The November Foodservice Monthly goes to press on Tuesday ... here you have the first look at Linda Roth Conte's insider look at the DC restaurant scene. The 14th Street corridor's opening of Birch & Barley and Masa 14 have dominated the local press this week ... but the West End Dining District is getting ready to make its statement when Ris Lacoste opens RIS in the coming month.
The Latest Dish
by Linda Roth Conte
With a menu created by the
amazing Ris Lacoste, RIS, the heart of the West End, will open this month. Ed
Kwitowski, formerly of Bistro
Bis, has been named the chef de
cuisine at RIS. Ris and Mitchell
Herman, co-owners of RIS, named Noel Burke as general manager. He hails from Elements in the
Napa Valley. The all-day café will open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Sunday
suppers will follow in due time, as will weekend brunch. (foto: Noel Burke, Scott Atkinson, Ed Kwitowski, Ris Lacoste, Mitchell Herman)
Chef Update: Stavros Aktipis of Kellari Taverna, has hired Tony Acinapura as chef of the new Greek restaurant on K Street (formerly Restaurant K). Tony was previously at Potenza (Italian). Tom Wellings is the new pastry chef at Equinox. Previously, he was at Restaurant Eve, (the late) Maestro and Fiamma in NYC. Glenn Babcock has been named chef de cuisine and co-owner at Nage Restaurant on Rhode Island Avenue in downtown DC. He previously worked at The Oval Room as sous chef. He joins co-owners Josh Grapinski and Kevin Reading. Dallas Kee has been named the new pastry chef at The Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City. She will be working with Amy Brandwein, the chef at the property’s fyve Restaurant & Lounge, as well as with the executive chef, Yann Chupin. Jason Brauer is the new director of food and beverage at the Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City. He has worked in food and beverage for Ritz-Carlton properties all over the world – from San Francisco and Miami to Shanghai, China and Osaka, Japan.
Locals who are now elsewhere: Joshua Whigham has replaced the departed Michael Voltaggio at The Bazaar by Jose Andres as the chef du cuisine. He was sous chef at Cafe Atlantico and Zaytinya. Jorge Chicas is now the executive chef of the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills that is home to The Bazaar. Fabio Trabocchi, formerly of Maestro at the Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner and Fiamma in NYC, is new executive chef at the Four Seasons restaurant in NYC. He succeeds Christian Albin, the chef for 19 years, who died in June.
Twisted Vines Bottleshop & Bistro, slated to open this month in the Columbia Pike
neighborhood, will offer great wines paired with good, simple, local food. The
owners, Sybil and Josh Robinson,
are Columbia Pike residents, and are food and wine aficionados who want to
share that passion with folks in their ‘hood.’ They will offer at least 20 wines by the glass and over 100
bottles from small producers around the world. Food-wise, they will offer small
plate entrees and dessert that pair nicely with the wines they offer.
Atlanta-based Zoe’s Kitchen is slated to open in Woodbridge’s Potomac Town
Center. The Mediterranean-inspired fast casual restaurant chain has nearly 30
company-owned locations in the south and southeast, but the Woodbridge
restaurant will be the first to open in Virginia.
Congratulations to DC pastry chef extraordinaire, David Guas, on accolades from Food & Wine magazine, which proclaimed the New Orleans native’s first cookbook, DamGoodSweet: Desserts to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth, New Orleans Style, one of their “favorite new dessert cookbooks,” and one of “fall’s top baking books.” The cookbook will no doubt be followed by his Bayou Bakery, once the location is confirmed.
Look for a possible new Clarendon restaurant from the folks who brought you Liberty Tavern. Awaiting a confirmation about Lyon Hall restaurant, also possibly offering live entertainment.
Devlin Keating and Kris Hart, alumni of George Washington University have taken over the old nearby Foggy Bottom Grocery (FoBo Gro) store and pumped it up a notch. Together with partner and frat brother, Daniel Blake, they have renamed it FoBroGro and plan to offer take-away prepared food for lunch and times where students may be hungry, as well as convenience items.
Minneapolis-based Buffalo Wild Wings plans to open in Rockville, part of its franchise operator’s domain. Wings Across America, the Maryland franchisee, has already opened seven stores in its region.
Corrections: Scott Conant will not be opening Scarpetta in the old Olives space at 16th and K Streets, NW. Several restaurateurs are looking at it now. Terrell Danley worked briefly as a consultant at Kemble Park Tavern; he is not a chef/partner.
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