DC Harvest to Open Sept. 2 on H Street
Brothers Jared and Arthur Ringer will open their new DC Harvest restaurant at 517 H St. NE on Sept. 2 featuring a seasonal menu based on local products from the dishes to the beers, wines and other libations.
Jared will manage the restaurant and Arthur, who has worked in the kitchens at Vermillion, Vidalia and Hank’s Oyster Bar in Dupont, will be the chef.
The menu, which will change frequently depending on local ingredient availability, will feature homemade pastas and include meats, fish and produce from local seas and area farms. According to a press release, a sampling of the opening menu include half dozen local oysters on the half shell with watermelon mignonette ($14); Virginia fluke crudo with marinated cucumber, celery, Maine uni and chili ($11); ricotta kale agnolotti with confit yellow tomatoes, eggplant and marjoram ($10/$18); fresh spelt linguine with house-made spicy lamb sausage, Swiss chard and garlic bread crumbs ($11/$19);Zataŕ roasted turkey breast with Swiss chard, kamut and shitake mushroom ($21); crispy quinoa cakes with broccoli rabe, shitake mushrooms, confit yellow tomatoes and Allegheny chevre ($19); and pan-roasted scallops with beans, corn cherry tomatoes, garlic chive and chili ($25). Additional sides, daily plates and desserts including a honey walnut tart with thyme, fomage blanc and fruit are on the menu. Look for beers such as DC Brau, Port City and Flying Dog, libations like those of Catoctin Creek and Don Ciccio & Figli and a variety of local vintages on the wine list.
“It has been a long two years of hard work for us to get DC Harvest open,” Arthur said. “I am so excited to get into my new kitchen and get cooking. The quality of the local products coming from our area farmers and fishermen is at its peak right now. It’s going to be a lot of fun cooking with these ingredients for all of our customers.”
The restaurant’s modern farmhouse décor designed by Edit Lab at Streetsense is rustic yet casually contemporary with a 10-seat, Carrera marble-topped wooden bar on the street level and a total of 50 seats on two floors with an open kitchen on the second floor. The ceilings boast wooden beams, some original to the building, and the walls are adorned with earthy textured wall coverings and whitewashed original brick along with wooden floors and brass fixtures.
The restaurant will serving dinner the first week and then add brunch the following week. It will be open 5-11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 5 p.m.-2 a.m. Friday and Saturday and serve brunch from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Threatened by actor’s estate, Chaplin changes name
Chaplin Restaurant and Bar, the Charlie Chaplin-themed Asian restaurant that just opened July 11 at 1501 Ninth St. NW, has changed its name after being threatened with a lawsuit by the estate of the silent film star. It will now be called Chaplin’s Restaurant and Bar.
“We thought it was the best way to cooperate,” co-owner Ari Wilder told The Washington Post.
On the advice of his attorney and after consulting with other “Chaplin” restaurants across the county, Wilder and his brother Micah added the apostrophe. They are waiting to hear back from the estate.
When the Wilder brothers and their partners were planning the restaurant, they had planned to seek approval from the state, but didn’t in the rush to get the restaurant open.
“We kind of just dropped the ball on it. We had been advised in the beginning to contact the estate to find out if there were going to be any legal ramifications, but we never followed through,” Wilder told the paper. “It’s a ramen, cocktail and dumpling bar. It’s not like we’re a film studio. It’s conceptually not that big of a conflict.”
The restaurant has also changed chefs, hiring Myo Htun of Ren’s Ramen in Wheaton to replace chef Jeremy Cooke.
Wilder said Cooke had only signed on for the project launch and not long-term, but when DC on Heels interviewed Cooke and Micah Wilder the day before the restaurant opened, Cooke talked about being given free rein of the menu and planning to serve seasonal dishes as local fresh ingredients became available.
