New and Notable: July 2020

As restaurants in the region continue to welcome diners back to patios, rooftops, sidewalks and dining rooms, newcomers join their ranks. Here are the most exciting openings of the past few months, plus a few notable happenings.

New

Photo by Maya Oren.

Bammy’s
Gerald Addison and Chris Morgan, the former executive chefs of Maydan, left the award-winning restaurant to start their own venture, a Caribbean-inspired spot that opened at the end of May in Navy Yard. Bammy’s serves up food influenced by the chefs’ travels in Jamaica, Trinidad, and Barbados. The namesake dish – a fried cassava root flatbread – is a staple in Jamaica. The restaurant offers outdoor seating on the Riverside Patio, which used to be Whaley’s Rosé Garden. 301 Water St. SE, DC; @bammysdc

Photo courtesy of Electric Cool-Aid.

Electric Cool-Aid
Shaw has a new backyard drinking destination. Electric Cool-Aid is a 4,000-square foot patio equipped with picnic tables, frozen drinks, canned beverages, and food trucks. Three veterans of Drink Company and Ivy & Coney opened the neighborhood bar this week, with a name that nods to the colorful murals surrounding the space and Tom Wolfe’s “Electric Kool Aid Acid Test.” In addition to playful frozen drinks, the can menu is expansive, with cocktails, local cider and even sake. Currently, Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken and Swizzler are regular food truck partners. 512 Rhode Island Ave. NW, DC; @electric_cool_aid

Photo courtesy of 1914 by Kolben.

1914 by Kolben
This new Northern Vietnamese restaurant pays homage to the extremely narrow café-lined Train Street in Hanoi. The street was shut down in 2019, but 1914 brings a taste of it to Shaw with a replica of a train car and tracks in the dining room. The menu aims to introduce diners to lesser-known Viet dishes, beyond pho. Highlights include broken rice, Hanoi’s signature grilled pork noodles, and Vietnamese coffee. The restaurant soft-opened this month, but plans to expand hours and menus later in the summer.1914 9th St. NW, DC; @nineteenfourteen.kolben

Photo credit Reema Desai

Tabla
The team behind Supra first brought Georgian cuisine to the District in 2017 and in July of this year, they expanded with a more casual spinoff in Park View. Tabla is a Georgian word for an outdoor table where feasts are served. Two fan-favorite dishes from Supra – khachapuri and khinkali (soup dumplings) – are the stars of the menu, along with playful twists on tradition and mashups of Georgian and American cuisines. The beverage program features all Georgian wines, plus Georgian soft drinks and the country’s signature spirit, chacha.  Both indoor and outdoor seating is available. 3227 Georgia Ave. NW, DC; @tabladc

Photo courtesy of Victura Park.

Victura Park
The café at the REACH officially opened this month, offering a spacious, family-friendly garden space overlooking the Potomac River, appropriately named after JFK’s wooden sailboat. Victura Park is a collaboration between the Hilton brothers and chef Erik Bruner-Yang, with a menu of savory snacks, beer, wine, ciders and seltzers. Umbrellas, a grassy lawn, and picnic and café tables beckon. The outdoor is open on weekends this summer. 2700 F St. NW, DC; @victuraparkdc

Photo credit Scott Suchman.

Yellow
The café and bakery within chef Michael Rafidi’s new Levantine restaurant, Albi, opened in May, with breakfast and lunch offerings ranging from pastries and specialty iced coffees to mezze and sandwiches. Sweet and savory baked goods merge French technique with Middle Eastern flavors – think za’atar and labne croissants and baklava kouign-amann. For lunch, mezze like heirloom tomato tabouli pairs with sandwiches like grilled eggplant or softshell crab inside housemade potato pita. All items are available for carryout.1346 4th St. SE, DC; @yellowthecafe

Photo courtesy of Cafe Spoken.

Cafe Spoken
A new café by chef Erik Bruner-Yang replaced The Cup We All Race 4 in the lobby of The LINE Hotel this month. Cafe Spoken is inspired by Japanese kissaten coffee and tea-houses, incorporating the flavors of Spoken English (Bruner-Yang’s existing lobby restaurant in the hotel). The all-day spot transitions from breakfast to late-night, with choices like Chinese doughnuts, oatmeal mushroom congee, omurice, Okinawa lattes, onigiri, egg salad sandwiches, Japanese curry, boozy milkshakes and smoked wagyu steak. Takeout and limited indoor seating available.1770 Euclid St. NW, DC; @dcspokenenglish

Notable

Jônt. Photo by Rey Lopez.

Bresca
Michelin-starred Bresca has reopened for service this month, with a twist. They’re currently operating out of the intimate upstairs space, which will eventually house chef Ryan Ratino’s new fine dining concept, Jônt. Ratino and the Bresca team are serving an upscale 5-course progressive menu of reimagined French dishes, which has been in development for the past several months. (Priced at $75 per person.)1906 14th St. NW, DC; @brescadc

Photo courtesy of Call Your Mother.

Call Your Mother
This beloved bagel shop opened their Capitol Hill location in April, and now they’re hitting the streets with a trolley in Bethesda. “Honey” is an antique streetcar that has been outfitted as a mobile kitchen, offering bulk bagels and signature sandwiches. 8804 Old Georgetown Rd., Bethesda, MD; @callyourmotherdeli

Photo courtesy of City-State Brewing Company.

City-State Brewing Company
A new craft microbrewery broke ground in Edgewood this week, with plans for a taproom, beer garden, community event space, and murals by local artists. City-State’s brew lineup will pay homage to the District, and the owner will also launch an Opportunity Zone Fund to welcome additional investors and create jobs and apprenticeships. 705 Edgewood St. NE, DC; @citystatebrewingco

Photo courtesy of Cusbah.

Cusbah
In addition to the series of Black Lives Matter murals going up around the city, restaurants are welcoming art on their storefronts. Soophia Hussain, owner of curry house and cocktail bar Cusbah on H Street, commissioned a mural by two local artists to show her support for the movement. 1128 H St. NE, DC; @cusbahdc

Photo by Fredde Lieberman.

Hook Hall
In March, Hook Hall pivoted to become a relief hub for the hospitality industry. They opened their doors to the public once again in July as The Oasis, a summer escape complete with umbrellas, bright tables, AstroTurf and private cabanas in the 7,000-square-foot backyard. 3400 Georgia Ave. NW, DC; @hookhall_dc

Photo courtesy of Muchas Gracias.

Muchas Gracias
Oyamel alum Chef Christian Irabién’s pandemic-born Mexican pop-up is now offering takeout lunch with gourmet burritos, with highlights like short rib birria, chicken tinga roja, and chorizo con papas. Muchas Gracias originally opened in April to help provide relief to immigrants in the restaurant industry. 5029 Connecticut Ave. NW, DC; @muchasgraciasdc

Photo from www.revelershour.com.

Reveler’s Hour
This month, the Tail Up Goat team turned part of their new pasta-centric concept, Reveler’s Hour, into a wine and sandwich shop. The carryout offerings include unique bottles curated by Bill Jensen and seasonal sammies by chef Jon Sybert. The restaurant is also open for dine-in. 1775 Columbia Rd. NW, DC; @revelershour

Photo courtesy of TTT.

TTT
Taking a cue from his popular unlimited Balkan offerings at Ambar, in June restaurateur Ivan Iricanin introduced unlimited weekend brunch for $33.99 at his Mexican concept in Clarendon. The menu will be available throughout all three stories of the expansive venue. 2900 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, Va; @tttdiner

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