Dolcezza gelato’s sixth location opened this morning at 8 a.m. at 1418 14th St. NW in a 1878 building that formerly housed a deli and was originally a pharmacy.

Dolcezza’s newest location at 14th & P streets NW opened at 8 a.m. today. It features a “to-go” window on the left. (Photo: Mark Heckathorn/DC on Heels)

The 1,000 square-foot store, at the corner of 14th and P streets NW, is the first Dolcezza to feature a “to-go” window that will allow customers to order gelato, pastries and Stumptown Coffee from the street. It is also the first location to have a sundae bar where customers can enjoy a rotating seasonal sundae or “coppetta” – which means little dish in Italian – menu with homemade whipped cream and fresh seasonal toppings to their favorite gelatos and sorbettos. Coppettas are priced between $7 and $10.

The coffee & cookies coppeta (Photo: Mark Heckathorn/DC on Heels)

The opening menu features five coppetas: the Fruitty Pebbles made with Indonesian vanilla bean gelato, crushed Marcona almonds and house-candied citrus zest; the coffee & cookies with espresso Hair Bender gelato, biskoff cookie pieces, Perrydell whipped cream and espresso powder; the strawberry gnocchi with lemon ricotta cardamom gelato, strawberry broth, fresh chopped mint and shaved white chocolate; the strawberry tarragon daiquiri with strawberry tarragon sorbetto, tequila-spiked whipped cream and Maldon sea salt flakes; and the chocolate Mexicano with Valrhona dark chocolate gelato, smokey and spicy nuts and cinnamon whipped cream.

Designed by Groupo 7, Dolcezza kept the original front entrance door and retail shelving. The store has an apothecary feel with light fixtures from Housewerks Salvage in Baltimore and seats 30. The patio will seat another 10 people.

The 14th Street store will be open from 7 a.m.-10 p.m. on Monday, 7 a.m.-11 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 7 a.m.-midnight on Friday, 8 a.m.-midnight on Saturday and
8 a.m.-10 p.m. on Sunday.

Dolcezza is also celebrating National Ice Cream Month and its 10th anniversary in July. On Tuesday, July 1, the first 100 customers at each of the six locations will receive a free chocolate suizo (Swiss) gelato mixed with chocolate pieces and dulce de leche gelato mini cone. This was the first flavor co-owner Robb Duncan tasted while traveling with his wife Violeta Edelman in Argentina and was the inspiration for Dolcezza.

Also, anyone whose birthday is in July can take a valid ID to any location and receive a free small gelato of their choice. Dolcezza’s other locations include Union Market, Fairfax’s Mosaic District, 1560 Wisconsin Avenue NW in Georgetown, 1704 Connecticut Ave. NW in Georgetown and 7111 Bethesda Lane in Bethesda.

Cava Grill introduces summer menu items

Cava Grill will add new summer juice, tea and gazpacho to its menu starting July 1 at all six locations. In addition to seasonal, handmade juices, sweet tea infusions and roasted tomato gazpacho, the Mediterranean fast casual restaurant is rolling out a series of culinary collaborations with local DC-based artisan producers including Whisked!, Gordy’s Pickle Jar and RunningByrd Tea.

Cava Mezze Grill in Columbia Heights. (Photo: Zagat)

The restaurant serves up five seasonal homemade juices and teas made from fresh fruit and herb flavors ($2.50/regular; $2.95/large) including pineapple coriander and watermelon mint juices, raspberry ginger lemonade, peach black tea and hibiscus green tea.

Chef Dimitri Moshovitis has also created a cold roasted Gazpacho with roasted tomatoes from Hummingbird Farm in Ridgely, Md., roasted jalapeño and garlic and basil-infused olive oil ($3.25) with a sprinkle of feta or fresh cucumber topping.

Other menu additions rolling out this summer include a salted dark chocolate chip oat cookie ($2.75); a pickled banana pepper, which will become one of the restaurant’s on-going toppings; and seasonal bottled sweet teas from D.C.-based RunningByrd Tea handmade at Union Kitchen. The four summer flavors will be Summer Rain, an Indian masala chai with a peppery finish; Montgomery Mint, a lightly minty tea; Shenandoah Smoke, a smoked hazelnut tea a spiced finish and almost coffee-like flavor; and unsweetened white peach blended with lemongrass and a touch of lavender.

GCDC to offer free ice cream sandwiches on new patio July 2

To celebrate the opening of its new 16-seat patio for summer, GCDC, D.C.’s only grilled cheese restaurant at 1730 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, is launching new cheese ice cream sandwiches.

