Bruner-Yang Brings Ramen to Whole Foods
Beginning Monday, May 9, Erik Bruner-Yang, founder of Toki Underground who split with the noodle joint in April, will sell ramen from his Paper Horse stand in the Whole Foods, 2201 I St. NW in Foggy Bottom.
The chef, who owns Maketto on H Street and Honeycomb Grocer in Union Market, will also open a restaurant in the forthcoming Line Hotel in Adams Morgan. Paper Horse will sell made-to-order ramen dinners from a stand in the prepared foods area at Whole Foods. The store also has a Kaz Sushi stand from Kaz Okochi of Kaz Sushi Bistro.
“I’m excited about the unique nature of this partnership with Whole Foods Market,” Bruner-Yang said in a press release from Whole Foods. “I’m still extremely passionate about ramen, and it will be fun to see how the K Street crowd reacts, but Paper Horse, as a concept, is designed to be flexible and reflect how food is changing and evolving.”
The initial menu includes two dishes: All Business, a light broth of pork and chicken stock topped with roasted pork belly, a poached egg, spinach, potato, pickled ginger and scallions, and Keeping it Light, a gluten-free, vegan broth topped with fried Brussels sprouts, braised daikon, sauteed shiitake mushrooms, scallions and pickled ginger. Both will cost $12.
Johnny’s Half Shell to replace Cashion’s Eat Place
Johnny’s Half Shell, 400 North Capitol St., is leaving the Capitol Hill spot it has occupied for a decade and moving into the current site of Cashion’s Eat Place, 1819 Columbia Road NW.
The oyster bar and seafood restaurant will close May 26 and reopen next month in Adams Morgan, according to co-owner Ann Cashion. Johnny’s does well with private dining, which accounts for about a third of sales, but struggles on weekends and has to complete with the city’s many new restaurants.
“The rent was fine before there were 400 new restaurants,” Cashion told Politico. “Our landlord did not want to work with us on making adjustments to the lease.”
Cashion and co-owner Johnny Fulchino originally owned Cashion’s Eat Place, which they opened in 1995, but sold it to their former sous chef John Manoltos and his partners in 2007. It was where she earned her James Beard Award for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic in 2005. The new location will seat 125 instead of the 350 the Capitol Hill location can accommodate.
Johnny’s moved to Capitol Hill in 2006 from Dupont Circle where it originally opened in 1999 and became a haunt for lawmakers collecting caempaign cash between votes. After its move to Adams Morgan in June, the restaurant will focus on neighborhood clientele, geared to nights and weekends, rather than the political crowd.
The restaurant will keep staff who want to stay and will serve a similar but probably smaller menu.
Cashion’s confirmed the closing, bud did not provide a final date.
“For over two decades it has been our pleasure to be at the heart of the dining scene in Adams Morgan, and we have met and grown to know some truly wonderful people along the way,” Cashion’s said in a statement. “Unfortunately, we must admit, with heavy hearts, that all good things must end.”
Cashion’s has reportedly seen a drop in business with new restaurants such as Mintwood Place, Donburi, Lapis and Tail Up Goat moving into the neighborhood. Monolatos recently opened Pop’s SeaBar, a casual fish house, next to Cashion’s.
Cappy’s Crabs pop-up coming to Crane & Turtle
Cappy’s Crabs from former Minibar chef Johnny Spero will take over the former Crane & Turtle space, 828 Upshur St. NW, for the summer.
From noon on May 27 through Labor Day weekend, the pop-up will serve jumbo, large and medium blue crabs by the dozen or half dozen, soft-shell crabs, crab cakes, peel and eat shrimp, fried fish sandwiches, popcorn chicken, hush puppies, corn on the cob, tomato salad and deviled eggs along with pitchers of Natty Boh and Orange Crush. Steamed crabs will also be available by the bushel to go.
Cappy is the nickname of owner Paul Ruppert’s 79-year-old father, who built his first boat at age 14 and spends his summers on the Chesapeake Bay. Co-owner Nick Pimentel, who designed Crane & Turtle, will transform it into a crab house with picnic tables.
Spero, who recently spent time working at a restaurant in Spain, eventually plans to open a restaurant of his own in D.C.
Cappy’s will be open from 5-10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 5-11 p.m. Friday, noon-11 p.m. Saturday and noon-9 p.m. Sunday.
