New Openings
Noteworthy openings in the D.C. area in the past six months ...
NEW • Againn
1099 New York Ave. NW, 202.297.0601
The first restaurant concept from the Whisk Group, Againn is a British gastropub featuring an extensive selection of single-malt scotch and beer. Executive chef Wesley Morton sources organic, seasonal and certified humane ingredients for his menu, which includes such dishes as cast iron roasted hanger steak with bone marrow persillade; Tamworth pork belly with heirloom apples, cabbage and crackling; grilled rockfish with baked lentils and pork hock; and fish and chips served with mushy peas and sauce gribiche.
The bar at Bibiana.
Photo: Greg Powers
NEW • Bibiana Osteria-Enoteca
1100 New York Ave. NW, 202.216.9550
Restaurateur Ashok Bajaj opened this Italian restaurant in early September — adding to his impressive portfolio that already includes Rasika, Oval Room, Bombay Club, 701, Ardeo and Bardeo. Nicholas Stefanelli, formerly of Mio, Fiamma and Maestro, heads the kitchen.
NEW • Birch & Barley, ChurchKey
1337 14th St. NW, 202.567.2576
After being plagued by construction delays, Michael Babin and the Neighborhood Restaurant Group opened Birch & Barley and ChurchKey in mid-October. The husband-and-wife team of Kyle Bailey (Allen & Delancey, Blue Hill at Stone Barns) and Tiffany MacIsaac (Allen & Delancey, Cru) have the kitchen covered — he's exec chef, she's the pastry chef. Upstairs from Birch & Barley will be a beer aficionado's haven: a 3,200-square-foot beer bar pouring more than 500 beers, with about 50 on draft and five hand-pumped, cask conditioned ales.
Blackfinn's porkopolis burger, topped with pulled pork, honey cured ham, sliced sweet pickles, coleslaw and applewood smoked bacon.
NEW • BlackFinn
1620 I St. NW, 202.429.4350
BlackFinn American Saloon, with seven other locations nationwide, opened near the White House in September. The new spot offers a menu of classic American comfort food, including a salt-prepared prime rib with homemade horseradish, a blue cheese wedge topped with spicy buffalo chicken tenders, flatbread pizzas, and a line-up of burgers. Plenty of TVs make it easy to catch a game.
NEW • Kellari Taverna
1700 K St. NW, 202-535-5274
An outpost of this New York-based restaurant opened on K Street in October. Kellari specializes in traditional Greek fare and seafood, sourced from Mediterranean and Atlantic coast. The fish is sold by the pound, grilled whole and served tableside.
NEW • Masa 14
1825 14th St. NW, 202.328.1414
Kaz Okochi of Kaz Sushi Bistro and Richard Sandoval of Zengo (and more restaurants around the country) are partnering on this 14th Street restaurant that opened in October. The new 100-seat spot serves Latin-Asian small plates. Antonio Burrell, formerly of CommonWealth and Vidalia, has been tapped as chef de cuisine. The space includes a 74-seat bar and lounge area and a private dining room.
NEW • Sou'Wester
Mandarin Oriental, 1330 Maryland Ave. SW
CityZen chef Eric Ziebold unveiled his new casual Southern restaurant, Sou'Wester, in mid September. Chef Rachael Harriman is heading the kitchen. On the new spot's homey Southern-inspired menu: blackened bluefish with Cajun rice, fried chicken with coleslaw, chicken and dumplings, sautéed perch with Old Bay chowder, poached egg with creamed grits and sweetbreads, and sides like beer-battered onion rings, hush puppies with honey butter and tater tots. The cocktail menu features drinks based around fruit, herb and spiced nectars. Get more deets here.
NEW • Room 11
3234 11th St. NW, 202.332.3234
This Columbia Heights wine bar, which opened in August, gets the neighborhood joint thing right. The menu is simple but interesting enough to hit up regularly. A selection of paninis runs $10, there's cheese and charcuterie, and small bites to fill in the gaps. The thoughtful wine list's by-the-glass choices start at a bargain $6 and top out at $12. The place was created by owners Nick Pimentel, Ben Gilligan, Dan Searing and Paul Ruppert.
• Blue RidgeNEW • Againn
1099 New York Ave. NW, 202.297.0601
The first restaurant concept from the Whisk Group, Againn is a British gastropub featuring an extensive selection of single-malt scotch and beer. Executive chef Wesley Morton sources organic, seasonal and certified humane ingredients for his menu, which includes such dishes as cast iron roasted hanger steak with bone marrow persillade; Tamworth pork belly with heirloom apples, cabbage and crackling; grilled rockfish with baked lentils and pork hock; and fish and chips served with mushy peas and sauce gribiche.
The bar at Bibiana.Photo: Greg Powers
NEW • Bibiana Osteria-Enoteca
1100 New York Ave. NW, 202.216.9550
Restaurateur Ashok Bajaj opened this Italian restaurant in early September — adding to his impressive portfolio that already includes Rasika, Oval Room, Bombay Club, 701, Ardeo and Bardeo. Nicholas Stefanelli, formerly of Mio, Fiamma and Maestro, heads the kitchen.