The strawberry cheese ice cream sandwich from GCDC. (Photo: GCDC)

The new cream ice cream sandwiches feature scoops of homemade fruit and chocolate-infused cream cheese ice cream sandwiched between brioche French toast, and half-dipped in house-made sauces like chocolate ganache and bourbon caramel. Made with cream cheese, heavy cream, vanilla, sugar and spices, the ice creams are infused with fresh, artisan ingredients like strawberries, red delicious apples, coffee beans and Grand Marnier for a boozy touch, and then served on French toast made from Lyon Bakery’s brioche pullman loaf. The ice cream sandwiches will be available evenings from 4-9 p.m. and are $7 each.

The three varieties include chocolate and Vigilante coffee made with milk chocolate, Grand Marnier, cardamom and cinnamon, half-dipped in house-made chocolate ganache; strawberry with fresh strawberries, bourbon vanilla, brown sugar and lemon zest, half-dipped in house-made chocolate ganache; and the caramel apple with red delicious apples and cinnamon, half-dipped in house-made bourbon caramel.

To celebrate the official opening of its patio on July 2, the first 40 customers starting at 4 p.m. will receive a free ice cream sandwich.

The 2,100 square-foot restaurant has indoor seating for 42. GCDC is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. for lunch and 4 p.m.-9 p.m. for dinner with happy hour from 4-6:30 p.m. It is closed Saturday and Sunday.

Arlington chef hosts Travel Channel show

Chef David Guas, who owns Bayou Bakery, Coffee Bar & Eatery at 1515 N. Courthouse Road, Arlington and will open a second location at 901 Pennsylvania Ave. NE this fall, will host Travel Channel’s American Grilled, a grilling competition on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. from July 2 through Sept. 24. Guas will also be a judge on the show.

Chef David Guas of Bayou Bakery, Coffee Bar & Eatery in Arlington will host American Grilled on the Travel Channel this summer. (Photo: Travel Channel)

The first episode was filmed in Ashville, N.C., followed by Annapolis on July 9 and Charlottesville on July 16. During the 13 episode summer series, grill aficionados with experience ranging from backyard grillers to small town cooks, battle one another in the ultimate outdoor cooking challenge for a $10,000 prize. In each episode, four contestants use locally sourced ingredients – blue crab in Maryland, quail in Georgia and T-bone steaks in Texas to name a few – to test their backyard skills. They’ll serve up delicious and original plates that skillfully showcase the grill and embrace the amazing local flavors.

Guas, originally from New Orleans, will appear on the Today show July 2 at 9 a.m. to talk about the new show with hosts Al Roker, Natalie Morales, Tamron Hall and Willie Geist.

Rural Society by Jose Garces to open July 3

Rural Society, the highly anticipated Argentine steakhouse from Iron Chef Jose Garces, will open in the Loews Madison Hotel, 1177 15th St. NW.

Jose Garces’ Rural Society will open in the Lowes Madison Hotel on July 3. (Photo: Rural Society/Facebook)

“I’ve always had the urge to explore Argentine cuisine, particularly the parrilla aspect that’s so ingrained in the culture. We want the fire to be a presence, the way it was during so many of our experiences during our trip to Argentina. We’re going to cook as much as we can over that flame,” Garces said in a release.

Dinner offerings will include Argentinian charcuterie, grass-fed Urguayan rib-eye, jumbo
cardinal prawns and a variety of grilled vegetables. There will also be Argentinian pizzas and some pasta dishes.

Avroko is handling the restaurant’s design, which is inspired by the South American cowboy. Imagery of horses, leather banquettes and wooden tables are among the accents. There are private dining rooms inspired by tack rooms. An outdoor terrace will open eventually.

Belga Café, B Too offer exclusive Chimay Red draft

As of this past Thursday, Belga Café and B Too, both owned by chef Bart Vandaele, are the first restaurants in the U.S. to carry Chimay Red beer on draft. The draft will be exclusive to the two restaurants for two weeks.

The red, white and blue Chimay beer flight being offered at Belga Cafe and B Too. (Photo: Belga Cafe/B Too)

This is the first time ever that kegs of Chimay Red are available in the U.S., and Vandaele purchased 50 of the 700 limited keg release for B Too, 1324 14th St. NW, and Belga Café, 514 8th St. SE. The monks at Scourmont Abbey have been brewing Chimay Red since 1862. The copper-colored ale boasts flavors of apricots, brown sugar and nutmeg with aromatics made all the more dramatic by the draft.

The two Belgian restaurants are also offering an exclusive red, white and blue Chimay beer flight (15 ounces total) for $19.50. Glasses of Chimay Red are $12, Chimay White are $13 and Chimay Blue are $14.

