Andrés Opening 2 Restaurants at Disney
Chef José Andrés is opening the fifth location of his Jaleo Spanish tapas restaurant and a brick-and-mortar location of his Spanish sandwich food truck Pepe in Disney Springs at the Walt Disney Resort in Florida, the company announced last week.
Pepe — which will be attached to the newest Jaleo — is expected to open in Disney Springs in winter 2019. While the Disney location of Jaleo will serve the restaurant’s familiar tapas, paella and sangria, Pepe will serve tourists authentic Spanish sandwiches, including bocatas made with Spanish bread, and bikinis, a thin ham-and-cheese sandwich.
Pepe will have both grab-and-go and sit-down service, with sandwich options like Pollo Frito, made with breaded chicken breast, aioli, bravas sauce, piparra peppers, gem lettuce and sherry dressing; and Serrano y Manchego, served on crispy pan de cristal (similar to ciabatta) with tomato fresco. The menu will also include salads, soups, side dishes and sangria.
Pepe’s atmosphere will be casual, accented by a large mural created by Marc Jesús, a Menorcan painter.
The attached 22,000-square feet Jaleo — the largest to-date — will have two floors with a central courtyard, as well as some private dining space.
Andrés is just one of many celebrity chefs opening restaurants at the newly revamped shopping-and-dining district in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., previously known as Downtown Disney. Other restaurants in Disney Springs include Masaharu Morimoto’s Morimoto Asia; Rick Bayless’ Frontera; Tony Mantuano’s Terralina Crafted Italian; Art Smith’s Homecomin’ Florida Kitchen; Guy Fieri’s Chicken Guy!; and Wolfgang Puck’s Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill.
Salt Line team opening New Orleans-inspired eatery
Long Shot Hospitality, which also owns the Navy Yard’s Salt Line restaurant plans to open the New Orleans-inspired Dauphine’s in the 14-story Midtown Center, the new building at the former Washington Post site at 15th and L Streets NW. It is expected to open this coming fall.
The 145-seat multi-level restaurant will have a 150-seat outdoor alley with a bar and casual dining tables. Designed by Grizform Design Architects and the General Design Co., it will have a palette of greens and corals, graphic floor tiles, modern bistro seating, ferns and wrought iron in a contemporary glass building that will be the new Fannie Mae headquarters. Central charcuterie and raw bars beneath a pavilion, a sunken dining room and a mezzanine dining level will offer a variety of spaces under the same roof, while the adjacent outdoor space will be a more casual open-air gathering place, sheltered from the elements and complete with fountain and fire pit.
In the kitchen, chef and partner Kyle Bailey will serve raw bar offerings, savory snacks, small plates, sandwiches and entrées from seafood to charcuterie with a menu based on New Orleans favorites.
The Long Shot team will partner with New Orleans-based Cure Co., to develop the beverage program. Expect to see New Orleans classic cocktails and riffs offered inside the restaurant, and a more playful selection outside.
MOD Pizza coming to Rockville Pike
Seattle-based MOD Pizza will open in Federal Realty’s Montrose Crossing at 12021 Rockville Pike, Rockville, this spring.
The chain, which has locations in Silver Spring and Riverdale Park, serves individual, artisan-style pizzas and salads made on demand using a combination of more than 30 toppings, all for one price. The pizzas are hand-cooked in just minutes and salads are individually hand-tossed for each customer. The menu is rounded out with signature cheesy garlic bread, “No Name Cake,” handspun milkshakes, house-made lemonades and iced teas, and local craft beers and wine.
The 3,134 square-foot store will join Cava, Slapfish, HoneyGrow and Five Guys in the new Montrose pad site.
Red’s Table adds 11 new seasonal cocktails
Red’s Table, 11150 South Lakes Drive, Reston, has added 11 new winter cocktails featuring seasonal ingredients along with house-made reductions and syrups ideal for sunset sips overlooking the lake on the restaurant’s 60-seat heated back patio, complete with covered awning. The cocktails are available until Mar. 20, the first day of spring.
The new winter drinks include the Washington Furlough with Red’s apple brandy, crème de cocoa, Greek yogurt and apple jam topped with fresh nutmeg; the Bees Knees with Strange Monkey gin, honey-apple syrup and lemon juice; The Wall with Don Julio blanco, freshly squeezed lime juice, Mexican fruit syrup and muddled orange slices topped with Inca Kola and a splash of agave; the Blood Rose with blood orange vodka, elderflower, lemonade, simple syrup and a splash of Sprite; the Bloody Mule with blood orange vodka, lime juice and ginger beer; the Early Thyme with bourbon, Earl Grey honey, fresh lemon and thyme; the Forbidden Fruit with apple brandy, apple syrup, cranberry, a dash of bitters and clove; the Foxtail with Hennessy Black, lemon, agave, orange and cherry; the Carrot & Ginger Martini with Strange Monkey gin, carrot-ginger juice, lime juice and simple syrup; the Red’s Falernum #2 with Mount Gay rum, falernum, lime juice, white cranberry juice and ginger beer; and the Rosemary Fizz with bitters, Champagne, cranberry, rosemary and a sugar cube. Drinks are price from $9-$15 each.
