Mixologists and brothers Ari and Micah Wilder, along with partners Armin Amin and Adrian Williams, opened Chaplin Restaurant & Bar at 1501 9th St. NW in the Shaw neighborhood last week.

Chaplin Restaurant and Bar opened July 9 in the old Mandalay space and 9th and P Streets NW. (Photo: Mark Heckathorn/DC on Heels)

Chaplin is a nod to Sir Charles Spencer “Charlie” Chaplin, the English actor, comedian and filmmaker who starred in silent movies. Chaplin is serving up Asian-inspired cuisine that will take diners on a journey to Japan and Shanghai in the 1920s, when silent films were appreciated globally for embracing and unifying separation through emotion, expression, comedy, originality, risk, sorrow and entertainment.

Why did the brothers, who are known for their drink programs at several local restaurants, decide to open a restaurant? “It’s a perfect parallel for us. Cocktails are more popular these days,” Micah Wilder told DC on Heels. “We’ve always wanted to own a cocktail bar.”

Micah Wilder moved from San Francisco to join his brother in D.C. several years ago. “We fell into consulting with large restaurant groups, making mixers and selling to restaurants,” he said. “We decided to open our own place and carry our own stuff.”

But how do Chaplin and Asian cuisine mesh? “Chaplin has huge appeal,” executive chef Jeremy Cooke told DC on Heels. “Since his movies were silent, they appealed to everyone. His movies translate everywhere. That’s what we want our food to do.”

Plus, Cooke added, Mandalay, the Burmese restaurant that was previously in the space, left behind its huge wok system. And, Cooke has extensive experience making handmade dumplings and noodles.

His expertise working flour got underway in at Rex Restaurant where chef David Maplethorpe taught him to bake bread and make fresh pasta. Later while studying at the Orlando Culinary Academy, Cooke met Hari Pulapaka, the James Beard Foundation nominated chef at Cress Restaurant, who taught him the art of dumpling making. After graduation, Cooke eventually returned to D.C. where he worked for Roberto Donna at Galileo, Argonaut Tavern, Elisir, Siroc and briefly with Erik Brenuer-Yang of Toki Underground, where his love of ramen was solidified.

Shrimp and pork dumplings (Photo: Mark Heckathorn/DC on Heels)

The opening menu combines the Wilder brothers’ love of spirits and Cooke’s skill creating handmade noodles, dumplings, ramen and family-style roasts. For those over 21, Chaplin’s menu includes “drunken” dumplings. Among the adult dumplings are drunken dumpling shooters (3 for $9) — a dumpling sinking in alcohol, meant to be simultaneously drank and eaten like an oyster shooter — including the Whiskey-a-Go-Go, a hot pork dumpling in Japanese whiskey and a cold lemon emulsion; the Blood & Sand, a hot beef dumpling in Japanese scotch whiskey, cherry brandy and orange peel; and the Cold War, a cold shrimp dumpling in Old Tom gin, Pimms, ginger, cucumber and lemon.

More traditional drunken dumplings, priced at $12 per order, include the Night & Day made with dry aged-N.Y. strip steak soaked in Yamizake 12-year-old scotch, ground and mixed with roasted shitake, porcini and oyster mushrooms lightly marinated in roasted garlic, fresh scallions and ginger with a hint of mirin and shoyu; the Swine & Wine made with ground pork marinated in ginger, garlic and scallion tossed in shoyu and mirin; and Smoke Stacks made with ground chicken, green curry, coconut milk, lemongrass, ginger and cilantro Pechuga-Mezcal and Rothman peach liqueur. Non-alcoholic dumplings, which cost $8 per serving, include beef and mushroom, pork and ginger, spicy vegetable and basmati rice, crab and sausage and chicken.