Both always carry bottled versions of all three and have the white on tap. The flight will include drafts of the Red and White, while the blue will be poured from the bottle.

Ripple offers free Friday wine tastings

To celebrate being named one of Wine Enthusiast’s Top 100 Wine Restaurants, Ripple, 3417 Connecticut Ave. NW in Cleveland Park, will offer free tastings of wine director Danny Fisher’s favorite wines every Friday through Aug. 29.

Ripple in Cleveland Park. (Photo: Clevelandpark-dc.com)

Fisher will stand at the front window to offer free tastes of his favorite, rare wines from 5-7 p.m. He plans to showcase interesting wines inspired by his travels while sharing his extensive wine knowledge and answering questions for eager to learn patrons and passers-by.

In addition, special flights will be available featuring three wines highlighting one particular region for $20.

“We are incredibly … thrilled to put Cleveland Park on the map once more as a destination for upscale casual dining and great wine,” said Fisher. “Our guests are the reason we are celebrating these wins as well as our fourth anniversary this month.”

Fisher’s ability to source rare wines at an incredible value has helped Ripple build a reputation as a destination for area wine connoisseurs. Executive chef Marjorie Meek-Bradley fuses classical cooking techniques with millennial tendencies, while Fisher’s list of wines offers standbys alongside rarer labels, all of which focus on sustainable, biodynamic and organic practices.

Ripple stocks more than 3,000 bottles in their wine cellar and offers 50 wines by the glass. Its wine program highlights small family producers, with a commitment to sustainable, organic or biodynamic production.

Other local restaurants to make the magazine’s list also includes Doi Moi, Estadio, Fiola, Minibar and The Red Hen in the District. No Virginia restaurants made the cut and Woodberry Kitchen in Baltimore was the only Maryland restaurant.

Sticky Fingers opening second location on H Street

Sticky Fingers Sweets & Eats in Columbia Heights will open Sticky Fingers Bakery and Bistro on H Street NE in a currently vacant space between Fitness Together and Khepra’s Raw Food Juice Bar in early 2015.

Sticky Fingers bakery will open a second location on H Street NE between Fitness Together and Khepra’s Raw Food Juice Bar in early 2015. (Photo: Google)

The second location for the vegan bakery will be at 406 H St. NE in a 2,600 square-foot space featuring an expanded bakery program, bistro dining menu and a full bar.

“The second location of Sticky Fingers has been in the making for a long time now, and H Street is the perfect spot for us to expand into,” said owner Doron Petersan, a two time winner of Food Network’s Cupcake Wars. “The neighborhood is really coming into its own, and with the addition of the street cars it’s only going to get better. The area has the same kind of young, active and compassionate residents that our Colombia Heights location has been serving for years.”

Sticky Fingers originally opened in north Dupont Circle in 2002 with the mission of bringing baked goods made without the use of animal products to the District – a mission that eventually expanded to include a full menu of savory plant-based comfort food with a move to Columbia Heights.

The new location will offer an expanded menu and more dining space than the original location. The bakery and bistro will have the look and feel of a classic mid-century American diner, featuring a lunch counter as well as “grab-and-go” service and table service for approximately 50 diners. It will be open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and have bar hours on Fridays and Saturdays.

The expanded bakery program will include Sticky Fingers classics, like sticky buns, cookies, cakes and cupcakes, and new items like Italian-style breads, scones, Danishes, croissants and pies. The bistro menu will focus on vegan and gluten-free comfort food and the bar will serve beer, wine and cocktails.

J&G Steakhouse owned by chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten at the W Hotel will close permanently on June 23. The hotel and Vongerichten’s Culinary Concepts Hospitality Group have ended their five-year contract.

J&G Steakhouse at the W Hotel downtown, which just remodeled last fall, will close permanently later this month. (Photo: Mark Heckathorn/DC on Heels)

The restaurant closed last August and September last year to remodel and retool its menu.

Hotel officials have not revealed any details on the new concept, but said chef Richard Wiggins will replace Philippe Reininger and oversee all dining including the rooftop P.O.V Lounge and room service. Wiggins has worked with Starwood Hotels the past eight years, most recently at the Westin St. John Resort & Villas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Plans for the new eatery are to be announced in the coming weeks, with a late-summer opening.

Barry Koslow, the chef behind DGS Delicatessen since its opening at 1317 Connecticut Ave. NW, will leave the restaurant June 20 to helm the W Hotel’s new upscale eatery. Brian Robinson, a sous chef at DGS, will replace Kaslow there.

“It’s a very exciting opportunity for me,” says Koslow of the new spot, which he says is a fine-dining restaurant. “I’m returning to my roots.”

