Radiator Opens in Mason & Rook in Spring
Radiator will open this spring in Kimpton’s new Mason & Rook Hotel, which will replace the Hotel Helix at 1430 Rhode Island Ave. NW.
The new restaurant and bar is named for 14th Street’s rich automotive past, which was once home to many car dealerships and auto repair shops. That history will be carried over to Radiator’s industrial design by GrizForm Design Architects with garage doors, large checkerboard floors and vintage car parts replacing Helix’s white modern interior filled with pops of color and mirrors.
The 57-seat bar area includes a communal table and lounge space decorated in rich woods and leather. The 23-seat lounge area includes several nooks where small groups can gather. The area will also have backgammon, dominoes, checkers and chess. During warmer months, the 50-seat patio with a large fire pit will feature a shuffleboard court under a retractable mesh awning and frozen drinks.
The restaurant’s drink selection will focus on whiskeys and off-the-beaten path spirits, classics such as a Stinger with pineapple infused brandy. There will also be a selection of local beers and wines. The kitchen, led by chef Jonathan Dearden, formerly of Ardeo + Bardeo, will serve rustic dishes that span snacks, sharable plates and large-format dishes with a bar menu that includes kimchi pickles and roasted romanesko with harissa. Prior to Ardeo + Bardeo, Deardon worked at restaurants in Miami, Chicago, Las Vegas, New York, San Francisco and the Caribbean.
“The stuffy fine dining experience is fading into the past,” Dearden said. “Radiator is a classic, unfussy bar, but our goal is to blow you away with both the drinks and the food.”
Columbia Room to reopen on Feb. 9
Columbia Room, the cocktail bar created by Derek Brown, reopens at 124 Blagden Alley NW on Feb. 9.
The revamped 2,400-square foot bar is divided into three distinct areas: The Spirits Library, Punch Garden (outside) and Tasting Room.
“We’re so excited that we get to expand on our original idea” Brown said about the bar, which he originally launched inside The Passenger in 2010. “It means that we get to add bells and whistles, but it also means that we get to bring a new perspective, a more confident perspective that I think, for guests, will translate into a richer experience with our service, drinks and food.”
Against the backdrop of an Italian mosaic mural that tells the story of the bar, patrons at the Columbia Room’s 14-person tasting room will indulge in three and five-course tasting menus featuring specialty cocktails, punches, sodas and light snacks. The 20-seat Spirits Library, framed by bookcases and original artwork, will allow guests to taste one-of-a-kind spirits and cocktails à la carte. The Punch Garden, an outside terrace with a panoramic view of the city, is slated to open this spring.
Cava Grill to add three Virginia locations
Cava Grill announced it will open three new northern Virginia locations in early- and mid-2016.
The fast-casual Mediterranean restaurant will open locations in Alexandria’s Foxchase Shopping Center at Duke and S. Jordan Streets; in the Vienna Shopping Center, 180 Maple Ave. W.; and the Promenade at Virginia Gateway on Linton Hall Road, Gainesville.
All of the new locations will feature the restaurant’s fresh look, with an expanded open-kitchen layout; local beer and wine on tap; new menu items including seasonal vegetables roasted in Cava’s new stone-fired ovens; and rotating seasonal soups, juices, and teas made in-house daily. They will also serve desserts from Whisked!, pickles from Gordy’s Pickle Jar and RunningByrd Tea.
Lena’s Wood-Fired Pizza offers family dinner to go
Lena’s Wood-Fired Pizza & Tap, 401 E. Braddock Road, Alexandria, is now serving a family dinner menu for carry out. Each entrée includes house-made focaccia, a choice of salad and dessert for $18-$24 and feeds two.
Lena’s 10- and 14-inch pizzas can also be added at regular prices. Orders for 2-12 guests may be placed anytime for same day pick-up, while orders for 13-24 must be placed at least three hours in advance. Orders for parties of 26 or more must be ordered at least 24 hours in advance.
Ankara to host Crossroads Dinner Series
Ankar Turkish restaurant, 1320 19th St. NW, is offering a new three-part Crossroads Dinner Series focused on the intersection of food, wine and traditions enjoyed throughout the region. The dinners begin at 6:30 p.m.
The series kicks off on Feb. 3 with neighboring Georgia, which shares many culinary similarities to Turkey, in partnership with Jenny Holm of The Georgian Table and Georgian Wine House. Guests will enjoy a four-course menu featuring specialties from the Adjara region in southwestern Georgia. It will be paired with one-of-a-kind wines from Georgia including amber wine, which is fermented in a traditional clay vessel that is buried underground. Cost is $65 per person. A vegetarian option will be available. Reservations can be made online.
Tokat and the north/central Anatolian regions of Turkey will be featured on Mar. 15. The four-course menu focuses on foods popular in the heartland of Turkey, including tokat kebab along with wines from Diren, a family owned winery in the region. Cost is $65 per person and can be reserved online.
Finally on Apr. 6, the restaurant will transform into a traditional Turkish meyhane, a gathering place for food, wine and music. The meal will feature a traditional meyhane style dinner with meze, salads and fish dishes enjoyed throughout the region as well as regional wine and raki. Tables will be grouped in long rows, emulating the communal, relaxed, sharing environment of a meyhane. Roaming musicians will play traditional music. Cost is $80 per person for the multi-course meal. Reservations can be made online.
Park Hyatt hosts chocolate and wine tasting
The Park Hyatt Washington, 1201 24th St. NW, will host its next Park Hyatt Masters of Food & Wine, a seasonal culinary and beverage experience, on Feb. 6.
Guests will join pastry chef David Collier and Blue Duck Tavern general manager and sommelier Joseph Cerione for an exploration of artisanal chocolates and wine pairings. It is $65 per person and includes a tasting of four wines from Champagne to bold reds paired with four chocolate dishes. Guests will take home chocolates made by Collier to pair with suggested wines to replicate the experience on Valentine’s Day.
Seating is limited to 14.
Texas Jack’s offers Super Bowl take out
Texas Jack’s Barbecue, 2761 Washington Blvd., Arlington, is celebrating Super Bowl 50 with a special to-go menu on Feb. 7.
For $15 per person, fans can get the restaurant’s smoked meats such as brisket, chicken and sausage served with sides such as Not So Spicy Coleslaw, warm potato salad and raw carrot salad. Orders must be placed by 5 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 31 and can be picked up on Feb. 7 from 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Fans can also watch the big game on the six 60-inch flat-screen TVs in the restaurant’s bar and lounge.
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.