The Latest Dish: Western Market Opening in Foggy Bottom

Western Market, a 12,300 square-foot food hall at 2000 Pennsylvania Ave, NW in Foggy Bottom is slated to open in Q3 2021. Food vendors include: Alitiko: Greek street food; Arepa Zone: Venezuelan menu; Bandoola Bowl: flavors inspired by Burma, Vietnam, and Thailand; Capo Deli: Italian deli; Nim Ali: Guatemalan street food; Onkei: sushi and Japanese comfort food; RAWish: healthy food care of Baltimore’s Gangster Vegan; Roaming Rooster: fried chicken sandwiches; Tigerella: an all-day cafe from the folks who brought you Ellē; Captain Cookie & the Milkman: cookies (need we say more?); and, Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls. With multiple entrances and expansive outdoor patio seating, it brings a variety of food options to the folks working at the nearby World Bank and George Washington University. Tzurit Or’s Boston-based Tatte Bakery & Cafe is continuing its expansion into the D.C. metro area.

Next up: CityCenterDC where Momofuku and Milk Bar (over 10,000 square feet) used to be. The 177-seat bakery and cafe will operate on the main floor, while the lower-level space works well as a commissary and commercial kitchen that will make baked goods for all its locations in the metro area, including 1200 New Hampshire Ave. NW, D.C., 1301 Connecticut Ave. NW, D.C., and 7276 Wisconsin Ave. in Bethesda. 

Stephen Starr, of D.C.’s Le Diplomate and St. Anselm, plans to open an Italian restaurant and 1000 square-foot Italian market in the former Dean & DeLuca space in Georgetown on M Street, NW. The plan includes California chef and baker extraordinaire Nancy Silverton of Osteria Mozza and Pizzeria Mozza and founder of La Brea Bakery. Due diligence is being done to add a wine cellar bar in the basement. 

Chef Update: Phil Marzelli is executive chef at the newly renovated and reopened Ristorante Tosca at 1112 F Street, NW in downtown D.C. Previously, he was executive chef at Fabio Trabocchi’s Casa Luca, which became Sfoglina downtown… Jonathan De Paz was named executive chef at the Sofitel Washington, DC Lafayette Square. Previously, he was the chef de cuisine for Primrose in Washington DC…. Alicia Wang is the executive pastry chef for the Line hotel in Adams Morgan. She had been a pastry chef for A Rake’s Progress, one of the hotel’s restaurants…. Tyler Stout is the executive chef at Ashok Bajaj’s new French restaurant, La Bise, where The Oval Room used to be in downtown D.C. Tyler comes from Troquet on South in Boston. He also worked at Macon Bistro & Larder.  

The Line DC hotel plans to open No Goodbyes restaurant, replacing the four restaurants that had been there. It will serve meals for all day parts. Patrick “Opie” Crooks, the former executive chef at A Rake’s Progress, oversees the kitchen. Opie also worked at Jeremiah Langhorne’s The Dabney. No Goodbyes will take over Brothers & Sisters on the main floor of the hotel. Sit-down service will occur at dinner. A Rake’s Progress’s upstairs space is now a venue space.   

Margaux Riccio and Shaun Sharkey are targeting Q4 2021 to open Bubbie’s Plant Burgers and Fizz at 2412 18th Street, NW in the heart of Adams Morgan. The certified Kosher classic diner was born as a pop up out of Rock & Roll Hotel on H Street, NE. It will seat 100 indoors, with an outdoor patio and lower level (aka basement) space for private parties. The partners also own Pow Pow (vegan) and Plant Food Lab, a plant-based testing center. Beverage director Mick Perrigo, formerly of Left Door, will oversee the creative bar program.   

Quick Hits: Debby Portillo and Fernando González opened 2Fifty Texas BBQ at Union Market. The first one is in Riverdale Park in Prince George’s County…. Jon Taffer, host of “Bar Rescue” is partnering with Cuisine Solutions to open Taffer’s Tavern at 700 Sixth Street, NW in Penn Quarter by end of Q4 2021… P.F. Chang’s To Go, for off-premise takeout/delivery, plans to open several locations in the D.C. metro area, the first in Lafayette Center, 1120 20th Street, NW. It’s slated to open Q4 2021. 

Just Opened: El Secreto de Rosita (1624 U Street, NW) opened where Chi-Cha Lounge used to be. It’s still owned by Mauricio Fraga-Rosenfeld (Latin Concepts) — and still has Chi-Cha fries. Still Peruvian themed, with executive chef Eugene Perret, a native of Peru, at the helm. Alan Cabrera is the beverage director for the redesigned bar. He’s a veteran of Lettuce Entertain You. (LEYE) and Fabio Trabocchi restaurants… Sommelier extraordinaire Elli Benchimol opened Apéro, a Champagne and caviar bar at 2622 P Street NW in Georgetown. It’s open all day and seats 45 inside and accommodates 16 on the patio…. Emmy Squared opened at Navy Yard at 1300 4th Street, SE D.C. They currently have a store in Shaw, with a new one slated for Old Town, Alexandria in early Q3 at 124 King Street where Pizzeria Paradiso used to be…. Ismael Mendez opened Qui Qui at 1539 7^th Street, NW in Shaw, specializing in foods from Puerto Rico.  

Linda Roth is Founder & CEO of Linda Roth Associates (LRA), a DC-based public relations & marketing firm that specializes in the foodservice and hospitality industries. Follow her at: @LindaRothPR #LindaRothPR or www.lindarothpr.com