Coming Soon

A regularly updated list of noteworthy restaurants slated to open soon in the D.C. area, and brief reports from the unconfirmed rumor mill.

Fresh local gossip, served unsubstantiated ...
A Mediterranean restaurant called Moros from chef Ed Witt is reportedly slated for Georgetown. ... There's talk that an upscale restaurant is building out space at 1230 Ninth St. NW. ... Now onto the confirmed news ...

• To-be-named restaurants from Local 16 owner and partners
1832 14th St. NW and 3418 11th St. NW
Details will be released soon about these two new restaurants, planned by Aman Ayoubi, owner of Local 16, and partners Eric Gronning of Gronning Architects and Doug Whipple of Whipple Farms. Local 16 is already using organic, heirloom produce from Whipple Farms, and with Doug Whipple's involvement in the new spots, I'd expect a strong farm-to-table connection.

• Yet-to-be-named seafood spot
1612 14th St. NW
Chef and sustainability advocate Barton Seaver is partnering with Eli Hengst (Blue Ridge, Sonoma) and Doug Singer to open a seafood market and restaurant on 14th Street (space pictured at right).
ETA: 2009

• Acqua al 2
212 Seventh St. SE
An outpost of this Florence, Italy-based restaurant is planned for Capitol Hill. The only other US location is in San Diego, serving dishes like bresaola carpaccio, penne with vodka sauce and veal chops sauteed in porcini mushroom sauce.
ETA: fall

• Avenue Oven
7001 Carroll Ave, Takoma Park, Md.
Chef Gillian Clark plans to open Avenue Oven, featuring American cuisine with an Eastern European accent. The chef and partner Robin Smith opened the General Store and Post Office Tavern in January, and plans are under way for the Georgia Avenue Meeting House over the Petworth Metro station (read more here).
ETA: late 2009

• Bayou Bakery
3211 Wilson Blvd.
Pastry chef David Guas (at right) has partnered with Stephen Fedorchak and Brian Normile of The Liberty Tavern to open this Southern-inspired bakery in the old Murky Coffee space. Initially, Guas will serve pressed-to-order hot sandwiches — like the French-A-Lotta with ham, salami, provolone and olive dressing and the Arm Drip with roast beef, sauteed onions, swiss cheese and gravy — along with a simplified dessert menu featuring cupcakes, blondies, heavenly hash, snoballs and soft-serve ice cream. In the fall, the bakery will add Southern pies, puddings and hot beignets.
ETA: summer

• Bibiana Osteria-Enoteca
1100 New York Ave. NW
Restaurateur Ashok Bajaj is planning to add this Italian restaurant to his impressive portfolio that already includes Rasika, Oval Room, Bombay Club, 701, Ardeo and Bardeo. The restaurant will fill the space vacated by Ristorante Luigino. Bajaj has tapped Nicholas Stefanelli, formerly of Mio, Fiamma and Maestro, to head the kitchen.
ETA: September

• Birch & Barley
1337 14th St. NW
Replacing Dakota Cowgirl is Birch & Barley, a neighborhood joint with a focus on beer. Expect upwards of 500 beers, with about 50 on draft, and two menus from chef Frank Morales (formerly Zola, currently Rustico) — one for the dining room downstairs and one for the bar, dubbed ChurchKey, upstairs. A roof deck is also being added. It's the sixth spot from the Neighborhood Restaurant Group, creators of Rustico, Buzz Bakery, Tallula, EatBar, Vermilion and Evening Star Cafe. More details here.
ETA: fall

• Buddha Bar
455 Massachusetts Ave. NW
The rumors are true. The Asian-themed Buddha Bar, known for its trendy locations in Paris, New York and Vegas' Little Buddha, will open another outpost in an expansive space downtown.
ETA: 2009

NEW • Columbia Firehouse
109 South St. Asaph St., Alexandria
The Neighborhood Restaurant Group will open the two-pronged Columbia Firehouse in a building once home to Alexandria's local fire station. The 80-seat upstairs dining room will be a chophouse featuring local beef, while the 120-seat downstairs will offer a casual menu of American comfort food, small plates and sandwiches.
ETA: summer

NEW • Confit
2016 P St. NW
Once Regine Palladin's seafood restaurant Pesce moves from its long-time digs to 2002 P St. NW (formerly Montsouris), Palladin will open Confit in its place with chef David Craig, reports Tom Sietsema. The new spot will serve small plates and charcuterie.
ETA: September

NEW • Cork Market
1805 14th St. NW
Metrocurean broke the news that Diane Gross and Khalid Pitts, owners of the popular Cork Wine Bar, have more in store for the neighborhood with Cork Market. The shop will offer all of the wines available on Cork's European list, a small selection of beer, food and specialty items, including cheese, charcuterie, jams, oils, vinegars, pasta, bread and baked goods. An open kitchen in the back will turn out sandwiches and salads to carry out, as well as some favorites off Cork's menu — chicken liver pâté, oil-cured roma tomatoes, olives, nuts. The building's second floor will house a classroom for wine programs and private events. Read more here.
ETA: fall