The pickled salad at Chaplin’s is made with house-made spicy white pearl onions, sweet pickled ginger and sweet pickles on local arugula with a house-made sweet vinegar. (Photo: Mark Heckathorn/DC on Heels)

Salads, priced at $8, also have an Asian twist like the spicy noodle salad with ramen noodles blanched, chilled and marinated in a house-made spicy chili oil topped with slow roasted and candied cashews, julienned scallion and pickled ginger; the pickled salad with house-made spicy white pearl onions, sweet pickled ginger and sweet pickles on local arugula with a house-made sweet vinegar; pickled fruit salad with spicy pickled watermelon and togarashi, sweet pickled pineapple, star anise, sesame seeds and cilantro topped with house-made banana chips; papaya salad with ripe, green papaya, red Bermuda onion, English cucumber and togarashi vinaigrette served on top of butter lettuce cups; and soba noodle salad with shaved carrots, shaved zucchini, shaved broccoli stems and fresh bean sprouts tossed in soy vinaigrette and served with a pura fried soft shell crab.

The Masquerader made with coconut chicken broth, chicken breast, mustard greens, a soft boiled egg and pickled ginger.
(Photo: Mark Heckathorn/DC on Heels)

Ramens, which range from $10-$13, include In the Park made with porcini mushroom broth, asparagus, onions, carrots and local mushrooms; Shanghaied 1915 made with vegan dashi broth, pickled vegetables, fried tofu and sesame seeds; A Woman of the Sea made with mussel dashi broth, PEI mussels, chili flakes and mustard; The Masquerader made with coconut chicken broth, chicken breast, mustard greens, a soft boiled egg and pickled ginger; Tango and Tangles made with shoyu broth, sesame chicken, a soft boiled egg, mustard greens and chili oil; Triple Threat made with duck miso broth, duck breast, a soft boiled egg, scallions and pickled ginger; and The Knockout made with tonakatsu broth, pork shoulder, a soft boiled egg, scallions and pickled ginger. As with most ramen bars, add-ons include tofu ($3), chicken ($4), pork belly ($4) and Asian duck confit ($5).

Chaplin’s Sunny Side cocktail made with Silver rum, Kalani coconut rum, Senior Orange curaceo, pressed pineapple, lime juice and a dark rum float. (Photo: Mark Heckathorn/DC on Heels)

At the downstairs “piano” bar the Wilder brothers, who also co-own the 1940s era Red Light Cocktails and Dessert Bar on 14th Street NW, have come up with cocktails influenced and named after Chaplin’s films. Drinks include the Gold Rush made with champagne, Montenegro amaro, peach liqueur, peach bitters and golden flake; The Tramp made with bourbon, Bénédictine, Peychaud’s bitters and burned orange peel oil; The Vagabond made with Tom Cat gin, Pimms, blanc vermouth, cucumber water, lemon, ginger beer and mint bitters; the Lime Light made with gin, Calvados apple brandy, lime, watermelon and pickled pineapple; the Sunny Side made with Silver rum, Kalani coconut rum, Senior Orange curaceo, pressed pineapple, lime juice and a dark rum float; and the Laughing Gas made with Blue Coat gin, blackberry liqueur and blackberry-lemon laughing gas soda, which is made combining helium and house-made soda. Cocktails are $10 each.

Chaplin’s downstairs dining room includes a mural of the silent film star (clockwise from top left), the bar, upstairs dining room and patio. (Photos: Mark Heckathorn/DC on Heels)

Maggie O’Neill of SwatchRoom designed Chaplin’s décor with a glass enclosed piano in the downstairs piano bar, a hand painted mural of Chaplin on the wall of the downstairs dining room, dark wood tables, black chairs and bankettes and lights made from old-fashioned theater lighting. Upstairs, flickering black-and-white Chaplin films will be shown on one wall above the steps while 20s-era sheet music covers another wall. The upstairs dining room features antiquated textures and artifacts from film and entertainment. Bold accents of gold and reds can be found throughout the space leading to the private “Opium Den,” which will have a separate drink menu featuring drinks named Opiate 1 through 7.

Currently, the 28-seat downstairs dining room and seven-seat bar are open 4 p.m.-midnight Monday through Thursday, from 4 p.m.-1 a.m. Friday, noon-1 a.m. Saturday and noon-midnight Sunday. The 80-seat outdoor patio will open in late July and the 55-seat second floor dining room and Opiate Den will open in mid- to late-August.

