This year has been a bonanza for D.C. foodies. 2013 saw many restaurant openings, a few sad goodbyes and more than a little drama.

Without a doubt, most of the attention in 2013 was focused on 14th Street NW. You just can’t argue with a list stacked from top to bottom with trophy winners like Le Diplomate, Kapnos/G, Ghibellina, Pearl Dive, BakeHouse, Doi Moi and Garden District. Plus, Ted’s Bulletin has tip top doughnuts and there’s Peregrine for killer coffee.

The restaurants of 14th Street NW. (Photo: Luis Gomez)

There is no other neighborhood with the number of restaurant openings that has created a huge impact on D.C.’s restaurant scene, even drawing national attention. From out-of-towners such as Stephen Starr and local chefs Ari Gejdenson, Mike Isabella, Peter Pastan and Amy Morgan all opening up shop.

With the empty buildings dwindling, we can’t imagine we’re going to see too many more new establishments opening in there in 2014, although we reluctantly anticipate a few closures — competition and all — but it’s not easy to get a table without a hefty wait, even on a weekday.

It’s too early to say the 14th Street corridor is the “best” neighborhood for dining. There are too many newcomers who will have to prove they can flourish with the increased competition. But 14th Street is the most exciting dining neighborhood of the year. But Penn Quarter with Jaleo, Rasika, The Source, Minibar, Fiola and Zaytinya are in for the long haul and will give the new 14th Street establishment a run for their money. And the Shaw neighborhood with its new food offerings like Baby Wale, Tally, Southern Efficiency, Mandalay, Mockingbird Hill and Right Proper Brewing Co. will challenge the 14th Street eateries as well.

Fat Shorty’s sausage grill in Clarendon was one of 2013’s restaurants that didn’t last a year. (Photo: Rock Harper via Instagram)

Come and gone

Two notable restaurants opened and closed in 2013. The first was Fat Shorty’s, the sausage grill with mussels and Belgian beer from Hell’s Kitchen winner Chef Rahman “Rock” Harper and restaurateur Aaron Gordon, which opened in Clarendon in April and had closed by October. Gordon is also the owner of Drafting Table, which opened on 14th Street NW in October 2012, and Bar di Bari, both of which opened in the same neighborhood in June of this year. Gordon said he had a buyer for the building and had decided to concentrate on his other ventures.

The other closing was Azur, the three-story seafood restaurant in Penn Quarter from chef Frederik De Pue. It opened in June, but by October it had also closed. De Pue said the number of diners just wasn’t enough to keep the large restaurant open. The chef, who owns the building, will next try a multi-concept plan to get customers in the door. Set to open in January, Menu will be a market on the ground floor, serving up produce, sandwiches and soups. A bar will open on the third floor with a lounge component during later hours. There will also be a 40-seat restaurant on the top floor serving pastas and American fare, with a bigger beer program than Azur had. The second floor is all kitchen.

Coming in 2014

This week is a time to reflect on 2013. But it’s also an opportunity to look ahead to next year, which should still provide plenty of restaurant excitement.

Some restaurants set to open this winter in addition to Menu include:

1. Lupo Verde from Med Lahlou and Antonio Matarazzo at 1401 T St. NW, is expected to open any day now. The intimate 100-seat restaurant, from the owner of Ulah Bistro and Tunicliff’s Tavern, will serve authentic, rustic, Italian fare.
2. Flight Wine Bar from Swati Bose, Kabir Amir, Bradley Curtis will open in early January at will open at 777 6th St. NW. The casual, neighborhood wine bar will focus on wines by the glass from all over the world, as well as light fare such as flatbreads.
3. Roofers Union from Marjorie Meek-Bradley, Roger Marmet and Daniel Lobsenz at 2446 18th St. NW is scheduled to open in January. The restaurant, in the former Reef space, is the second project from the Ripple team. Expect dishes like sausages, corn dogs with homemade Whiz and more.
4. Bidwell, from John Mooney and Edens at 1309 5th St. NE is scheduled to open in January. It will be Union Market’s first sit down, full-service restaurant. New York chef Mooney is leading the operation, which will have a local, American bent.
5. Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak and Stone Crab from Mike Rotolo at 740 15th St. NW is set to open in January. This is the first D.C. outpost of the Florida-based chain, particularly known for its seafood and key lime pie.
6. Pinstripes, a chain, is expected to open at 3222 M St. NW in January. The combination restaurant, nightclub, bowling alley and bocce court is opening in the Shops at Georgetown Park. The restaurant leans Italian, with dishes like pizzas and chicken marsala.
7. GCDC, a grilled cheese restaurant at 1730 Pennsylvania Ave. NW from Bruce and Steven Klores and Sophie Slesinger, is set to open in early February. In addition to various spins on grilled cheese, there will be options like tater tots and egg creams.
8. Nicoletta from Michael White and the Altamarea Group at 301 Water St SE is projected to open in March. White has already made a splash in D.C. with his Osteria Morini restaurant. Nicoletta will sell pizza out of two kiosks in Navy Yard.
9. Toro Toro from Richard Sandoval and Ivan Iricanin at 1300 I St. NW is expected to open in March. Sandoval’s new project is a Brazilian-inspired steakhouse. The restaurant will also feature a selection of small plates.
10. Maketto from Erik Bruner-Yang, James Wozniuk, Ansuron Plyraharn, Chris Vigilante and Angel Franco at 1351 H St. NE is expected to open sometime this winter. Bruner-Yang and company are opening a combination restaurant and Asian market in the building. Vigilante Coffee will also make its home there. Diners can sample dishes from the Cambodian- and Taiwanese-influenced restaurant at the pop-up, now running at Hanoi House.

