Top Chef contestants Mike Isabella and Jennifer Carroll announced plans to open a new French Mediterranean restaurant at The Wharf, the new development being built along the Southwest Waterfront where Phillips Seafood, The Channel Inn and other restaurants and night clubs had been.

Mike Isabella (center) and Jennifer Carroll (right) will open Requin at the Southwest Waterfront and a pop-up at the Mosaic District. They are seen here at the grand opening of the failed Bandolero in Georgetown. (Photo: Georgetowner)

Isabella and Carroll announced on Tuesday that they would open Requin in the new $2 billion, 27-acre development from PN Hoffman and Madison Marquette that will stretch from the Municipal Fish Market to Fort McNair along the Washington Channel. The mixed-use development will include housing, offices, retail and restaurants. Other announced tenants include Canopy by Hilton, Hyatt House and and Intercontinental Hotel, and the American Psychiatric Association headquarters.

The Requin partnership with Carroll is similar to Isabella’s deal with Jonah Kim, who will be executive chef and partner at Yona, the Japanese noodle bar and small-plates restaurant scheduled to open this fall at 4000 Wilson Blvd., Ballston. Carroll and Kim will oversee the food and design at their restaurants, but Isabella will handle the financial and business aspects.

The 4,000 square-foot, free-standing Requin is slated to open in mid-2017 with Carroll at the helm. Requin, which is French for shark, will serve a seafood-heavy menu influenced by the food from France’s Mediterranean coast such as grilled whole fish, wood-fired shellfish, raw bar and seafood roasts, as well as steak and a classic cheese cart. In addition to coastal French cuisine, the restaurant will feature the largest wine program of any Mike Isabella Concepts restaurants.

Isabella and Carroll will open their French Mediterranean seafood restaurant at the new Wharf mixed-use development. (Rendering: Perkins Eastman)

The single-story restaurant will be enclosed with glass walls and highlighted by steel beams and concrete accents. It will be located on The Wharf’s main boardwalk with elevator access to the parking garage. It will feature a patio that will more than double the restaurant’s seating during warm months. The wall facing the patio will open in the summer, creating a semi-open air environment inside as well.

Diners will get to preview the food this fall when Requin opens a pop-up at 8296 Glass Alley in Merrifield’s Mosaic District. The space was vacated earlier this week by temperamental chef R.J. Cooper’s Gypsy Soul restaurant, which ower Eskridge, the building’s owner, $277,790 in back rent for Gypsy Soul.

“Requin is a dream project in a dream location,” Carroll said in a press release. “Mike and I have been talking about working on something together for years, so when he approached me with the early ideas for a restaurant at The Wharf, I knew it was time. Requin is going to be a pretty ambitious restaurant, and as the chef and partner, I couldn’t be happier to be backed up by the proven team that Mike has put together, and it’s a bonus that we can begin cooking and testing the menu in Merrifield right away. I’ve had my eye on D.C. for a long time, and now I’ve finally found the right project and partner.”

Carroll previously worked with the Marcus Samuelsson Group at the Red Rooster in Harlem and the Bermuda pop-up Samuelsson at HP. She also worked as a sous chef at chef Eric Ripert’s Le Bernardin seafood restaurant in New York and later as chef de cuisine at 10 Arts Bistro & Lounge in Philadelphia. Carroll and Isabella were both on season six of Top Chef.

First, Requin’s pop-up then Kapnos Kouzina will open in the failed Gypsy Soul space in Merrifield’s Mosaic District. (Photo: Jeff Elkins)

The Requin pop-up will be open for dinner only from Tuesday through Saturday through the end of the year. Then, in early-2016, Isabella will open a second Kapnos Kouzina, a Greek restaurant, in the Mosaic District space. The first Kapnos Kouzina is slated to open at 4900 Hampden Lane, Bethesda this fall. It will offer a homestyle take on regional Greek cooking that is more traditional and classic than the inland and coastal styles presented at the original Kapnos on 14th Street NW and Ballston’s Kapnos Taverna, which features Greek coastal cuisine.

Kapnos Kouzina will feature both small plates and large-format platters served family-style. Signature dishes will include Greek-spiced crispy chicken with attiki honey; braised lamb top round with lentils, eggplant, tomato and harissa; and whole roasted branzino in a spicy clam broth. It will also feature a few favorites from the original Kapnos, notably the stone bread and Greek spreads. Kapnos Kouzina will be open for weekday lunch and Carroll’s boyfriend, Billy Riddle, will be the chef de cuisine in Merrifield.

Another location of Kapnos Taverna is slated to open in College Park in early 2017. It will be in the University of Maryland’s 276-room hotel project, located across from campus on Route 1. A second location will open in September in terminal B/C at Ronald Reagan National Airport.

“I’m always looking to expand the Kapnos brand and grow Mike Isabella Concepts,” said Isabella in the press release. “So when Edens approached me about a space in Mosaic District, I thought it would be a great location for Kapnos Kouzina. Before we begin construction, we are going to use the existing restaurant space to test our brand new French Mediterranean concept later this year. I’ve been working on this concept for The Wharf in D.C., and now I have the perfect chef to partner with on the menu. Jennifer Carroll and I have remained friends since our first season of Top Chef. I’m so excited she is moving to D.C. to help take my team to another level.”

