The newly formed Social Restaurant Group, a partnership between Naeem Mohd, who is owner of Mad Rose Tavern, Mike Bramson and Alex Lopez, will open Provision No. 14 at 2100 14th St. NW in late May, replacing the troubled Diego Mexican restaurant.

Provision No. 14, with a shareable American menu, will replace the failed Diego Mexican restaurant at 14th & V Streets NW.
(Photo: Washingtonian)

Occupying the corner at 14 and V Streets NW, Provision No. 14 will be a casual eatery with a focus on communal dining and drinking. The first floor will feature floor-to-ceiling windows, a 57 seat dining room and 29 seat bar. A seasonal outdoor patio will seat an additional 61 diners. The design from Swatchroom will be early American when importing and exporting provisions was a new, necessary and regulated endeavor, hence the “provision” in the name. The first floor will have hues of ivory and steel blue peppered with textures of khaki, leather and natural burlap. Accents like distressed porch columns and salvaged screen doors will be mixed with red metal oil drums, deep indigo denim, burlap and brown paper packages.

The second floor, which is inspired by vintage cigar lounges with deeper tones and spicier textures and shadows, upstairs will have seating for 80 at a second bar, high-top tables and Victorian style sofas. Custom shutters line the upstairs windows, translating streetlight into stunning shadows along with diffused light from jute lanterns.

The food will be shareable. The menu will feature updated, modern takes on classic fondues and a snack menu. Guests are encouraged to try a wide selection of snack plates. The menu will also feature a selection of daily rotating communal boards, a raw cut wood plank featuring an entrée and complementing side dishes ideal for sharing.

The bar will have 20 draft lines, a beer program that curates small-batch brewers from around the world and large format bottled cocktails. Groups can order at least six wine-sized bottles filled with house-made cocktails. There will also be two draft cocktails as well as two boozy slushes.

The former Diego restaurant in the space had its troubles, closing a few weeks after it opened in 2013 to bring on a new chef. That chef left after a few months and the restaurant closed permanently at the end of January.

Et Voila! introduces new three-course lunch

This March, Et Voila!, the Belgian/French bistro located at 5120 MacArthur Blvd. NW in the Palisades neighborhood, debuts a three-course lunch menu. Owner and executive chef Claudio Pirollo’s menu will change every three weeks and will include a choice of two appetizers, two entrées and two desserts. The lunch special is priced at $22.50 per person. For an additional $6 per person, diners can add a glass of house red or white wine.

Et Viola! begins serving a three-course lunch on Tuesday. (Photo: Shawn Keeley)

The menu begins with appetizer choices such as snail croquette with cabbage salad seasoned with wasabi mayonnaise or smoked haddock on top of creamy potato and poached eggs. Entrées and include Belgium meatballs cooked in brown beer and served with Belgium fries or the cassoulet of either mariniere or diablo mussels. Dessert choices include Nutella ice cream, Kriek Lambic beer ice cream, Cuberdon ice cream made with the famous Belgium candy or a Floating Island.

Et Voila! serves lunch from 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m Tuesday through Friday.

701 Restaurant hosts whole hog filibuster dinner

701 Restaurant, 701 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, will host a special whole hog dinner at 7 p.m. on Mar. 5 featuring dishes that incorporate all parts of the pig, from nose-to-tail for $60 per person

701 Restaurant will serve a hole hog dinner on Thursday, (Photo: Joanna Morena/DC Spotlight)

Executive chef Benjamin Lambert’s menu includes a first course of trotter panzanella salad with carrot, goat cheese and cracklins, followed by the second course of porchetta with parsnips, wild mushrooms and walnut pesto. Dessert will be a sticky bun parfait with caramel, candied bacon and ice cream.

Also, beverage director Chris McNeal will open two oak barrels filled with secret cocktails made with rye and double cask bourbon from Filibuster Bourbon in Washington, D.C. Filibuster representatives will be on hand to answer questions about their small batch whiskies.