Also expected in January are Ivy and Coney, TKO Burger, Carolina Kitchen and Ri-Ra. February’s expected openings include Compass Rose and Heavy Seas Alehouse. Other expected winter openings include STK, Lunchbox and Fiola Mare. Tentatively set to open in the spring are American Eats, China Chilcano, District Doughnut, Gypsy Soul and Mad Fox Tap Room.

Which are you anticipating? Let us know in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter.

J&G Steakhouse, 515 15th Street NW, closed Aug. 4 to get a facelift. It will reopen this month with a more playful, energetic and approachable vibe. The re-invented “urban steak environment” will provide a distinct differentiation between the more traditional steakhouse model. The most significant addition will be a new bar focusing on the martini-culture.

A sneak peek at J&G Steakhouse’s new private Cherry Blossom dining room. (Photo: J&G Steakhouse)

Leading the change is new general manager John Leinhardt, who came from the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas. He previously worked at 2941 Restaurant as well as The Inn at Little Washington.

The addition of a new upstairs bar called Bar 515 will work in tandem with the remodeled bar space downstairs. The martini-focused cocktail menu, bar food menu and shift in environment will allow both spaces to promote a more social, energetic and approachable experience. The addition of the bar upstairs will also open the space downstairs for more private events. The bites menu will offer Maryland crab fritters with tartar sauce, a steak tartar slider with shoestring potatoes and a Kobe beef hotdog with caramelized onions. Classic martinis, 515 Manhattan and new mixes will be on the cocktail menu.

Chef Philippe Reininger, who opened the restaurant for Jean-Georges Vongerichten in 2009, will offer some new items on the menu when the renovation previews in mid-September with a continuation of sophisticated steakhouse classics, fresh seafood and locally sourced ingredients.

New York based Elemental Interiors is designing the new look. The soaring space will include giant hanging lanterns, darker walls, more banquettes and an abstract photo of the Capitol dome where fabric art once hung. Bar 515 will feature six stools and a communal high-top table on the ground floor. The restaurant’s two private dining rooms will also receive a refresh with additional amenities for private business meetings.

Red Rocks pizza opens on H Street

Red Rocks Neapolitan Bistro (formerly Red Rocks Pizzaria), which opened its first restaurant in Columbia Heights in 2007, is having the grand opening of its fourth restaurant on H Street NE Wednesday (although it officially opened Aug. 28).

The catwalk area and retractable roof at the new Red Rocks Pizza on H Street NE. (Photo: Red Rocks Pizza)

The three-story restaurant at 1348 H St. NE will join the original as well as those in Old Town and Arlington. The newest features a retractable roof, suspended “catwalk” and an indoor-outdoor rooftop bar. The retractable glass roof creates a greenhouse-like atmosphere on the top floor, warming the room on sunny days. It can be retracted to make a patio in the warmer months. Also, seating is available on the catwalk walkway suspended over the main floor. The interior features exposed brick, high ceilings and natural light. There is also a large private dining room with a full bar and additional pizza oven.

The building had been empty since the 1960s. Prior to that, it had been a print shop.

In addition to its Neapolitan pizza made in a brick oven, the menu will include fresh pastas and small plates, like deep-fried risotto croquettes. There will be happy hour specials and a late night menu. Twenty beers will be on tap including some from DC Brau and Port City Brewery and feature two bars inside in addition to the one on the rooftop.

