Food

Kate Oczypok • June 9, 2016

Now open near the convention center: a bakery offering your childhood favorites, made from scratch.

Gary Tischler • June 6, 2016

The popular brothers Shahab and Maziar Farivar are pioneers of D.C.’s restaurant scene.

Georgetowner • May 9, 2016

In case anyone asks, the Cinco de Mayo holiday commemorates the victory — on May 5, 1862 — of the greatly outnumbered Mexican army over the French at the battle of Puebla. But most people will be too busy drinking margaritas to delve deeper. Instead, drink deeper, at the following locations:

El Centro D.F., 1218 Wisconsin Ave. NW

Georgetown’s Mexican outpost is putting out a $20 bottomless buffet, with tacos, enchiladas, fajitas, tostadas and churros. $6 margaritas and $5 Mexican beers.

L2 Lounge, 3315 Cady’s Alley NW

Doors open at 6 p.m. for a night of fundraising to support the victims of the earthquake in Ecuador. Happy hour specials, party favors and a DJ spinning Latin music.

Malmaison, 3401 Water St. NW

Malmaison DC and promotional partner IgniteDMV present a Cinco de Mayo Experience with a sangria bar, delicious food and desserts, stilt walkers, a mariachi band and a DJ. Tickets are $25. For tickets, visit eventbrite.com.

Morton’s The Steakhouse, 3251 Prospect St. NW

A Casa Noble brand ambassador will be at Morton’s for a Make Your Own Margarita & Tequila Tasting. Tickets are $60. For tickets, visit eventbrite.com.

And this Saturday…

Running of the Chihuahuas, The Wharf, 600 Water St. SW

Watch 96 chihuahuas race for the finish line as you sip a Mexican beer and order from food trucks between 1 and 4 p.m. All proceeds from the race will go to Rural Dog Rescue, a group that saves dogs from high-kill shelters.

Juliana Zovak •

District Doughnut announced on April 26 via Twitter that the company is about to pop up in Cady’s Alley.

According to a report by Eater DC, the pop-up will temporarily fill a vacancy at 3327 Cady’s Alley NW, in a part of Georgetown known for its furniture and design stores.

The company recently posted a photo to its Instagram account of construction work on the Georgetown site. The countertops are handcrafted oak with wood from an old Maryland barn. Another Instagram post announced that the Georgetown location will also offer espresso drinks.

District Doughnut serves fresh, handcrafted doughnuts with creative flavor combinations, such as fluffernutter and chocolate crème brûlée. Founded by two D.C. natives, the company opened its first store in 2014 on Barracks Row.

This will not be the Georgetown debut of the sought-after doughnuts, which often make an appearance at the weekly Wedneday farmers’ market on the Georgetown University campus.

Georgetowner • May 4, 2016

Dick Talbot has sold Rumors Bar & Grill, his iconic landmark saloon in downtown D.C. at 19th and M Street. The new owner is Pat Morrough, who has also owned Quarterdeck Restaurant in Rosslyn, Virginia, for the past four years. Does this mean there will be a new place to get steamed crabs in downtown D.C.?

Manhattan Proper, a New York-based “elevated sports bar with updated eats,” has leased the 1319 F Street space where Finemondo used to be and plans to open a D.C. version of its popular sports bar and restaurant: Proper 21.

Mike and Donna Anderson, along with their business partner Bill Blackburn, have formed Homegrown Restaurant Group. They plan to open Whiskey & Oyster in the Carlyle development in Alexandria, where the U.S Patent and Trademark Office is. The 100-seat seafood restaurant will feature a raw bar and an outdoor patio with 50 seats. They also own and operate Pork Barrel BBQ, Sushi Bar, Holy Cow and Sweet Fire Donna’s.

Openings Updates: Buttercream Bakeshop, by Tiffany MacIsaac and her partner Alexandra Mudry-Hill, is expected to be open before the end of May in the ever popular Shaw neighborhood at 1250 9th St. NW … Not Your Average Joe’s is slated to open in Silver Spring’s Ellsworth Place by mid-June … Chuy’s in Sterling just opened … Dave & Buster’s just opened in Capitol Heights, Maryland … Newly opened, Ashlar, is the restaurant that replaced The Grille in the newly renovated Morrison House hotel … Eric Ziebold and Celia Laurent’s restaurant, Metier, was slated to open April 26 at 1015 7th St. NW, below its sister operation, Kinship. The 36-seat restaurant offers a seven-course menu for $200, plus beverages … Hakan Ilhan’s Ottoman Taverna, a nod to his native Turkey, will have Chef Ilhan Erkek, who opened The Ritz-Carlton in Istanbul, at the helm in the kitchen.