Chef Mike Isabella’s newest restaurant, Pepita Cantina, is set to open July 30 at 4000 Wilson Blvd., in the Ballston neighborhood of Arlington — the entrance is on North Qunicy Street — around the corner from his Kapnos Taverna and next to his forthcoming Japanese noodle bar with Jonah Kim, Yona.

Mike Isabella’s Mexican cantina, Pepita, opens in Ballston on July 30. (Photo: Mark Heckathorn/DC on Heels)

Pepita is inspired by coastal Mexican cantinas with light wood tables, floors and bar stools. The walls are grey, black and yellow with a concrete topped bar fronted in white tiles. Seating includes chartreuse banquettes and yellow metal chairs. A feature wall includes a yellow, chartreuse and black marigold pattern.

Pepita is a tiny 1,300 square feet with a concrete bar (clockwise from top left), high tops, tables and a family-sized banquette. (Photos: Mark Heckathorn/DC on Heels)

Unlike Isabella’s other restaurants, Pepita is a tiny 1,300 square feet and more cocktail centric. It only has indoor seating for 32 and a partially-covered patio, which is expected to open Labor Day, will seat another 44 people.

Veteran bartender Taha Ismail, who created the bar programs Isabella’s other restaurants, will feature 100 tequilas and a dozen mezcals at Pepita. In addition to four flavors of margarita, which will be served by the glass or pitcher, there will be a selection of tequila and mescal cocktails and frozen drinks, as well as drinks on taps. There will be a selection of tiki drinks, a handful of flips and juleps and a long list of classic cocktails, from the daiquiri and the rickey to the Lion’s Tail and the Last Word, all made with fresh squeezed juices. Margaritas are $10 a glass or $40 a pitcher, while most cocktails are $11-$12. There is also 12 bottled and canned beers, as well as six wines.

Drinks at the cocktail-centric Pepita include the Kentucky Hero (left) made with bourbon, black tea, peach orgeat and lemon; and the Lady Marmalade with cachaça, brandy, kumquart marmalade, ginger and tiki bitters. (Photos: Mark Heckathorn/DC on Heels)

Ismail’s bartender friends from around the country are also contributing their specialties , which will be presented on the menu with attribution and are meant to show off the best of the close-knit craft cocktail community while giving guests the opportunity to try a few modern classics without dipping into their airline miles.

Pepita’s menu features Mexican street food such as chips and chicharron with salsa roja and guacamole (left), and smoked short ribs served with corn tortillas, salsas and guacamole. (Photos: Mark Heckathorn/DC on Heels)

There will be an all-day happy hour with food and drink specials that change every few hours. There will also be late-night food specials.

Corporate chef Adam Howard designed Pepita’s small menu of Mexican street food. About 15 dishes will be featured, including ceviche, Mexican-style corn on the cob, house-made salsas and guacamole, a salad of watermelon, jicama and cucumber; and a Caesar salad dressed with cotija cheese, pepitas and avocado. Mexican classics, including a trio of tacos, a torta, enchiladas and a mushroom quesadilla anchor the menu. There is also smoked short rib with grilled nopales and chili de arbol or whole grilled snapper with salsa Veracruz and chili-cabbage salad for the family served with corn tortillas, salsas and guacamole. Desserts include a Mexican tres leches and four frozen, boozy push-pops.

Chips and salsa range from $2-$11, tacos are $4-$5, entrees range from $8-$12, sides and salads range from $6-$14, family plates are $36 and $38 and desserts are $4.

Pepita will be open from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.

Today (3/14) is Pi Day. At 9:26:53 a.m. and p.m., it will be a once-in-a-century event because the year and time line up with the digits of pi that follow 3.14 (1592653). To celebrate, many restaurants are offering specials.

Saturday is Pi Day. Celebrate with one of these specials for fruit or pizza pies. (Photo: Pillsbury)

Dog Tag Bakery, the Georgetown bakery run by veterans at 3206 Grace St. NW, will donate proceeds from its mini apple pies all during March to Blue Star Families, an organization that aids veterans’ transitions to civilian life. The 4-inch personal-sized pie is made with Granny Smith apples, lightly sweetened and scented with cinnamon for $6.95 each.

At Dangerously Delicious Pies, 1339 H St. NE location, slices of five sweet pies will be $3.14 from 9-11 a.m. and 7-10 p.m. The Chinatown location, 675 I St. NW which is normally closed weekends, will give a surprise to anyone placing an order at 9:26:53 a.m. or p.m.

Whiskey meets Whisked! at One Eight Distilling, 1135 Okie St. NE. The distillery will be offering tours and tastes of its small batch spirits while Whisked! will be selling their pies and quiches by the slice. Visitors can pre-order 6- and 9-inch pies to go.

Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab, 750 15th St. NW, will serve slices of its nine pies — key lime, peanut butter, banana cream, chocolate marquise, Havana dream, coconut cream, Boston cream, chocolate-dipped strawberry ice cream and apple pies all day for $3.14. They are normally $7.95.

If you prefer pizza pie over apple pie, head to the basement birreria at Pizzeria Paradiso, 3282 M St. NW in Georgetown for $3.14 select drafts from 9:26 p.m.until close.

Also, Blaze Pizza at 7101 Democracy Blvd., Bethesda in Westfield Montgomery, 7419 Baltimore Ave., College Park or 14709 Baltimore Ave., Laurel in Laurel Towne Centre will offer any of its custom-made pies for $3.14 all day.

