The Bird Hatches in Logan Circle on Monday
EatWell D.C.’s new restaurant and bar The Bird, 1337 11th St. NW, will open at 4 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 31.
The poultry-centric restaurant will showcase four seasons of fowl, as the menu will change four times a year with the seasons, sourcing vegetables from EatWell’s farm in La Plata, Md., and meat from local poultry producers.
Chef Michael Bonk’s menu is inspired by poultry dishes from around the world using chicken and capon, duck, quail, turkey, squab, grouse, goose and ostrich and all of their various parts and pieces, as well as their eggs.
The menu is divided into Pecking (appetizers), Birth Bath (soup), Bird Food (entrees), Flock Together (dishes for two), Bird Bites (sides) and Feathery Finish (desserts). Appetizers, priced from $7-$13, include sweet and spicy chicken wings, duck carpaccio, charged livers, foie gras, flight of the egg with quail, partridge, chicken and duck eggs prepared various ways, and a bibb salad. The soup made with chicken, pheasant, duck broth, hominy, carrots, spring onions, dumplings and an egg is $8 for a cup and $15 for a bowl. Entrees, priced from $17-$34 include Korean fried jumbo quail, half a fried Amish chicken, half an heirloom roasted chicken, pheasant pie, Moulard duck breast and an ostrich fillet. There is also a “Peking” style Muscovy duck breast for two for $54. Sides, priced at $6 each, include a mixture of peas, artichokes, spring onion, Amish butter, lemon zest and herbs; a slaw of asparagus, peas, cucumber, celery, carrots and milk vinaigrette; dirty fried rice with livers, gizzards, duck fat and jasmine rice; and marinated tomatoes in fish sauce with nam jim and toasted garlic. Desserts (there was no prices listed on the menu) includes duck fat doughnuts with a hazelnut glaze and duck crackling and a chicken & waffle with fried chicken ice cream, a butter milk waffle, maple syrup and candied cockscombs.
The interior continues the theme with four rooms decorated as spring, summer, fall and winter. Each room was decorated by a different artist with murals and color as were the men’s, women’s and unisex restrooms. The two-story former corner store will eventually seat 150 once a retractable roof deck and downstairs patio open.
The Bird will initially serve dinner beginning at 4 p.m. daily and will add weekend brunch later in November.
Chipotle pulls plug on ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen
The future for the fast food chain born is the District isn’t looking good after Chipotle announced this past week it was giving up its ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen spinoff.
During an earnings call Tuesday, Chipotle founder, chairman and co-CEO Steve Ells said ShopHouse “simply has not demonstrated the ability to support an attractive unit economic model.” The company will not invest further in developing or growing the brand.
It is not yet known what will become of the existing 15 restaurants including eight in the DMV. ShopHouse launched in Dupont Circle in the former Riggs Bank building in 2011. In the meantime, the restaurants will continue to operate as usual.
“We are considering options for ShopHouse,” said spokesman Chris Arnold. “No decisions have been made.”
Since launching in the District, ShopHouse has expanded to Illinois and California and made numerous menu changes along the way. Most recently, the chain introduced crispy egg rolls and wraps at some locations after students started showing up with their own tortillas.
In the future, Chipotle will focus on its Pizzeria Locale, which opened in Boulder, Colo., in 2011 before Chipotle invested in it a few years ago. It serves 11-inch personal pizzas cooked in a 900-degree oven for 2 minutes and priced from $5.25-$8.75. There are now also two locations in Denver and one in Overland Park, Kan. It will also invest in its Tasty Made burger chain, which opened its first location on Wednesday in Lancaster, Ohio.
Pricey Shaw Bijou loses a chef before it even opens
Shaw Bijou, 1544 Ninth St. NW, the pricey tasting menu restaurant from Kwame Onwuachi, 26, has lost its executive sous chef before it even opens its doors on Tuesday, Nov. 1.
Chef Michael Ellish, who has been cooking with Onwuachi for a while, left the restaurant and is now the executive chef at Barrel, 613 Pennsylvania Ave. SE.
