Archive | December, 2016

H Street Popeyes to be Renovated

27 Dec

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Several weeks ago, the H Street Popeyes (1226 H Street, NE) closed down for “renovations” leading to speculation about whether it would ever reopen.  District Cuisine can confirm via permits filed with the DC government that the Popeyes will in fact renovate and reopen in the future.  The permit application was filed back in the summer but was finally approved in December, hence the December closure.  While there will be some differences, the renovation will probably make the H Street Popeyes look similar to the recently rebuilt 14th Street Popeyes (pictures from Popville here).

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NoMa Hilton Garden Inn Restaurant Space for Lease

27 Dec
Courtyard in Restaurant Space at NoMa Hilton Garden Inn

Courtyard in Restaurant Space at NoMa Hilton Garden Inn

Earlier this year, Todd Gray’s company split ties with the Hilton Garden Inn in NoMa, which had previously housed Watershed by Todd Gray.  After that restaurant closed, the Hilton Garden Inn ran its own restaurant in that space.  It now appears that the Hilton Garden Inn would like to fill that space with a new restaurant.  A new real estate brochure from Papadopoulos Properties advertises a turnkey restaurant with guaranteed conference and events business in the Hilton Garden Inn.  With the recent closure of Union Social, NoMa is definitely a prime target for a sit down restaurant.

Major Demolition Underway for Union Market Apartments and Culinary Market

26 Dec
Major Demolition Underway at 1270 4th Street, NE

Major Demolition Underway at 1270 4th Street, NE

Major demolition is underway at 1270 4th Street, NE, the future location of The Shapiro, a major residential and retail project in the Union Market area.  This lot–almost an entire city block long–is located immediately south of Masseria and Neal Place Tap and Garden on 4th Street).  Previously the Cash and Carry, the new building will be over 400 units of apartments (built in two phases) and will house a major culinary market by Chef Jose Garces (retail managed by Union Market developer Edens).  As you can see from the photo above, the entire building has been demolished except for the front wall which is being preserved to become a part of the new building.  You can learn more about the design of the building from the developer here.

You can check out a comprehensive map of existing and future plans near Union Market, by checking out District Cuisine’s interactive map here.

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DC Harvest Serving Tasting Menu to Ring in New Year

26 Dec

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DC Harvest (517 H Street, NE) will be ringing in the new year with a three course chef’s tasting menu complete with a champagne toast at midnight.  Some of the features of the tasting menu include smoked Arctic Char, crispy duck confit, a wild mushroom napoleon, and a pistachio encrusted lamb sirloin.  Reservations and the complete menu available at DC Harvest’s website here.

The Wydown Coffee Bar Opening on H Street Today

17 Dec

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District Cuisine got news last night that The Wydown passed its final inspection and will be open for business today in the new Apollo building (600 H Street, NE).  You can see our previous preview post on The Wydown here.  The bar part of The Wydown will be opening late next week.  We can’t wait to check it out!

Dish of the Week: Wok Fried Noodles at Maketto

7 Dec
Wok Fried Noodles at Maketto

Wok Fried Noodles at Maketto

Dish of the week is an ongoing series from District Cuisine that highlights one of our favorite dishes from a local restaurant.

Maketto (1351 H Street, NE) has received the most attention of any restaurant in the H Street Corridor over the past year, culminating with its inclusion in the Michelin Guide’s Bib Gourmand list a couple of months ago.  Throughout all of the positive coverage, one item emerged as the most talked about: the Taiwanese fried chicken.  Seemingly every article about Maketto talked about the dish.  Don’t get us wrong, we really like the fried chicken, but we think there is one dish that is even better: the wok fried noodles.  The wok fried noodles are stir fried with a combination of vegetables and a rich and flavorful sauce (with a mushroom presence) that is the perfect remedy for a chilly winter night.  The noodles, which capture the taste of the vegetables and have a hint of smoke in them, come topped with crispy garlic and hot peppers.  You can add seared duck breast or pork belly for around $20 (that’s in addition, not total); however, the addition is not necessary (although the seared duck is good) as the dish by itself is quite large and prone to tasty leftovers the next day.