Pi Pizzeria at 910 F St. NW in Penn Quarter will have a pi memorization contest at 6 p.m. with a $150 gift card up for grabs. Also, anyone with a Mar. 14 birthday who shows a government ID or birth certificate on Saturday gets a free large pie. And, everyone who buys a large pizza all month getis a “gift” to use on your next. Get a free large salad or appetizer with the purchase of a large pizza.

Finally, Radius Pizza, 3155 Mount Pleasant St. NW, will sell pizza by the slice for $3.14 with the purchase of a beverage.

Stanton & Greene opens on Capitol Hill

Stanton & Greene, 319 Pennsylvania Ave. SE opened Mar. 9 with limited services for a preview then opened fully on Mar. 12 with a full menu.

The dining room and downstairs bar at Stanton & Greene. (Photo: Rey Lopez)

The American bar and brasserie spans three floors of a restored building just two blocks from the U.S. Capitol and Supreme Court, evoking the elegance of the Capital city’s bars of the early- to mid-20th Century with a marble bar, brass sconces and hand-stitched leather booths. The ground floor is home to a traditional American bar and brasserie with period details from the 1930s and 1940s, and the second floor “loft” features a soaring 16-foot space centered with an Art-Deco bar hand-carved from American ash and three massive windows overlooking historic Pennsylvania Avenue.

Owned by partners August Paro, Eli Hengst and Jared Rager, who also own Sonoma Restaurant & Wine Bar and Beuchert’s Saloon, Stanton & Greene will serve a refined selection of unique and classic craft cocktails, and creative, updated interpretations of foods evocative of early- to mid-20th Century America.

Stanton & Greene’s craft cocktails and curated American spirits are cornerstones of its beverage program. Mixologist Erik Holzherr, owner of Wisdom and Church & State, partnered with Stanton & Greene to create the menu of era-inspired cocktails. Each priced from $11-$12 draws inspiration from the classics.

The L’Enfant Martini is their take on a classic French martini, and a tribute to Pierre Charles L’Enfant, the French-American architect who designed the layout of the city. It uses Armagnac de Montal VS as a base, along with Giffard Crème de Framboise liqueur, Passoa passion fruit liqueur, pineapple juice and cardamom bitters.

The Rochambeau – Bluecoat Aged Gin, Aperol, Maurin Quina – is an early favorite, a slightly bitter cocktail inspired by the classic Negroni, but with added complexity from the aged gin and cherry flavors in its ingredients. Stanton & Greene’s unique White Bourbon Punch combines Four Roses bourbon, Leopold’s Three Pins liqueur, Bols yogurt liqueur, almond milk and nutmeg in a smooth sippable drink.

A celebratory cocktail named after L’Enfant’s original designation for Stanton Park, the No. 5 is an elegant sipper that shines for its simplicity. Bright, effervescent Brut opens up a floral bouquet of Soho lychee liqueur, Lillet rose, pink grapefruit juice and rose water. The Bent Nail is Stanton & Greene’s dressed up version of the classic Rusty Nail, featuring Bulleit bourbon, Drambuie, Giffard Crème de Peche, and Leopold’s maraschino. After The Duel is an ode to the politically-fueled duels of early America, featuring the dominant herbal flavors of green chartreuse, tamed by bitter Bonal Gentiane-Quina and floral Crème de Violette with Corsair triple-smoked whiskey, celebrating the end of the battle when smoke still hung in the air.

The menu, a collaboration between executive chef Josh Hutter and chef de cuisine Damian Brown, will offer American classics updated to reflect a commitment to local and naturally-raised ingredients. The era-themed menu is broken down into several sections including: dips, appetizers, salads, main plates, sandwiches, complements, specials and desserts.

Appetizers include dishes like baked Virginia Oysters Rockefeller with garlic spinach and Virginia peanut breadcrumbs, and bacon and egg with crispy pork belly and Anson mills cheddar grits. Guests can also start with a selection of dips like spiced white bean, spinach artichoke, blue cheese-tomato jam and smoked trout. Salads offer versions of the Caesar with boquerones and brioche croutons, a seasonal vegetable market salad and a dressed-up chopped salad with green goddess dressing, shredded Brussels sprouts, feta, crispy pancetta, and hard-boiled egg.

Entrée-sized main plates include brick roasted half-chicken and grilled strip steak with whiskey shallot butter, plus sandwiches like a lobster roll with house aioli and celery atop an Old Bay buttered bun, French dip with grass-fed beef, horseradish aioli and Grayson cheese, and the bacon-laden double-decker Greene burger with two 6-ounce bacon-infused beef patties, smoked gouda, crispy bacon, onion rings and bacon aioli. Several entrees come with a choice of complements, also available a la carte, which include Kennebeck house cut fries, macaroni with Cabot Clothbound Cheddar, Anson Mills grits, mixed seasonal vegetables and broccoli with parmesan cheese and red chili flakes.

Stanton & Greene offers dinner specials three nights of the week: Sunday offers “Sunday Supper” blue plate specials, Monday is burger night pairing featured burgers and beers, and Tuesday features a prix fixe lobster dinner.

Dessert options reminiscent of days gone by include brownie bread pudding with a flambéed marshmallow top, a seasonal sundae with house-made gelato and toppings, and a seasonal fruit pie.

Happy hour from 3-6 p.m. Monday through Saturday features $4-$5 draft beers, $6-$9 cocktails and $3-$9 bar snacks.

Stanton & Greene is open for dinner from 5-10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 4:30-9 p.m. Sunday. The first floor bar is open until 12:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and until 1 a.m. Brunch and lunch will be added in the coming weeks.