Albisu, Brandwein to host collaborative dinner at Del Campo

On Mar. 10, Del Campo will host a collaborative dinner with Victor Albisu and Amy Brandwein, chef and owner of the forthcoming Italian restaurant/market Centrolina. The dinner will explore the historic ties linking Italian and Argentinean cooking.

Victor Albisu (left) and Amy Brandwein (Photo: Del Campo/Centrolina)

The menu, designed to show off the common features and regional differences of the two cuisines, includes a welcome cocktail and antipasti course with mini provoletta, smoked olives, grilled mortadella and eggplant scapece/escabeche. The first course is veal carpaccio with tonnato and caviar, and a second course of pappardelle bolognese with burnt carrots and smoked chicken livers. The third course is sheep’s milk ricotta ravioli with whipped egg yolk and black truffle followed by the fourth course of bistecca fiorentina and bife de hueso with gambas diavola, salsicetta luganeg and chorizo served with chimichurri sauce and salsa criolla with sides of braised broccoli rabe and Calabrian chile, and burnt cauliflower with golden raisins. Dessert includes a fernet float and limoncello bomboloni.

Cost of the dinner, which begins at 6:30 p.m., is $75 and includes tax and gratuity.

Fabrice Bendano new pastry chef at Le Diplomate

Farice Bendano is Le Diplomate’s new executive pastry chef. (Photo: Star Chefs)

Le Diplomate, 1601 14th St. NW, appointed Fabrice Bendano as its new executive pastry chef. Classically trained in French pastry, the Parisian-born Bendano is renowned as one of the area’s most talented pastry chefs, having developed dessert programs at some of the finest restaurants around the world. In his 20-year tenure as a pastry chef, Bendano has garnered acclaim for his expertly crafted presentations of classic French confections, gaining special notoriety for his delicate, flavorful macarons.

Bendano has baked in restaurants around the globe, from Paris and London to Las Vegas and Washington, D.C. After earning his pastry degree from CAP de Patisserie in Cannes, France in 1992, he has lead and shaped pastry programs at some of the world’s Michelin-starred restaurants, including Alain Ducasse’s three-starred Le Louix XV in Monte Carlo, the historic three-starred Ledoyen in Paris and the two-starred Taillevent in Paris. Locally, he helmed programs Citronelle, 1789 and Ducasse’s late Adour at the St. Regis Hotel in downtown D.C.

When Ducasse left Washington, Bendano was lured to Las Vegas to consult on the pastry program at Ducasse’s miX at The Delano Hotel. He most recently was executive pastry chef at Occasions Caterers.

Jochem Zijp new beverage director at BLT Steak

Jochem Zijp is the new beverage director at BLT Steak. (Photo: Tony Powell)

Jochem Zijp is the new beverage director at BLT Steak, 1625 I St. NW. A veteran of Blue Duck Tavern, Range and Osteria Morini, the certified sommelier will curate BLT Steak’s expansive and evolving wine, spirits and cocktail offerings.

At BLT Steak, Zijp plans to incorporate small artisan producers in both the cocktail and wine programs. He will continue to experiment with the barrel-aged cocktail program, even barrel-aging craft spirits to use as a base for his classic cocktails. “I am always exploring new ways to incorporate different spirits and flavors into cocktails. I want our beverage program to satisfy a guest at happy hour as much as someone enjoying a steak dinner,” he said.

Zijp launched his career as a beverage professional in 2008 at Blue Duck Tavern, where he honed his skills for three years before becoming the general manager at Veritas Wine Bar. He decided to further explore the world of wine, and became a certified sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers. He next helped to open Range, working alongside master sommelier Keith Goldston, and then opened Osteria Morini as the beverage director.

Boss Shepherd’s, a new restaurant serving farm-to-table American classics, will open July 21 at 1299 Pennsylvania Ave. NW next to the Warner Theater.

Boss Shepherds open Monday in the former John Harvard’s Brew House next to the Warner Theatre. (Photo: Popville)

The restaurant is named for D.C. politico Alexander “Boss” Shepherd, often referred to as the “Father of Modern Washington.” Shepherd, governor of the District of Columbia from 1873-74, is credited with helping to improve and modernize the city’s infrastructure and convincing the federal government not to relocate to the Midwest.

