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Six Months After Opening: A Few Interesting Notes on H &pizza

26 Jan

After opening in July of last year, H &pizza quickly developed into one of the busiest and most popular spots on H Street and around the Northeast region of D.C..  There is almost never a time when you walk into H &pizza and it does not have a line of some sort.  H &pizza’s success has enabled it to announce its first expansion recently, a new location on U Street that will open sometime this year.  Six months after the opening of its original H Street location, we were lucky enough to catch up with co-owner Steve Salis to ask him a few questions.

Overall he emphasized how pleased they were with the business and the H Street community, saying that their business has exceeded their expectations.  He said that the top selling pizzas are the Maverick (District Cuisine’s favorite), Farmer’s Daughter, and Moonstruck.  Interestingly, Salis says that when they first opened most people were choosing one of the pizzas listed on the menu board (like the Maverick, etc) but that now the majority of customers are choosing to build their own pizzas.  He also said that we can expect to see a few new pizzas on the menu soon.  H &pizza’s lunch business has exceeded their expectations (although dinner is their busiest time), and they believe that lunch will continue to grow as the neighborhood continues to develop.  Sadly, H &pizza does not plan on doing delivery service in the future.

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Opening Night at Hikari Sushi and Sake Bar

4 Jan

After much anticipation, Hikari Sushi and Sake Bar finally opened Thursday night on H Street (644 H Street, NE).  Here is a copy of their opening night menu.  Overall we were very impressed with both the food and the restaurant itself.

Upstairs Sushi Bar at Hikari Sushi and Sake

Upstairs Sushi Bar at Hikari Sushi and Sake

Hikari is a two level row house that has been completely redesigned.  The first floor is a full service bar with several tall tables available for dinner service or drinks.  Upstairs features a sushi bar where you can watch your sushi being made right in front of you while chatting with the chefs.  It also has several booths (including two with window views) for a more intimate setting.   Continue reading →

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Hikari Sushi and Sake Bar Menu

4 Jan

Apologies for the low quality pictures (the lighting was somewhat dim in the restaurant), but here is the menu from opening night for Hikari Sushi and Sake Bar (644 H Street, NE):

Drinks at Hikari Sushi and Sake Bar

Drinks at Hikari Sushi and Sake Bar

Appetizers at Hikari Sushi and Sake Bar

Appetizers at Hikari Sushi and Sake Bar

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Update: Hikari Sushi and Sake Bar Opening this Weekend

27 Dec

Friday evening update: Hikari needed one minor modification prior to final inspection today and will not be able to complete the final inspection process prior to New Years. The restaurant will now open January 2nd or 3rd.

We’ve learned from the owner that Hikari Sushi and Sake Bar (644 H Street, NE) will open this weekend (first dinner service either Friday or Saturday night). Hikari comes from owner Heesook Chun, who has opened nine Japanese restaurants over the past fifteen years, including the Matsutake restaurants located in Northern Virginia. The Matsutake Sushi located in Reagan National Airport was recently rated as one of the top twelve airport restaurants nationwide by food critic Andrew Zimmern. The interior of Hikari will have “a warm and trendy” atmosphere. Hikari is located towards the middle of H Street in a block that will see two new major residential buildings in the next few years. Hikari’s owner says that the planned future development combined with the future streetcar was a major reason for choosing H Street for a new restaurant. In addition to dine in service, Hikari will feature takeout and plans to offer delivery through a third party service.

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2013: The Year Ahead for H Street’s Dining Scene

26 Dec

2012 was a very exciting year for H Street that witnessed a ton of new restaurants and bars opening.  2013 promises to be another exciting year for the neighborhood with many more openings on tap.  Here’s our rundown of places slated to open in the new year and some of the important questions for the H Street region as we enter 2013.  Thanks to our friends at Frozen Tropics and H Street Great Street who broke much of the news on the future openings earlier in the year.  Did we miss a planned opening?  Please let us know in the comment section.