NEW • Birch & Barley, ChurchKey
1337 14th St. NW, 202.567.2576
After being plagued by construction delays, Michael Babin and the Neighborhood Restaurant Group opened Birch & Barley and ChurchKey in mid-October. The husband-and-wife team of Kyle Bailey (Allen & Delancey, Blue Hill at Stone Barns) and Tiffany MacIsaac (Allen & Delancey, Cru) have the kitchen covered — he's exec chef, she's the pastry chef. Upstairs from Birch & Barley will be a beer aficionado's haven: a 3,200-square-foot beer bar pouring more than 500 beers, with about 50 on draft and five hand-pumped, cask conditioned ales.
Blackfinn's porkopolis burger, topped with pulled pork, honey cured ham, sliced sweet pickles, coleslaw and applewood smoked bacon. NEW • BlackFinn
1620 I St. NW, 202.429.4350
BlackFinn American Saloon, with seven other locations nationwide, opened near the White House in September. The new spot offers a menu of classic American comfort food, including a salt-prepared prime rib with homemade horseradish, a blue cheese wedge topped with spicy buffalo chicken tenders, flatbread pizzas, and a line-up of burgers. Plenty of TVs make it easy to catch a game.
NEW • Kellari Taverna
1700 K St. NW, 202-535-5274
An outpost of this New York-based restaurant opened on K Street in October. Kellari specializes in traditional Greek fare and seafood, sourced from Mediterranean and Atlantic coast. The fish is sold by the pound, grilled whole and served tableside.
NEW • Masa 14
1825 14th St. NW, 202.328.1414
Kaz Okochi of Kaz Sushi Bistro and Richard Sandoval of Zengo (and more restaurants around the country) are partnering on this 14th Street restaurant that opened in October. The new 100-seat spot serves Latin-Asian small plates. Antonio Burrell, formerly of CommonWealth and Vidalia, has been tapped as chef de cuisine. The space includes a 74-seat bar and lounge area and a private dining room.
NEW • Sou'Wester
Mandarin Oriental, 1330 Maryland Ave. SW
CityZen chef Eric Ziebold unveiled his new casual Southern restaurant, Sou'Wester, in mid September. Chef Rachael Harriman is heading the kitchen. On the new spot's homey Southern-inspired menu: blackened bluefish with Cajun rice, fried chicken with coleslaw, chicken and dumplings, sautéed perch with Old Bay chowder, poached egg with creamed grits and sweetbreads, and sides like beer-battered onion rings, hush puppies with honey butter and tater tots. The cocktail menu features drinks based around fruit, herb and spiced nectars. Get more deets here.
NEW • Room 11
3234 11th St. NW, 202.332.3234
This Columbia Heights wine bar, which opened in August, gets the neighborhood joint thing right. The menu is simple but interesting enough to hit up regularly. A selection of paninis runs $10, there's cheese and charcuterie, and small bites to fill in the gaps. The thoughtful wine list's by-the-glass choices start at a bargain $6 and top out at $12. The place was created by owners Nick Pimentel, Ben Gilligan, Dan Searing and Paul Ruppert.
2340 Wisconsin Ave. NW, 202.333.4004
Eli Hengst and Jared Rager, creators of Sonoma and Redwood, have opened Blue Ridge in the former Busara space in Glover Park. The restaurant focuses on seasonal food, sourced locally with sustainability advocate Barton Seaver manning the kitchen. On the menu: fried catfish with sorrel aioli and chow-chow frisee herb salad; wood pork chop with red-eye gravy and parmesan-potato salad; roasted butternut squash with poached egg and chorizo vinaigrette; and Piedmont pork meatloaf with buttermilk mashed potatoes and smoked tomato. The space offers a farmhouse-inspired outdoor patio with a fish pond, an antique oak bar that seats 14, and a 75-seat dining room with reclaimed church pews. Wine director Brian Cook is spearheading the restaurant’s wine list which includes 50 bottles under $50 and some vintages produced in the shadow of the Blue Ridge.
• Cava
527 Eighth St. SE
A second outpost of this Greek restaurant in Rockville, Md., opened on Barracks Row in April. You can now find their line of hummus, harissa and more at Whole Foods.
• Cedar
822 E St. NW, 202.637.0012
Cedar opened in May in Penn Quarter. Chef Andy Kitko (formerly Redwood) turns out dishes like wild king salmon with shell bean ragout and spring onions and herb-crusted pork tenderloin with braised swiss chard and applewood bacon.
• Chef Geoff's Tysons
8045 Leesburg Pike, Vienna, Va.
Geoff Tracy opened his fifth restaurant — the third Chef Geoff's — in the space vacated by Colvin Run Tavern in June.
• Columbia Firehouse
109 South St. Asaph St., Alexandria, 703.683.1776
The Neighborhood Restaurant Group has opened the two-pronged Columbia Firehouse in a building once home to Alexandria's local fire station. The 80-seat upstairs dining room is a chophouse featuring local beef, while the 120-seat downstairs will offer a casual menu of American comfort food, small plates and sandwiches.