Diners can expect authentic, fresh dishes from executive chef Jeremy Waybright on the menu, which highlights his years of classic southern cooking experience.

“Having cooked all over the south, I am thrilled for people to experience my fresh takes on familiar comfort dishes,” said Waybright in a press release. “By combining locally-sourced, seasonal ingredients with bold and exciting flavors, the menu screams American-made.”

Local farms such as Path Valley Farms, Tuscarora Co-op, Lancaster Farms Fresh, The Fresh Link, Red Barn Berkshires, Northern Neck Fruit & Vegetable, Horst Farms and Next Step Produce with supply much of the restaurant’s food.

The menu boasts fresh takes on time-honored, rustic classics with such as Maine blue mussels with sausage, cider beer, vermouth and pickled chili, or bone marrow served with herbs, pickled egg, breakfast radish and toast. On the sandwich menu is the Hamburg, a classic burger made with Virginia grass-fed beef, sweet onion and cheddar cheese on a brioche bun. There’s also a pastrami salmon sandwich served with pickled onion, baby lettuce and dill cream on a poppy seed bun. The fried chicken entrée is served with butter-poached radish, smoked egg yolk, hot sauce and a biscuit, while the Carolina trout with Meyer lemon includes capers, brown butter and Wade’s Mill white grits. Boss Shepherd’s will also offer classics such as steak dishes and crab cakes. See the full menu here.

The restaurant’s back bar will feature two 5-gallon barrels of A. Smith Bowman reserve whiskey as well as Catoctin Creek roundhouse rye (92 proof). The beer selection emphasizes local breweries’ concoctions such as Port City’s oyster stout and DC Brau’s golden ale, as well as specialties from Flying Dog Brewery and Atlas Brew Works. Alongside the whiskey and beer programs, Boss Shepherd’s offers a wine list of 35 American and international wines by the glass.

Boss Shepherd’s opens at 11 a.m. Monday through Friday and at 4 p.m. on Saturday. It is closed Sunday.

Bibiana Osteria hosts wine dinner Monday

On July 21 at 7:30 p.m., Bibiana Osteria Enoteca, 1100 New York Ave. NW, will hold a guided tasting and winemaker’s dinner showcasing wines from Prá winery, one of Italy’s producers of the rare Soave and Amarone varietals located on the slopes of the Valle di Mezzane in the Verona province.

Bibiana Osteria Enoteca will host a wine dinner on July 21 featuring wines from Prá winery. (Photo: Endo Edibles)

Owner Graziano Prà has been managing the winery since the early 1980s, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, and has brought international fame to small wine producing areas such as Colle Sant’Antonio, Il Monte Grande and La Morandina.

The special evening is priced at $145 per person. It begins with a guided tasting of vintages including Soave “Otto” 2013, Soave “Monte Grande” 2011, Soave “Monte Grande” 2012, Soave “Staforte” 2007, Valpolicella Ripasso “Morandina” 2011, Amrone della Valpolicella 2007 and Amarone della Valpolicella 2008.

Executive chef Nicholas Stefanelli will be preparing a three-course dinner with wine pairings showcasing traditional Veronese varietals. There will be a tasting of Venetian Canapés to accompany the guided tour. The first course is Vialona nero risotto with cuttlefish and squid ink paired with Soave ‘Otto’ 2013. The second course includes roasted dry-aged Muscovy duck breast with pancetta and fresh herbs paird with Valpolicella Ripasso ‘Morandina’ 2011. The final course is a duo of piave cheese, summer fruits and pine nuts paired with Amarone della Valpolicella 2008.

Seating is limited. Call 202-216-9550 to reserve a seat.

India Gate restaurant opens in Dupont

India Gate Restaurant and Bar at 2020 P St. NW opened Wednesday featuring classic Indian cuisine.