The Pig serves innards dinners

The final installment of The Pig‘s four-part Head to Toe Supper series, a five-course anatomical dining experience, features the innards.

The Pig will serve a five-course innards dinner. (Photo: Byron S./Yelp)

Expanded to two nights, the dinner will be served both Monday, Mar. 16 and Tuesday, Mar. 17 at 7 p.m. A cocktail, beer or wine pairing is served with each course, and the cost is $70 per person. Reservations are required (capped at 12 seats each night), and can be made https://eatwelldc.formstack.com/forms/headtotoeinnards online or by calling 202-290-2821.

The menu starts with an amuse of house bacon with a maple glaze followed by a first course of chicaron bituka, a Filipino crispy pig intestine with vinegar peppers and scallion. The second course is flaczki, a Polish beef tripe soup with carrot, leeks and marjoram followed by the third course of battakha makhni, and Indian duck giblet curry with onion bahji, rice, fava beans and yogurt. The fourth course is rognonnade de veau, roseda veal loin stuffed with kidney, roasted sweetbreads, spring onion and garlic scape cream. Finally, dessert is liverscotch sundae made with blood ice cream, chopped walnuts and pork liverscotch.

Area restaurants offer March Madness specials

Three Washington restaurants are getting into the spirit of March Madness.

Area restaurants are offering March Madness specials. (Photo: Steve Cukrov/featurepics.com)

First up, the craft beer centric City Tap House, 901 9th St. NW, will host a special bracket party Thursday, Mar. 19 and Friday, Mar. 20. The two-day event will consist of four rounds of play:

Round One: Thursday, Mar. 19 from noon-5 p.m. Guests will be given a bracket consisting of 16 pre-selected beers. Each of the participating beers will be priced at a $5 during the first round of play. At the end of the first round (5 p.m.), the eight beers that sell the most pints will advance to the second round and will continue to be sold at $5.

Second Round: Thursday, Mar. 19 from 5-8 p.m. The eight beers that advance to the second round will be matched against one another and poured to guests at for $5 each. At the end of the second round (8 p.m.) the four beers that sell the most pints will advance to the third round and will continue to be sold at the discount.

Third Round: Thursday, Mar. 19 from 8-11 p.m. The four beers that advance to the third round will be matched against one another, and at 11 p.m. the two beers that sell the most pints will advance to the final round.

Final Round: Friday, Mar. 20 from noon-8 p.m. The two remaining beers will go head-to-head and the beer with the highest pint sales at 8 p.m. will be poured for $5 from Mar. 20 until the NCAA Championship game on Monday, Apr. 6.

The individual with the winning beer bracket on Mar. 20 will receive a complimentary happy hour for 10 friends. A standard March Madness basketball bracket will also be available, but must be turned in before the first game on Mar. 19 to be eligible to win two tickets to the Firefly Music Festival.

Arcuri, 2400 Wisconsin Ave. NW in Glover Park, is hosting a special bracket challenge of their own. The restaurant is home to over 40 varieties of house-made “cello,” a nod to their limoncello, an Italian lemon liqueur, crafted by infusing grain alcohol with lemon peels and sugar. Each week, the team at Arcuri experiments with a variety of fruits, spices and sugars. The result is a variety of seasonal flavors with a different citrus flavors, followed by sweetness and a strong bite.

During March Madness, Arcuri has pre-selected its top four flavors to establish a Final Four Cello Bracket Challenge. From Mar. 19 through Mar. 20, guests can help crown the first cello champion. Diners are encouraged to fill out a bracket consisting of V Cello with anise, mint, jalapenos, lemon and sugar; Blood Orange with sliced blood orange and sugar; Strawberry with sliced strawberry and sugar; or bergamot cello with bergamot slices and sugar. Those who wish to sample the cello before making their selection can order a shot glass for $5 each or a flight of all four for $9. The cello champion will be announced during the NCAA National Championship game on Apr. 6. Shots of the champion will be will be available for $1 from whistle to whistle.

Drafting Table, 1529 14th St. NW, has crafted a special beer bracket in honor of the 2015 NCAA Men’s College Basketball Tournament. The restaurant’s beer bracket consists of 16 beers, 15 available by draft and one by the can. From Mar. 15 through Mar. 23, diners can make their selections while watching their favorite team on the restaurant’s four flat screen TVs. Drafting Table will total the votes and announce the winners of each round at 6 p.m. on Mar. 24, Mar. 27 and Apr. 1 The beer that is named the winner will be available for $4 during the NCAA Championship game on Apr. 6. Additionally, Drafting Table will be giving away swag throughout the tournament including T-shirts, basketballs, glassware and more.

Yona pop-up extended another month at G

http://yonava.com/ Yona has extended it pop-up at G by Mike Isabella, 2201 14th St. NW through May 2.

Yona, a ramen bar and small plates restaurant coming to Ballston will continue its pop-up at G by Mike Isabella unit May 2.
(Photo: G by Mike Isabella)

The pop-up is a preview of the noodle bar and small plates restaurant that chef Jonah Kim will open early this summer at 4000 Wilson Blvd. in Ballston.

The a la carte preview menu will be available at G Wednesday through Saturday nights 6-10 p.m. The sandwich shop and Sunday Gravy dinner continue to operate on their normal schedule.

