2014 was a year of openings and closings in the DMV food scene. Old favorites closed, new endeavors didn’t pan out and new restaurants replaced them. And even though 2012 and 2013 saw a flurry of new restaurants, there was no slowdown in 2014.

The openings

Lupo Verde, a rustic Italian restaurant, opened at 1401 T St. NW in February after several delays. Owned by restauranteur Med Lalou and managing partner Antonio Matarazzo, it features small plates, house-made charcuteries, breads, pasta and antipasti along with 50 cheeses and house-made pizzas and cured meats.

Chef Richard Sandoval’s Toro Toro opens at Franklin Square in April. (Photo: Mark Heckathorn/DC on Heels)

Chef Richard Sandoval opened another restaurant in the city in April. Toro Toro, a Pan Latin steakhouse, opened at 1300 I St. NW. Meat is the centerpiece of the menu.

In June, José Andrés opened his America Eats Tavern at the Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner, 1700 Tysons Blvd., McLean. The space formerly housed Michel Richard’s Michel and Maestro from Fabio Trabbochi. America Eats, originally a pop up in Penn Quarter in conjunction with a National Archives exhibit, features American cuisine such as chicken pot pie, she-crab soup, and hush puppies and Virginia hams. It also has an all-American décor with “We the People…” painted on the wall above the open kitchen and flags everywhere.

Boss Shepherd’s opened in July at 1299 Pennsylvania Ave NW next to the Warner Theater with a Southern menu. Also, Chaplin’s Restaurant & Bar, an Asian-inspired restaurant from brothers Ari and Micah Wilder, opened at 1501 9th St. NW in Shaw, and GRK Fresh Greek restaurant opened at 1140 19th St. NW in Dupont. The second location for the chain serves fresh, casual Greek food like gyros, tzatziki sauces, seasoned fries and Agean salad all made in house. It also sells fresh and frozen imported Greek yogurt.

Brookland Pint from the owner of Meridian Pint, opened in August at 716 Monroe St. NE across from Catholic University in the new Monroe Street Market. The bar has 24 beers on tap and the menu features locally grown and harvested foods, many of which are gluten-free or vegan.

Chuy’s Tex-Mex opened in Fairfax in September and at the new Springfield Town Center (above) in October. (Photo: Mark Heckathorn/DC on Heels)

Chuy’s the quirky Tex-Mex restaurant from Austin, Texas, opened its first DMV location at 11219 Lee Highway, Fairfax in September followed by a second location at the new Springfield Town Center in October. The restaurant features all fresh-made dishes with fresh food delivered six days a week. The freezer is smaller than an average home refrigerator. The biggest opening was also in September with DBGB Kitchen and Bar, chef Daniel Boulud’s casual French American restaurant, opening mid-September at 931 H St. NW in CityCenterDC. There was a red carpet, live band, VIPs, celebrities and a Washington Monument carved out of ice. But so far, it hasn’t lived up to the fanfare or steep prices.

October saw DC Harvest open at 517 H St. NE. Chef Arthur Ringle serves a hyper-local seasonal modern American menu with most of the ingredients coming from within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Second State, the Pennsylvania themed restaurant, also opened in September at 1831 M. St. NW in the former Mighty Pint space. It caused an uproar when it initially tried to add a $1 upcharge for artisanal ice.

City Perch by James Beard winner and former Wolfgang Puck pastry chef Sherry Yard and former Occidental Grill chef de cuisine Matt Baker opened in late-November at the iPic Theater in the new Pike & Rose Development in North Bethesda. This was probably the most disappointing new restaurant. The highlight of the menu for the Washington Post’s Tom Siestema was the $10 bread board. He only gave the pricey restaurant one star. We wouldn’t be surprised to see it on 2015’s review in the closed column.

In early December, chef Seng Luangrath opened Thip Khao in Columbia Heights. The first Laotian restaurant in the city, opened at 3462 14th St. NW in the former Thaitanic II space

The closings

Palena in Cleveland Park closed in April. (Photo: DC Outlook)

Last year also saw several closings. The most mourned closing was Cleveland Park’s Palena, which closed in April after 13 years. It was evicted for unpaid rent. But fans of chef Frank Ruta won’t have to wait much longer. He’s been hired to take over The Grill Room and Rye Bar at the Capella hotel in Georgetown.