India Gate Restaurant and Bar opened Wednesday in Dupont. (Photo: Barred DC)

Mohammed Rahman, a former line cook at Bombay Club, opened the 60-seat, two-story Indian restaurant in the former Eola space in Dupont. Rahman emigrated from Bangladesh in 1990.

The restaurant serves halal food with most entrees priced from $13-$17 for lunch and dinner daily. India Gate is open from 10:30 a.m.-11:30 p.m. weekdays and 10:30 a.m.-midnight weekends. Both delivery and carryout are offered.

Vertitas Wine Bar in Dupont to close in August

Vertitas Wine Bar, one of the first wine bars to open in the city at 2031 Florida Ave. NW, is closing Aug. 2. The restaurant posted the new on its Facebook account Thursday.

The blog Barred in DC tweeted that something called McClellan’s Retreat will replace it, but there is no other details yet.

.@veritaswinebar in north Dupont will be closing August 2nd. Opened in Oct 2007. Possibly replaced by something called McClellan's Retreat.

— Barred in DC (@barredindc) July 17, 2014

Jack Rose Dining Saloon opens rooftop Tiki bar

Jack Rose Dining Saloon recently reopened its rooftop Tiki bar for the season. It is open Thursday through Saturday at 5 p.m. with tropical cocktails and island-inspired food and a “Tiki Thursdays” happy hour from 5-10 p.m.

Jack Rose Dining Saloons’ Tiki bar is now open Thursday through Sunday. (Photo: Jack Rose)

Jack Rose’s bartenders are serving up cocktails such as the Singapore Sling, Hurricane, Rye Tai, Break Fluid and Orange Crush for $12 each. And executive chef Russell Jones is grilling up items on the terrace’s wood-fired grill such as grilled shrimp tacos with jicama slaw ($8), Polynesian pork belly skewers with charred pineapple ($8), clam dip with fresh horseradish, chives, fresh lemon and homemade potato ruffles ($9), roasted corn on the cob with smoked paprika and parmigiano reggiano cheese ($6) and jalapeno hushpuppies with Old Bay mayo ($6). During Tiki Thursday happy hour, cocktails and food are half-price and draft beers are $2 off.

Nathan Beauchamp takes over kitchen at Fainting Goat

Following six years of organic farming in Minnesota, teaching culinary school and opening up a craft beer bar in Minneapolis, Nathan Beauchamp is returning to D.C. to helm the kitchen as executive chef at The Fainting Goat, 1330 U St. NW.

Jason Beauchamp is the new executive chef at The Fainting Goat. (Photo: Marissa Rauch Photography)

A former RAMMY Award-winner, Beauchamp formerly was executive chef at 1789 in Georgetown. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., Beauchamp has also worked in kitchens such as Park Avenue Café in NYC with David Burke, and at Restaurant Eve, Vidalia and Bistro Bis in the DMV.

Beauchamp left D.C. in 2008 for Minneapolis, where he taught culinary school at the Art Institute, focusing on charcuterie, and dabbled in organic farming at Gemini Farm in Wadena, Minn., growing rhubarb, potatoes, green beans and other seasonal produce. He also co-opened Devil’s Advocate, a craft beer bar and restaurant in downtown Minneapolis.

“Coming back to D.C. after a few years away is very exciting!” Beauchamp said in a press release. “I equate it to the prodigal son coming home again. I missed being on the East Coast and I’m happy to return to see family and friends.”

The Eastern Shore native says the menu will remain very similar in format with dishes broken down into “Nibble,” “Graze,” “Chomp” and “Feed”, and contemporary, modern American cuisine. He will put his own culinary stamp on each dish, incorporating some international flavors and highlighting fresh seasonal vegetables and produce.

“After only working in fine dining while in D.C., I wanted to change pace and work in a casual space while still creating innovative food,” said Beauchamp. “So when my good friend Greg (Algie, owner of The Fainting Goat) presented me with the opportunity, I knew this was a perfect fit. The restaurant is beautiful, and I am very excited about getting back into the kitchen and especially, pairing the food with their stellar beverage program.”

