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.

José Andrés’ and his ThinkFoodGroup will open a restaurant in the future Trump International Hotel planned to open in the Old Post Office in mid-2016, the Trump Organization announced last week.

Jose Andres and his ThinkFoodGroup will open a restaurant at the new Trump International Hotel in the Old Post Office.
(Photo: ThinkFoodGroup)

The to-be-named restaurant will debut when the hotel opens after a $200 million renovation of the historic Old Post Office. Andrés said he does not have a concept yet.

“Everything about Trump International Hotel, Washington, D.C. – from its magnificent guest rooms and presidential suites, to the ballroom and spa – will be the very best, and the culinary experience is no exception,” said Donald J. Trump in a press release. “We’ve tapped one of the very best in the field, José Andrés, to create a restaurant concept that will live up to the unrivaled offerings of what will be one of the finest hotels anywhere in the world.”

ThinkFoodGroup will lease and operate the flagship restaurant, located off the hotel’s lobby in addition to creating the food and beverage menu for the lobby bar and banquets. The hotel will reopen the 11th Street entrance on Pennsylvania Avenue, which will serve as the driveway to the hotel’s canopied grand entrance. Andrés’ restaurant will be accessible from the property’s main level from the hotel’s grand entrance, Pennsylvania Avenue, and 12th Street.

The hotel will feature 270 guestrooms with lofty 16-foot ceilings, soaring windows, restored historic millwork and crystal sconces and chandeliers as well as a 5,000 square-foot spa and fitness center. It will also offer 36,000 square feet of meeting and event space, including the 13,000-square-foot grand ballroom, the largest among D.C.’s luxury hotels.

Andrés, the mastermind behind such local restaurants as Minibar, Jaleo, Oyamel and Zaytinya, is no stranger to big-ticket hotel dining. He’s opened attention-getting spots in SLS Hotels in Vegas, Los Angeles, and Miami, including the Bazaar in Beverly Hills and America Eats Tavern at the Ritz-Carlton in Tysons Corner.

In other Andrés news, his China Chilcano will open the first full week of January at 418 7th St. NW. The fusion restaurant will be similar to his China Poblano in Las Vegas with Peruvian cuisine emboldened by flavors from Creole, Chinese and Japanese cuisines paired with one of the biggest selections of Pisco in the country. Also Beefsteak, his new vegetable-focused fast casual restaurant, will open in George Washington University’s new Engineering Hall on the corner of 22nd and I Streets NW in February. It won’t be a vegetarian restaurant, but “a place where fresh, market-driven vegetables take center stage and thrive as the main component of a dish.” The menu will focus on customizable, flavorful meals in a bowl that use cooked-to-order vegetables as an anchor, which can be complemented with a selection of grains, fresh sauces, crunchy toppings and, if desired, a choice of protein.

Finally, ThinkFoodGroup named Andy Myers its wine director. A certified master sommelier, Myers discovered his passion for wine nearly two decades ago while working at The Inn at Little Washington. Most recently, he was sommelier at CityZen in the Mandarin Oriental, which closed Dec. 6. From Zaytinya’s extensive selection of Greek, Turkish and Lebanese wines to American Eats Tavern’s wine-on-tap and exclusive large format bottles of red blends from the celebrated nearby Virginia winery RdV Vineyards, Myers helms ThinkFoodGroup’s wine program.

Cuba Libre celebrates improved U.S.-Cuba relations

In light of the recent diplomatic news about Cuba, Cuba Libre located at 801 9th Street,NW, will be offer $5 Cuba Libre cocktails made with Cuba Libre rum through Monday, Dec. 22.

Cuba Libre is running the special to mark the significant news for Cuba and encourage discourse and debate among guests. Fact sheets highlighting the diplomatic changes will be available for guests.

Red, Hot & Blue closing Rosslyn location on Sunday

Red, Hot & Blue, the barbecue chain restaurant at 1600 Wilson Blvd. in Rosslyn, is closing on Sunday.

Red, Hot & Blue in Rosslyn will close Sunday. (Photo: Red, Hot & Blue/Facebook)

The location, which has been open since 1989, will have its last day Sunday, but the staff was only told last week. No reason was given for the closing.

“I haven’t the slightest idea” why the restaurant is closing, manager Chris Hawkins told ArlNow. “It was brought to my attention this week. We’re still trying to figure it out.”

The Heights gets new owners in new year

EatWell DC has sold The Heights at 3115 14th St. NW local restaurateur Ammar Daoud as of the beginning of 2015.

EatWell DC will sell The Heights in Columbia Heights to D.C. Food Group. (Photo: Eat Real)

Daoud plans to update the menu in the future along with the décor and create an alfresco option, according to a press release.