Yona features Kim’s take on ramens, steamed buns, dry-fried wings, Hamachi and yook hwe along with a selection of Japanese beer, sake and Japanese whiskies as well as cocktails, with fermented juice and other Asian-inspired ingredients.

Cochon 555 host large format feast at Del Campo

Cochon 555 is taking over Washington with the help of chefs known for reinventing the traditional steakhouse experience by showcasing a defined large format protein culture that supports responsible farmers.

A pig waiting to be prepared for Cochon555 in 2013. (Photo: Cochon 555)

Cochon 555, the country’s most hyper-local culinary competition, will host Private Dining Cochon “PDC,” a dinner series that celebrates source-driven chefs, prominent winemakers and humanely certified proteins. The “Large Format Feast” campaign showcases 10 of the nation’s top chefs cooking a family-style dinner that spotlights the popularity of chefs shifting meat experiences into protein-paparazzi-moments with a center of floor carving meat feast. Culinary experiences like these blaze a path for heritage pork to be showcased on prominent steakhouse menus and ultimately provide new horizons for emerging farmers while setting course for a safer food system.

On Mar. 21, chef Victor Albisu and his team at Del Campo, 777 I St. NW, will host an epic“Big Beef vs Heritage Pig” themed dinner paired with reserve wines. Guests should arrive at 7 p.m. for the offering of reserve prosciutto di parma followed by a three-course feast. The culinary experience is a seated dinner paired with wines featuring family-farm raised, antibiotic-free, Creekstone Duroc pork side-by-side with Creekstone Farm black Angus beef. Following the wine pairings, guests will enjoy a discussion of spirits featuring Hirsch and Old Potrero 18th Century from Anchor Distilling. To close the evening, a gift of artisan cheese and short discussion with Cochon 555 founder Brady Lowe.

Cost of the dinner is $125 per person and includes beverage pairing, tax and gratuity. For reservations, visit www.cochon555.com.

Alina Bothen new executive pastry chef at Red Light

Alina Bothen is the new executive pastry chef at Red Light Cocktails & Dessert Bar.

Alina Bothen is the new executive pastry chef at Red Light Cocktails & Dessert Bar. (Photo: Red Light)

A native of Fairfax, Bothen fell in love with pastry while attending the Scottsdale Culinary Institute. She graduated with a degree in Culinary Arts in 2008. Bothen returned to D.C. in 2009 when her father was deployed to Africa. She served for one year as lead pastry cook at Poste Brasserie before being appointed pastry chef of the now shuttered Potenza and Potenza Bakery from 2010-2012 At Potenza, Bothen was responsible for producing the desserts for the restaurant, as well as pastries and seasonal gelatos and sorbettos for the market.

Bothen’s new spring additions at Red Light include Nutella s’mores, Nutella ice cream with house-made graham cracker and toasted Italian meringue; olive oil cake with fresh grapefruit and grapefruit tarragon sorbet; dark chocolate pot de crème with white chocolate mint; matcha green tea cake with red bean ice cream, coconut tapioca sauce and almond soy gelee; Indian rice fritters with basmati cardamom rice pudding, curry mango and chai anglaise, and quark cheesecake with lemon curd, lavender and vanilla poached rhubarb. Desserts are priced from $10-$14 each.

New savory creations include cured salmon with asparagus, pickled shallots, orange and dill crème fraîche served on rye bread; spring lamb stew with spring vegetables, herbs and white wine; artichokes with chickpeas, tomato, eggplant, cauliflower and za’atar yogurt; a cheese board, an assortment of three cheeses served with jam, mostarda and bread, as well as a pork and duck confit rillette with pickled apples and apricot mostarda, served on a baguette. Savories are priced from $5-$14 each.

For the perfect pairing, guests can sip on specialty cocktails including the El Viejo, jalapeno tequila with orange, sugar and chocolate mole bitters; Pseudonym with rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, ginger liqueur and orange bitters; Dead Man’s Tale, spiced rum, Benedictine, lime juice and raspberry mint syrup; Peep Show, gin, pimms with lemon juice, cucumber, mint and ginger beer; Magdalene with gin, elderflower liqueur and lemon juice; Mata Hari with vindaloo curry infused whiskey, apricot liqueur and lemon juice; Gypsy Eyes with vodka, Crème de Violette, lemon juice and Prosecco; and the Just Peachy, vodka, peach liqueur, lemon juice and Prosecco. Cocktails are $12 each.

Red Light Cocktails & Dessert Bar is located at 1401 R St. NW. It is open for happy hour Monday through Friday from 5-8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 4-8 p.m. Dinner is served from 5 p.m.-12:30 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5 p.m.-1:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

SER restaurant, 1110 N. Glebe Road, Arlington had its soft opening in Ballston on Mar. 5 in the midst of Thursday’s snowstorm. The grand opening will be this coming Thursday, Mar. 12.

The dining room at SER in Ballston evokes the feel of a Spanish home. (Photo: Rey Lopez)

The restaurant, owned by Christina Campos-Condon, her husband, Javier Condon, and with chef Josu Zubikari, won the Ballston Business Improvement District’s 2014 Restaurant Challenge. As the winner of the challenge, SER received a year of free rent and a $245,000 interest-free loan.