American Eats Tavern debuts at Tysons Ritz-Carlton

José Andrés’ America Eats Tavern, a recreation of his 2011 Penn Quarter pop-up, opened June 2 in the Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner, 1700 Tysons Blvd., McLean. The space formerly housed Michel Richard’s Michel, which closed in 2012, and Maestro, an acclaimed restaurant from Fiola chef Fabio Trabbochi before that.

The new America Eats Tavern at the Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner. (Photo: R. Lopez)

The restaurant is an ode to American cuisine. It originally opened as a pop-up at 405 Eighth St. NW in the space that once housed Café Atlántico and Minibar in conjunction with the National Archives’ exhibit “What’s Cooking, Uncle Sam?”

The décor and menu both pay homage to America, Andrés’ adopted home. The restaurant is decorated with antique furniture pieces, classic American books, Mason jars and “We the People…” on the wall above the open kitchen.

Executive chef Nate Waugaman, formerly of Tallula, is serving up regional dishes such as chicken pot pie and she-crab soup using local ingredients.

The restaurant is serving breakfast, a first for Andrés in Washington. The morning menu includes classics with Andrés twist such as an egg-white omelet soufflé with asparagus and morels, johnny cakes, eggs a la benedick made with pork belly, waffles a la mode, shrimp n’ grits, maple glazed scrapple and house-made doughnuts with blackberry jelly. There’s also a Hangtown Fry – scrambled eggs, fried oysters and bacon — which according to the menu comes with notes on the food—scrambled eggs, fried oysters, caramelized onions and bacon—which according to the menu originated during the gold rush in 1849 in Hangtown, Calif., a rough mining town known for public hangings and gold strikes. When a prospector struck gold he celebrated by ordering this dish at the Carey House Restaurant.

The lunch and dinner menu includes Chesapeake soft-shell crabs, hushpuppies, Buffalo wings, chicken and dumplings, Virginia hams and peanut soup. Entrees include chicken pot pie, crawfish jambalaya for two, fried chicken with “cold slaw” and house-made hot sauce. Texas-style beef short ribs, blackened scallops and mutton with oysters.

The drink menu includes “locovore” cocktails, featuring local spirits and ingredients, such as the Peach Grove with bourbon, peach puree, lemon and demerara syrup; the Tractor Pull with bourbon, orange marmalade, maraschino, lemon and elderflower vinegar; the Counting Chickens Before They Hatch with white whiskey, strawberries, rhubarb and lime; and the Green Acres with vodka, cucumber, fennel, lime and grapefruit bitters. There are also classic cocktails, beer and wine by the bottle or glass.

American Eats Tavern is open daily from 6:30-11:30 a.m. for breakfast, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. for lunch and 4:30-10 p.m. for dinner.

Brookland’s Finest to open on June 9

Brookland’s Finest Bar & Kitchen, 3126 12th St. NE, will open Monday. The family friendly restaurant located in the Brookland section of northeast D.C. will serve American comfort food for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week.

Brookland’s Finest will open on Monday. (Photo: Popville)

Owner Frank Hankins describes the restaurant’s look as rustic industrial with exposed beams and brick, plenty of natural light and concrete and metal accents.

Chef Shannan Troncoso will oversee a comfort food menu featuring soups, salads and small plates including a charcuterie board, bay shrimp and grits, Maryland crab cake sliders, oven roasted butter beans and Lardon bacon mac and cheese. Small plates range from $12-$15. Sides are $4-$5 and include crispy Brussels sprouts chips, pretzel bites, house cut fries, tempura onion rings and a spiced nut sampler.

Sandwiches, which range from $12-$14, include the Colonel burger with pickled onions, Tillamook cheddar, apple wood smoked bacon on a brioche bun with tempura onion rings; a Baltimore style pit beef sandwich with tiger sauce and pickled ramps on a brioche buns and hand cut fries; porchetta with roasted suckling pig, sausage and arugula, mozzarella with whole grain mustard sauce on Italian bread with hand cut chips; a fried green tomato “B”LT with braised portabella mushroom, spinach and sweet onion aioli on soda bread with hand cut fries; a blackened chicken club with apple wood smoked bacon and roma tomatoes with Dijon aioli on brioche bread and hand cut fries; and a turkey Panini with goat cheese, cucumber, sundried tomato spread and creamy vinaigrette with hand cut chips.

Entrees, which range from $16-$27, include a bone-in pork chop, oven roasted half chicken, seared salmon and grits, spaghetti and meatballs, a porcini rubbed rib eye steak, friend Maryland catfish and a seasonal pasta.

Brookland’s Finest will open at 7 a.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. on weekends.