NEW • Cuba Libre Restaurant and Rum Bar
801 Ninth St. NW
As first reported on Metrocurean, Cuba Libre, a Cuban restaurant with locations in Philadelphia, Orlando and Atlantic City, is headed to DC. The 200-seat restaurant, which channels Old Havana circa the 1950s, will serve lunch and dinner, and plans include a large patio. The restaurants are under the culinary direction of chef Guillermo Pernot, a two-time James Beard award winner for Best Chef Mid-Atlantic during his time at Philly's ¡Pasión! and his cookbook "Ceviche: Seafood, Salads, and Cocktails with a Latino Twist."
ETA: 2010

NEW • Eola
2020 P St. NW, 202.466.4441
In the former Mark and Orlando's space, Dan Singhofen will open Eola, reports donrockwell.com. A preliminary menu online lists dishes such as Carolina rockfish with creamy corn, crispy wild rice and heirloom tomato; and pan-roasted Hereford beef with potato confit, porcini and rapini.
ETA: September

• G Street Food
1706 G St. NW
Breadline founder Mark Furstenberg is partnering with the owners of the former Ecco Cafe to transform the space into G Street Food, featuring street snacks from around the world. Read more on the GOG Blog and Young and Hungry.
ETA: August

NEW • Galileo III
600 14th St. NW
Chef Roberta Donna has signed a lease to take over the former Butterfield 9 space and resurrect Galileo.
ETA: October

NEW • Hill Country
410 Seventh St. NW
Tom Sietsema reports that Manhattan barbecue joint Hill Country is headed to DC next year. On the NY menu: brisket, beer can game hen, ribs, baked beans, chipotle deviled eggs and PB&J cupcakes. The 250-seat restaurant will also feature live music.
ETA: July 2010

• Kora
2250 Crystal Dr., Arlington
Chef Morou Ouattara plans to open a casual Italian restaurant in the space vacated by Bebo. His other restaurant Farrah Olivia was slated to lose its lease but will remain open for now.
ETA: summer

NEW • Kushi
465 K St. NW
A new Japanese Izakaya-style restaurant is slated to open this fall at 465 K St. NW in the City Vista building. Kushi will serve sushi, regional Japanese food and Kushiyaki — skewers of meat, seafood, poultry and vegetables grilled over open flames. An open kitchen will feature grills for the Kushiyaki and a robata fire pit for grilling whole fish and large cuts of meats. Read more here.
ETA: fall

NEW • Masa 14
1825 14th St. NW
Kaz Okochi of Kaz Sushi Bistro and Richard Sandoval of Zengo (and more restaurants around the country) are partnering on this 14th Street restaurant with Latif Guler of Jack's in Dupont Circle. The new spot will serve Latin-Asian food. Read more here.
ETA: September

NEW • Plume
Jefferson Hotel, 1200 16th St. NW
Executive chef Damon Gordon, whose resume includes stints at Alain Ducasse’s Mix in New York City and the Michelin-starred Waterside Inn in his native UK, will preside over the kitchen at Plume in the newly renovated Jefferson Hotel. HotelChatter got a preview of the menu, including steak tartar, chilled tomato consommé and hot passion fruit soufflé. Guests will dine beneath a 1923 vaulted skylight rediscovered during the hotel’s renovation.
ETA: August

• Ris Restaurant
2275 L St. NW
Ris Lacoste, who earned her stellar reputation as former executive chef of 1789, plans to open her long-awaited restaurant next spring. Look for a sizable patio and 170 seats inside.
ETA: 2009

• Room 11
3234 11th St. NW
This Columbia Heights wine bar plans to offer cheese, charcuterie, desserts and of course wine in the former 11th Street Deli space.
ETA: summer

NEW • Scion
2100 P St. NW
From donrockwell.com comes details about Scion, moving into the old Cafe Tropé space. Joanne Liu, whose family runs Jenny's Asian Fusion on the Southwest waterfront, and partners plan to open this restaurant as a "tribute to how our restaurant family has evolved from takeout Chinese to sit down Chinese to modern Asian and now modern American."
ETA: summer

• South by Southwest
Mandarin Oriental, 1330 Maryland Ave. SW
The Mandarin's Cafe MoZU will close this summer and relaunch as South by Southwest, offering American fare at lower prices. Read more here.
ETA: summer

• Wagamama
418 Seventh St. NW
Signs are now up in the window heralding the arrival of this popular UK-based noodle restaurant, opening in Penn Quarter.
ETA: May 2010

For more news on DC openings, click here. Have a restaurant you think should be added to the list? Email me at metrocurean AT gmail DOT com.