J&G Steakhouse in the W Hotel closed in June, less than a year after it remodeled. It was in the hotel five years. J&G was replaced by Pinea from chef Barry Kaslow, formerly the chef at DGS Delicatessen, featuring Mediterranean cuisine.

August, saw the rum bar Hugo and Chadwick’s both close.

Probably the shortest lived restaurant of 2014 was Fredrik de Pue’s Menu MBK in Penn Quarter. It opened early in 2014 then closed in October, less than nine months later. De Pue’s investors forced the closure when they weren’t receiving as much return on investment as they had expected. The building had previously housed de Pue’s short-lived seafood restaurant, Aqua.

CityZen at the Mandrin Oriental hotel shuttered in mid-December when chef Eric Ziebold left to open his own restaurant., Kinship, in Mount Vernon Triangle in September.

Duffy’s on U Street and Murphy’s of D.C. both closed in November followed by The Passenger and Summer’s Restaurant in Arlington at the end of the year. And though technically not 2014, the Jan. 3, 2015 closings of Lima Lounge and Fujimar Restaurant had been announced. The 10-year lease ended and some of the lounges events will move to The Park on 14th and Barcode and Lima may reopen elsewhere.

Coming in 2015

Jose Andres’ China Chicano, a Peruvian restaurant, is scheduled to open in Penn Quarter in January 2015. (Photo: Popville)

Several new eateries are on the horizon. First out of the gate in the new year is José Andrés, who will open his contemporary Peruvian restaurant, China Chilcano, at 418 7th St. NW in Penn Quarter in January and his vegetable-centric Beefsteak at 22nd and I Streets NW on the GW campus in February.

Nick Pimentel of Room 11 and Genevieve Villamorea will open Bad Saint, a Filipino restaurant at 3226 11th St. NW in Columbia Heights in early 2015.

The spring will see former Bibiana chef Nicholas Stefanelli open Masseria, his own Italian restaurant with southern influcences. at 1344 4th St. NE. Also, chef Jonah Kim, formerly of Baltimore’s shuttered Pabu, will also open Yona, a noodle bar and small plates eatery, at 4000 Wilson Blvd. in in Ballston this spring. Also, chef Amy Brandwein, formerly executive chef at Roberto Donna’s Alba Osteria, will open Centralina at 974 Palmer Alley in CityCenterDC. It will be part Italian restaurant and part market.

Mintwood Place will get a larger sister at 801 O St. NW in Shaw when chef Cedric Maupillier and co-owner Saied Azali open Convivial sometime in last spring or early summer. By day, it will be a more casual hangout and by night it will serve a French-American menu with an emphasis on vegetables and small plates.

Chala, which sells its vegetarian tacos at local farmers markets, will open a brick and mortar shop at 3207 Grace St. NW in Georgetown in June.

David Chang’s Momofuku will open in CityCenterDC this summer. Momofuku Milk Bar, headed by pastry chef and fellow northern Virginia native Christina Tosi, will join the restaurant at CityCenterDC. Also, Virginia native Jeremiah Langhorne comes to D.C. from the renowned McCrady’s Restaurant in Charleston, S.C., to open The Dabney at 1222 9th St. NW this summer. It will center around a wood-fire hearth and focus on ingredients from the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed. The Columbia Room, formerly in The Passenger, will reopen in Blagden Alley above The Dabney at the end of 2015

After 10 years at CityZen, chef Eric Ziebold and his wife Celia Laurent Ziebold will open Kinship at 1015 7th St. NW in Mount Vernon Triangle in September.

Brothers Arthur and Jared Ringle opened DC Harvest, 517 H St. NE, on Sept. 2 serving a hyper-local, seasonal modern American menu with most of the food coming from within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

Brothers Arthur and Jared Ringel opened DC Harvest, which uses mostly local ingredients, in September on H Street NE.
(Photo: Mark Heckathorn/DC on Heels)

Nothing, except coffee and spices, comes from outside the U.S. including beer, wine and liquor, executive chef Arthur Ringle told DC on Heels during a recent visit. Most of the ingredients are locally sourced from states from New York to Virginia and from West Virginia to Delaware. In fact, during our dinner we had the last of the peach semifredo, which would be replaced with a grape semifredo the following night.