Pinstripes to open second area location in MoCo

Pinstripes, the bowling and bocce bistro that opened in the Shops at Georgetown Park in February, will open a second location in the DMV in 2016.

Pinstripes, which opened in Georgetown in February, will open a second area location in North Bethesda in 2016. (Photo: Pinstripes)

The restaurant, which serves Italian and American cuisine and wines, and has bocce courts and bowling lanes, signed a least with with Federal Realty Investment Trust for Phase II of its new Pike & Rose mixed-use development in Montgomery County. Located at the intersection of Old Georgetown Road and Rockville Pike, Pinstripes will occupy 32,000 square feet of first and second floor indoor/outdoor space.

The Pike & Rose location will feature 14 bowling lanes, 10 indoor and outdoor bocce courts, a bistro and wine cellar, outdoor patios with a fireplace and event space that will hold 20 to 600 people.

“The energy and diversity of amenities and attractions at Pike & Rose perfectly complements our entertainment and dining venue which provides a completely unique customer experience,” stated Dale Schwartz, Pinstripes founder and CEO. “The development has successfully combined shopping, cultural, dining and entertainment uses that positions Pike & Rose as the gathering spot and center for nighttime activity in Montgomery County.”

Pinstripes will be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, and will soon be taking reservations for private events and parties.

Pike & Rose, currently under development in the North Bethesda area where the Mid-Pike Plaza formerly stood, will include 3.4 million square feet of mixed-use development including 1.1 million square feet of commercial office space; 430,000 square feet of retail space; 1,500 residential units; a boutique hotel and approximately 4,000 parking spaces. It is within walking distance to the White Flint Metro Station.

Phase I, scheduled to open this fall, will include an iPic Theatre, Del Frisco’s Grille, Protein Bar, Roti, ShopHouse, Chipolte, La Madeleine, Stella Barra Pizzeria and Summerhouse restaurants. Also, Strathmore will open its AMP music venue there. In mid-2015, Neighborhood Restaurant Group will open a beer garden on Muse Alley.

Dangerously Delicious Pies closes in Union Station

Dangerously Delicious Pies has closed its location in the Union Station food court, just two years after opening in the old Vacaro’s location.

Dangerously Delicious Pies in Union Station has closed. (Photo: Chris I./Yelp)

“We just closed last week as they begin renovations and begin replacing the escalator, which is currently shut down, that ran directly in from of our spot in the food court,” said owner Sandra Basanti. “There is some major construction going on in that wing. We had so many lovely regulars visit us that have reached out and we are sad to not be able to serve them every week, but we hope to be invited back to serve pies at Union Station perhaps after renovations or in a new spot.”

Dangerously Delicious Pies’ other two locations, the original DC location at 1339 H St. NE and their newest location at 901 7th St. NW, as well as its food truck are still open.

Home of $1,000 sundae closes

Serendipity 3, 3150 M St. NW, the Georgetown restaurant that offered the $1,000 Golden Opulence sundae has closed. Between a temporary closure due to health-code violations and a brawl between the owners, Serendipity has had a bumpy ride in Washington since opening in the former Nathan’s space in 2011.

Serendipity 3 in the old Nathan’s hot dog shop in Georgetown has closed because it owed almost $100,000 in back rent and utilities. (Photo: Google Maps)

The pricey sundae was made with a vanilla bean ice cream infused with Madagascar vanilla and covered in 23K edible gold leaf served in a baccarat Harcourt crystal goblet with an 18 carat gold. The restaurant also offered a $25,000 Frrrozen Haute Chocolote, made with a frozen hot chocolate mix that contains 14 rare and secret cocoas from Africa and South America and shavings from the world’s most expensive truffle served in a baccarat Harcourt crystal goblet with an 18 carat gold and white diamond bracelet attached to the neck.

According to court documents, the landlord, 3150 M Street LLC, filed a lawsuit in the Landlord and Tenant Branch of D.C. Superior Court seeking to evict the restaurant on March 12. The landlord sought base rent of $20,000 per month for February and March along with unpaid utilities, taxes, late fees and attorney fees totaling $98,921.54.

According to court records, operator 3150 M Street Restaurant Group LLC, owned by Rodrigo Garcia and Britt Swann, has been sued four other times since 2011 in small claims court including suits by ADT Security, Register Equipment Co. and Cannon Fish Market. All those have been closed. However a civil case filed by linen company ALSCO is seeking $8,480 for unpaid linen rentals and additional fees is still open.