Boss Shepherd’s, a modern farm-to-table restaurant serving American comfort food, will open a block from the John A. Wilson Building at 1299 Pennsylvania Ave. NW in the former John Harvard’s Brew House this July. The 6,000 square-foot restaurant located next to the Warner Theater will seat roughly 125.

Workers remodel the old John Harvard’s Brew House to make way for Boss Shepherd’s, scheduled to open in July. (Photo: Popville)

“We plan to bring a dynamic restaurant, filled with D.C.’s power players, to Penn Quarter this summer,” restaurateur and founder Paul J. Cohn said in a release. Cohn is the founder of J.Paul’s and former senior executive officer of Capital Restaurant Concepts, which owns J Paul’s, Old Glory BBQ, Georgia Brown’s, Paolo’s Ristorante, Neyla, The River Club and Club Zei.

Executive chef Jeremy Waybright will use locally sourced ingredients in his scratch-made classics. Diners can expect a diverse cocktail, wine and local craft beer list comprised of iconic labels from around the region. The beverage menu will boast specialty drinks including the Signature Boss Shepherd cocktail.

The restaurant is named for D.C.’s first appointed governor, Alexander Robey “Boss” Shepherd. Shepherd is largely credited with modern Washington, paving miles of roads and sidewalks after the Civil War and putting in a modern sewer system in the 1870s.

The restaurant will offer lunch and dinner Monday-Friday and dinner only on Saturday.

1920s themed Chaplin Cocktail Bar to open in July

Mixologists and brothers Ari and Micah Wilder, along with their partners Armin Amin and Adrian Williams, are planning to open the Chaplin Cocktail Bar at 1501 9th St. NW in the former Mandalay Burmese restaurant next month.

Chaplain Cocktail Bar will replace Mandalay in Shaw next month. (Photo: Oscar L./Yelp)

Chaplin is a nod to Sir Charles Spencer “Charlie” Chaplin, an English actor, comedian and filmmaker who rose to fame in the silent era. The bar will showcase cocktails from the 1920s from 4 p.m.-midnight Monday through Thursday, 4 p.m.-1 a.m. Friday, noon-1 a.m. Saturday and noon-midnight on Sunday.

The Wilder brothers have 29 years of combined experience. While Micah was opening cocktail bars throughout San Francisco, his younger brother Ari was following his lead in the DMV. In 2008, Micah joined his brother to found Wilder Bros. LLC, a cocktail consulting company. The duo created over a dozen cocktail programs throughout the city since launching their company. They opened their first venture together, Fed Restaurant in May 2013 and supply cocktail programs throughout the city with their proprietary mixers and ingredients.

The cocktails at Chaplin will be influenced and named after Charlie Chaplin’s comedic films including the Gold Rush with Champagne, Montenegro amaro, peach liqueur, peach bitters and golden flake; The Tramp with rye whiskey, Bénédictine, Peychaud’s bitters and burned orange peel; The Vagabond with Tom Cat gin, blanc vermouth, lemon bitters and tonic; The Pilgrim with Genever, Crème de Violet, ginger beer and lime; Lime Light with vodka, Leopold’s apple liqueur, green apple soda and lime vin; Sunny Side with a combination of three rums, orange Curaçao, cherry liqueur, Peychaud’s bitter and pineapple with citrus; By the Sea with Speyside scotch, Porto, apricot liqueur, Champagne and lemon; and the Laughing Gas with Blue Coat gin, blackberry liqueur and lemon laughing gas soda, which is made combining helium to their house-made soda. Cocktails are priced at $10 each.

SwatchRoom is designing the bar’s interior. The two story, 83-seat dining room will be enveloped by the nostalgia of a flickering black and white cinematic experience. The space will feature layers of antiquated textures and artifacts from film and entertainment. Bold accents of rich gold and reds will be found throughout the space leading to the private Opium Den located on the second floor. An 80-seat outdoor patio “Piano Bar” will be available during the spring and summer months.

