Business Ins & Outs Oct. 24, 2018
By • October 24, 2018 0 1393
By Stephanie Green and Robert Devaney
In: Grand Opening for Café Georgetown
Turkish journalist Emel Bayrak has waded into the dining scene with Café Georgetown, which opened at 3141 N St. NW on Oct. 20 to an afternoon reception followed by an evening party.
“I am a coffee enthusiast, and I am very excited to pursue my passion of coffee andwine,” she tells us. With her desire to make the inviting and smartly designed café the place to meet, Bayrak explains she wants a place where like-minded guests can share their oenophile and caffeinated stories firsthand.
Since Bayrak is a White House correspondent for Turkish television (TRT Türk, the international channel of the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation), we thinkthere will be lots of other kinds of “stories” passed around there — along with wonderful Turkish coffee, fine pastries and dainties. Congrats!
At the Oct. 13 ribbon cutting, the Capital Tailor’s Ramon Mejia and CEO Raiza Bonaparte (center) are flanked by Maria Lizardo (Raiza’s mother), Norberto Mejia (Ramon’s brother), Gretchen Pockels-Saneaux of Dominican Republic Embassy and Rafael Bonaparte (Raiza’s father). Georgetowner photo.
In: Capital Tailor Cuts the Ribbon
It was a joyous, family-filled celebration for the Oct. 13 ribbon cutting of the Capital Tailor, Inc., a luxury clothier and custom tailoring company at 3214 O St. NW. Owned by entrepreneur Raiza Bonaparte and second-generation master tailor Ramon Mejia — the married couple hails from the Dominican Republic — the two-level shop offers a customized experience, featuring the Style Bar, where clients can design a suit, a jacket, trousers and shoes, selecting fabrics and every detail.
“Providing convenient tailoring and bespoke items of all types to our customers, personally designed by our master craftsmen with great attention to customerservice, is what we love to do,” said CEO Raiza Bonaparte.
The Neopol Savory Smokery team on Grace Street: Dalton Cargo, Regional Manager Jeni Park, Mayra Arriaza, Tracey Brown and Store Manager Michael Kiss. Georgetowner photo.
In: Neopol Savory Smokery
Smoked fish is headed upstream in Georgetown, it seems. Neopol Savory Smokery has opened at 3210 Grace St. NW. The business, based in Baltimore, also has a Union Market presence with its best-seller, a smoked salmon BLT (yes, we’ve already tried it — terrific). Other sandwiches include gravlox crostini, smoked catfish and smoked portobello wrap. Salads involve salmon as well as trout. Plates include smoked New Zealand mussels and smoked salmon filet.
The Grace Street place has adequate seating along the window and display cases of its smoked meats and fish. It joins the other eateries on the street, such as Chaia, Dog Tag Bakery, Sundevich and Reverie. Neopol Savory Smokery currently (pun intended) opens at 11 a.m., but expects to extend its hours and expand its menu to include breakfast.
Manuel Iguina.
In: High Street Café to Open in Former Paolo’s Space
“Georgetown is on the rebound,” says restaurateur Manuel Iguina, who is opening his High Street Café in late October in the former Paolo’s location at 1305 Wisconsin Ave. NW.
“We need a place where everybody knows your name. Not too high end, and not fastfood. A place for families, tourists and students.”
Iguina, who’s had his eye on the location for a long time (Paolo’s closed thissummer), thinks it will be the perfect place for his pasta-and-chops eatery, with a distinctive Latin twist.
Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Iguina proudly infuses his menus with dishes and flavors from his upbringing. He is somewhat sentimental about Georgetown, having started at Mr. Smith’s in 1981. (The M Street saloon relocated to K Street in theformer Chadwick’s space a few years ago.)
Typical entrees will range from $18 to $30. Dinner will be served seven days a week for the first month, with lunch and brunch added in the coming months.
Georgetown Olive Oil Company previous storefront.
Moving: Georgetown Olive Oil Co. to M St.
Owners Emil and Hristina Merdzhanov, owners of the Georgetown Olive Oil Co., formerly at 1524 Wisconsin Ave. NW, are moving the store with its rows of bottles of extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar to 2910 M St. NW. Their new place should be open by the beginning of November. They have another location at National Harbor.
