Buzz

WHITLOW’S

Whitlow’s has closed its Clarendon location and auctioned off much of its décor to the bar’s greatest fans. Nearly 300 pieces of décor that gave the popular Arlington watering hole its iconic ‘funky charm’ went up on the block including an autographed Capitals jersey, tiki heads and other decorations, neon signs, the Whitlow’s on Wilson “parrot” sign, and an antique stove from the original Whitlow’s restaurant in D.C. (ARL)

BUZZ

DAILY DC

THE OVAL ROOM

After 26 years as the Oval Room, the power dining spot has a new name – La Bise – and a chef gunning for a Michelin star. For his new job at La Bise, the French replacement for the venerated Oval Room, executive chef Tyler Stout has come up with a description for the cooking that’s a little more specific than just calling it “modern.” Stout says he’s aiming to present recognizable, classic flavors, but “in a way for 2021, and not 1985 Ducasse.”

Stout has lineage when it comes to cooking. He came to La Bise from Troquet on South, one of the top French restaurants in Boston, and has a history in D.C. at Macon Bistro & Larder and Bethesda’s Barrel and Crow. Stout says customers are welcome to show up in shorts, but La Bise is also gunning for a Michelin star. That would be a first for restaurateur Ashok Bajaj, who oversaw a 26-year run for the Oval Room before shutting it down during the pandemic. (DC Eater)

LATHAM HOTEL

The long-fenced-off former home of the Latham Hotel in Georgetown could become a temporary outdoor dining and drinking lounge if a developer’s pitch for the site can win over the neighborhood. Villa Services, along with property owner Thor Equities, has filed an application to open the 300-seat venue on a platform at the site. Thor demolished part of the former hotel and a retail building at 3000 M St. NW in 2017 before pressing pause on redevelopment plans. Though the application refers to the spot as a “beer garden,” a representative for Villa Services said it already rebranded it to a “patio lounge” to reassure the neighborhood the operation will be “more upscale” than the recently opened Sandlot in Georgetown or the Bullpen outside Nationals Park. The plan would be to sell beer, wine, spirits and nonalcoholic drinks such as Zero Proof, and utilize food trucks and caterers to provide food, according to Villa, a real estate company based in Georgetown. (WBJ)