll be sure to update when more info becomes available, especially to see who moves into 1317 Connecticut Ave, NW.

Holy Cow Rogue States Moving to 1931 14th St. NW (14th and U St, NW)

By Prince Of Petworth

Thanks to an eagle eyed reader for sending the news. Rogue States was recently forced to close in Dupont because of the burger fumes war at 1300 Connecticut Ave, NW.

The Moneyblog is now reporting that they will be moving to 14th and U St, NW in what looks like the vacant space to the right of the DTLR shop. They write:

“The owner of Rogue States Burgers has already signed a lease for a new location. As he admitted under oath, the business of Rogue States Burgers will be moving to 1931 14th St. NW.”

Wow, huge news. Don’t know how I missed this but Dupont’s loss will be U Street’s gain!

Columbia Heights Scuttlebutt: Z Burger Coming to the Tivoli at the Corner of 14th and Park Rd, NW?

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoP,

I just noticed that the corner space at the Tivoli (where the Japanese restaurant and coffee shop used to be) is completely gutted. Any idea what’s moving in?”

I’ve been getting tons of emails relaying a similar message. You may remember back in April we learned that Z Burger was negotiating a lease in Columbia Heights. We just didn’t know where. It seems that mystery may be solved. I’m hearing that Z Burger will be moving into the former space of Mayorga Coffee, and more recently home to Nori sushi. The space has been vacant since July ’09. You may recall that it had an unusual layout. You can see a complete gut renovation is taking place. If a Z Burger does indeed come to fill this space do you think it will be a good match?


Z Burger on Wisconsin Ave, NW in Glover Park

Update on Steptoe v. Rogue States Burger Fumes War – Round One to Steptoe

By Prince Of Petworth

Back in July we first heard about the burger fumes lawsuit where a law firm, Steptoe & Johnson, is suing Rogue States located at 1300 Connecticut Ave, NW.

Thanks to a reader for sending the update from The Blog of Legal Times:

“Steptoe & Johnson is getting what they ordered in their dispute with a local burger joint.

In a hearing yesterday, D.C. Superior Court Judge John Mott granted Steptoe’s request for a preliminary injunction and ordered Rogue States, A Burger Company to come up with a way to stop emitting offensive odors within 30 days or risk facing court-ordered penalties. Mott also set Oct. 4 as the trial date in the ongoing burger dispute.”

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