For the perfect pairing, diners can choose one of the restaurant’s new seasonal dishes such as the grilled steak salad with feta, balsamic, sunchokes and radish; Chesapeake crab dip, “Maryland style” with Old Bay, scallions and breadcrumbs served with grilled sourdough bread; Red’s cioppino with tomato broth, chorizo, halibut, mussels, shrimp, clams, squid, roasted corn, shallots and garlic; dry-aged beef burger with white cheddar cheese, caramelized onions and B&B pickles served with fries; and Brunswick pappardelle with braised brisket, tomato sauce and seasonal vegetables. Menu items range from $9-$31.
Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar debuts Mojito Mondays
Beginning Monday, Jan. 28, Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar, 801 Ninth St. NW, will celebrate Mojito Mondays with pitchers and half pitchers of house-made mojitos, no-jitos (non-alcoholic mojitos) and sangrias at half price.
Cuba Libre’s version is made from a combination of freshly pressed sugar cane (called guarapo, which is pressed in-house), fresh lime juice, mint, Cuba Libre branded white rum and a splash of soda and is one of twelve handcrafted mojitos available at the restaurant. Other popular flavors include passion fruit with Don Q passion fruit rum and passion fruit purée; coconut with Don Q coco rum, Coco Lopez and Barrow’s intense ginger; mango with Brinley Gold Shipwreck mango rum; and the Pyrat XO with Pyrat XO reserve rum. Mojitos and sangrias are regularly priced from $41.50-$65 by the pitcher. No-jitos are regularly $22 per pitcher. Cuba Libre’s Mojito Monday special will be available all day.
Jack Rose offers winter dinner and happy hour specials
During February and March, Jack Rose Dining Saloon, 2007 18th St. NW, is giving you a reason to leave the house and get social with a 7-days-a-week Winter Social Hour and curated, underground date night that feature cocktail specials, complementary seasonal bites, tastings-for-two, prix fixe dinners and more.
Jack Rose is extending its happy hour specials past the workweek, introducing a 7-days-a-week Winter Social Hour from 5-7:30 p.m. with prix fixe cocktails, wines, whiskeys and snacks. For $35, guests can gather at the saloon and rooftop terrace bars and choose a combination of any four beverage and/or food options from the 10-item menu, which features two cocktails, a red and sparkling wine, two hand-picked whiskeys and four seasonal bites.
The restaurant is also offering a series of three weekly date nights from 5-10 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday in the saloon and underground whiskey cellar. #JustMetMondays features a tasting of casual snacks and drinks for $70/couple.
#WorthwhileWednesdays offers savory-sweet bites and cocktail tasting in the whiskey cellar at 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. For $90/couple, duos can enjoy four savory and sweet bites paired with four innovative half-cocktails
#FatedFridays rounds out the week at 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. with a five-course prix fixe shared dinner and beverage pairing in the basement bar. For $120/couple, diners will get five courses each paired with a curated beverage.
Jack Rose Dining Saloon hosts Super Bowl party
Jack Rose Dining Saloon, 2007 18th St. NW, will host its annual Super “Chili” Bowl Cook-Off, an all-you-can-eat-and-drink rooftop party featuring unlimited homemade chili and craft brews from 6-10 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 3.
While airing the big game on the heated rooftop terrace’s four jumbo-sized flat-screen TVs, the restaurant will host a www.jackrosesuperbowl2019.eventbrite.com ticketed viewing party. For $50, attendees get endless bowls of five different varieties of chili, ranging from a classic chili with ground beef, red peppers, onions and chilies topped with sour cream, cheddar and scallions; Frito Pie with classic chili, Fritos and cheese; pozole verde with hominy and chicken; a Texas short rib chili with red beans and braised short rib; and a vegetarian chili with beans, corn and millet. Tickets also include unlimited craft beer featuring 15 canned and draft brews.
The heated, weather-proof rooftop will also be open to the public, starting at 5 p.m. (the game begins at 6:30 p.m.) with no admission and food and drink available a la carte. All chilis will be $9/bowl and served with all the fixins, while drink specials will include $6 beers, $8 hot-tails and $10 cocktails. The regular terrace food menu will also be available.
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.