District Cuisine

Front Windows of Future Sospeso on H Street (1344 H Street)

News came late last year that a new Mediterranean restaurant concept called Sospeso would be opening at 1344 H Street, NE in what had previously been a real estate office.  While information has been sparse since then, recently District Cuisine caught up with Sospeso’s owner Michael Rosato to learn more details.  You can visit Sospeso’s website here and you can check out a sneak peak of their menu down below!

Sospeso’s name originated from Caffe Sospeso which translates to “suspended coffee” and “is a Neapolitan practice of someone anonymously paying for a coffee ahead for someone else in need.”  According to Sospeso’s website, the restaurant will be “inspired by the recipes of our grandparents and great-grandparents, as well as the sun-drenched countries and seas of Southern Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean, and North Africa.”  They will be focusing on high quality and locally sourced ingredients.

The owners hope to open before Thanksgiving and construction is well underway.  Sospeso’s hours, once open, will be Sunday-Thursday from 7 am until 2 am and Friday-Saturday until 3 am.  They will serve coffee and pastries in the morning, sandwiches and salads in the afternoon, and full dinner in the evening.  Appetizers will range from $6-13 and entrees from $16-30.  Dinner service will also include house made focaccia and a beverage program that focuses on Mediterranean wines and house infused vermouth and cocktails.

Sospeso will be a mom and pop operation run by Michael and his wife Hatice.  Michael has extensive restaurant experience from various roles at Tryst, Zaytinya, Palena, Granville Moore’s, Toki Underground, Ghibellina, and Sotto.  Most recently Michael has been running the wine program at Ghibellina and Sotto on 14th Street as well as booking music for Sotto.  Hatice runs a women’s clothing import business and designed the interior of the restaurant.  She will also be in charge of the restaurant’s forthcoming website, branding, and social media.  As a native of Turkey, Hatice will have a big influence on the menu.

Michael says that he has always enjoyed H Street since moving to DC back in 2003.  He liked the community feel so much that he moved to Trinidad in 2011, very close to where Sospeso will open up.

Sample Sospeso menu:

Appetizers

Bottarga Nuts-peanuts, Sicilian spices, bottarga

Cabbage Salad-savoy cabbage, roasted squash, fennel, onion

Butter Lettuce Salad-lettuce, shaved beet and carrot, lemon-cardamom dressing

Imam Bayildi-roasted eggplant, onion, tomato, garlic

Mercimekli Kofte-lentil and bulghur ‘fingerlings,’ lettuce, lemon

Hummus-chickpea puree, pita

Add roasted lamb

Salty Fritters-anchovy stuffed fried dough, gremolata

Piyaz-giant beans, baked in tomato, garlic, and lemon

Grilled Octopus-giant beans

Pastas

Gnocchi-wild mushrooms, garlic, rosemary, Grana Padano

Tagliatelli Carbonara-pancetta, onion, egg, Grana Padano

Mains

Porchetta Sandwich-roast pork, vegetable relish, cracklins, pickled veggies

Vegetable Bouillabaisse-charred vegetables, aioli crostini

Moussaka-ground beef, potato, eggplant, bechamel

Roasted Fish-clam broth

Hanger Steak-rosemary roasted potatoes, balsamic reduction

Dessert

Bruschetta Dolce-rosemary rhortbread, tomato jam, mint

Zabaione-marsala custard, biscotti

Almond Cake-mascarpone cream

Pistachio Baklava

Tags: new h street restaurants, sospeso, sospeso dc, sospeso h street