Brasserie Beck serves free melted Raclette during happy hour
Brasserie Beck, 1101 K St. NW, is offering complimentary Raclette cheese melted and scraped onto patrons’ plates from 5-6 p.m. and 9-10 p.m. in the bar area.
Dating back to the 13th century, Raclette was commonly enjoyed by cow herders in the mountains of Switzerland and Savoy who would pack it on alpine treks and enjoy it around the campfire melted from the flames and scraped atop rustic bread.
Chef de cuisine Dean Dupuis will be using an authentic Raclette melter and shaving pieces of the cheese onto guests’ plates to enjoy with traditional accoutrements of boiled pee wee potatoes and briny gherkin pickles. Diners can pair it with a crisp white wine such as a Riesling or Pinot Gris for $4 per glass during happy hour.
Bastille extends hours, unveils new menu
With the closing of sister restaurant Bistrot Royal on April 30, Bastille, located in the Asher Apartments at 606 N. Fayette St., Alexandria, is now open seven days a week with a French Quickie menu at the bar and café and new lunch and dinner menus in the dining room and on the patio.
The new menu includes some favorites from its former Royal Street location fused with contemporary French cuisine. The French Quickie menu, served from 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m., features two a choice of two special daily selections of savory or sweet dishes (including beer or wine as one of the options) for $15.95 for those interested in a fast meal. A variety of small plates are available including fresh oysters, Kefta filet mignon tartare, pommes frites and mussels.
Lunch is offered a la carte or as a three course prix fixe for $29 with choices from terrine de foie gras, begnets de Crevettes and frisé aux lardons to salmon, mussels, steak frittes, croque monsieur and more. At dinner, options run from a three-course prix fixe meal for $39 or a four and five course menu for $49 and $59, respectively, with optional wine pairings. All dishes are also available a la carte. Classic dishes such as Magret de Canard a l’orange, carré d’agneau persillade and steak au poivre are a few of the dishes.
Brunch is a three-course prix fixe at $29 or a la carte. The menu includes a variety of eggs, waffles, oysters Rockefeller, chicken and waffles, soups, salads, sandwiches and flatbreads.
Bastille is now open from 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. on Sunday.
701 Restaurant celebrates 25th anniversary
701 Restaurant, 701 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, is celebrating 25 years in business with specials during May and June.
For lunch, diners can enjoy a two-course Bi-Partisan lunch menu priced of $25 per person including an appetizer and entrée or an entrée and dessert. Appetizer options include watercress endive salad with blue cheese and prosciutto; roasted beets with rhubarb, labne and hazelnuts; or the seasonal soup of the day, followed by entrees such as chicken two ways with parsnip purée, chermoula and chicken jus; salmon with green garlic posole, pork cracklings and sofrito; or cauliflower shawarma with hummus, yogurt, lavash and tomato jam. Dessert selections include elderflower parfait with rhubarb, almond streusel and coconut; or canele with chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream.
From the bar, guests can toast with two Champagne & Caviar cocktails, named for the restaurant’s opening days when a Champagne and caviar lounge was featured within 701, for $25. The cocktail is a riff off on a classic French 75 made with gin, sparkling wine, lemon juice, kiwi syrup, egg white, silver flakes and garnished with pomegranate caviar and pickled green apple on cherry glass.
The restaurant is also continuing its caviar sampler with four American varieties paired with a glass of Champagne for $45 per person.
BLT Steak serves juleps for Kentucky Derby
BLT Steak, 1625 I St. NW, will be serving mint juleps to celebrate today’s Kentucky Derby.
Head bartender James Nelson will be serving a traditional julep with mint-infused Maker’s Mark Kentucky Straight Bourbon, simple syrup and fresh mint; and a spiced peach julep with infused Maker’s Mark Kentucky Straight Bourbon, spiced peach syrup, fresh mint and bruléed peach. The cocktails will be offered for $16 and will be available for both lunch and dinner.
For those wanting to watch the race, the restaurant will show all Kentucky Derby coverage at the bar, where Derby hats, seer sucker suits and sundresses are highly encouraged.
Provision No. 14 serving four kinds of juleps for Derby
Provision No. 14, 2100 14th St. NW, will offer offering four variations of mint juleps to get diners in the mood for the Kentucky Derby.