You won’t find any tapas on the menu at (“Simple, Easy, Real” and a play on the Spanish verb “to be”), but traditional Spanish dishes like paella, chicken and ham croquetas, and roast suckling pig. The menu includes comfort foods such as cochinillo (roasted suckling pig), bacalao al pilpil (salted cod in olive oil emulsion), txipirones en su tinta (squid in its ink), carrilleras de Iberia (braised pork cheeks) and sopa Donostiar-ra (fisherman’s soup). The paella will be served tableside and Iberico will be carved tableside. A salad cart will display several kinds of lettuces, vegetables, proteins and dressings that diners can mix-and-match and watch get made in front of them.

Main dishes are divided into three sections: “from the market” that use seasonal, local ingredients; “from our travels” such as a cheese burger and gluten-free angel hair pasta with lime zest and caviar; and “from our grandmothers” featuring family recipes. There will also be daily specials that highlight the country’s traditional dishes, as well as a “menu del dia” – a prix fixe three-course menu that changes daily based on what Zubikarai finds at the market.

During lunch, guests can choose between a full menu with seated service or SER’s “Lunch Shop” featuring house-made sandwiches, soups and salads to go.

The wine list consists of both Old and New World selections, with more than half of the “everyday” bottles less than $40 while the dozen or so “celebratory” wines range from $60-$120. The beer selection includes mostly local brews with a few from Spain, and the cocktail list is the result of several bar crawls throughout Spain and includes drinks made with sherry as well as coffee.

Campos-Candon designed the interior on a tight budget with big wooden tables, turquoise chandeliers, coral-colored chairs, and chartreuse-colored bar stools. Like someone’s house, photos of family members and Kickstarter investors and flower-patterned curtains hang in the doorways. The 5,000 square-foot restaurant seats 140 with a seasonal 100-seat, dog-friendly patio and features and open kitchen counter, cheese and charcuterie bar and a raw bar.

Stop in by Mar. 11 during the soft opening and food is 20 percent off. Also, the restaurant will donate 25 cents from every meal, even after the grand opening, to the Arlington Food Assistance Center. SER opens at 5 p.m. during their soft opening.

Peruvian Brothers to feed visitors at Folklife Festival

The Peruvian Brothers, Giuseppe and Mario Lanzone, have won the bid to showcase their culinary talents at the 49th annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival this summer. This year the Folklife Festival will highlight Peru with more than 100 Peruvian artisans, musicians and dancers, as well as artists and tradition bearers from the Peruvian American diaspora.

The Peruvian Brothers, Mario (left) and Giuseppe Lanzone, in their food truck. (Photo: Peruvian Brothers)

The brothers were born and raised in La Punta, Peru, where their father and uncle ran boat restaurants. Chef Mario Lanzone is a bartender at Napoleon Bistro and Lounge and spent recent summers captaining yachts in the Mediterranean. Giuseppe Lanzone competed with the U.S. rowing team in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2012 London games, where his team finished fourth. He coaches men’s lightweight rowing at Georgetown University.

With an estimated attendance of 500,000-1.1 million over the 10 days, the program’s theme will be “connectivity.” Visitors will experience how ties are made and maintained in Peru through cooking and craft demonstrations, music and dance performances, moderated conservations, ritual and celebratory processions, and other activities. The Peruvian Brothers will craft their comida criolla dishes such as pan con chicharron, salted pork tenderloin sandwich, and fresh ceviche as well as vegetarian options all served with traditional salsa criolla, thinly sliced julienne onions marinated in lime juice with chopped Peruvian chilies.

The history behind the Peruvian comida criolla cuisine is as appealing and complex as the unique combinations of flavor. With roots in Andean-Spanish-Afro-Peruvian and Asian influences, comida criolla boasts powerful flavors. The Peruvian Brothers will serve recipes passed down in the Lanzone family as well as Mario’s own original spins on traditional Peruvian favorites.

“The Folklife Festival will be a wonderful opportunity for us to demonstrate our passion and knowledge of the foods we grew up with in Peru.” said Giuseppe Lanzone. “Each plate has a significant historical background that we would like to share with the Washington, D.C. community. In addition to our traditional sandwiches, we are going off menu to introduce some of our secret family recipes.”

The Folklife Festival takes place from 11-5:30 p.m. June 24-28 and July 1-5 on the National Mall in front of the national Museum of the American Indian. Admission to the festival is free

Old Town Pour House offers March Madness specials

Old Town Pour House, 212 Ellington Blvd., Gaithersburg, will be showing the college basketball playoffs on its 110-inch video walls Mar. 19-22, 26-29 and Apr. 4-6.

Sports fans can watch March Madness on the 110-inch video walls at the new Old Town Pour House in Gaithersburg. (Photo: Jeff Elkins)

On those dates, Chef Paul Katz will cook up special gameday grub including ham and pickle hushpuppies ($11) with Old Bay ketchup; achiote chicken quesadillas ($13) with molcajete, corn, black beans, asadero cheese and Peruvian green salsa; and Cuban sandwichs ($13) with smoked pork shoulder, ham, spicy beer mustard, Swiss cheese and fried pickle served with olive oil parsley fries.

Also, from the kickoff of the 2015 NCAA Tournament to the final championship, fans can take make reservations to save their seats.

Vinoteca offers spring wine classes

Vinoteca, 1940 11th St. NW, will kickoff its “Spring Wine Class Series” starting Mar.24. Led by Vinoteca sommelier Kate Chrisman, the series of wine classes begins just in time for Cherry Blossom season, exploring spring’s best rosés, as well as some full-bodied whites and soft reds.

