The developers behind The Wharf unveiled Friday the first eight restaurants and bars that will open in the first phase of massive project along D.C.’s Southwest waterfront.
The first wave consists of locally based concepts — and excludes national chains.
As our Rebecca Cooper previously reported, reality TV food star Mike Isabella will partner with fellow “Top Chef” alum Jennifer Carroll for a seafood restaurant at The Wharf. Called Requin, it will be a French Mediterranean restaurant with a seafood-heavy menu.
Trabocchi and his wife and business partner, Maria Trabocchi, will open Del Mar, their first Spanish concept and a nod to Maria’s heritage. Del Mar, also Maria’s middle name, will occupy about 11,500 square feet over two floors and feature 1,900 square feet of outdoor space.
Leeds will operate Hank’s on the Water, which will feature “urban beach food” in small and large plates for sharing.
The roster will also include new locations for local faves Taylor Gourmet, Dolcezza Gelato and Rappahannock Oyster Bar. The latter will locate in the restored historic oyster shed, circa 1912, at the Municipal Fish Market.
There will also be a rum distillery and bar from mixologist Todd Thrasher of Restaurant Eve and PX fame, which we also previewed earlier this year when Thrasher’s business partner, Cathal Armstrong, told us he had signed a letter of intent to do a distillery at the waterfront development. The place will be called Potomac Distilling Company.
Armstrong is also working on an Asian restaurant modeled after his new Thai tasting menu at Restaurant Eve and perhaps a third venue at The Wharf, though neither of those were among the official lineup released Friday.
The eighth restaurant announced Friday is from Ireland native Mark Kirwan, who will open an Irish pub honoring the rich Irish heritage of the Southwest Waterfront, according to a release. It will feature live music.
Source: Washington Business Journal – read the full story there
Spring marks one major attraction for residents of the DC metro area: long outdoor day-drinking sessions. As the DC beer scene booms, the area’s breweries offer springtime libations perfect for taking in the cherry blossoms (and handling the busloads of tourists that accompany their arrival). From Silver Spring down to Ashburn, we’ve rounded up the best seasonal offerings in the region.
Denizens Brewing Company
Silver Spring, MD
This Silver Spring brewpub may still be fairly new to the scene, but brewer Jeff Ramirez has already established a super cool style: the dude brews experimental sour beers aged in mezcal barrels and names new creations after mid-’90s hip-hop references. The beers at Denizens really represent a combination of great inspiration and even greater execution. As its outdoor patio space opens for the spring, Denizens presents some truly stand-out seasonal beers:
Short Session
Double IPA, 10.0% ABV
Living up to its name, this beast of a DIPA certainly ensures that any sessions drinking this beer will require proper monitoring and pacing. The full — and please note, big — malt body of the Short Session will thaw the last chunks of lingering ice from your bones, while the intense hop profile, described as possessing “notes of pineapple, orange zest, and Ecto-Cooler,” will ready your senses for May.
McRamirez
Tequila barrel-aged Irish-style foreign export stout, 7.7% ABV
Released on St. Paddy’s Day, this beer combines ingredients that really, really do not seem like they would work together (at the outset, Irish stout and tequila seem more like an unintentional pairing invented by underage kids sneaking booze from their parents’ liquor cabinets versus one crafted by an expert brewer). And yet, outside of all reason and logic, they work — extremely well. Aged in tequila barrels, this otherwise innocuous and pleasant stout finishes with the unmistakable smoothness and fire of a fine tequila. Fingers crossed that supplies of this St. Paddy’s Day release last all the way to Cinco de Mayo.
Read the full article on thrillist
More breakfast for Boylston Street.
A popular Allston diner has plans to bring its brunch to a pub on Boylston Street during weekends in March. The Breakfast Club will schlep its themed breakfast and brunch menu into Back Bay, serving plenty of Library Specials, eggs Benedict, and Nutella waffles.
According to an Instagram post from McGreevy’s — an Irish pub and sports bar from the Dropkick Murphy’s leader Ken Casey — The Breakfast Club menu will be available during the weekends in March.
The pop-up starts on March 5, and it appears the usual Breakfast Club breakfast menu will be available. A video McGreevy’s shared on its Facebook page reimagines the “being bad never felt so good” line from the Allston restaurant, saying “breakfast on Boylston never looked so good.”
To say D.C. is a whiskey town is putting it mildly. Even the most unassuming of bars has to offer at least a middling selection of bourbon and rye. The city also excels at bars with a particular whiskey niche, whether it be Irish blends or rare Japanese whiskeys.
Here are several whiskey destinations that stand out from the crowd. Warm up here during these colder months, but remember that brown spirits are delicious all year round.
—Missy Frederick and Meredith Bethune
1 Barrel
Namesake barrels are everywhere in this Capitol Hill bar that serves craft cocktails and food from Garret Fleming. It also has a vast selection of “brown water” as it’s listed on the menu.