“I am the owner of the Serendipity 3 brand and for nearly 60 years I have operated the New York Flagship restaurant,” said Serendipity 3 founder Stephen Bruce in a statement. “The Georgetown restaurant was not operated by me. It was operated through a license agreement with an entity named Dessert Concepts headed by Britt Swann and Rodrigo Garcia. I had grown increasingly displeased with the quality of food and service offered at the Georgetown location and rather than allow our good name to be tarnished, I made my concerns known. It appears that rather than meet my exacting standards, they chose to close their doors. As for any landlord tenant issues, neither I nor Serendipity 3 had any dealings regarding the space. The lease would presumably have been between the landlord and Dessert Concepts.”

Under Armour founder Kevin Plank recently bought the building as well as a luxurious home nearby. Rumors of a sports clothing store moving into Wisconsin Avenue and M Street NW have abounded since. We’ve reached out to the Under Armour team to find out more.

Rare Sweets moving into City Center DC

Meredith Tomason, owner of Rare Sweets (Photo: Washington Post)

RareSweets, a bakery by Meredith Tomason who produces her treats at Union Kitchen and sells them in area stores and coffee shops, is opening a bricks-and-mortar location at CityCenterDC this fall.

Rare Sweets will sell layer cakes, ice creams, cookies, brownies and breakfast hand-pies along with doughnuts. Most of the sweets are based on Tomason’s family recipes or on recipes from one of the many historic cookbooks she has collected over the years.

The shop will have seating for 10 along with patio seating in warm weather. It will join Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse, an upscale steakhouse; DBGB Kitchen and Bar, a burger and bistro concept; and Mango Tree from chef Richard Sandoval and a European restaurant group. Famed New York chef David Chaing is negotiating to bring a Momofuku Noodle Bar location to the development as well.

Bayou Bakery to open location on Capitol Hill

Chef David Guas, who will host the Travel Channel show American Grilled starting in July, said he will open another location of his Arlington Bayou Bakery, Coffee Bar & Eatery at the historic Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital at Ninth Street and Pennsylvania Avenue SE this fall.

He historic carriage house at the Hill Center will be the next location for Bayou Bakery. (Photo: Hill Center)

It will be the first retail operation and restaurant to occupy the Carriage House, the two-story 1866 structure that housed the horse-drawn ambulance and medic team commissioned by Abraham Lincoln the year before his death. It was built adjacent to the oldest naval hospital in Washington, D.C. Now, it serves as a thriving arts, culture and education center.

Guas will serve his Southern cuisine including the muff-a-lotta, pressed cubano, GW stoneground grits, BBQ shrimp and red beans and rice. The D.C. menu will expand to include various seafood specials from a fried oyster and shrimp po-boy, known as the Peace Maker, to “chew dats” like baked oysters or thinly-sliced fried catfish and coleslaw.

The 19th-century interior of the Carriage House will retain many of its distinctive original accents such as the ceiling-high stable doors, stall partitions, wooden hay chutes, feed troughs, exposed brick walls and renewed wide-plank wood floors. The existing glass garden room on the eastside will be flooded with an abundance of sunlight through the framed, leaded floor-to-ceiling windows.

The Oval Room at 800 Connecticut Ave. NW will close June 30 for a complete renovation changing both the restaurant’s menu direction and design scheme.

The Oval Room’s dining room will get a makeover when it closes at the end of June for a month. (Photo: Oval Room)

To celebrate, executive chef Tony Conte’s most popular dishes will be featured during the month of June. Guests can order a two-course lunch for $25 or a three-course dinner for $50. Conte took over the kitchen of the 100-seat restaurant located one block from the White House in July 2006.

The June swansong menu includes Conte’s signature roasted baby beets with passion fruit, horseradish and ice wine dressing; white asparagus with morels, whipped egg sauce and toasted hazelnuts; truffle pasta with truffle fondue and shaved summer truffles; pastrami cured kampachi with Chinese mustard and tomato jam on pumpernickel; crispy snapper with fennel-tarragon, snap peas and licorice vinaigrette; kazu marinated duck with turnip kimchee, honey stewed shallots and confit; cassia butter poached lobster with pearls of peach and wasabi, and lemongrass broth; and veal tenderloin with artichokes, lemon balm and parmesan liquid. The dessert menu will feature beet-chocolate cake, buttermilk lime sorbet, dark chocolate mousse and passion fruit curd with frozen coconut yogurt and dried marshmallow.

Designer Martin Vahtra of Projects Design Associates of New York will create the new design for the Oval Room. Vahtra also designed Oval Room owner Ashok Bajaj’s Nopa Kitchen+Bar and Rasika West End. The Oval Room’s light-filled interior will take on a sleek ambiance with bold art pieces, theatrical lighting, plush fabrics and rich, deep accent colors of burgundy and blue.

