D.C. Is Home to the World’s largest Pupusa

Washington, D.C., is now home to the world’s largest pupusa.

Chefs pose behind the World’s Largest Pupusa at Fiesta DC on Saturday as a representative from Guinness World Records measures it. (Photo: WRC)

On Saturday, 40 Salvadorean chefs at Fiesta DC set the Guinness World Record by cooking a pupusa that measured 20 feet and 2 inches – nearly 6 feet larger than the previous record.

A pupusa is a traditional Salvadoran griddle cake made from masa stuffed with fillings.

The challenge was part of the festival, which celebrates Latino culture and showcases El Salvador’s heritage and flavors. It featured live music, traditional performances and various food stalls.

It took 270 two-pound masa balls – 540 pounds total. A custom, metal bridge was built to span the 20-foot griddle so the chefs could safely reach the middle of the cooking surface. Michael Empric, an adjudication with Guinness World Records, was on hand to measure the mega pupusa.

The chefs, volunteers and community members used corn, mozzarella cheese, pork belly, beans and loroco – an edible flower native to El Salvador — to set the new record. The previous record was held by cooks in El Salvador who made an 18-foot pupusa in 2022 and used 500 pounds of flour.

Chido’s Tex-Mex Grill Opens in Silver Spring

Chido’s Tex-Mex Grill has opened in Downtown Silver Spring at 931 Ellsworth Drive in the space that was formerly The Eleanor.

Chido’s Tex-Mex Grill opened in Downtown Silver Spring last week. (Photo: Chido’s Tex-Mex Grill/Facebook)

The restaurant opened its first location at 14600 Laurel Place, Laurel, Md., in 2016 and offers a standard Tex-Mex menu with its own twist on familiar favorites. The restaurant offers a brunch menu on weekends and an extensive drink menu.

Other new tenants slated to open in Downtown Silver Spring in the next few months are Gold’s Gym, GoodVets and Roaming Rooster, 8537 Georgia Ave., which will open in space formerly occupied by Flip’d by IHOP that closed in June 2023.

Fuddruckers, which closed in 2019 in Downtown Silver Spring, will return to its former location at 819 Ellsworth Drive this fall. In announcing the return to Silver Spring on X, formerly Twitter, Fuddruckers also said it would open another location in D.C.’s Chinatown. It previously had a restaurant at 7th and F Streets NW in D.C., but that location was filled by a Capital One Café.

Chido’s is open from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Thursday, 11 a.m.-midnight Friday, 10:30 a.m.-midnight Saturday and 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday. Weekend brunch is served from 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Calico Hosts Annual Fall Harvest Festival

Calico, 50 Blagden Alley NW, will celebrate the changing of the seasons with its fourth annual Fall Harvest Festival on Oct. 6 from 1-6 p.m.

Patrons decorate pumpkins at Calico’s annual Fall Harvest Festival last year. (Photo: Calico)

The urban backyard in Blagden Alley will welcome cooler weather with a free Sunday afternoon fall fest complete with pumpkin painting, caramel apples, homemade cider donuts, complimentary beer tastings, autumnal fare and more seasonal fun. Guests can pick their very own pumpkins from Calico’s pop-up patch and decorate them with free supplies.

The fall fest will feature Calico’s new seasonal menu with autumnal cookout fare from Chef Nathan Beauchamp, such as mugs of chili, house-made apple cider donuts and fresh local apples with caramel for dipping. Seasonal drinks will range from hot drinks such as mulled wine and spikable cider, plus Oktoberfest and fall beers. BRLO, a craft brewery in Berlin, and DC Brau will pour complimentary seasonal beer tastings for adults from 4-8pm.

A photo area in the antique greenhouse with leaves, pumpkins and corn stalks will provide the perfect photo-op.

Free reservations can be made online.

Lulu’s Winegarden Hosts Harvest Wine Party

Lulu’s Winegarden, 1940 11th St. NW, is celebrating fall with its bi-monthly wine tasting series, this time themed Harvest Wine Party! On Oct. 6 from noon-1:30 p.m. and 2-3:30 p.m.

Lulu’s Winegarden will host a harvest wine party on Sunday with sessions at noon and 2 p.m. (Photo: Lulu’s Winegarden)

The harvest tasting will take place on the restaurant’s patio with more than 25 different seasonal wines paired with all-you-can-eat breakfast tacos and discounted pricing on all take-home bottles.

The patio will be decorated with grape vines, gourds and fall foliage for the season. The Sunday afternoon tasting offers unlimited tastes of the wines, focusing on wines ideal for fall sipping from lighter reds like Beaujolais and Pinot Noir to more full-bodied whites like Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Riesling.