Vinoteca in the U Street corridor is offering spring wine tasting classes. (Photo: Vinoteca)

The spring wine classes will take place on Tuesday evenings from 7-8:30 p.m. in the restaurant’s upstairs lounge. Each class will explore and pour five to six different wines, and also include food pairings from executive chef Lonnie Zoeller as well as a $5 gift card.

The classes include:

• Mar. 24: Cherry Blossom Festival of Rosé – To celebrate the beginning of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, the class will feature a selection of cherry blossom-hued wines in a wide array of styles from all around the world. Learn how rosé wines are made and how to pair them with spring and summertime foods.
• Apr. 7: Full-Body Whites – Part 1 of the “Season of Transition” class will explore white wines that bridge the gap between winter and summer – when it’s too warm for big, heavy reds and too cool for bright, crisp whites. Featuring wines from France, Italy, South Africa and more, the wines will help your palate prepare for summer.
• Apr. 21: The Softer Side of Red – Part 2 of the “Season of Transition” class will showcase red wines that won’t overwhelm the palate as the temperature begins to rise. Whether served slightly chilled or turned into a picnic-ready sangria, these wines are perfect for late spring. Featured wines will come from New Zealand, France and the United States.

 
All wine classes are $45 per person Space is limited to 20 people per class. To register, click here.

Happy hour start early at Oval Room and 701 Restaurant

Happy hour is starting earlier at sister restaurants The Oval Room and 701 Restaurant.

Get a jump on happy hour at The Oval Room or 701 Restaurant. (Photo: Bisnow)

Guests at 701 Restaurant, located at 701 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, can sip on featured cocktails, wines by the glass and bar snacks for $7 each 3-7 p.m. daily in the lounge. Current cocktails include the Cure Royale with Prosecco, Lillet Blanc and house vinegar; the Bitter Blonde with gin, sweet vermouth and Suze; the lavender lemon drop with Meyer lemon infused vodka and lavender simple syrup; and the Moscow Mule with Tito’s vodka, ginger syrup and ginger beer.

Small plates include fingerling potatoes with chive crème fraîche and bacon; sesame hummus served with grilled pita bread; Serrano ham served with charred focaccia and mustard; a duck sandwich with picked kohlrabi and jalapeno; oyster sliders with Asian slaw and apple remoulade; crispy calamari with smoked paprika and caper aioli; and a grilled cheese sandwich with cheddar, red onion and fig jam.

The Oval Room, 800 Connecticut Ave. NW, offers happy hour from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Select cocktails are $8 and select wines by the glass are $7 at the bar. Cocktails include the Oval Room Manhattan with Old Overholt rye shiskey, sweet vermouth, barrel aged bitters and a Campari amaretto cherry; The Lady Michelle with sparkling wine, vodka, lemon-lavender syrup and Crème Yvette; and the Jalisco Mule with ginger beer, Añejo tequila and sage.

Embassy Row Hotel taps two to lead new restaurant

Peter Kloiber, has been named the chef de cuisine at the remodeled Embassy Row Hotel’s new lobby restaurant, Station Kitchen & Cocktails and The Rooftop Lounge. He joins Robert Yealu, who was named director of restaurants in January overseeing all the restaurant’s food and beverage operations.

Robert Yealu (left), director of restaurants, and Peter Kloiber, chef de cuisine, will run the new Station Kitchen & Cocktails restaurant at the remodeled Embassy Row Hotel in Dupont. (Photos: Embassy Row Hotel)

The hotel, 2015 Massachusetts Ave. NW, recently underwent a $15 million renovation. Station Kitchen & Cocktails will open Mar. 18 as part of what the hotel is calling a “lifestyle-driven lobby experience” anchored by the restaurant. During the day, the restaurant will serve Compass Coffee, baked goods from Union Kitchen

During the day, the restaurant will serve Compass Coffee, baked goods from Union Kitchen and a chef’s pantry with grab-and-go sandwiches. At night, the restaurant will serve small plates like Wellington meatballs, tuna casserole and Korean chicken lollipops at communal tables and nook-style seating. Station Kitchen & Cocktails will also serve a special of the day in a curated ceramic bowl made by students of the Corcoran School of Art at George Washington University. The restaurant will donate 25 cents from each bowl sold to So Others May Eat, which feeds the poor homeless.

The restaurant will also have a bottled cocktail program hand-crafted on-site with drinks such as the Lame Duck made with basil and clove roasted pineapple, lime, coconut IPA and rubber ducky; Vice & Virtue made with gin, burnt honey, imbue rose, thorn and sriracha flakes; and Sunny Side Up made with silver rum, kiwi syrup, key lime and “marshmallow” foam.

Originally from Wisconsin, Kloiber most recently worked at Marcel’s as sous chef. Previously, he spent two years as the sous chef at The Federalist restaurant at the Madison Hotel and at Jackie’s in Silver Spring. He started his culinary career locally as chef de tournant at Vidalia, under the direction of Jeff Buben and R.J. Cooper and also worked at Le Paradou.

Originally from New Jersey, Yealu relocated to Washington D.C. after graduating from the University of Buffalo to pursue a career on the Hill, but it wasn’t long before his passion took over and he landed a job as the beverage manager for Ping Pong Dim Sum. He most recently worked at Bordeau LLC, where he was director of operations overseeing Table and Menu MBK restaurants, as well as 42 Degree Catering. Prior to that, he built the beverage program as part of the opening team at The Federalist.

Mike Isabella’s second regional Greek restaurant, Kapnos Taverna will open for lunch in the Ballston neighborhood of Arlington beginning Tuesday.

