dining
The latest Dish By Linda Roth Conte
M
atchbox is getting bigger. Not a contradiction in terms. Owner operators Ty Neal, Perry Smith and Andrew Kim have paced their growth with incredible timing, catching the real estate wave before it becomes trendy and expensive: Chinatown and Capitol Hill are their next targets. Next is Ted’s Bulletin — look out for Barracks Row. But their biggest project yet (300 seats) will be a new Matchbox in Rockville’s Congressional Plaza where PGA Tour Grill used to be. Their Palm Springs location (did you even know they had a Matchbox in Palm Springs?) is 260 seats, so big restaurants are not foreign to them. Chinatown expanded to 250 seats (counting outdoors) in 2006. The little Matchbox ain’t so small after all. Puro Café, a new venture from owner Roberto Sablayrolles, recently opened its doors in the 1500 block of Wisconsin Avenue in Georgetown. The European-inspired café menu serves up Mediterranean-style panini, Parisian pastries, weekend small plates and fun, fresh coffee blends. Puro Café is also the area’s exclusive provider of Nespresso coffee beverages. The décor is mainly white, and yes, it took quite a few coats of paint to cover up the pink exterior: Puro Café is located where Pink November used to be. Sâuçá is a mobile restaurant that combines great food, travel, music, design, technology and fun, according to owner and D.C. resident Farhad Assari. The Sâuçá concept is about discovering and enjoying healthy, global foods in a non-traditional way. Food will be served from a high-tech kitchen on wheels loaded with Wi-Fi, an LCD flat screen monitor, a sound system, gobo projector and even a pay phone to chat with friends around the world. The Organic To Go locations are undergoing renovations, transitioning to Mixt Greens, a West Coast chain that was purchased by OM Holdings, Organic To Go’s parent company. First store to be renovated is downtown at 19th and M Streets. Three more locations, slated for Downtown and the Golden Triangle, are slated to open this spring. From seafood to Mexican food: Caliente Mex-Sea Kitchen & Bar will open in Ashburn, VA at Brambleton Town Center. The owner is Doug Palley, who also owns and operates Hooked. Jason Tepper of Hooked is the executive chef. Birmingham, AL-based Zoe’s Kitchen will open its first location in this region in Woodbridge, VA in February. They have big plans to expand, and will open a second location in Potomac, MD this spring. The food is made-from-scratch, Mediterranean-inspired cuisine in a fast casual atmosphere of Southern hospitality. The owners of Meze restaurant plan to open Ezme in Dupont Circle, serving Turkish food similar to that at the original location. Estimated time to open is March/April.
Starlight, a quick-service concept similar to Panera, will open in downtown D.C. at 21st and L Streets. The owners are successful French business owners who have studied similar operations in the States. The new Fro Yo spot that opened within Booeymongers in Chevy Chase is doing so well that a second location — more of a flagship — will open on F Street between 10th and 11th Streets. This new concept offers self-serve frozen yogurt in a variety of flavors with a variety of toppings. Owners are Chuck Rendleman, who sold Up Against The Wall and Commander Salamander, Bruce Kogod and Brian Samuels. Los Angeles-based Sprinkles cupcakes looking to open in late spring in Georgetown at 3015 M Street, NW where Mon Cheri Café used to be. Adnan Hamadi recently opened Alexandria Cupcake at 1022 King Street in Old Town. The Mussel Bar by RW will be Chef Robert Wiedmaier’s newest addition to his restaurant empire (Marcel’s, Brasserie Beck, Brabo). This will make him a tri-state restaurateur, as it opens in on Woodmont Avenue in Bethesda, where Levante used to be. Midtown Café will open in Georgetown where District Fine Arts used to be. The new owner is Mohammad Yeganeh, a restaurateur who decided to come out of retirement. Must have been a really good deal. Roberto Donna’s Galileo III is now looking at a March opening on 14th Street, where Butterfield 9 used to be. London-based uberpopular quick-service restaurant Pret A Manger is slated to open in downtown D.C. at 1155 F Street this spring.
Valentine’s Day A NIGHT TO REMEMBER
We will be featuring 2 distinctive 4 course menus including wine. Choose from:
a contemporary Thai experience or
a sushi inspired menu
$25.00 PER PERSON 3251 Prospect St., NW Washington, DC 20007
202-337-2424
www.bangkokbistrodc.com
Michel Richard. Photo by Jeff Malet
Chef Update: Michel Richard announced that Arthur Cavaliere is Central’s new executive chef. He is a veteran of Stephen Starr’s restaurants in Philadelphia, most recently at Parc, a French brasserie. Mark Hellyar was named executive chef of Hook and Tackle Box restaurants in Georgetown. Most recently, he served as chef de cuisine at the Oak Door at the Grand Hyatt, Tokyo, and before that, he was chef de cuisine at D.C.’s Blue Duck Tavern.
3301 m street nw
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