“Oval Room opened in October 1994 and will be celebrating its 20th birthday this fall so it is a fitting time to give the restaurant a fresh new direction,” Bajaj said. “We will reopen in August and guests can anticipate a new menu to complement the décor too, so more fun surprises are ahead.”

Fieri, Sanchez gamble on restaurants in Baltimore casino

Food Network stars Guy Fieri and Aaron Sanchez will open restaurants in Ceasar’s new Horseshoe Baltimore Casino set to open later this year on the city’s south side.

Guy Fieri (Photo: Food Network)

Fieri, a restaurateur and Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives host, will open Guy Fieri’s Baltimore Kitchen & Bar, a 350-seat restaurant. The restaurant will be open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and late-night dining and serve casual foods including an extensive variety of burgers, wings, small bites and shareable food items. Drinkers can opt for eight varieties of shots served through a frozen tap system.

The decor, including an outdoor patio, will feature repurposed wood and steel. Fieri’s many tattoos will inspire the coasters, napkins and plate ware.

Fieri is no stranger to feeding gamblers. Guy Fieri’s Vegas Kitchen & Bar opened in April, and an Atlantic City location is in the works.

“I’ve been to Baltimore many times – it’s an amazing city filled with fun-loving people who appreciate great food,” Fieri said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to bringing this exciting new restaurant concept to Horseshoe Baltimore and to making more friends in Charm City as we serve up a fantastic menu in an environment where people can feel free to have a great time.”

Aaron Sanchez (Photo: Aaron Sanchez)

In late April, the casino announced that chef and Chopped judge Sanchez and chef John Besh will collaborate on a 222-seat Mexican restaurant at Horseshoe called Johnny Sanchez. This is the first collaboration for the two and will serve lunch and dinner.

Johnny Sanchez will offer some substantial dinner plates, but the bulk of the menu will be tacos and tostadas, said Sanchez, who was in Baltimore for the casino’s announcement. It will also serve domestic and imported beers, tequilas, mezcals and bourbons.

“We’re not going to make [Johnny Sanchez] elite, not so chef-y that people won’t be able to embrace it,” said Sanchez.

A James Beard award-winning chef, Besh has hosted two national public television cooking shows, based on his award-winning cookbooks. Both chefs have experience in creating concepts for entertainment venues. In addition to his flagship restaurant Mestizo, Sanchez created the menu for Crossroads, the restaurant concept at House of Blues music venues nationwide.

Among his 10 restaurant projects, Besh has a steak house inside Harrah’s New Orleans casino hotel. Harrah’s and Horseshoe are both brands of Caesars Entertainment.

The casino will also feature the Baltimore Marketplace, a casual dining area on the first floor. Filling that area will be local eateries Heavy Seas Alehouse, which opened a second location on Wilson Boulevard in Rosslyn in February and features local beers and casual fare such as burgers, oysters and small plates with Baltimore flavors. Also in the marketplace will be The Mallow Bar, a dessert café located in Rosedale, Md., which features rice cereal treats and homemade marshmallows; Tark’s at the ‘Shoe from Tark’s Grill in Lutherville, Md., and serving traditional American grill fare with a focus on seafood and chicken specialties such as jumbo lump crab cakes, fried chicken, fresh-cut French fries and soups; Lenny’s Deli, which is known for its corned beef sandwich and has three locations in the area, will serve deli sandwiches, hot dogs and breakfast all day; and Pie-Zetta, a new spin-off of the Towson-based Mamma Ilardo’s pizza chain, which will allow customers to build their own personal pizza.

There will also be a Jack Binion’s Steak House, a Horseshoe-branded restaurant that has a presence at nearly every Horseshoe casino in the country.

Celebrity chef Robert Irvine plans Pentagon restaurant

Chef Robert Irvine of Food Network’s Restaurant: Impossible will open Robert Irvine Fresh Kitchen inside the Pentagon next February.

The chef tweeted Monday that he was on his way to D.C. for a meeting about the restaurant.

He also lunched at Founding Farmers, according to his Twitter feed.

The 75-seat restaurant, which will only be open to federal employees and contractors who work inside the Pentagon, will be part fast-casual, grab-and-go cafe and part sit-down restaurant, according to a spokesman. The cafe will serve coffee, fresh squeezed juices, smoothies and breakfast items in the morning and prepared sandwiches and salads during the day.

The sit-down part will also be open for breakfast and lunch serving salads, sandwiches and other items, including pizzas made in an exhibition pizza kitchen.

It will occupy a second-level space overlooking the food court that is currently occupied by Market Basket, a casual restaurant featuring sandwiches, a sushi bar and a hot bar. Market Basket will relocate within the food court at the end of the summer.

