A Peruvian restaurant in NoMa is closed for now after a D.C. food safety and hygiene inspector reported observing a significant pest problem yesterday.
Chicken Rico at 77 H St. NW had a “gross insanitary occurrence or condition that may endanger public health including but not limited to heavy infestation of vermin,” according to a D.C. Department of Health notice.
The agency didn’t immediately provide any further details about the closure. DOH typically releases full reports on restaurant closures a few days after its inspections.
Juan Sanchez, a Chicken Rico manager, told Hill Now he hopes the agency will allow the restaurant to reopen this afternoon. The eatery can start serving customers again if it passes a follow-up inspection.
“It was just fruit flies,” he said.
Image via Chicken Rico
Pineapple and Pearls, Medium Rare and other area businesses are preparing to serve food and drink samples for the Taste of 8th festival next Saturday. Each sample will cost $5, but some locals have a chance to get them for free, as long as they’re willing to work for it.
Barracks Row Main Street, the group that puts on the annual food festival, are offering free tickets to volunteers who help with the festival. Those interested in volunteering can email the group to sign up.
Those who aren’t volunteering can purchase tickets online. A single taste costs $5 but hungry festivalgoers can buy 5 tickets for $20.
The festival will take place on Saturday, May 7 from 1-4 p.m. More than 16 Barracks Row-area eateries have already committed to the festival, including Sweet Lobby, Bayou Bakery and District Doughnut. The full list of participating businesses will be released on Barracks Row Main Street’s website.
Photo via Barracks Row Main Street
The District’s only cheese maker has called it quits, closing its Capitol Hill restaurant.
Sona Creamery and Wine Bar at 660 Pennsylvania Ave. SE shut down Monday, according to a post on the restaurant’s Facebook page.
“After 3 years of working the regulatory chain to get raw milk in the District, and become the first cheese creamery, we were paying rent for space that wasn’t supporting itself,” the message says. “Unfortunately, this has made it impossible to remain open.”
The post adds: “We are grateful for the memories and wonderful people we met along this journey. Thank you for all of your support.”
Founded in 2013 by Conan and Genevieve O’Sullivan, Sona sold its house-made goat cheese, as well as more than 100 other cheeses from around the world, for lunch, dinner and brunch, according to its website. It also offered cheese and wine classes.
Photo via Facebook/Sona Creamery and Wine Bar
EatBar’s triumphant return is at hand.
The Neighborhood Restaurant Group eatery originally located in Arlington will reopen at 415 8th St. SE tomorrow at 4 p.m., a manager and an employee with the restaurant told us earlier this morning.
“We’re doing some slow, quiet opening stuff over the next day or so,” said manager Peter Koll. “[The Washington Post’s] Tim Carman will be releasing more details later today.”
While we wait for that Post exclusive, the Capitol Hill Community Foundation appears to have more details about the new restaurant.
“EatBar will feature a meat-centric-but-vegetable friendly menu perfect for accompanying the many and varied wine, beer, and cocktail offerings,” the foundation wrote in a dinner invitation to email subscribers earlier today. “Upon opening, the 44-seat neighborhood bar and restaurant will open at 4 p.m. daily and pour an expansive and carefully curated selection of wine and beer from Wine Director, Brent Kroll and Beer Director, Greg Engert.”
Photo via Capitol Hill Community Foundation
A San Francisco-based coffeehouse chain and a seafood restaurant from the owners of DGS Delicatessen in Dupont Circle look like they will open in the next two months in Navy Yard, a nonprofit organization that supports neighborhood businesses announced today.
Philz Coffee and Whaley’s Raw Bar are “most likely” to arrive in the area in May, according to a Capitol Riverfront Business Improvement District news release.
Whaley’s is setting up at 301 Water St. SE to serve clam chowder, scallop crudo and grilled swordfish, along with raw oysters. Philz will debut its second D.C. location at 1331 4th St. SE.
In addition to the restaurants, a marina also is slated to open along the Anacostia River near Yards Park in May.
Photo via Facebook/Philz Coffee
It looks as though the &pizza shop coming to Barracks Row might take a little while longer to open.
The forthcoming pizzeria at 405 8th St. SE ran into some “confusion” with the D.C. Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA), according to a letter uncovered by Washington Business Journal reporter Michael Neibauer.
“&pizza regrets the confusion and miscommunication that resulted in our beginning the construction without the requisite permits and not in accordance with the terms of the original BZA order,” reads the letter, which is addressed to BZA chair Marnique Heath. “We have moved past working with those associated with that decision and have paid the fines related to the infraction.
We contacted the pizza company for comment earlier this morning. &pizza CEO and co-Founder Michael Lastoria said the company “filed a minor modification with the BZA that’s more advantageous to our neighbors on Capitol Hill.
“With their full support, we expect to be back under construction shortly,” Lastoria added.
Nando’s Peri-Peri is set to hand out free chicken at its H Street corridor and Navy Yard locations and other D.C. outposts today as a “cure for your Metro blues,” the South African-Portuguese chain announced this morning.
The Nando’s restaurants, including its eatery at 411 H St. NE and 300 Tingey St. SE:, are scheduled to have gratis chicken pieces, sandwiches, wraps and pitas from 11 a.m to noon. But sides and drinks still will cost money.
The deal, called the “Nando’s Dash,” only is available to customers who don’t take their food to go. Diners must present a Metro SmarTrip card to get the complimentary chicken.
“Has your day gone off the rails with today’s complete Metro closure?” a statement from the chain says. “Nando’s PERi-PERi has the cure for your Metro blues. Just come to any of our five D.C. locations today at lunch for a free chicken entree on us.”
Photo via Facebook/Nando’s Peri Peri
An Ethiopian restaurant on H Street NE will celebrate its sixth anniversary tonight by donating to a global charity.