There will also be a bottomless breakfast taco bar featuring soft scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese and fresh pico de gallo, bacon and hatch green chile, smoked brisket and avocado or black bean/crispy potato alongside house-made salsas.

The tasting offers guests the chance to mingle with other wine-lovers and talk with vineyard representatives.

Tickets are $66/person plus tax/gratuity and includes unlimited wine tastings from approximately 25 different labels, breakfast tacos and discounted retail pricing on take-home bottles and cases. Non-refundable tickets can be purchased on Resy.

First Watch Opens Oct. 14 in White Oak

First Watch will open at 1225 Prosperity Drive, Silver Spring, in the new White Oak Town Center on Oct. 14.

First Watch’s classic Benedict with two poached cage-free eggs atop toasted ciabatta with smoked ham and vine-ripened tomato and covered with hollandaise. (Photo: First Watch)

It will be in a corner space with a large outdoor patio, across from the future Amazon Fresh grocery store anchor. The breakfast/brunch restaurant joins Dave’s Hot Chicken, European Wax Center, Jersey Mike’s, Inspire Nail Bar, Starbucks, and Oak Barrel & Vine.

First Watch is expected to serve alcoholic beverages, as the other two Montgomery County locations are in the process of adding them to their menus. First Watch opened in Rockville Town Square in 2007 and at 802 Muddy Branch Rd. in Gaithersburg’s Muddy Branch Square in 2014 replacing longtime restaurant Finger & Claws.

The name “First Watch” is a nautical reference to the first work shift aboard a ship as the restaurants are only open from 7 a.m.-2:30 p.m. The chain’s first location opened in Pacific Grove, Calif., in 1983 by Ken Pendery and John Sullivan. The chain now has more than 500 locations in 29 states including restaurants locally in Bailey’s Crossroads, Bowie, Chantilly, Fairfax, Fair Lakes, Franconia, Laurel, Woodbridge and another new one coming to Falls Church.

The all-day menu includes breakfast sandwiches, hash, donuts, fresh juices, iced coffee and brunch cocktails. The restaurants also serve benedicts, breakfast tacos, omelets and frittatas, pancakes, waffles and French toast. There are also healthier choices like avocado toast, a superfoods bowl, steel-cut oatmeal and wraps. Lunch options include sandwiches, salads and soups along with kid’s meals.

José Andrés to Open Hotel in Georgetown

The José Andrés Group and New York-based real estate developer Thor Equities are partnering to open a new Georgetown luxury hotel in 2027.

The José Andrés Group will open a new luxury hotel in 2027 in Georgetown with Thor Equities.
(Photo: Thor Equities/Winstanley Architects)

The Bazaar House by José Andrés, 3000 M St. NW at the site of the old Latham Hotel and Michel Richard’s Citronelle restaurant, will be the restaurant group’s first hotel. It will have 67 rooms with multiple food and beverage venues all curated by the Andrés group, an events space, a wellness center and The Bazaar Club — a private, members-only penthouse club with a signature restaurant and views of Georgetown.

Thor bought the property in 2016 for more than $53 million. In the past, Thor has proposed several hotels with retail and restaurant space and a beer garden concept. The developer began demolition of the old hotel, but never finished.

“Today, I’m so happy to start a new chapter with The Bazaar House in Georgetown, an amazing opportunity to welcome people to my city in an entirely new way,” Andrés said in a press release.

Andrés stepped down as CEO of the company in May but remains the group’s executive chairman.

“Opening our first hotel in Georgetown holds a special place for us as a D.C.-born company where we have grown now for three decades and will now start an exciting new chapter with the launch of our first-ever hotel and membership club,” said Sam Bakhshandehpour, José Andrés Group’s new CEO. Bakhshandehpour was previously CEO of a hotel management company. He and Andrés initially met developing Los Angeles’ SLS Hotel, where Andrés opened the original Bazaar restaurant.

The company has 40 restaurants, bars and lounges worldwide including seven in the DMV. Thor Equities has developed hotels including Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons.

“We are thrilled to be involved in a project that honors Georgetown’s rich history and also establishes an exciting new destination for the local community and visitors from around the world,” said Joe Sitt, chairman and CEO of Thor Equities Group. “The private membership club aspect is particularly compelling, as it is designed to connect thought leaders and foster a sense of community curated by José Andrés Group, where local and global guests will be able enjoy exclusive experiences, entertainment venues, and more. With strong roots in D.C., Jose Andres Group is the perfect operator for this venture, and we look forward to collaborating.”