Lupo Verde begins serving weekend brunch

Lupo Verde, 1401 T St. NW, launched Saturday and Sunday brunch service from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on June 14.

Lupo Verde began serving weekend brunch on Saturday. (Photo: Mark Heckathorn/DC on Heels)

Chef de cuisine Domenico Apollaro’s a la carte menu showcases authentic, rustic, Italian fare featuring a variety of antipasti, breakfast pizzas, house-made pastas, egg dishes and crepes.

Lupo Verde’s brunch menu includes an assortment of antipasti including insalata di pomodoro with frisella bread, fresh tomatoes, red onions and red peppers; pene n’ zuppato, French toast made with Italian brioche, pear jam and mixed nuts; carpaccio di agrumi with grapefruit and orange carpaccio, cinnamon and sugar. A variety of pastas are also on the menu such as house-made tagliatelle with Neapolitan meat ragu and parmigiano-reggiano; house-made spaghetti alla carbonara with guanciale, eggs and pecorino; and house-made maltagliati alla Norma with ricotta, eggplant, cherry tomatoes and parmigiano-reggiano.

The egg section of the menu features poached eggs in San Marzano tomato sauce, fresh basil, shallots and grilled bread; a grilled sirloin steak and two eggs any style; and eggs with potatoes and shallots. Two crepe dishes will also be available including the classica with speck and fontina, and warm crepes with Nutella. A selection of house-made pizzas will also be served including the panfocaccia pizza with cream cheese, rucola and salmon; pizza bismarc with spinach, prosciutto and egg or the pizza vesuviana with mozzarella, tomato sauce, cherry tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella. Brunch offerings are priced from $6 to $22 each.

Breakfast cocktails created by beverage director Francesco Amodeo include The Principessa with blood peach puree, grapefruit bitters and Prosecco; the Sofia with Don Ciccio and Figli hibiscus liqueur, Prosecco and hibiscus flower; Spritz with aperol, soda and Prosecco; Il Professore with DCF Concerto (coffee liqueur), Catoctin Creek Distilling Co. Mosby’s Spirit and coconut milk; and the Black Pearl made from a combination of squid ink infused tequila, mandarin liqueur, pomegranate and lemon juice. Brunch cocktails are $12 each.

Vinoteca celebrates the “Summer of Riesling”

Vinoteca, 1940 11th St. NW, is honoring Riesling wine, sometimes call the “grape of summer” for its crisp, acidic taste, with a 94-day celebration from June 21-Sept. 24 with wine flights, a variety of Rieslings by the glass and tasting classes.

Vinoteca celebrates Riesling all summer long with specials and classes. (Photo: Popville)

Vinoteca will features Rieslings from Germany, France, Australia, New Zealand and the U.S. The restaurant will allow guests to taste several different bottles with a special “Summer of Riesling” Flight ($19) during the promotion featuring Sybille Kuntz from Germany, Zind Humbrecht from Alsace, France and Pewsey Vale Riesling from Eden Valley, Australia. They will also be sold by the glass along with a few others including a sparkling Riesling, Henkell from Germany.

From 7-8:30 p.m. on June 17, the restaurant will offer a wine class in its upstairs lounge. Guests will explore and tour six different Rieslings, which will include Henkell Riesling Sekt and Kreuznacher Riesling Spatlese “Kronenberg” from Germany, Domaine Catherine-Auther Riesling from France, Pewsey Vale Dry Riesling from Australia, Coopers’ Creek Riesling from New Zealand and Castle Rock Riesling from California. Wines will be paired with small plates from executive chef Lonnie Zoeller and attendees will leave with a $5 gift card to go back and enjoy more wine. The wine class is $40 and can be reserved by calling 202-332-9463 or emailing [email protected].

Cuba Libre celebrates National Ceviche Day

Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar, 801 9th St. NW, is celebrating National Ceviche Day on June 28 with specials.