Dishes that will roll out in mid-July may include smaller bites like uni toast with shaved zucchini, radish, opal basil, and charred carrots with farro, date molasses, goat cheese; and larger entrees like Arctic char with cucumber miso, fava beans and pickled chanterelles, and duck meatballs with huckleberries and lime cracklins. He’s also playing around with dishes like a braised goat arancini with tomato confit, a Jamaican curry goat sandwich and goat carpaccio.

Roberto Hernandez is Mio’s new executive chef

Roberto Hernandez is the new executive chef at Mio Restaurant, 1110 Vermont Ave. NW.

Roberto Hernandez is Mio Restaurant’s new executive chef. (Photo: Mio Restaurant)

Hernandez has been a featured guest chef at Mio and is an expert in Latin ingredients and flavors, gleaned from his Cuban grandmother and his Puerto Rican upbringing. He has cooked in some leading kitchens and at events in the U.S. including the Blue Door Restaurant at the five-star Delano Hotel in Miami and the South Beach Food and Wine Festival. Hernandez was also tapped as the chef de cuisine at Donald Trump’s Palm Beach Mar-a-Largo Club.

In 2009, Hernandez began his culinary consulting work providing services to top establishments like The Grove Isle Hotel in Miami and Andrew’s Restaurant in Boca Raton. He was also commissioned by restaurateur Johan Stenberg to travel to Sweden and share his culinary expertise at two of Stenberg’s newest operations near Stockholm, Le Hammagazinet and the Tellus Club. Then in 2012, he returned to Puerto Rico as the culinary director for Cultura Culinaria LLC, a nonprofit foundation that positions the Puerto Rican gastronomy in the Caribbean, Central and South America. In this role, Hernandez contributed with the production team designing and developing the logistics for culinary events in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. His work included an invitation to the International Culinary Center in New York City, to present a kitchen demonstration on Puerto Rican cuisine and its evolution.

Most recently, Hernandez ran his culinary consulting firm, Robcuisine Culinary Consultants LLC, with clients in Florida, the U.S. Virgin Islands, New York, Spain and Puerto Rico.

Ryan Ross named new chef at Pinstripes

Ryan Ross, most recently chef de partie at Alexandria’s Majestic Café, is the new executive chef at Pinstripes, the combination Italian restaurant and bowling alley in the Shops at Georgetown Park, 1064 Wisconsin Ave. NW.

Ryan Ross is the new executive chef at Georgetown’s Pinstripes. (Photo: March of Dimes Nevada Chapter)

The Hawaiian-born Ross previously worked in kitchens across the country including Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bakery in Las Vegas, where he was chef de partie, and chef Roy Yamaguchi’s Roy’s Hawaiian Fusion, also in Las Vegas, where he was executive chef and partner.

“Many of my teenage years were spent combing M Street, and I’m excited to get to know Georgetown on a different level,” said Ross, who grew up in nearby Virginia.

Ross has already started getting his hands dirty with his new C&O Canal-front patio chef’s garden, where he grows herbs and vegetables for Pinstripe’s kitchen. Tarragon, basil, pomegranate, spinach, onion, figs, arugula, eggplant, parsley and heirloom tomatoes were planted in mid-June in anticipation of the late summer and fall dishes.

“Not only is the garden a beautiful addition to Wisconsin Avenue, but it will provide Pinstripes with seasonal, peak-flavor produce that will futher enhance our from-scratch menu offerings,” Ross said. “My sous chef and I love tending the garden in the early morning and throughout the day.”

Willard InterContinental Hotel has new chef

Serge Devesa is the Willard InterContinental Hotel’s new executive chef. (Photo: InterContinental Hotels)

Serge Devesa is the new executive chef at the Willard InterContinental Hotel, 1401 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, replacing former chef Luc Dendievel.

Devesa will oversee Cafe du Parc, the hotel’s French restaurant, as well as catering and banquets.

A native of Marseilles, Devesa has worked for such restaurants and hotels as the InterContintental New York Barclay, the Colette Bar and Bistro and others. He is a certified Master Chef by the Maîtres Cuisiniers de France.