The 13-course meal at Shaw Bijou will cost up to $962 per couple — each meal is $185, wine pairings are another $185 each, service charge (20 percent) is $148 and tax is $74. Dinner is by reservation only, must be paid in full at the time of booking and all sales are final. Reservations can be rescheduled or released back into the online booking system, but if someone else doesn’t buy the booking, money will not be refunded. It will be open Tuesday through Saturday for dinner only.
“Kwame and I weren’t seeing to eye to eye on some things anymore,” Ellish told the Washington City Paper. “That was basically it. It wasn’t just the pricing. It was a lot of things. That was one of them, but there are a million other different things. It was more personal than business, if you will.”
At Barrel, Ellish replaces Garret Fleming, who was on Season 13 of Top Chef. Ellish moved to the District last year to open Shaw Bijou with Onwuachi, who was on the same season of Top Chef as Fleming.
“Anything you’ll get at Shaw Bijou you can get [at Barrel] for a third of the price,” Ellish said, noting that he and Onwuachi have a similar approach to cooking. “We pull food from the same places. We’re not waving magic wands and making crazy food. We take a base dish and tweak it a little bit. Super easy.”
Onwuachi did not commoent on the split except to say, “It was a pleasure working with chef Ellish. We wish him all the best with his new venture and really look forward to trying his food.”
Ellish, a New Orleans native, previously cooked at John Besh’s farm-to-table restaurant La Provence in Louisiana. He has already started putting is mark on Barrel’s menu with NOLA style Creole BBQ shrimp with crusty bread and scallions ($15), and will make more changes over the next month and a half.
Jack Rose Dining Saloon adds fall cocktails
Jack Rose Dining Saloon, 2007 18th St. NW, has added more than 20 new cocktails to its saloon bar and rooftop terrace menus featuring everything from the iconic fall flavors of pumpkin, apple, cinnamon, pear and hazelnut to unique house syrups and garnishes like marzipan, Rice Krispy treats, flaming licorice sticks, cold brew coffee and shrubs made from Welch’s concord grape juice.
In the saloon bar, the $13 cocktails feature whiskey, gin, rum, agave, vodka and cognac including the Bananas Forester made with Old Forester Signature Bourbon, Allspice dram, Giffards Banane de Brasil, simple and walnut bitters; the Bramblin’ Man with I.W. Harper bourbon, Bruto Americano, blackberry, lemon and angostura bitters; the Blade Rummer with house pumpkin cordial, Zacapa 23YR rum, lime, angostura and fever tree tonic; and the Snap, Crackle, Pok with Wheatley vodka, Mizu shochu, ginger snap liqueur, tamarind pok pok, lemon and grapefruit radler topped with a house-made Rice Krispy treat.
New additions on the heated rooftop terrace include $13 cocktails and a $12 punch, such as the Headless Scotsman made with Laphroaig 10-year scotch, pumpkin brown sugar, lemon, orange and black walnut bitters; the Sonic Youth with Copper & Kings apple brandy, Belle de Brillet pear cognac, honey and lemon; and the Absolutly Sauced punch with Absolut vodka, cranberry sauce, clove honey syrup and Jerry Thomas bitters.
Alta Strada introduces new brunch menu
Alta Strada, 465 K St. NW, has introduced a new, bigger brunch menu.
The new menu has a selection of primi including market oysters with Calabrian chile mignonette and Meyer lemon; house-made ricotta with sage, black pepper and crostini; and crunchy meatballs with spicy tomato basil sauce. In the secondi section of the menu, new items include Nutella French toast with hazelnuts and bananas; steak and eggs with crispy fingerling potatoes and salsa verde; and Italian leaning brunch classics like eggs benedetto with potatoes, prosciutto cotto, peppers and herb hollandaise. There are also three new brunch pizzas, such as the everything bagel spice pizza with smoked salmon, mascarpone, tomatoes, capers and red onion; a hangover BLT pizza with eggs, bacon, arugula and tomato; and a sweet and salty pizza with pancetta, pears, burrata and rosemary. There is also a selection of frittatas, pastas, as well as a few additional sides.
