The Latest Dish: International Flavors and Influences: Integral to D.C.
By • February 14, 2024 0 1387
From the team who brought you Bar Chinois — Dean Mosones, Mark Minicucci, Margaux Donati —comes Bar Japonais, an izakaya restaurant at 1520 14th Street NW that blends Japanese and French culinary and beverage cultures. It complements what this team did with Bar Chinois, bringing Chinese and French food and beverage dynamics to a new level. Bar Japonais is slated to open before the end of Q1 2024.
Q2 2024 Openings: Kwame Onwuachi opens Dōgon where CityZen used to be in the Salamander hotel (formerly the Mandarin), on D.C.’s SW waterfront, featuring Afro-Caribbean cuisine, leveraging Kwame’s Nigerian, Jamaican, Trinidadian and Creole roots. The name refers to Benjamin Banneker’s heritage from the West African Dōgon tribe…. Roggenart European Bakery, Bistro and Café is slated to open its first Northern Virginia store in Ballston at 4401 Wilson Blvd. They currently have four Maryland stores in Columbia, Ellicott City, Savage and Towson. Roggenart translates to “the art of Rye” in German, and specializes in coffees, breakfast sandwiches, omelets, and oven-baked melts…. From the folks who brought you Osteria Morini comes Cucina Morini, in partnership with Chef Matt Adler, at Mount Vernon Triangle at 901 4th Street NW.
From H2 Collective’s Eric and Ian Hilton, who brought you Café Colline, Chez Billy Sud, El Rey, Players Club, Parc de Ville, Solace Outpost, Brighton at The Wharf, Gee Burger, comes Bar Colline, an elegant version of French bistro Arlington fave, Café Colline. It’s slated to open in Q1 2025 at 1900 Crystal Dr. in Crystal City.
Quick Hits: Daniella Senior will open her seventh Colada Shop in the region, in Alexandria’s National Landing neighborhood. Current locations are in D.C. (The Wharf, Dupont Circle, 14th Street NW), MD (Potomac), VA (Mosaic District, Clarendon)…. Johnny Spero’s Reverie is slated to re-open in Q1 2024 at 3201 Cherry Hill Lane NW…. Hakan Ilhan’s Turkish restaurant, Alara, will open in Q3 2024 where Paolo’s Ristorante was in Georgetown.
Chef Andrew LaPortas Mussels and Morcilla. Courtesy Pesce Facebook photo.
Ashok Bajaj of Knightsbridge Restaurant Group (Bombay Club, Rasika, Rasika West End, Sababa, La Bise, Annabelle) plans to open Rosedale, featuring rustic farmhouse-type American food plus rotisserie, at 4465 Connecticut Ave., NW where Uptown Market used to be. It will have indoor seating for 100, and outdoor patio seating for 30.
Ch-Ch-Changes: Todd English’s MXDC Cocina Mexicana will relocate to 1610 14th Street NW in the Logan Circle neighborhood where Dolce Vita and its lower-level bar, Alias, used to be. MXDC is a partnership with the local hospitality group for Dupont’s Le DeSales and Baby Shank on U St NW. B Social Hospitality (Clarendon Ballroom, B Live, Coco B’s, the Lot, the Cove) is a partner in the new MXDC project.
Just Opened: Izum Isakaya, a new Japanese sushi restaurant has opened at 1832 Columbia Rd. NW in Adams Morgan…. The spirit of the legendary Pesce restaurant, founded by renowned chefs Jean Louis Palladin and Roberto Donna, rises again. Pesce Seafood House opens at 1800 Connecticut Ave. NW where Brine was, and before that, Russia House. Judita Doliveira, Brine’s former GM and a longtime Pesce employee, is the sole new operator. It seats 47 in its two dining rooms and bar, as well as a seven-seat private patio.
Linda Roth is Founder and CEO of Linda Roth Associates (LRA), a D.C.-based public relations and marketing firm that specializes in the foodservice and hospitality industries. Follow her at: @LindaRothPR; #LindaRothPR; or at Lindarothpr.com.