Ethiopic (401 H St. NE) will give 100 percent of tonight’s proceeds to charity Save the Children, reports neighborhood blog Frozen Tropics. Save the Children gives food, water and support to kids and families across the globe.
Ethiopic is open until 10 p.m. Check out the restaurant’s menu here.
Photo via Ethiopic
We are OPEN! Stop on by #HStNE for home hot pies/quiche, fresh coffee & MONSTER Mimosas! Kick your #SundayFunday off right at the pie shop!
— Dangerous Pies DC (@dangerouspiesDC) March 13, 2016
The Dangerously Delicious Pies on H Street NE reopened yesterday after nearly two months of renovations.
The eatery at 1339 H St NE now has roughly double the amount of seating as well as an expanded menu board. According to a tweet advertising the opening, the newly renovated store sells hot pies and quiche, fresh coffee and “monster” mimosas.
Dangerously Delicious Pie also operates a location in Chinatown at 671 I St. NW as well as a roaming pie truck.
#hotchicken @VendettaDC pic.twitter.com/MukfulfwQ2
— Adam Cox (@Maison_Dixon) February 19, 2016
Nashville-style hot chicken and other Southern offerings will return to Vendetta (1212 H St. NE) this weekend. Pop-up Maison-Dixon will host dinner service at the soon-to-be-brewpub Sunday from 5-10 p.m., according to its monthly calendar.
The pop-up’s menu includes hot and spicy chicken and fish, chicken and waffles, shrimp and grits and mac ‘n’ cheese.
According to the pop-up’s calendar, the next time you’ll be able to order hot chicken from Maison-Dixon will be in April.
We launch #brunch this Saturday! $20 gets u unlimited mimosas & Incajitos, Chef Yuki's @incakolausa-inspired drink. pic.twitter.com/m4WPVtor3t
— Ocopa Restaurant (@OcopaDC) March 2, 2016
A Peruvian restaurant on H Street NE will launch brunch with bottomless drinks tomorrow.
Patrons at Ocopa (1324 H St. NE) can dine on dishes like polla a la brasa and fingerling potatoes smothered in queso fresco with a poached egg during the restaurant’s new brunch service that begins tomorrow at 11:30 a.m.
For $20 more, they can add unlimited mimosas or incajitos to their meal. Check out the full brunch menu on Frozen Tropics.
Ocopa was named by Washingtonian as D.C.’s 52nd best restaurant in 2015.
The season for alfresco drinking and outdoor taco eating has almost arrived on the Southwest waterfront and the H Street corridor.
Cantina Marina (600 Water St. SW) and Chupacabra Latin Kitchen and Taqueria (822 H St. NE) are scheduled to reopen later this month, after closing down for the winter.
Chupacabra is slated to resume operations first on Thursday, March 17, which is St. Patrick Day’s, according to a Facebook post.
Cantina Marina is set to open its deck to customers two days later on Saturday, March 19, according to the bar’s website. The Wil Gravatt Band, a country music group, is scheduled to play from 2 to 6 p.m.
Photos via Facebook/Cantina Marina, Flickr/justgrimes
An eatery specializing in Asian-inspired tacos and burritos will open a new location in the former Chinito’s Burritos space at 635 Florida Ave. NE, as first reported by local blog Frozen Tropics.
The new taco spot should open “at the beginning of March,” the company told us earlier this morning.
The forthcoming location will be an expansion of the Far East’s 15th Street NE shop, which serves tacos, burritos, bowls and quesadillas. Click here to see the eatery’s menu.
Photo via Far East Taco Grille
“Korritos” are set to arrive in NoMa within a few days.
SeoulSpice on Friday is slated to begin serving the Korean-inspired burritos wrapped in seaweed instead of tortillas, along with rice and salad bowls, a restaurant spokeswoman confirmed yesterday. The restaurant will open at 145 N St. NE, less than a block from the NoMa-Gallaudet University Metro station.
The eatery’s menu, under the direction of owner Eric Shin, includes beef, chicken, spicy pork and tofu with toppings like kimchi, bean sprouts and Korean radishes. All of the food is gluten free, according to the restaurant’s website.
The restaurant also will have Asian soft drinks, house-made juices and alcoholic beverages, including Korean soju, Japanese saki and local beer from Atlas Brewing Co.
SeoulSpice will serve customers seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Photo via Facebook/SeoulSpice
Yesterday we told you where to pick up the best snacks for your Super Bowl party. But for those who aren’t hosting their own parties, there are also restaurants and bars across the Capitol Hill area holding viewing parties for the big game. Here’s our guide to Super Bowl parties in the area:
- Represent your team with Panthers and Broncos themed drinks at Union Pub at 201 Massachusetts Ave. NE
- Sticky Rice at 1224 H St. NE will have free Pabst Blue Ribbon from kickoff until the first score
- Driftwood Kitchen at 400 H St. NE has food and drink specials planned from 6-10 p.m.
- Tickets are available online for an open bar, all-you-can-eat Super Bowl party at Barrel (613 Pennsylvania Ave. SE)
- Avery’s Bar and Lounge at 1370 H St. NE will have drink and wing specials until 7 p.m.
- Sol Mexican Grill at 1251 H St. NE will have happy hour specials all day Sunday
- The Ugly Mug at 723 8th St. SE has food and drink specials planned during and after the game
- The Big Stick at 20 M St. SE in Navy Yard is having a pig roast on Sunday with all-you-can-eat pork and sides for $8
- Also in Navy Yard, Due South at 301 Water St. SE will show the game on all of their TV’s with food and drink specials starting at 6:30 p.m.
Know of other Super Bowl specials and parties in the area? Let us know in the comments and we’ll add them to our list.
Photo via Twitter/ Union Pub