The restaurant’s staff will remain, and The Heights will continue to honor EatWell gift certificates through Mar. 31. This year’s New Year’s Eve offerings will remain as previously publicized.

Daoud owns D.C. Restaurant Group of McLean, which owns Café Soleil, The Bottom Line, The Front Page and Cedar in D.C., Portside Tavern in Baltimore, Mango’s in Bethan Beach, Del. and Alexandria, Bethany Blues and Dickey’s Frozen Custard in Bethan Beach and The Starboard in Dewey Beach, Del.

EatWell DC will focus on their four neighborhood restaurants, The Pig, Logan Tavern, Commissary and Grillfish, and explore future endeavors within Washington, D.C. EatWell DC partners declined to comment on why that particular restaurant in the group changed ownership.

Nage Bistro offers snow day specials

Warm with Nage Bistro’s new collection of hot cocktails and winter snacks, and if it is an official snow day you’ll get almost half off.

Nage’s four new libations, available now through February, are the Nage Coffee with Baileys Irish Cream, Amaretto, Frangelico and Godiva chocolate liqueur for $9; Monks Coffee served with Dom Benedictine B&B Liqueur and Kahlua for $8; Café L’Orange with Grand Marnier, Cointreau and cinnamon for $9; Fire Cider with Dr. McGillicuddy’s fireball cinnamon whisky, hot cider and whipped cream for $10. On snow days the new cocktails are $5 each, and Nage will also feature a Mexican hot chocolate with house-made marshmallows for $2.

Nage will also offer half price snacks on the days that the federal government shuts down due to snow and inclement weather. Guests can indulge in specials such as grilled cheese and tomato soup; macaroni and cheese served with orecchiette pasta, three-cheese Mornay sauce, English peas and tarragon along with a rotating list of featured soup of the day such as the crab bisque, gumbo and smoked sweet potato soup. The snow day discounted prices on these range from $4 to $6.

Nage Bistro is located at 1600 Rhode Island Ave. NW.

Hank’s serves new proprietary oyster

Hank’s Oyster Bar is adding a second oyster grown exclusive for the restaurant.

The Salty Wolfe, Hank’s Oyster Bar’s new oyster. (Photo: Hank’s Oyster Bar)

The Salty Wolfe, an ode to owner and chef Jamie Leeds’ father Hank Wolfe Leeds, will be available at Hank’s Dupont, Capitol Hill and Old Town locations. Grown and harvested by War Shore Oyster Co. near Chincoteague Island, Va., the Salty Wolfe is a medium-cupped cocktail oyster that’s salty up front and a mildly sweet and creamy to finish.

The oysters are $2.25 each. It joins Hank’s other proprietary oyster, Hayden’s Reef, a sweet oyster from Dragon Creek Aqua Farm in Montross, Va., which debuted in August 2011.

Each quarter, 10 percent of the oyster’s sales will be donated a charity, starting with The American Heart Association. Leed’s father passed away from a heart attack when she was litte.

“The goal with this oyster is two-fold; I want to pay tribute to my father, Hank Wolfe Leeds, and I want to give back,” Leeds said in a press release.

Crane & Turtle to close first half of January

Crane & Turtle will be closed from Jan. 1-12, reopening on Jan. 13 as the kitchen staff rings in the new year with a 10-day pilgrimage to Japan.

Crane & Turtle will close from Jan. 1-12. (Photo: Popville)

Chef Makota Hamamura and fiancée Katy Kinch, who makes the restaurant’s desserts, along with two line cooks are going to Japan on Jan. 1. One other line cook is already there.

They’ll visit Tokyo and its Ramen Museum along with Hamamura’s hometown of Kochi with a visit to his grandmother’s house, deep in the mountains to learn about making mochi. Hamamura wants the staff to better understand Japanese techniques and why things are done a certain way.

The group will be “pretty much eating everything,” Hamamura says.

Smashburger, Black & Orange close in Dupont

Two burger restaurants have closed their Dupont locations.

Smashburger closed in Dupont after opening little over a year ago. (Photo: Popville)

The Denver-based Smashburger, which opened restaurants in Bethesda, Gaithersburg, Germantown, Vienna, Falls Church, Fairfax and Gainesville this past year, closed its 1739 Connecticut Ave. NW store on Dec. 14. The restaurant opened in September 2013.

According to Smashburger’s website, new locations in Alexandria and at Dulles Airport will open soon.

Black & Orange Burger Grilling Co. closed its location at 1300 Connecticut Ave. NW The U Street location at 1931 14th St. NW appears to still be open, although its website was blank when we check Saturday.

Black & Orange used to be known as Rogue States and was the subject of a drawn-out legal battle. Raynold Mendizabal, the man behind such restaurants as Urban Butcher, was behind the burger restaurant.