The restaurant is the local chain’s largest to date and will become its flagship. It is also where executive chef Angel Mendoza will be. Lunch and dinner will be served daily and brunch with bottomless mimosas on weekends. It will be open until 3 a.m. on weekends.

Doi Moi Asian restaurants opens on 14th Street NW

Proof and Estadio restauranteur Mark Kuller and chef/partner Haidar Karoum opened an Asian restaurant, Doi Moi, at 1800 14th St. NW on Aug. 27. The building used to be Whitman-Walker Clinic and is now the 125-unit District apartment complex. The name means “new change” in Vietnamese.

Doi Moi features a includes a large open kitchen with a custom Jade cooking suite. (Photo: Maura Judkis/The Washington Post)

The inside of the newly remodeled 135-seat restaurant is modern and includes a large open kitchen featuring a custom Jade cooking suite, a quartz kitchen counter, tumbled marble floors and a dining room with oversized bay windows and custom crafted bench seating. There is a large rectangular bar, wide-plank neutral oak flooring, crisp white walls, oversized leather booths and a large, bordered, adjoining patio. One wall is filled with tchotchkes.

Located at the corner of 14th and S streets NW, Doi Moi features the regional flavors inspired by the street food of Thailand and Vietnam. Karoum spent about nine days in each country preparing to open the new eatery. The menu is a mix of curries, noodles and skewers including some dishes big enough to share. Dishes range from $7 to $22.

The restaurant’s bar will feature strong Asian flavors including Tamarind. Many of the drinks will have a cooling effect to counter the spicy dishes such as house-made peanut infused bourbon or a cocktail with coconut-infused soda. Cocktails will run about $7 to $14.

A sister cocktail bar, 2 Birds 1 Stone, is located in the basement. It is named after a mural on one wall of two birds getting hit by a skipping stone. The decor features whitewashed walls and stylish, minimal dark leather benches and booths. Seating is about 60. It’s bright and decorated with bird sculptures.

There are six drinks and a punch du jour on the hand-drawn menu. There are also bottled craft beers with only Stillwater Cellar Door on tap along with approachable wines by the glass. Manager Adam Bernbach from Proof and Estadio expects to change two-thirds of the menu every week.

Doi Moi will be open for dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. during the week and 11 p.m. on weekends. Brunch and weekday lunch will be added later. 2 Birds 1 Stone opens at 5:30 p.m.

Baby Wale opens near convention center

The outside of Baby Wale on 9th Street NW. (Photo: Urban Turf)

Baby Wale restaurant, which opened Aug. 28, is beside chef/owner Tom Power’s Corduroy at 1124 9th St. NW. “Wale” identifies the number of ridges per inch in corduroy. Power wants his new restaurant to be a loosened-up neighborhood place, the relaxed jacket to the suit-and-tie feel of his fine-dining spot next door.

“I wanted to keep it kind of fun and playful,” he says. “Bar food with kind of an upscale twist to it — pupusas, pizzas and hot dogs. Not really so serious.”

A copper bay window is the main feature of the restaurant’s exterior. Inside, there is a distressed look with exposed brick and rough-hewn wood. The dinner plates are enameled metal, and some tables sport colorful ceramic salt shakers shaped like old-time villagers.

The menu includes shisho and Caesar salads, soups, sandwiches and bigger stuff. Prices on the ever-changing menu will be between $10 and $23.

Thally opens in Shaw

Sherman Outhuok along with former Cork and New Heights chef Ron Tanaka as well as Posto and Ristorante Tosca co-owner Paolo Sacco opened Thally, a modern American restaurant and bar at 1316 9th St. NW in Shaw on Aug. 27.

A mural inside Thally by artist Matthew Hlubny. (Photo: Washingtonian)

Thally’s name refers to the Tally-Ho Stables, built in 1883 and once located in Naylor Court ally behind the restaurant’s building. Thally is also the nickname of Outhuok’s daughter Thalia. The decor inside the 70-seat restaurant places an emphasis on the history of the neighborhood with murals of the area by local graphic designer and artist Matthew Hlubny.

The menu is short, but finely crafted by Tanaka and includes artisinal dishes like pan-seared rockfish, roast duck with artichokes and greens, and crab roulette on a bed of cauliflower/tomato salad.

The 14-seat bar serves 24 wines by the glass, with a rotating list that switches out six each week. It will also offer a rotating lineup of draft ciders along with 10 other craft brews on draft, as well as homemade sodas.

Thally is open for dinner from 5-11:30 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. It is closed Monday. Eventually it will be open on weekends for lunch.