At Chaplin’s, Htun has overhauled the menu to incorporate more authentic Japanese fare. Salads of pickled, watermelon or soba noodles and smoked lobster have been replaced with a hiyashi chuuga salad with cold noodles, sesame paste, pork butt, chachuu, cucumber, egg, seasweed, tomato and soy sauce and the shabu salad with sliced pork, red cabbage, tomato, scallion, sesame paste and ponzu deressing. The pork and ginger, spicy vegetable and basmati, crab and sausage, and chicken dumplings have been replaced with pork, beef and shrimp gyoza dumplings and pork and chicken and shrimp shumai dumplings. The ramens, formerly named after Chaplin films, have also been revamped. Only the restaurant’s dumpling shooters – three dumplings served in a rocks galls with a whiskey or gin shot – remain the same.
Chuy’s holds fundraiser for Fairfax Co. Animal Shelter
Chuy’s Tex-Mex restaurant opening this September at 11219 Lee Highway, Fairfax will hold a photo shoot fundraiser to support the Friends of the Fairfax County Animal Shelter on Saturday, Aug. 23 from noon-3 p.m.
Dog owners are invited to stop in at Uptown Pet Bistro & Boutique, 4471 Market Commons Dr.,Fairfax with their dogs and local staff from Chuy’s will be on hand to photograph each pet. The photos will be framed and hung as part of the restaurant’s La Chihuahua Bar community dog wall. Owners will also receive a certificate for a free appetizer at Chuy’s with their $5 donation to the Friends organization.
Trummer’s on Main adds snow cone cocktails to menu
Trummer’s on Main, 7134 Main St., Clifton, Va. is celebrating the last few weeks of summer with a new line of snow cone cocktails made with crushed ice, artisanally made syrups and liquor.
They come in flavors such as grilled lemon featuring a combination of wood smoked char and tangy citrus paired with a Virginia vodka; watermelon-sage made with slow-simmered fresh herb syrup, pressed watermelon juice and rum; rhubarb and basil featuring fresh basil with a tangy rhubarb and elderflower liquer; and mint and bourbon. The syrups are served in pumps so the guest can pump on to the crushed ice according to their taste.
All snow cone cocktails are $10 and are available through Sept. 30.
Vinoteca hosts ‘Dogs + ‘Tails fundraiser for City Dogs Rescue
Hot dogs, cocktails, bocce, and adorable animals are all coming together this coming week raise money for City Dogs Rescue. Vinoteca will host its 2nd Annual ‘Dogs + ‘Tails fundraiser, a week-long charity promotion.
From Aug. 24-31, Vinoteca will donate $1 from each hot dog and “Dog Days” punch sold to help homeless dogs find homes. And on Sunday, Aug. 24, it will hold a Neighborhood Grill Out with a charity bocce tournament, dog adoption, food and drink specials and more from 3-8 p.m.
Executive chef Lonnie Zoeller hand-makes all of his own hot dogs, which range from a classic frankfurter topped with homemade sauerkraut and caraway mustard to a red onion-topped boudin pork dog to a spiced-up veggie dog. And mixologist Horus Alvarez has created a special Dog’s Tail Punch made with vanilla-infused Velho Barreiro Cachaça, chamomile and green teas, fresh lime juice, brown sugar, Bittercube cherry bark bitters and mint.
The grill out on the restaurant’s backyard plaza bar will feature the house-made hot dogs and punch, and City Dogs Rescue will have dogs available for adoption on the front patio. For a $10 donation, happy hour prices will be served all night on the back plaza. There will also be a charity bocce tournament with teams of four able to play for $25 per team on Vinoteca’s oyster-shell court. Prizes include dinner at Vinoteca, doggie daycare at City Dogs Daycare and more. Space is limited and teams/players should register in advance at https://www.dcbocceleague.com/RegNet/reg1.aspx?lgid=312, or can sign up on-site if there is still space available.
GCDC launches weekly cheese making and pairing classes
Cheesemonger Sophie Slesinger of grilled cheese restaurant GCDC, 1730 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, is launching a series of cheese classes ranging from Cheese 101 basics for novices to mozzarella-making for hands-on students. Slesinger is kicking off the cheese class series from 12:30-2 p.m. on Aug. 23 with special guest and renowned cheesemaker Carlos Yescas, an author who recently opened a cheese shop in Mexico City, and is the principal of Lactography, a firm dedicated to promoting Mexican cheese throughout the world. The lunch and learn with feature Mexican tapas, a custom cocktail and a guided lecture for $40.
