200 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
L’Ardente, “Glam Italian. Early 2021.” Thanks to Dylan for letting us know.
Eat DC tweets: “.@lardentedc, a 9,000 sq ft “glam Italian” restaurant from the @uncondiner team is opening early next year at @CapitolCrossing. A 16,500 sq ft food hall rumored to be from the Politan Group (St. Roch in NO & others) is planned for the rest of the retail space at 200 Mass Ave NW.” (more…)
3321 Connecticut Ave, NW
When we spoke about Firehook’s coming in closure in Cleveland Park (it still stings) lots of folks emailed me that Coppi’s had closed/was closing too. While still sad, word on the street is that this closure may have happened with or without the virus. Again, still sad and a bummer to see another vacant space on the strip. (more…)
Earlier this morning when we posted about the coming closure of Firehook in Cleveland Park – a historical video gem emerged of the previous tenant (which is why they had such a great back patio.) Thanks to Justin Rood for passing on this extraordinary video found on Youtube about Roma from 1997:
“The last year in the life of the Roma, a legendary restaurant in Washington, DC that was a Cleveland Park staple from 1932 to its closing auction in 1997, along with adjoining tavern Poor Roberts. Posted in memory of owner Bobby Abbo.
Edited by Mark Ruppert
Produced by Jeff Krulik
at Bedrock Productions”
1316 9th Street, NW
From San Lorenzo:
“Amici miei / My friends,
Twenty years after arriving to Washington DC from Tuscany, the opening of San Lorenzo – my first very own restaurant – two years ago was one of my biggest personal accomplishments, and definitely something that I cherish as one of my best achievements as a man and as a chef.
Sadly, for as good as the memories that I had when I opened this restaurant, things have changed a lot for me as a chef and a restaurant owner as of March 2020.
Since the initial days of the COVID19 shutdown, we very much wanted to give back to first responders in the best way that we could, so we made meals for our local DC Fire House and healthcare workers at GWU Hospital. In the months that followed and up until the present day, we’ve continued to make meals for frontline staff at Children’s and GWU Hospitals, as it also keeps our own spirits up.
But times have also been very tough for us. It began with the shutdown that kept us from having customers inside the restaurant at all and forced us to sell our Tuscan delicacies and pantry items to-go so that we could stay alive. Now, with the partial re-opening at 50% capacity, things have not gotten much better; the number of customers that we serve daily is barely in double digits.
Unfortunately, we don’t have the luxury of having a patio and we can’t accommodate people outside on our 9th St. sidewalk. Our little cozy narrow restaurant feels very empty these days, and we are approaching a breaking point. We really need to have customers come out to support us so that we can stay alive. (more…)
440 K Street, NW
The placard for Toscana Market says:
“New Retailer’s Class “C” Restaurant serving Italian cuisine with handmade pasta and original Italian ingredients. Applicant is applying for a Sidewalk Cafe Endorsement with 25 seats. Total seating inside is 60 with a Total Occupancy Load of 70.” (more…)
2029 P Street, NW
Sorellina opened up here back in January. A new placard posted now says:
“Applicant requests to increase interior and Summer Garden seating. Interior seat count will increase from 27 to 48. Summer Garden seating will increase from 6 to 14. Total Occupancy Load will increase from 35 to 70.”
Check out Sorellina’s menu here.
Any fans?
1401 Pennsylvania Ave, SE courtesy NRG
From the Neighborhood Restaurant Group:
“I wanted to let you know we’ve partnered with Matt Adler to develop the 65-seat stand-alone restaurant that will open adjacent to The Roost. Caruso’s Grocery will be modeled after the classic, Italian-American “red sauce” joint; it’s very important to Matt and us as a team to not reinvent the wheel with this concept, but instead to focus on making the best possible versions of classic Italian-American dishes. (more…)
12th and H Street, NW
From a press release:
“Ashok Bajaj is pleased to announce Knightsbridge Restaurant Group’s new concept replacing Bibiana Osteria-Enoteca at 1100 New York Ave, NW, (entrance on 12th and H Streets), in the heart of downtown Washington. On September 9, Modena will open with an entirely new menu created by recently appointed Executive Chef John Melfi who is returning to Knightsbridge Restaurant Group.
Bibiana will close August 31. The restaurant will undergo a refresh with a new color scheme, new artwork and the addition of planters filled with greenery. Melfi’s new menu will showcase Italian-influenced seasonal cuisine driven by sustainable, locally sourced ingredients. One can look forward to exploring the new antipasti trolley from Italy and dining on vintage china made by Villeroy and Bosch. (more…)
2435 18th Street, NW
Though this will be the second attempt at Italian at this location (then briefly Tacos. RIP Rosario. But RIP RIP RIP Toledo Lounge. Anyway, the liquor license placard for Retrobottega says: (more…)
1714 Connecticut Ave, NW
Check out Rosemarino D’Italia’s menu here.
Girardi tells us: “the best Italian restaurant in Alexandria is expanding into the District.” (more…)