Through Saturday, May 7, the restaurant will be serving a classic Old Forester 86 mint julep using original Old Forester Classic 86, sugar and mint as well as twists like a tequila julep with tangerine and orange bitters; a brandy julep with Copper & Kings Brandy, fresh nectarine and mint; and an apple julep with Laird’s Apple Jack 100 Proof, apple, bitters and mint. All four are priced at $12.
Bombay Club sends brunch diners to different regions of India
The Bombay Club, 815 Connecticut Ave. NW, is taking diners on a culinary adventure exploring dishes from different regions of India during Sunday brunch.
The menu is only available during Sunday brunch service and will highlight Mughlai on May 8, Hyperabad on May 15, Dehli Punjab on May 22 and Rajsthan Gujrat on May 29. The three-course meal is $29 per person or $41 with bottomless mimosas and Champagne and i available in addition to the restaurant’s regular bottomless brunch menu.
Macon Bistro hosts Sunday evening classic movies
Macon Bistro & Larder, 5520 Connecticut Ave. NW, is debuting a new movie lineup for Sunday Evening Movie Classics in the restaurant’s new back bar and private dining room, the Magnolia Room. The movies will be shown on the room’s 55-foot flat screen TV.
Guests can sip craft cocktails priced at $12 or enjoyed featured beers for $5 each, along with half-price bottled wines, while having snacks or supper. Snacks, priced at $7 each, include Essie’s biscuits, spiced pecans, deviled eggs and fried pickles. Heartier bites include chicken and biscuits , a mini Macon burger slider, artisan greens or sweet potato bisque priced from $8-$15. Suppers include fried chicken with mac on cheese and collard greens for $24; shrimp and grits with hearts of fire and sauce Américaine for $18; lacquered short rib with antebellum grits, bourbon reduction and crispy shallots for $27; and roasted butternut squash with farro, mushrooms and breadcrumbs for $21. Sides, priced at $8 each, include Anson Mills grits with aged cheddar; Brussels sprouts with black strap molasses, pickled garlic and bacon lardons; mac on cheese with aged cheddar, béchamel and sourdough crumbs; and collard greens with bacon, garlic and white wine.
Sunday movie night begins at 5 p.m., with each show lasting approximately 90 minutes. On May 8 is cult classic legend John Waters with Serial Mom, Pink Flamingos and Cry-Baby. May 15 features Elizabeth Taylor in Butterfield 8, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Cleopatra. May 22n brings Carey Grant in His Girl Friday, Notorious and An Affair to Remember. And finally, May 29 will feature Katherine Hepburn in A Philadelphia Story, The African Queen and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.
The Royal teams up with Espita for Royal Knights
The Royal, 501 Florida Ave. NW, is teaming up with guest bartender Megan Barnes and chef Alexis Samyoa of Espita Mezcaleria for the Royal’s monthly Royal Knights series from 9 p.m.-1 a.m. on Monday, May 9.
Nueve de May will feature agave cocktails from Barnes and arepa tacos made with hand-ground masa from Samayoa, along with frozen tequila cocktails, piñatas filled with boozy surprises, gummy worm mescal shots and more. The cocktails will highlight small-batch joven (unaged) mezcals from Oaxaca such as Fidencio and Mezcal Vago, and unique tequilas such as the 100 percent agave Cimarron and Tequila Cabeza from The 86 Co.
Slate hosts Scacciadiavoli winemaker dinner
Slate Wine Bar + Bistro, 2404 Wisconsin Ave. NW, will host a Scacciadiavoli wine dinner with Icopo Pambuffetti, who produces the wines with his cousin, at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 11, for $69 per person.
The four-course regional Italian menu will include the choice of two dishes for each course paired with the wines.
The first course is bruschetta topped with burrata, olive oil and sea salt or freshly shaven San Daniele prosciutto over pan-seared artichokes paired with a 2013 Grechetto. The second course is asparagus and black trumpet mushroom risotto or duck confit pappardelle paired with a 2010 Montefalco Rosso. The main course is Atlantic herb-crusted halibut, cauliflower purée and sautéed rapini or pork duo with garlic crusted pork loin and oven roasted pork belly with fennel and onions paired with a 2007 Sagrantino di Montefalco. Dessert is house -made panna cotta with mixed berries or house-made moscato d’asti cheesecake paired with NV Brut Rosé.
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.