The Pentagon has several food courts featuring mainly fast-food options such Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Burger King, McDonald’s, Dunkin Donuts and Subway. There are also dining halls for each branch of the military, but those are open only for higher ranking officials. The Pentagon’s formal sit-down restaurant shut its doors earlier this year and the space remains empty.

Irvine was invited to submit a proposal due to his military connections, the spokesman said. The chef began his career in the British Royal Navy and served as a guest chef at the Navy Mess facility in the White House. He frequently volunteers his time with military charities.

If the concept works as expected, it could be the first of many Robert Irvine Fresh Kitchens that could open both in military facilities and elsewhere, the spokesman said.

Singer’s Significant Meats opens Bethesda pop-up

Singer’s Significaant Meats owner Douglas Singer, a former sous chef at Zaytinya, Café Saint-Ex and Oyamel who also worked at the Argonaut and Capitol Lounge, is opening Singer’s Delicatessen, a pop-up in Bethesda with Peter Smith, the former chef at Chinatown’s PS7.

Every Sunday and Monday from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., the pair will take over the bar at Newton’s Table. 4917 Elm St., and transform it into a mostly Jewish deli. The menu will features Singers’ house-made corned beef and brisket along with Smith’s half-smoke on a Parker House bun. Fans of Pittsburgh’s Primanti Bros. can order the Pittsburgh with corned beef, pastrami, gruyere, French fries and a fried egg on a bun.

The sandwiches are served on bread from Bethesda’s Breads Unlimited.

The pop-up could be a precursor of things to come for Singer’s Significant Meats. The chefs are scouting for locations for a permanent retail spot.

Texas de Brazil to replace shuttered Budda Bar

Texas de Brazil Churrascaria, a Brazilian-style steakhouse with a location in Fairfax’s Fair Oaks Mall, will take over the former Buddha Bar space at 455 Massachusetts Ave. NW in Mount Vernon Triangle.

Texas de Brazil’s Fair Oaks Mall location. (Photo: Texas de Brazil)

Expected to open this year, the 9,400 square foot restaurant’s will be the Dallas based chain’s first location in the city. Similar to Fogo de Chao, servers at the Brazilian-style steakhouse will walk around with all-you-can-year fresh-off-the-grill beef, lamb, pork, chicken and Brazilian sausage that they will carve tableside. The restaurant will also feature a seasonal salad bar featuring 50-60 items.

A call to a Texas de Brazil spokeswoman has not been returned, but the restaurant’s website does list a Washington, D.C. restaurant as opening in 2014.

Café Deluxe opens in West End Hilton

Cafe Deluxe has opened its fifth location on the first level of the new Hilton Garden Inn, 2201 M St. NW.

The 5,000 square foot space is the American bistro’s second spot in the District, following the original restaurant on Wisconsin Avenue. The restaurant, which seats 124 people in the dining room and another 38 at the bar, was designed by GTM Architects and features rich-colored leather booths, mahogany furniture and oversized mirrors. Impressive floor-to-ceiling windows at the front of the restaurant open up onto the hustle and bustle of 22nd and M Streets. A patio seats up to 40. A private dining space can seat up to 40 people, while an additional 2,500 square feet of banquet space, which can be divided into thirds, is available for corporate and social events.

Cafe Deluxe West End serves breakfast, lunch, brunch, happy hour and dinner with menus that combine seasonal ingredients with bold flavors. Guests can continue to enjoy favorites such as gourmet flatbreads, artisan sandwiches, burgers, PEI mussels and classic entrées like the grilled salmon, braised boneless short rib and chicken pot pie. New items include a seared Ahi tuna steak served with mango relish, balsamic reduction and sautéed asparagus or a 14 oz. New York strip accompanied by Brussels sprouts, bacon onion marmalade and horseradish mashed potatoes. A gluten free menu is available upon request.

An expanded brunch menu is offered Monday-Friday from 6:30-11 a.m. and weekend from 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Brunch features lighter choices, such as the healthy deluxe, egg whites folded over freshly roasted veggies served with salsa and avocado pico, as well as a selection of egg benedicts, specialty and build-your-own omelets, French toast and signature confections like beignets and Sully’s coffee cake.

The full bar features over 60 wines, an expansive beer menu with 13 selections on tap, including four rotating seasonal options, and a variety of new cocktails. Happy hour from 3:30-7 p.m. Monday-Friday will feature $4 Stella Artois drafts and house wines, $5 margaritas and cosmos, and $1 off all draft beers. Bar bites include prosciutto mac and cheese, sliders, crispy chicken rolls, apple and brie flatbread, calamari and mussels.

Cafe Deluxe West End is open 6:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 6:30 a.m.-12:30 a.m. Friday, 7 a.m.-12:30 a.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Sunday.