• Eatonville
2121 14th St. NW, 202.332.9672
This new Southern-inspired restaurant, named for Zora Neale Hurston's Florida hometown, opened in May right across the street from its big brother, Busboys and Poets. Owner Andy Shallal auditioned chefs for the Southern restaurant, and the City Paper's Tim Carman chronicled the competition.
• Eola
2020 P St. NW, 202.466.4441
In the former Mark and Orlando's space, chef Dan Singhofen opened Eola in September. On the menu: Coho salmon crudo, rockfish with creamy corn, crispy wild rice and heirloom tomato; and pan-roasted Hereford beef with potato confit, porcini and rapini.
• G Street Food
1706 G St. NW
Breadline founder Mark Furstenberg partnered 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.
J&G Steakhouse's dining room.• J&G Steakhouse
W Hotel, 515 15th St. NW, 202.661.2440
Famed chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten has partnered with Starwood Hotels to open dozens of restaurants in properties all over the world. The latest, J&G Steakhouse, in DC's gorgeous new W Hotel, which opened July 8 in the old Hotel Washington.
- Chef Morou Ouattara's Kora is now open in Crystal City.
- • Kora
2250 Crystal Dr., Arlington
Chef Morou Ouattara has opened a casual Italian restaurant in the space vacated by Bebo. His brother, Amadou, is heading up the menu, which features Italian classics like linguine with clams, lasagne with Bolognese sauce, pork shank osso bucco and wood-fired pizzas.
The Jefferson hotel, 1200 16th St. NW, 202.448.2322
Executive chef Damon Gordon, whose résumé includes stints at Alain Ducasse’s Mix in New York City and the Michelin-starred Waterside Inn in his native UK, presides over the kitchen at Plume in the newly renovated Jefferson Hotel. The seasonal menu offers dishes like Maryland crab risotto, roasted foie gras ravioli, filet of dry aged beef with herbed bone marrow. Quill, the hotel's bar, features signature cocktails like the Dipsy martini with Chartreuse Verte, Pernod, Noilly Prat, vodka and caramelized orange peel, and the Papaya, Pepper and Prosecco with fresh papaya, orange, lime, white pepper and prosecco.
• Point of View
W Hotel, 515 15th St. NW
The former Hotel Washington Sky Terrace, with its stunning views, has been transformed into a super chic bar and lounge dubbed Point of View at the new W Hotel. The cocktail program was created by Sasha Petraske of Manhattan's famed Milk and Honey and Little Branch and DC's own Justin Guthrie, formerly behind the bar at Central. The inside bar features picture windows framing the Washington Monument and an Alice in Wonderland-esque decor of red, white and black. The terrace features its own bar and one of the best views in DC. The menu serves up hits from Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Spice Market and other restaurants, including samosas, beef satay and watermelon goat cheese salad.• Policy
1904 14th St. NW, 202.731.7700
A building that used to house leaky, run-down junk shops on 14th Street has been demolished, and in its place is an impressive new space home to Policy. A seasonal American menu — pappardelle with spring peas and morels, crispy pork belly with Virginia honey-ginger glaze — is crafted by chef Brian Murphy, formerly of L'Auberge Chez Francois.
Potenza opened in March at 15th and H streets.Photo by CORE Group
15th and H streets NW, 202.638.4444
The Stir Food Group, also of Zola and Zola Wine and Kitchen, opened this rustic Italian restaurant and bakery in the Woodward building in March. Executive chef Bryan Moscatello traveled around Italy for the menu's inspiration, and chef de cuisine Anthony Acinapura heads the kitchen on a daily basis. The 175-seat restaurant features a salumi counter, raw bar, 6,000-pound pizza oven, a roomy bar and a bakery with a separate entrance, creating breads, pastas and desserts for the dining room. Read more here.
• Scion
2100 P St. NW, 202.833.8899
Joanne and Julie Liu, whose family runs Jenny's Asian Fusion on the Southwest waterfront, opened this restaurant on P Street in August. The menu offers American cooking with a few Asian influences, including spicy chicken wings, edamame hummus, burgers, steak frites and crispy ginger soy cod.
Clifton's new Trummer's on Main• Trummer's on Main
7134 Main St., Clifton, Va., 703.266.1623
Stefan and Victoria Trummer, veterans of New York's restaurant scene, opened this 210-seat restaurant in July. They hired chef Clayton Miller (formerly of Norman's in Orlando, The French Laundry and Daniel) to craft the "creative American" menu, which includes dishes such as vanilla braised pork brisket with rhubarb and cherry leaf and pan-roasted rockfish with braised pole beans and tomato soffritto. Read more here.
7134 Main St., Clifton, Va., 703.266.1623
Stefan and Victoria Trummer, veterans of New York's restaurant scene, opened this 210-seat restaurant in July. They hired chef Clayton Miller (formerly of Norman's in Orlando, The French Laundry and Daniel) to craft the "creative American" menu, which includes dishes such as vanilla braised pork brisket with rhubarb and cherry leaf and pan-roasted rockfish with braised pole beans and tomato soffritto. Read more here.
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