&Pizza Gets Juiced by Marion Berry Knots
Last week, the D.C.-based &Pizza chain introduced a limited-time dessert, Marion Berry Knotts, described as Marion berry filled knots topped with icing and powdered sugar.
Copies of &Pizza’s ads for its discontinued Marian Berry Knots. (Photo: &Pizza)
The promotional materials included the phrase, “Enough powder for you and a few friends! THESE KNOTS WILL BLOW YOU AWAY!” alongside an image of the knots next to a pile of powdered sugar, which many saw as a reference to the late D.C. mayor Marion Barry’s struggles with cocaine.
Cora Masters Barry, Barry’s widow, called the marketing “racist and disrespectful.” The D.C. NAACP called for &Pizza to remove the knots. Protesters gathered outside the chain’s U Street shop and the front of the Skyland shop in Southeast was vandalized with spray paint.
Facing widespread backlash, including calls for a boycott, &Pizza announced on Wednesday that it had removed the item from its menu.
CEO Mike Burns issued a statement saying, “Dear D.C., candidly, we made a mistake. And for that, we sincerely apologize. We hear the D.C. community and have removed the Marion Berry Knots from our menu effective immediately. … While humor was our intent, it was regrettably off the mark. The parody of the former mayor and portrayal of substance abuse was wrong. … Trust that &Pizza hears you and we will do better.”
By Wednesday evening, any mention of the dessert had been wiped from &Pizza’s website and social media feeds.
Charred eggplant with labneh at Poppe. (Photo: Poppe/Instagram)
Pappe Hosts Fair Trade Month Dinner, Panel
Pappe Indian restaurant, 1317 14th St. NW in Logan Circle, will host a dinner and panel to highlight the importance of fair trade practices on Tuesday in conjunction with Bethesda-based Just Ice Tea, a national brand from the same team as PLNT Burger – Seth Goldman and Chef Spike Mendelsohn.
The evening, which begins at 5:30 p.m., will include a cocktail hour, family-style meal and panel discussion. Diners can start by socializing and sipping fair trade organic wines, Just Ice Tea craft cocktails, beer and Pappe’s signature drinks. Then sit down to a multi-course vegetation meal by Chef Sanjay Mandhaiya with wine pairings. During the meal, a live panel discussion will take place with James Beard Award-winning restaurateur Nora Pouillo and Sarela Herrada, co-founder of a global sustainable food company SIMPLi. It will be moderated by food journalist Anna Spiegel of Axios.
Little Blackbird’s Nerds martini. (Photo: Jonni Scott Photography)
Little Blackbird Serves Drinks & Candy Pairings
Little Blackbird wine bar, 3309 Connecticut Ave. NW in Cleveland Park, is giving adults the treats this Halloween with a collection of wine and candy pairings, and cocktail and candy pairings from Oct. 31-Nov. 2.
Sixteen wine pairings and five cocktail pairings are being added to the menu. Wine pairings are $16 for a piece of candy and either a three-ounce or six-ounce wine pour, while cocktail pairings are $20 for a piece of candy and either a four-ounce or six-ounce cocktail pour. There is also the option of a piece of candy and a 1.5 ounce pour for $4.
Some of the Halloween-inspired wine pairings include chardonnay and candy corn; Amontillado sherry and peanut butter cups; orange muscat and circus peanuts; Blanc De Blanc sparkling wine & Fun Dip; Red Hots and Sauternes; Oreos and cream sherry; Fig Newtons and PX Sherry, and M&Ms and Lambrusco;
Cocktails include the Nerds Martini with nerd-infused vodka topped with a nerd rim; Sour Patch Kids Margarita, sour-infused tequila with a sugar/salt rim; dark chocolate truffle martini with espresso, vodka, chocolate liqueur and cark chocolate truffle; Reese’s Old Fashioned with peanut butter whiskey, chocolate liqueur and orange; and the Kit Kat Mudslide with vodka, coffee liqueur, Irish cream and crushed Kit Kat.
Ambar Clarendon Hosts Halloween Costume Party
Ambar’s Blood Moon Margarita (Photo: Ambar)
Ambar Clarendon, 2901 Wilson Blvd., is hosting a free costume party with ghostly decorations on Halloween in its lower level Baba Bar starting at 9 p.m.
There will be eerie decor, specialty cocktails and a costume contest. DJ ALVAMP will spin Top 40 tracks from 9 p.m.-1 a.m.
One winner of the costume contest will get a $200 gift certificate to dine at Ambar Clarendon or one of its sister restaurants in Eastern Market or Shaw. Attendees can vote for best costume using a QR code provided at the party.