Brunch is offered Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
The restaurant is also offering a takeout menu for guests who prefer to pre-order or take their meals to go. The menu, available during regular lunch and dinner hours, offers a variety of menu items from the lunch and dinner menus including a large selection of antipasti, sandwiches, salads, pizzas and pastas. Entrees, including Pollo “Al Mattone,” branzino and grilled house-made sausage will also be available for takeout after 5 p.m. To place a takeout order, call 202-629-4662 or visit the website for online ordering.
The Royal adds hot seasonal cocktails & coffee drinks
The Royal, 501 Florida Ave. NW, introduced a new menu of seasonal cocktails and coffee drinks for the cold-weather.
Joining the restaurant and bar’s house vermouth on tap is the new house pumpkin amaro made with more than 15 ingredients including baking pumpkins, roasted sweet potatoes, bitter herbs, spices including cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, clove and overproof that is aged for just over a week and dispensed from the bar’s vintage extinguisher draft system.
As temperatures continue to drop, three new hot cocktails debut including the Colombian Coffee made with Ron Medellin 8-year rum], Counter Culture Coffee cold brew concentrate and hand-whipped vanilla bean cream; the Aguardiente Punch with Antioqueno Aguardiente, house apple cider, Four Roses bourbon, honey and spices; and mulled wine with Spanish brandy and red wine steeped with fall spices and a cinnamon stick..
Cold drinks include the American 63 with Singani 63 Bolivian brandy, Copper & Kings apple brandy, Argus Fermantables Ciderkin cider, ginger, allspice and lemon; the Old Nigel with Hayman’s Old Tom gin, fennel liqueur, Cava, celery bitters, white pepper and lemon; and the Suleiman Sling with Amontillado sherry, Port City porter, walnut liqueur, date syrup and orange.
Non-alcoholic coffee drinks include the Cold Hearted made with chilled espresso, vanilla syrup, steamed milk and a cocoa drizzle; the Open Sesame latté with sweetened black sesame paste made from ground sesame seeds, vanilla syrup, honey and steamed milk available with or without espresso or without; the fall spice hot chocolate with cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, anise, allspice, chili powder, cocoa powder, sugar, milk, and a cinnamon stick topped with torched marshmallows; and the Royal Fog with vanilla-infused earl grey tea, vanilla syrup and steamed milk. Coffee drinks range from $3-$5.
Bastille offers pumpkin dishes this weekend
In honor of Halloween, Bastille, 606 N. Fayette St., Alexandria, will feature pumpkin dishes all weekend.
The featured soup du jour is Long Island cheese pumpkin velouté with crème fraiche, toasted seeds and pumpkin oil priced at $9; the appetizer is butternut squash and beet salad with burrata and toasted pecans for $13; entrees are sautéed trout filet over pumpkin and apple risotto with sage brown-butter priced at $18 during lunch and $27 during dinner, and pumpkin and apple risotto with sage, pumpkin seeds and roasted seed oil for $14 at lunch and $23 at dinner; and dessert is pumpkin crème caramel with spiced pecans, salted caramel ice cream and Valrhona Dulcey chocolate for $9,
Garrison celebrates ‘Hilloween’ on Sunday
Garrison, 524 Eighth St. SE, will celebrate “Hilloween” with a pumpkin carving throw-down with staff and pumpkin-inspired brunch specials on Sunday, Oct. 30.
Continuing a tradition, staff will compete in a pumpkin carving competition with the jack-o-lanterns on display throughout the restaurant this weekend. Guest can help choose the best one.
Sunday’s brunch menu will feature cocktails and food specials made from the pumpkin “guts” including pumpkin pancakes ($15) served with caramelized apples, house-made ricotta and chestnut honey; and a pumpkin sundae ($12) with a warm spiced caramel sauce made with cinnamon, orange zest, star anise and cardamom topped with chocolate cake croutons and garnished with a dehydrated slice of heirloom squash brushed with vanilla syrup.