Cuba Libre will celebrate National Ceviche Day on June 28. (Photo: Lightman Photography)

From June 23-29, the restaurant will offer a new ceviche flight featuring their shrimp ceviche, mixto ceviche and a new mushroom ceviche priced for $12. The new trio was created by Cuba Libre’s chef-partner Guillermo Pernot who won his second James Beard Award for his book ¡Ceviche!, Seafood, Salads and Cocktails with a Latino Twist.

To complement the new flight, guests can try one of Cuba Libre’s more than 90 premium and flavored rum varieties from Guyana, Haiti, Nicaragua and Tortola. Rums are priced between $8 and $34 a glass.

Bibiana Osteria Enoteca hosts Campania wine dinner

Bibiana Osteria Enoteca, 1100 New York Ave. NW, will host a wine dinner at 7 p.m. on June 24 featuring wines from Terredora di Paolo Winery, located in southern Italy’s Avellino province.

Bibiana Osteria Enoteca will host a wine dinner on June 24 featuring wines from Terredora di Paolo Winery. (Photo: Endo Edibles)

The four-course menu will be a tour around southern Italy prepared by executive chef Nicholas Stefanelli with wine pairings from Campania’s native varietals. Terradora di Paolo’s owner Daniela Mastrobernadina will discuss the winery’s winemaking style that integrates forward-thinking technology with the region’s established traditions.

The menu includes insalata caprese with Buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes and basil paired with Falanghina Irpinia 2013; scialatielli with Amalfi coast pasta, zucchini and shrimp paired with Greco di Tufo 2013 and Fiano di Avellino 2012; bistecca alla pizzaiola with grilled beef strip loin, bone marrow, tomato, oregano and olive oil crushed potatoes paired with Aglianico 2011 and Taurasi Fatica Contadina 2008; and baba al rum with neapolitan sponge cake soaked in rum topped with peaches and fresh cream.

Cost of the dinner is $100.

Soi 38 launches summer happy hour

Soi 38, Washington, D.C.’s new destination for underground Thai night market eats, is bringing a bit of the beach to the West End with the launch of the its summer “sling’ back” happy hour, which features 50 percent off the restaurant’s signature draught Singapore Sling cocktails, draught beer and select small plates, hot pots and rolls.

Soi 38 in the West End is celebrating summer with a “sling back” happy hour. (Photo: D.C. Eater)

Available for $5 during happy hour, Soi 38’s signature draught Singapore Sling cocktail features Beefeater gin, Luxardo cherry, benedictine, clarified lime, chili aromatic bitters, sloe gin and pineapple juice. Also during happy hour, all draught beer and wines by the glass are available for 50 percent off.

The half-price menu includes the umami-laden Moo Yang Kati Sod, coconut marinated pork belly with spicy lime sauce; the Prik Tod, fresh greenchilis stuffed with minced shrimp and chicken; and the Ped Roti, slow-roasted duck wrapped with cucumber wrapped in a soft roti shell.

Happy Hour runs from 4:30-7 p.m. Monday-Friday through Aug. 31 at the restaurant’s bar, 2101 L St. NW.

Dine al fresco with your pooch

Dog owners can take their pooches to dinner at Copperwood Tavern, 4021 Campbell Ave. in the Shirlington Village.

Copperwood Tavern welcomes dogs outside the patio. (Photo: O’Neill Studios)

The patio features copper dog bowls of fresh water right outside the patio. Dogs can visit the restaurant while their person dines, by sitting just outside the patio fence. Owner Reese Gardner is currently working to obtain a permit that would allow dogs to join their family on Copperwood Tavern’s patio, hopefully this summer.

The restaurant also chooses a Dog of the Month to feature on their “Wall of Fame.” Winners receive a customized basked rom Dogma Bakery, a $50 Copperwood Tavern gift card for their owner, a Copperwood Tavern bandana along with their photo on the wall. To enter your dog, email a photo to [email protected] stating the dog’s name, birthday, breed and a few sentences about why it should be Dog of the Month.