New & Notable: Call Your Mother Deli, Eaton DC, Officina and More

On Tap keeps locals in the know about the hottest new food and drink spots around town and the top culinary happenings of the month. Read on to get the inside scoop on what’s new and notable in the DC area.

NEW

Call Your Mother Deli
Open: October 11
Location: Park View
Lowdown: When Andrew Dana and the Timber Pizza team were trying to come up with a name for their new deli, they tossed around phrases that a Jewish grandmother might yell. Someone shouted, “Call your mother!” and the deli was born. The Boca-meets-Brooklyn shop is branded as “Jew-ish” because while they serve deli classics, they strive to put modern twists on expected dishes. Their bagels are the main event, with the production line and custom wood-fired Marra Forni bagel oven front and center in the open kitchen. Chef Daniela Moreira has created a recipe that takes the team’s favorite parts of both New York and Montreal-style bagels – with the texture and chew of a New York bagel and the sweetness and char of a Montreal bagel. The bagels are featured in a variety of sandwiches, like the Amaré with candied salmon cream cheese (from Ivy City Smokehouse), cucumber, crispy shallots and micro radish on a za’atar bagel, and the Rashida (named after Dana’s half-Jewish celebrity crush) with peanut butter, bacon apple and honey on a sesame bagel. There’s also a pupu platter of bagel toppings and shmears called the Big Ass Bagel Board. Challah and other breads are also made in the oven and available in sandwiches like the Greenberg, a Philly cheesesteak with pastrami and brisket. Other Jew-ish specialties include whitefish croquettes and matzah ball soup with a South American twist inspired by Moreira’s Argentinian heritage. The deli’s custom coffee blend is Just Coffee by Lost Sock Roasters. Dana says he asked them for something that didn’t have the fruit notes that many third-wave coffees are known for, but instead just tastes like coffee. It’s ideal for sipping while watching the world go by in the window-facing rocking chairs, which are the most coveted of the mismatched seats in the pastel pink and teal space. This month, Call Your Mother plans to kick off their weekly supper club with themes like homemade pasta, brisket and latkes, gourmet fast food, and New York-style pizza. 3301 Georgia Ave. NW, DC; www.callyourmotherdeli.com

Eaton Workshop
Open: September 7 and October 15
Location: Downtown
Lowdown: The global brand Eaton Workshop opened their hotel on K Street this fall, complete with four food and beverage concepts led by Chef Tim Ma. Each has its own niche within the hotel, from morning coffee and pastries to late night tacos and tunes. On the lobby level, Kintsugi is a wellness-driven, all-day café with organic, fair trade coffee from Red Rooster, mushroom hot chocolate, a range of pastries including gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan options, plus wine and beer. The main attraction on the first floor is the street-facing American Son, where Ma presents American food through the lens of immigrants. The name is a reflection of Ma’s childhood, growing up in the 70s and facing discrimination as one of the only Asian families in Arkansas. His parents tried to help Ma assimilate throughout his upbringing, even introducing him as “my American son.” Some dishes pull flavors from Ma’s Chinese heritage, while others are influenced by international cuisines like French and Middle Eastern. Diners will recognize a few similarities from Kyirisan like Cloud Terre tableware, a tofu gnocchi and a focus on deconstructing techniques. The large format dishes like spaghetti squash ssam and fried whole red snapper are cooked in a wood-fired pizza oven. The restaurant is also open late, with a menu modeled after the idea of Peach Pit from Beverly Hills, 90210. Nestled further inside the lobby, Allegory offers craft cocktails in a hidden salon accented by images of Alice in Wonderland via the experience of civil rights activist Ruby Bridges. On the roof, Wild Days is an indoor/outdoor music venue and bar serving pan-Asian tacos. 1201 K St. NW, DC; www.eatonworkshop.com

Officina
Open: October 15
Location: The Wharf
Lowdown: Chef Nicholas Stefanelli’s latest project is three stories of Italian culinary exploration, starting on the first floor with a market and café, continuing upstairs with a neighborhood restaurant and amaro library, and culminating on the roof with an al fresco terrace and private dining room. Stefanelli intended each concept to have its own personality and purpose, visited at different times of day for different moods. The café is open all day, beginning with light breakfast fare like pastries and coffee and then evolving into a menu of sandwiches, Roman pizzas, arancini and cocktails. Stefanelli’s goal with the market, or mercato, is to be a space for sourcing top quality, hard-to-find Italian goods like olive oils, vinegars and wines; picking up prepared foods like pastas, sauces and breads made onsite; and finding luxury items like foie gras, caviar and truffles. On the second floor, the restaurant, or trattoria, is an approachable spot for salumi, cheeses, pastas and hearty butcher cuts. The amaro library, or salotto, allows guests to explore decades worth of Italian spirits either in tasting flights or cocktails. The rooftop, or terrazza, is inspired by elegant rooftops in Rome, offering a full bar and an emphasis on champagne. When the weather warms up next spring, cheese and charcuterie boards will also be available. The expansive space lives up to its name – Officina means workshop in Italian – as an epicurean hub where everything from pasta-making to butchery is done in-house. 1120 Maine Ave. SW, DC; www.officinadc.com

Reverie
Open: October 6
Location: Georgetown
Lowdown: Your Uber driver might have a hard time finding chef Johnny Spero’s new restaurant. Reverie is tucked down a cobblestone alley in a historic building near the canal in Georgetown. Though the exterior is timeworn, the interior is minimalist and modern, taking after Nordic design. The cuisine follows suit, with dishes that skip overwrought techniques in favor of letting the ingredients speak for themselves. Those ingredients are far from typical, from paddlefish roe and beef tongue to celtuce and leek ash. Spero refines steak and potatoes by pairing perfectly seasoned ribeye with tiny potato crisps and reimagines lovage as a granita accented with chamomile. Large format dishes like crispy roast duck with black licorice and fennel are meant to be shared. The bar zeroes in on sherry and vermouth, a nod to Spero’s love for Spain. Cocktails are curated by Columbia Room’s JP Fetherston, with drinks like the Dutch Salute with genever, sherry, vermouth, koji and citrus. As part of the restaurant’s goal to make fine dining more accessible, Spero plans to offer two “pay-what-you-can” seats each night. 3201 Cherry Hill Ln. NW, DC; www.reveriedc.com

NOTABLE

New Beverage Director at Nocturne
Location: Shaw
Lowdown: The cocktail bar beneath Sugar Shack in Shaw recently appointed a new beverage director to oversee the program. Hakim Hamid created the Atlas, a menu of globally inspired cocktails paired with small plates by Chef Brandon McDermott. The drinks reflect four regions around the world: the Middle East, Scandinavia, the Americas and Western Europe. Highlights include the Norra Sidan, which is similar to an Old Fashioned but with Nordic flair from fennel- and celery-infused vodka, and the Red Spotted Stem with vodka, champagne, rose, pomegranate, orange blossom, cardamom and clove. 1932 9th St. NW, DC; www.nocturnebar.com