A special cocktail, The Hills Have Eyes ($12) with Hamilton’s Jamaican Pot Still black rum, Hamilton’s Jamaican Pot Still golden rum, lime juice, pineapple juice, orange juice and a concord grape shrub garnished with an orange slice and brandied cherry.
Astro Doughnuts bakes election-themed doughnuts
Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken, 1308 G St. NW and 7511 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, will have special edition election doughnuts from Nov. 1-8.
The flavors are inspired by foods enjoyed by both candidates and include a spicy hot chocolate doughnut in honor of Hillary Clinton, who is known to be a fan of chocolate and reportedly eats a hot pepper every day. It is a chocolate cake doughnut with chocolate chipotle glaze and a “D” piped on top, priced at $2.85. The doughnut representing Donald Trump, who reportedly enjoys cherry vanilla ice cream and Diet Coke, is the vanilla Cherry Coke doughnut, a pillow yeast doughnut filled with cherry compote and cherry vanilla Coke glaze with an “R” piped on top. It is priced at $3.10.
Arroz to hold pop-up at G on Tuesday and Wednesday
Arroz, the southern Spanish restaurant from chef Mike Isabella set to open in the Marriott Marquis near the convention center early next year, will hold a pop-up at G, 2201 14th St. NW, on Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov.1 and 2. There will be two seating nightly at 6 and 8:30 p.m.
The four-course dinner is inspired by the cuisines of Valencia, Andalusia and Portugal with North African influences paired with Portuguese wines from Herdade do Esporão.
The first course is atune tartar with foie gras flan, scallions, smoked almond tuille and membrillo; grilled escarole salt cod salad with clementines, olives, almonds, mojama and croutons; papas con caviar with confit potatoes, sea urchin, creamy eggs and caviar; and tempero with crispy maitake mushroom and harissa aioli. The second course is tortilla de pardon with san simon cheese, pequillo, alioli and chili threads; prawns alhinho with garlic, pimento, preserved lemon and cilantro; pasteli Anna Maria with braised pork and pickled vegetables; and chicken alheira with smoky braised chicken sausage, roasted cabbage, membrillo mustard
The third course includes paella cazador with chicken wings, rabbit, duck, quince, mushrooms and rainbow carrot escabeche; chermoula lamb ribs with apples, radishes, cilantro and cracked coriander honey; and burnt cauliflower with romesco, pickled leeks, almonds and aged manchego. The fourth course features pastilla amlou with argon-almond, honey and citrus; and pastéis de nata, custard tarts with vanilla-port braised figs and crème anglaise.
The meal costs $149 per person and tickets are available https://www.eventbrite.com/e/arroz-preview-dinner-featuring-esporao-wines-of-portugal-tickets-28350521172 online.
Matteo Venini named executive chef at Lupo Verde
Matteo Venini is the new executive chef at Lupo Verde, 1401 T St. NW. He will also oversee the menu at the restaurant’s second location, which is scheduled to open in early December at 4814 MacArthur Blvd. NW.
A native of Lake Como, Italy, Venini brings many years of experience working at restaurants the District and Italy to his new position. Most recently, he was executive chef at Tosca for a year and a half. He began his career in the U.S. at Tosca a decade ago as a pastry chef. After two years, he was promoted to be part of the opening team at Posto in 2008 before returning to Tosca to lead the kitchen there.
Venini has changed about 90 percent of the restaurant’s menu with new and seasonal dishes, such as braised short ribs with red wine, celery, carrots, onion, dark chocolate and fresh herbs, a family recipe. His family owned a butcher shop in Italy that had a large cheese counter so he also plans to focus on Lupo Verde’s Italian cheeses with 25 to 30 selections. Other new additions to the fall menu include cappellacci pasta stuffed with roasted butternut squash, ricotta salata, fresh ricotta, golden raisins, sage and amaretto cookies in a brown butter garlic sage sauce; pan roasted scallops with fennel, grilled royal trumpet mushrooms, carrot coulis and charred onions; and chocolate amaretto cookie custard with roasted pears and Italian meringue.
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.