Linda Roth is president of Linda Roth Associates, a public relations and marketing firm that specializes in the hospitality industry, providing creative connections through media relations, marketing initiatives, community outreach and special events. Reach her at: Linda@LindaRothPR.com or lindarothpr.com or #LindaRothPR.

Georgetowner • April 21, 2016

Click here to read the French Market preview in this week’s Georgetowner.

Georgetowner • April 20, 2016

Recently, I had the pleasure of interviewing one of America’s great chefs at his Washington, D.C., restaurant: Bourbon Steak, located in the Four Seasons Hotel.

Michael Mina was in town to try out some pop-up recipes and menu items for a new restaurant concept on the West Coast: Middle’terranea, a passion project of Mina and chef-partner Adam Sobel.

The pop-ups on the Bourbon Steak menu will include dishes inspired by the background of each of the chefs. Mina was born in Egypt and Sobel has roots on both sides of the Mediterranean. With a strong desire to explore that heritage while cooking food that is close to their hearts, the duo is looking to combine the flavors of Israeli, Turkish, Egyptian and Lebanese cuisine with California’s farm-to-table approach.

With this new concept, Mina is going back to his roots. Though he left Egypt for Ellensburg, Washington, at an early age, Mina learned — from his mother’s cooking and from family meals — all about traditional dishes, especially the importance of the spices used in her recipes.

“My mother cooked Middle Eastern dishes using locally sourced ingredients, products that were fresh and authentically healthy,” recalls Mina. “Early on in my career I followed my mother’s lead to support local farms, local ingredients and fresh, sustainable food.”

Two dishes currently on Bourbon Steak’s menu are Brokaw avocado with pickled hot peppers, summer vegetables, fried walnuts, kataifi (a sweet pastry), schug (a green sauce) and fried cauliflower and crispy chicken-skin hummus, roasted garlic, dried cherries and fresh marjoram.

Two new Middle’terranea dishes will be introduced in the coming weeks, replacing the previous menu choices. To find out more about particular menu items and their availability, call Bourbon Steak at 202-944-2026. [gallery ids="102409,122229" nav="thumbs"]

Georgetowner • April 8, 2016

Who said voting during the 2016 campaign is no longer fun?

At least one Georgetown sandwich joint, Gtown Bites, owned by Nasser Zakikhani, has a sense of humor about this year’s electoral politics. “We’re getting some media attention from our GTB Burger Poll 2016,” Zakikhani said.

Gtown Bites at 3206 O St. NW is offering dueling hamburger specials — one for those voting Democratic and another for those voting Republican — and each at the same price: $13.95.

The R-Burger (double cheeseburger, topped with bacon, sexy fries and a can of soda) is “made in America by documented workers.”

The D-Burger (cheeseburger, sexy fries and a can of soda) is also “made in America by documented worker.” Alas, that’s half the size with no bacon, but $3 will be “donated to your choice of the following: Central Union Mission, Martha’s Table, House of Ruth — or the Trump campaign.”

That is Zakikhani’s idea of a joke. So far, the Republicans are beating the Democrats by 13 to 10 — and you can spin that tally any way you want. (Stay tuned: There will be an update when the final votes come in.)

Georgetowner • April 6, 2016

Ivy City Tavern, is for now, a 45-seat tavern, serving tavern food above Ivy City Smokehouse and retail fish market at 1356 Okie St. NE in the Ivy City neighborhood. It’s owned by Greg Casten and Ronnie Goodman. Greg is better known for his company just around the corner for the past 25 years, ProFish. It’s an emerging neighborhood, so the plan is for it to become a full-service restaurant at the right time. Its huge rooftop lends itself as an ideal spot to eat steamed crabs and drink beer on warm summer evenings. There is also an indoor private dining room adjoining the patio. It’s a seafood market and a tavern, soon to become a restaurant and a private dining venue with a potential 225-person capacity.

PN Hoffman and Madison Marquette’s Southwest waterfront development, The Wharf, will also have a very large Spanish seafood restaurant called Del Mar by Fabio and Maria Trabocchi (Fiola, Fiola Mare and Casa Luca). Maria’s Spanish heritage and influence will take front and center here. The 11,500-square-foot two-level restaurant will include a significant outdoor patio space with waterside cabanas. Included is a private dining room, wine cellar and bar. Opening is targeted for the fourth quarter of 2017.

