The Latest Dish


 

It’s official now. Mark Bucher plans to open Medium Rare, a less expensive steakhouse concept in Cleveland Park, featuring Michel Richard consulting on sauces and desserts. Mark is the guy who brought us BGR (the burger joint), so he knows how to appeal to our carnivore tastes. Brian Zipkin, formerly of Ray’s The Steaks, has been hired as the general manager of the 100-seat restaurant, which was designed by Adamstein & Demetriou. Medium Rare, where Yanni’s Greek Tavern used to be on Connecticut Avenue, may open this month.

Latest addition to the burger wars scene is BRGR Shack, a 1000-sq ft space that will offer five or six different grass-fed beef burgers, hand cut fries (sweet potato fries too) and milkshakes. The most noticeable addition is beer and wine. It just opened on Fairfax Drive in Ballston. The parent company is 24/7 Good Food Inc. Its name is dangerously close to Mark Bucher’s BGR: The Burger Joint or Danny Meyer’s Shake Shack. A garage-style front door can be lifted up to create a patio (more seating!) in warmer months. Of course they plan to expand.

The Fireman Group, which opened Bond 45 at National Harbor last year, plans to open Fiorella Pizzeria e Caffe this April, also at National Harbor, right on the waterfront below Rosa Mexicana. It’s all about the pizza, featuring 30 different varieties of the thinnest yeast-less crust.

Daisuke Utagawa, co-owner of Sushiko in Glover Park and Chevy Chase, has plans to open a ramen restaurant, specializing in bowls of Japanese noodles, as ramen is very close to Japanese hearts – and stomachs. The site on 6th Street, NW, behind the Verizon Center may not open for a year, as there is a lot to do to the building. It will share the neighborhood with Mike Isabella’s Graffiato. Daisuke is partnering with Yama Jewayni, the founder of 18th Street Lounge.

Piero’s Corner Italian, on Franklin Farm Road in Herndon, has signed a lease for a second location on Main Street in downtown Fairfax, where you’ll find Carlos O’Kelly’s. Chef/owner is Gian Piero Mazzi. The menu is Northern Italian, as that is where he hails from. His partner is Jon Soto. An April opening is planned.
The Cajun Experience, a Leesburg-based restaurant chain that has been hunting for a Washington-area location, has signed a lease at 1825 18th St. NW, the former Inti Peruvian Restaurant location, near Lauriol Plaza. Construction has already begun on the restaurant, according to co-owner Bryan Crosswhite. The restaurant will seat 70, with a 35-seat patio. The big advantage over the Leesburg location: a bar. Bryan plans to make it the official bar for New Orleans Saints fans. The plan is to open six Cajun Experience restaurants in the region.

The owners of Guajillo and Casa Oaxaca came to an agreement with Arlington County to manage the restaurant inside Artisphere, the county’s new cultural center. Expect a Mexican-influenced menu. The team takes over in February. The county spent several months looking for an operator.

We didn’t notice that Blue Banana, a new sports and rock n’ roll bar with live bands, opened in Petworth on Georgia Avenue. What the 100-seat place still does not have is food, as the kitchen is under construction. Expect bar food like nachos, wings and sliders. General manager Jamie Hess says a beer garden will open in the back in the spring.

Quick Hits: Sterling-based fast-casual Thai By Thai, owned by Eed Landon, has added a location in Fairfax on Fairfax Blvd. Customers order and pay at the counter, and their food is brought out to them. Pizza Autentica, which recently opened in Ballston, just signed another lease in downtown/West End DC at 2121 K St. NW. The Brickskeller’s new name is Bier Baron, not Rock Creek as previously reported

Chef Update: Robert Gadsby has been named Corporate Chef for Ridgewells and Haute Catering by Ridgewells. He previously worked with Robert Wiedmaier at Mussel Bar BY RW. Thomas Elder has been named Executive Chef of Härth, a new restaurant concept at the Hilton McLean/Tysons Corner. Chef Elder will source most of his products from the Shenandoah farms in the region, taking full advantage of the wood-fired grille that sparked the restaurant name. They plan to open by Cherry Blossom season. Neighborhood Restaurant Group has named Tiffany MacIsaac as executive pastry chef for the restaurant collection, which includes Tallula, EatBar, Vermillion, Rustico, Buzz, Birch & Barley and Churchkey.

Salt Lake City-based Cafe Rio Mexican Grill plans to open six stores in the DC metro region over the next two years. Virginia locations include Manassas, Falls Church, Chantilly and Alexandria. Cafe Rio has leased space in Sudley Manor Square Shopping Center in Manassas, planning to open by late spring. Cafe Rio is also expanding into Maryland with locations planned for Germantown and Olney.

Gillian Clark has signed a lease to open Kitchen On K Street at Third and K Streets NE (NoMa neighborhood) in the Loree Grand at Union Place. She is best known for Colorado Kitchen, a Brightwood restaurant that specialized in comfort food. Kitchen on K will bring a smile to those who loved the food at Colorado Kitchen. You may recall that Gillian opened The General Store in Silver Spring last year. She has another urn in the fire, with The Meeting House in the Petworth neighborhood.

Fairfax-based pizza chain, Paisano’s, is now in the concessions business. They signed a deal to be the exclusive pizza provider at George Mason University’s Patriot Center. Founder and owner Fouad Qreitem cut a deal that gets Paisano’s prominent placement within the venue, which holds 160 events a year. Paisano’s currently has six area locations, with deals signed for Crystal City and Tysons Corner.

Linda Roth Conte is president of Linda Roth Associates, Inc (LRA) specializing in making creative connections through media relations, marketing initiatives, community outreach and special events for the hospitality industry. Contact Linda at Linda@LindaRothPR.com or visit her web site at LindaRothPR.com.

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