Provision No. 14 to Replace Failed Diego
The newly formed Social Restaurant Group, a partnership between Naeem Mohd, who is owner of Mad Rose Tavern, Mike Bramson and Alex Lopez, will open Provision No. 14 at 2100 14th St. NW in late May, replacing the troubled Diego Mexican restaurant.
Occupying the corner at 14 and V Streets NW, Provision No. 14 will be a casual eatery with a focus on communal dining and drinking. The first floor will feature floor-to-ceiling windows, a 57 seat dining room and 29 seat bar. A seasonal outdoor patio will seat an additional 61 diners. The design from Swatchroom will be early American when importing and exporting provisions was a new, necessary and regulated endeavor, hence the “provision” in the name. The first floor will have hues of ivory and steel blue peppered with textures of khaki, leather and natural burlap. Accents like distressed porch columns and salvaged screen doors will be mixed with red metal oil drums, deep indigo denim, burlap and brown paper packages.
The second floor, which is inspired by vintage cigar lounges with deeper tones and spicier textures and shadows, upstairs will have seating for 80 at a second bar, high-top tables and Victorian style sofas. Custom shutters line the upstairs windows, translating streetlight into stunning shadows along with diffused light from jute lanterns.
The food will be shareable. The menu will feature updated, modern takes on classic fondues and a snack menu. Guests are encouraged to try a wide selection of snack plates. The menu will also feature a selection of daily rotating communal boards, a raw cut wood plank featuring an entrée and complementing side dishes ideal for sharing.
The bar will have 20 draft lines, a beer program that curates small-batch brewers from around the world and large format bottled cocktails. Groups can order at least six wine-sized bottles filled with house-made cocktails. There will also be two draft cocktails as well as two boozy slushes.
The former Diego restaurant in the space had its troubles, closing a few weeks after it opened in 2013 to bring on a new chef. That chef left after a few months and the restaurant closed permanently at the end of January.
Et Voila! introduces new three-course lunch
This March, Et Voila!, the Belgian/French bistro located at 5120 MacArthur Blvd. NW in the Palisades neighborhood, debuts a three-course lunch menu. Owner and executive chef Claudio Pirollo’s menu will change every three weeks and will include a choice of two appetizers, two entrées and two desserts. The lunch special is priced at $22.50 per person. For an additional $6 per person, diners can add a glass of house red or white wine.
The menu begins with appetizer choices such as snail croquette with cabbage salad seasoned with wasabi mayonnaise or smoked haddock on top of creamy potato and poached eggs. Entrées and include Belgium meatballs cooked in brown beer and served with Belgium fries or the cassoulet of either mariniere or diablo mussels. Dessert choices include Nutella ice cream, Kriek Lambic beer ice cream, Cuberdon ice cream made with the famous Belgium candy or a Floating Island.
Et Voila! serves lunch from 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m Tuesday through Friday.
701 Restaurant hosts whole hog filibuster dinner
701 Restaurant, 701 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, will host a special whole hog dinner at 7 p.m. on Mar. 5 featuring dishes that incorporate all parts of the pig, from nose-to-tail for $60 per person
Executive chef Benjamin Lambert’s menu includes a first course of trotter panzanella salad with carrot, goat cheese and cracklins, followed by the second course of porchetta with parsnips, wild mushrooms and walnut pesto. Dessert will be a sticky bun parfait with caramel, candied bacon and ice cream.
Also, beverage director Chris McNeal will open two oak barrels filled with secret cocktails made with rye and double cask bourbon from Filibuster Bourbon in Washington, D.C. Filibuster representatives will be on hand to answer questions about their small batch whiskies.
Albisu, Brandwein to host collaborative dinner at Del Campo
On Mar. 10, Del Campo will host a collaborative dinner with Victor Albisu and Amy Brandwein, chef and owner of the forthcoming Italian restaurant/market Centrolina. The dinner will explore the historic ties linking Italian and Argentinean cooking.
The menu, designed to show off the common features and regional differences of the two cuisines, includes a welcome cocktail and antipasti course with mini provoletta, smoked olives, grilled mortadella and eggplant scapece/escabeche. The first course is veal carpaccio with tonnato and caviar, and a second course of pappardelle bolognese with burnt carrots and smoked chicken livers. The third course is sheep’s milk ricotta ravioli with whipped egg yolk and black truffle followed by the fourth course of bistecca fiorentina and bife de hueso with gambas diavola, salsicetta luganeg and chorizo served with chimichurri sauce and salsa criolla with sides of braised broccoli rabe and Calabrian chile, and burnt cauliflower with golden raisins. Dessert includes a fernet float and limoncello bomboloni.
Cost of the dinner, which begins at 6:30 p.m., is $75 and includes tax and gratuity.
Fabrice Bendano new pastry chef at Le Diplomate
Le Diplomate, 1601 14th St. NW, appointed Fabrice Bendano as its new executive pastry chef. Classically trained in French pastry, the Parisian-born Bendano is renowned as one of the area’s most talented pastry chefs, having developed dessert programs at some of the finest restaurants around the world. In his 20-year tenure as a pastry chef, Bendano has garnered acclaim for his expertly crafted presentations of classic French confections, gaining special notoriety for his delicate, flavorful macarons.
Bendano has baked in restaurants around the globe, from Paris and London to Las Vegas and Washington, D.C. After earning his pastry degree from CAP de Patisserie in Cannes, France in 1992, he has lead and shaped pastry programs at some of the world’s Michelin-starred restaurants, including Alain Ducasse’s three-starred Le Louix XV in Monte Carlo, the historic three-starred Ledoyen in Paris and the two-starred Taillevent in Paris. Locally, he helmed programs Citronelle, 1789 and Ducasse’s late Adour at the St. Regis Hotel in downtown D.C.
When Ducasse left Washington, Bendano was lured to Las Vegas to consult on the pastry program at Ducasse’s miX at The Delano Hotel. He most recently was executive pastry chef at Occasions Caterers.
Jochem Zijp new beverage director at BLT Steak
Jochem Zijp is the new beverage director at BLT Steak, 1625 I St. NW. A veteran of Blue Duck Tavern, Range and Osteria Morini, the certified sommelier will curate BLT Steak’s expansive and evolving wine, spirits and cocktail offerings.
At BLT Steak, Zijp plans to incorporate small artisan producers in both the cocktail and wine programs. He will continue to experiment with the barrel-aged cocktail program, even barrel-aging craft spirits to use as a base for his classic cocktails. “I am always exploring new ways to incorporate different spirits and flavors into cocktails. I want our beverage program to satisfy a guest at happy hour as much as someone enjoying a steak dinner,” he said.
Zijp launched his career as a beverage professional in 2008 at Blue Duck Tavern, where he honed his skills for three years before becoming the general manager at Veritas Wine Bar. He decided to further explore the world of wine, and became a certified sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers. He next helped to open Range, working alongside master sommelier Keith Goldston, and then opened Osteria Morini as the beverage director.
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.