Kapnos Taverna, with a heavy seafood menu, opens Tuesday for lunch. There’s no sign yet, but it is across the street from Buzz coffee shop. (Photo: Mark Heckathorn/DC on Heels)

The 165-seat, 5,700 square foot space at 4000 Wilson Blvd. is a sister restaurant to Kapnos, Isabella’s Northern Greek restaurant that opened in 2013 on the 14th Street corridor.

Kapnos’ executive chef George Pagonis will oversee the new kitchen along with chef de cuisine Greg Basalla. At Kapnos Taverna, the menu will focus on the coastal regions and islands of Greece, including dishes from the Cyclades, Peloponnese, Thessaloniki and Ionian Islands. Pagonis, the son of Greek immigrants, drew on his experiences dining throughout the Aegean Islands near his family’s vacation home on Paros to create the restaurant’s heavy seafood menu.

“I’m proud of the ways in which we’ve made Kapnos Taverna stand apart from the original restaurant,” said Isabella. “At Kapnos we showed how much more there is to Greek cooking than lamb shank, spanakopita and moussaka, and I think people are going to see even more of the depth of the cuisine when they see and taste the menu at Kapnos Taverna.”

Isabella’s third Greek concept, Kapnos Kouzina, is slated to open this summer at 4900 Hampden Lane in the former Vapiano space in Bethesda Row. Meaning kitchen in Greek, it will focus on homestyle dishes and shareable platters of fried chicken, stewed lamb and more. It will be outfitted like a market with pantry items and wine on display, and bowls of fruits and vegetables throughout.

Dishes at Kapnos Taverna include swordfish kebabs, crispy calamari dressed with za’atar and whole branzino served with braised kale. The restaurant’s raw bar featuring East and West Coast oysters is a centerpiece of the seafood-heavy menu, along with massive shellfish towers that feature half a Maine lobster, king and snow crab legs, marinated razor clams, octopus, braised mussels, salmon tartar, poached shrimp cocktail, and East and West Coast oysters served with harissa hot sauce, ouzo cocktail sauce, lemon yogurt, mignonette, fresh horseradish for $125.

Dishes at Kapnos Taverna includes the $125 Seafood Tower (left) and spanakorizo, rotisserie chicken served on barley with spinach, barley, dill and charred lemon. (Photo: Mark Heckathorn/DC on Heels)

“I grew up vacationing at a family house on Paros and eating my way around the Aegean,” said Pagonis, who was kicked off Top Chef Season 12’s opening show in October because of his oyster shucking skills. He was won his way back, but was told to pack his knives again earlier this month when the judges disliked his plate that combined grilled octopus legs, a crispy croquette made out of the ground head, green apple harissa, lentils, pickled mustard seeds and a bacon chip. “To be able to bring those flavors to a wide audience in Northern Virginia where I grew up is something I’ve been dreaming about since I went to culinary school.”

An extensive list of Greek mezze includes the chefs’ takes on traditional dishes like falafel and cheese saganaki, as well as cold and garden mezze sections with spiced beets and dolmades. While about two-thirds of the menu will be different than the original Kapnos, some of its most popular dishes will such as its spreads and flatbread, and meat roasted on a wood-fired rotisserie spit, will find their way to NoVa.

The wine selection includes more than 90 bottles with at least three quarters of the list originating in Greece. Greek wines even find their way onto the taps, where a crisp, floral Moschofilero takes up one of the bar’s four draft lines. The other three are anchored by local beers, a rotating selection that includes brews from the likes of D.C.’s 3 Stars, Charlottesville-based Champion and Alexandria’s Port City. Also, the cocktail program is complete new from the D.C. location including The Papa Bear, which blends rye and amaro with cinnamon raisin-infused sweet vermouth, pimento bitters and Aleppo pepper.

The cocktail program includes the Papa Bear(left) with rye, amaro, cinnamon raisins infused sweet vermouth, pimento bitters and alleppo; the Gracias Amigo (center) with tequila, aperol, grapefruit, agave and thyme; and the MIC Martini (right) with vodka or gin, dolin blanc and orange bitter. (Photo: Mark Heckathorn/DC on Heels)

The restaurant’s interior designed by Bethesda-based Streetsense is rustic with earth tones accented with light blue booths and marble counters. The décor uses terra cotta and other earth tones offset by a variety of eclectic lighting styles, classic Greek tile motifs, live herbs and plants, and millwork panels. The overall effect evokes an urban Mediterranean garden atmosphere.

The ebony-stained, distressed wood bar front has a charred wood back bar and white marble top. The dining area is highlighted by a steel framed vertical herb garden punctuated with lava rock. A dining mezzanine overlooks the open kitchen. In the spring, a 60-seat patio and fire pit will be added.

The interior is dark woods, terra cotta and blue with marble countertops. (Photo: Greg Powers/Kapnos Taverna)

Located around the same building around the corner, Isabella’s Pepita Mexican cantina is scheduled to open in February or March. Come summer, chef Jonah Kim will open Yona, a noodle bar and Japanese small plates restaurant that Isabella is a partner in.

Beginning Tuesday, Kapnos Taverna will be open from 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. for lunch only. Beginning Feb. 2, it will add dinner service, serving lunch from 11:30 a.m-5 p.m. and dinner from 5-10 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday, 5-11 p.m. Thursday and 5 p.m.-midnight Friday and Saturday. Eventually, it will add brunch from 11:30-3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.