Just Opened: Tim Ma and Joey Hernandez recently opened Kyirisan, serving Asian-French food at 1924 8th St. NW in Shaw. It has catchy menu categories: “in the ground,” “on the ground” and “under the water.” Michael Schlow’s Alta Strada also just opened at City Vista at 465 K St. NW under the culinary supervision of Chef Michael Zentner, who relocated from Boston. Plans call for Conosci, a crudo bar to open later in the season, along with a patio.

Andrew Evans of The BBQ Joint, joins Ian and Eric Hilton to open a summer-camp themed bar in the old Maurice Electric Building at 500 Penn St. NE, an area made cool by Union Market. The casual restaurant will serve summer camp staples as well as “better” summer camp staples, such as grilled (better) cheese on bread baked at Lyon Bakery.

Chef Update: Angel Franco, formerly of minibar and Maketto, is the new executive chef at Compass Rose. Dennis Fieldman will be the chef at Flavio Italian restaurant, which replaces Paper Moon at 1073 31st St. NW in Georgetown. It will continue with the same ownership.

CCChanges: The Majestic will reopen in May under the direction of Chef Gaby Hakman, most recently of Miami. Alexandria Restaurant Partners is renovating and will relaunch as a new concept. Mason & Rook replaces Hotel Helix by Kimpton. Chef Jonathan Dearden, formerly of Ardeo & Bardeo, heads up the kitchen at Mason & Rook’s new restaurant, Radiator. The adjoining bar will feature craft cocktails. An April opening is planned. Kimpton is renovating the rooftop to offer cocktails and light fare, poolside.

Quick Hits: Kapnos Kouzina opens in 4900 Hampden Lane in Bethesda Row in partnership with chef George Pagonis. George Kennedy, formerly of Rhino Bar in Georgetown, plans to open The Spirits of 76 in Clarendon where Taste of Morocco used to be on Washington Blvd. His partner is Patrick Doody formerly of O’Sullivan’s Irish Pub (next door). Chuy’s plans to open its fourth location in the metro area (they have locations in Fairfax, Springfield and Woodbridge), in Sterling at the beginning of May.

Social Restaurant Group plans to open Bonfire this month at the two-level building at 1132 19th St. NW where Famous Luigi’s used to be. Fire appears to be a prevailing theme as their light fixtures are fire hydrants, matchstick art adorns the walls, and with fire hoses for décor. Fire inspires the menu too, with charred hangar steak and s’mores. The chef is R.L. Boyd and the pastry chef is Ellen Diekemper.

Kudos: Congratulations to Jacques Haeringer and the Haeringer family on the 40th anniversary of renowned L’Auberge Chez Francois.

Linda Roth is president of Linda Roth Associates, a public relations and marketing firm that specializes in the hospitality industry, providing creative connections through media relations, marketing initiatives, community outreach and special events. Reach her at: Linda@LindaRothPR.com or lindarothpr.com or #LindaRothPR.

Robert Devaney • March 30, 2016

For Georgetown, it’s not so much that the town competes with downtown D.C., as demonstrated by the fancy places at the City Center, but that it is competing with the rest of the world. Luckily for Washington, D.C.’s oldest neighborhood, as several surveys indicate, when people visit the nation’s capital, they want to see the White House, the National Mall … and Georgetown.

When asked about putting the Sovereign in an alley next to the intersection of Wisconsin Avenue and M Street, Greg Engert of the Neighborhood Restaurant Group told the Washington Post, “People ask, ‘Why are you opening in Georgetown?’ Why not? It’s a beautiful neighborhood, and I think there’s a great clientele who want to drink great beer there. Frankly, not every new place has to open on 14th Street or in Shaw in 2016.”

Business owners face a mountain of challenges getting restaurants open, whether construction work, schedules, finances, neighborhood concerns or government red tape. In Georgetown, there are also the requirements of a historic district and the condition of its old buildings — and necessary approvals by the Old Georgetown Board and the neighbors.

By April 9, the 27-year-old moratorium on additional liquor licenses in Georgetown will finally expire — allowing for more new spots. Where to put these new places seems problematic: Is there enough vacant space? [See accompanying chart.]

Restaurants still face D.C.’s own bureaucratic hurdles. At-large Councilmember David Grosso introduced a bill to the District Council to support small businesses and lighten the bureaucratic load — and that includes restaurants. He sees the D.C. government as an obstacle to business, making them waste time and money. “This bill will alleviate some government-imposed burdens on our city’s businesses,” Grosso said. “The Local Business Support Amendment Act makes important changes to better align the District of Columbia with neighboring jurisdictions and help our local businesses flourish.”

It seems that many stars are aligning to help get more star restaurants in old and new Georgetown — and we can dream, after all. The town is well aware that you have to be hip and of your time — and right on time. Again.
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