“It has been a long two years of hard work for us to get DC Harvest open,” Arthur said. “I am so excited to get into my new kitchen and get cooking. The quality of the local products coming from our area farmers and fishermen is at its peak right now.”

Arthur, who has more than 15 year in the food industry, started his culinary career as chef de cuisine at Todd English’s former Olive’s restaurant in D.C. after graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., in 1999. He also worked most recently as chef de cuisine at Hank’s Oyster Bar in Dupont. He was executive chef of Napoleon Bistro and Café Bonaparte in D.C. from 2008-2009 and executive sous chef at BLT, chef Laurent Tourondel’s first steakhouse outside of New York City, from 2006-2008. He also was executive sous chef at Vermillion in Alexandria and Dino in downtown D.C., and sous chef at Vidalia from 2004-2006.

General manager Jared Ringel was most recently general manager of Homemade Pizza Co. in Alexandria overseeing three northern Virginia stores. Previously he managed two Ledo Pizza locations. He also held management position at Dave and Buster’s and Elevation Burger.

The first floor features a dining room and bar with exposed beams and brick walls with wood floors. (Photo: DC Harvest)

DC Harvest’s modern farmhouse décor was designed by Edit Lab at Streetsense. It is rustic yet casually contemporary with a 10 seat, Carrera marble-topped wooden bar on the street level, an open kitchen and dining area on the second floor, reclaimed fireplace on the second floor, wooden tables and chairs made from local wood, wooden beams (some original), and whitewashed exposed original brick on both floors. The restaurant seats 50 on the two floors. There are also wooden floors and brass fixtures

During our visit last week, I was impressed by our server who knew the ever-changing menu inside and out. He was able to explain all the menu items, how they were cooked and even asked questions about our tastes before making his recommendations.

Appetizers and side include sweet potato and apple cider soup (clockwise from top left), market greens salad, sautéed zucchini with scallions and Sicillian cauliflower, and cocktails made from domestic ingredients. (Photo: Mark Heckathorn/DC on Heels)

Every dinner begins with complimentary butternut squash chips that are sweet and salty, similar to sweet potato chips. We started with the sweet potato and apple cider soup with crispy pork belly, micro celery and radish ($7) followed by the market greens salad with gala apples, smoked almonds and pickled shallots ($7). Both were tasty with the apple cider adding a twist to the soup and the apples adding a fall crunch to the salad.

I chose the pan-roasted scallops ($25) with green beans, mushrooms, scallions and chili for my entrée. The five scallops were a good size and cooked to perfection. My guest chose the nightly special of sous vide Old Bay friend chicken with veggie slaw ($24). Each night there is a special every night but Friday: Monday and Tuesday is the fried chicken; Wednesday and Thursday is smoked, braised brisket with sautéed zucchini ($23); Saturday is grilled tavern stead with farm salad and spicy steak sauce (market price) and Sunday is whole wheat pappardelle with Bolognese ($19). Unfortunately, my guest’s chicken leg was still pink inside. While the slaw was tasty and he liked the Old Bay seasoning, he didn’t want to risk eating undercooked chicken, he sent it back and ordered the grilled tri-tip steak ($24) with salsa verde, Brussels sprouts and fingerling potatoes. The second dish came out cooked a perfect medium and the Brussels sprouts were crispy and delicious. We also tried the sautéed zucchini with scallions ($5) and Sicillian cauliflower with walnuts ($5)

Entrees include pan-seared scallops (clockwise from top left), Old Bay fried chicken and grilled tri-tip steak with salsa verde. Bottom left, Chef Arthur Ringel in his second floor open kitchen. (Photos: Mark Heckathorn/DC on Heels)

For dessert, we went with the peach semifreddo with butterscotch cookies ($7) and the s’mores pot du crème with caramel, bruleed marshmallow and graham crackers ($8). Both were good, but the pot du crème was my favorite.

With an ever changing seasonal menu, you’ll want to keep going back to see what is on that night’s menu. We can’t wait to see what Arthur comes up with for side dishes during the winter months when local fresh produce is hard to find.

DC Harvest is open for dinner Sunday through Thursday from 5-11 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m.-2 a.m. Brunch is served Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m.