Ambar Clarendon will also offer four Halloween cocktails through Nov. 3. Cocktails are priced from $14 to $15 each and include the Vampire Kiss with vodka, Chambord, orange bitters and lime juice; Midnight Berry Elixir with gin, honey, rosemary syrup and blackberries; Blood Moon Margarita with tequila, lime juice, simple syrup, triple sec and red wine, and Baba’s Spiced Spell with bourbon, pumpkin syrup and orange bitters. Each cocktail is served with a spooky note on the side.
Catboat Pizza Bar on the Alexandria waterfront has closed for the winter and will reopen in the spring. (Photo: Stacey H/Yelp)
Catboat Pizza Bar Closes for Winter
Catboat Pizza Bar, 1 Marina Dr., Alexandria, wrapped up its first year on the Potomac River on Saturday.
The seasonal waterfront pizzeria debuted Memorial Day weekend with spacious, all-outdoor seating and views from the Washington Sailing Marina.
With lawn games and alcoholic beverages, the restaurant became something of a weekend destination, hosting private events and an Independence Day bash with a DJ and snow cones.
The restaurant is the first Virginia venture from the team behind D.C.’s Sonny’s Pizza, Doubles, No Kisses and Bar Americano, which recently opened in a kiosk on the National Mall in front of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.
Catboat plans to reopen in the spring as temperatures warm. It has been promised at least two more seasons at the marina, with plans for a lease renewal with the property’s operator on the horizon.
The marina location, adjacent to the Mount Vernon Trail, brings in many patrons who jog, walk, bike or kayak nearby.
With an outdoor kitchen and pizza oven, Catboat served pizza, Italian sandwiches and Caesar salads, accompanied by light snacks and ice cream. The drink menu included beers, seltzers, boozy slushies and wine by the glass or bottle.
Catboat initially opened with Saturday and Sunday hours, but customer demand led the eatery to expand to Thursdays and Fridays as well — with additional hours possible next year.
Owners hope to make the venue more weatherproof and usable all year long. They are also looking at adding more seating and TVs.
While the marina is on National Parks Service land, the Catboat team has a partnership with Guest Services, which operates the marina and kiosks on the National Mall.
Charley in Gaithersburg’s Rio development has reopened after equipment problems forced it to close. (Photo: Charley)
Charley Reopens in Rio After Equipment Problems
Charley, 9811 Washington Blvd. in Gaithersburg’s Rio, has reopened after an equipment issue in its kitchen forced the restaurant to close.
“For those who are blissfully unaware, we had a major mechanical issue at the restaurant that closed us down for a few days,” the restaurant posted on social media last Wednesday. “The equipment has been replaced and we are back at it again. Open tonight at 4 for dinner; come on by!”
Charley, owned by Jackie Greenbaum and Gordon Banks who also own Bar Charley, Little Coco’s and El Chucho in D.C. and Quarry House Tavern in Silver Spring, opened in May 2023 in the space formerly occupied by Tara Thai.
The restaurant has an extensive steak menu featuring options like filet mignon, New York strip and filet mignon. Charley also serves creative cocktails, oysters, house-made pastas and sandwiches, including roasted lamb French dip.
Eggspectation, which closed in Downtown Silver Spring in September 2020, will now open in Burtonsville in early-2025 after delays. (Photo: Pete Tan)
Eggspecation Delays Opening in Burtonsville
Eggspectation, a restaurant that serves “elevated American cuisine with a lengthy all-day breakfast menu alongside hearty lunch and dinner fare” has delayed its area return from fall 2024 until “early 2025.”
The restaurant, which left Downtown Silver Spring in September 2020, is returning to Montgomery County at 15763 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville, in the Burtonsville Crossing shopping center. New locations in Annapolis and Columbia are also listed as opening in early 2025. The nearest locations currently are Gambrills, Md., and Richmond.
Eggspectation left Montgomery County after 15 years in Downtown Silver Spring where Miss Toya’s Creole House is currently. The chain began with one location in Montreal in 1993 and now has locations in the U.S., Egypt, Pakistan, Qatar and the UAE.
Nina May Celebrates Five Year Anniversary
Nina May is celebrating its fifth anniversary. (Photo: Nina May/Instagram)
Nina May, 1337 11th St. NW in Logan Circle, is celebrating five years of hyper local, seasonal menus by bringing back the chef’s choice menu that was in place when its first location opened in 2019. The meal was called the “Family Meal” prix fixe at the time.
From Nov. 1-8, diners can opt in for the experience of having chef and owner Colin McClimans send out dishes he chooses until they are ready for dessert. Many favorite dishes will make an appearance, including onion rings with smoked carrot mustard, roasted spaghetti squash and molasses bread, and crispy Maryland porchetta.