Classes will continue in September with Cheese 101 from 6-7 p.m. every Monday. The class is a guided tasting through all the major styles of cheese with drink in hand Slesinger will explain the ins and outs of artisan cheeses, how to pair cheese and drink, and help guests discover their favorites for the next time they face the cheese counter. Cost is $40 per person.
Mozzarella-Making will be held from 6-8:30 p.m. every other Tuesday beginning Sept. 2. Slesinger, who hand-makes all the fresh mozzarella served in the restaurant from exclusive Caputo Brothers Creamery curd, will guide students through the basics of making fresh mozzarella cheese including the ins and outs of stretching curd and different strategies for making stracciatella, mozzarella and burrata at home. Each participant will make their own mozzarella to take home, and the class will conclude with a family style meal, featuring a few of Sophie’s favorite recipes, wine and beer. Cost is $75 per person.
Slesinger is also launching a cheese CSA. The D.C. Cheese Share will allow cheese-lovers to explore farmstead cheeses on a weekly basis, complete with tasting notes and drink pairing recommendations. Each Wednesday from Sept. 3-Oct. 11, participants will pick up their wedge of farmstead cheese, complete with tasting notes, drink recommendations and recipes at GCDC. The five-week buy-in is priced at $50.
For more information or to sign up for classes or the CSA, email Slesinger at sophie@grilledcheesedc.com.
Red Light gets new master drinksmith and savory menu
Red Light Cocktails and Dessert Bar, 1401 R St. NW, recently hired Jonny Fellman, formerly head bartender at the Quill at The Jefferson in Georgetown, as its new beverage director and master drinksmith. He will be responsible for enhancing the cocktail program adding new cocktails to the menu each season.
A native of Pawling, N.Y., Fellman moved to the D.C. area in 2000 to attend George Mason University. He graduated in 2004 and worked as a facilities manager at a small community center in southeast D.C. In 2009, Fellman decided to enter the restaurant industry and worked his way up the ranks at the cocktail-heavy gastropub AGAINN, starting as a barback and eventually becoming head bartender. In 2012, he moved to Quill until 2014 when he became a beverage consultant for a friend’s new pub in London.He spent six months traveling overseas before accepting the job at Red Light.
Fellman’s latest collection of cocktails include the Magdalene made with gin, elderflower liquor and lemon; the Tijuana Twister made with jalapeño tequila, watermelon, lime and honey; the Just Peachy made from a combination of vodka, peach liqueur, lemon and Prosecco; as well as the Coal Miner made with rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, Sambuca and angostura bitters. All are priced at $12.
Chef/partner Robert Underwood has added an assortment of bar treats, rustic flatbreads, and a toast ‘crostini’ bar to the restaurant’s new savory menu. New bar snacks include a cheese board with four cheeses, marinated figs and honey walnuts for $16; a charcuterie board with four charcuterie items served with whole grain mustard, cornichon and baguette for $15, and elevated bar nuts with nori seasoning for $5. New rustic flatbreads include the margherita with tomato, mozzarella and basil for $10; fig and chocolate with hazelnut, gorgonzola and mascarpone cheese for $12; the wild mushroom with tallegio cheese and white truffle oil for $12; the potato and pancetta with pesto and fontina cheese for $11, and the prosciutto with arugula for $11.
The new toast crostini bar includes infused butters with white truffle, pistachio and fig for $7; duck confit with melted tallegio cheese, vegetables and herbs for $8; Brussels sprouts with crispy pancetta and mustard oil for $8; white bean with carrots, celery, onion and herbs for $7; beets with pistachios and pistachio butter for $8; and cauliflower with capers and olive for $6.
Editor-in-Chief Mark Heckathorn is a journalist, movie buff and foodie. He oversees DC on Heels editorial operations as well as strategic planning and staff development. Reach him with story ideas or suggestions at dcoheditor (at) gmail (dot) com.