Food

Kate Oczypok • July 1, 2016

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

Linda Roth • June 22, 2016

Michael Schlow continues to build his restaurant empire in D.C. He will open Casolare in the newly renovated Glover …

Robert Devaney • June 10, 2016

Last month, the Rosewood took over the luxe hotel on 31st Street, next to the C&O Canal, which once …

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"]