Latest Dish: November 19, 2014


Hakan Ilhan plans to open L’Hommage Bistro Francais at the m.flats apartment building at 450 K Street NW. The restaurateur also owns Al Dente near Tenleytown on New Mexico Ave. NW and Alba Osteria in NoMa at 425 Eye St. NW, as well as Bistro Atelier, a French restaurant at Dulles International Airport. He first entered the restaurant scene with his Pizza Autentica pizzerias. This new French restaurant in the Mount Vernon Triangle area includes a full-service bistro with a bakery and quick serve café. Private dining space is also available in the 220-seat restaurant.

José Andrés plans to expand his relationship with George Washington University beyond teaching, lecturing and giving commencement addresses. The next step is a restaurant (shocker), a fast casual concept called Beefsteak, which focuses on vegetables. Yes, the name appears to be incongruous with vegetables, but José is not your typical restaurateur. It will be located at 22nd and Eye streets NW on campus, in the new science and engineering building.

Claudia Rivas, who is a chef/owner of Brasas Rotisserie & Grill in Waldorf, plans to open Claudia’s Steakhouse in downtown D.C. at 1501 K St. NW this spring with new business partner Charles Adams. Think steaks and – closer to her roots – ceviche. It will seat 288 with private dining rooms for up to 100 people.

UK-based Carluccio’s plans to open their first US outpost in Old Town Alexandria at 100 King St. (the site of many fine restaurants). They also plan to open at the new Southwest Waterfront project. Although the restaurant hails from the UK, the founder Antonio Carluccio is from Salerno in the southern part of Italy.

Chef & GM Update: Wil Goings has been named executive chef at Tadich Grill, slated to open in January 2015 at 10th and Pennsylvania Ave NW. Wil was Executive Director of Food and Beverage at Chef Geoff’s and LIA’s restaurant. Ron Robbins, formerly of San Francisco’s Blvd and Clyde’s Tower Oak Lodge, has been named general manager.
Openings Update: Mango Tree, the Thailand-based restaurant with locations in London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Dubai, Jakarta and Manila is slated to open this month at CityCenter thanks to Pitaya Phanphensophon and Richard Sandoval

ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen plans to open its next metro area location at Union Station where Yo! Sushi used to be. Sakuramen owner Jonathan Cho plans to open a new Pan-Asian restaurant in Adams Morgan where Cafe Lautrec and Cafe Toulouse used to be at 2431 18th St. NW. He also plans to expand Sakuramen, opening up a new level, which should be completed by end of Q2 2015.

Carla Hall has licensed her name to a new southern-inspired 150-seat restaurant to open at Reagan National Airport in Terminal A, operated by OTG, which operates other restaurants at the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority properties. The restaurant name is Page, but it is unclear whether the reference is to Carla or the airport. Future plans call for a Carla Hall’s Southern Kitchen in New York in 2015 as well as in DC in 2017.

Just Opened: Adams Morgan’s Amsterdam Falafelshop opened in Clarendon on Wilson Blvd. Other locations on the horizon include Georgetown, downtown D.C., Bethesda and Silver Spring. Willie’s Brew & Que has finally opened in the Boilermaker Shops near Nationals Park. Washington Firehouse has opened at North Capitol Street & Quincy Place NW, from the folks who brought you Shaw’s Tavern. Chef Peter Prime from Shaw’s created the menu. Cava Grill opened its sixth location in Chinatown at 707 H St. NW. Highline is opening at 2010 Crystal Drive in Crystal City by the folks who also own and operate Penn Social, CarPool and Buffalo Billiards.

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