Likely Openings in the New Year (listed in order of going west-east down H Street)

  • Batter Bowl Bakery (401 H Street)–bakery from the owners of Ethiopic, featuring breakfast, lunch, and dinner as well as baked goods, likely opening in January (h/t Frozen Tropics)
  • Hikari Sushi and Sake (644 H Street)–sushi restaurant from the owners of Matsutake Sushi restaurants in Northern Virginia, we’ve heard that it could open in the next few weeks
  • PoBoy Jim’s (709 H Street)–poboys and other cajun food with bar and patio in the back, owners have experienced a few construction surprises but should be opening early in the new year (see our preview here)
  • Ben’s Chili Bowl (10th and H Street)–restaurant from the popular U Street restaurant, will be two levels and feature a bar as well
  • Mythology (1005 H Street)–steak and seafood as well as brunch from current general manager of the popular Atlas Room, will also have extensive craft beer and wine selections (h/t H Street Great Street) Continue reading →

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Khan’s Bar and Grill: A Tasty (but Often Overlooked) Option on H Street

17 Dec

It’s 8:30pm on a Friday night on H Street.  You didn’t make a reservation at the Atlas Room.  Toki Underground has a 3 hour wait.  Sticky Rice has a similarly long wait.  Cusbah has a wait and the line at H &pizza is long.  You’re meeting up with a group of friends and need to eat soon.  Where do you go?  While there have recently been several high profile new openings on H Street, one place has been on H Street for a while but has flown somewhat under the radar.  Yet the good food, the fun atmosphere, and the affordability of Khan’s Bar and Grill (1125 H Street, NE) deserve your attention.

Khan's Bar and Grill on H Street

Khan’s Bar and Grill on H Street

Khan’s, which opened last year, is on the same block as Cusbah, H &pizza, and Taylor Gourmet but on the opposite side of the street.  Its end unit location allows the restaurant to have a large patio that is open during warm weather and makes for a very pleasant evening.  The restaurant usually has tiki torches lit outside on nice evenings and enough tables so that there is never a wait.  Inside Khan’s has a bar and several large TVs playing whatever sports games may be on at that particular time.  The inside is made up of a variety of booths and tables (as well as the bar) that give diners a view of the TVs as well as the main attraction: the large grill where Khan’s chefs grill your dinner.

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Exciting News Day for H Street Restaurants

5 Dec

Today was a big news day for two H Street restaurants that announced exciting expansion plans.

Newly Renovated Exterior at Taylor Charles Steak & Ice

Newly Renovated Exterior at Taylor Charles Steak & Ice

First, Taylor Charles Steak & Ice (1320 H Street, NE), the new Philly cheesesteak place from the owners of Taylor Gourmet, announced that it will have its grand opening next Wednesday (December 12th).  More details on Taylor Charles Steak & Ice from Washington Post.

Menu at Taylor Charles Steak &Ice

Menu at Taylor Charles Steak &Ice

Second, H &pizza announced to the Washington City Paper that they will be opening their second location this spring on U Street.  Our previous coverage of H &pizza.

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Souk Temporarily Closed for Renovations

15 Nov

In late September our friends at Frozen Tropics reported that there had been a small fire at Souk on H Street (1208 H Street, NE).  Recently it appeared that the restaurant had closed and might not be reopening.  Souk has been closed during dinner recently, its website is down, and its phone has been disconnected.

Souk Temporarily Closed for Renovations

We stopped by the new Sahra Lounge down the block (same ownership) to learn more.  Contrary to the signs that the restaurant is closed for good, we’re told that Souk is temporarily closed for renovations and will reopen in 2-3 months.  The renovations are not related to the fire and are instead meant to make the restaurant nicer and more open inside.  We really hope that those renovations will include removing the roll down shutters outside of the restaurant that make it look really uninviting when it is closed compared to the rest of the block.

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Sol Mexican Grill: Coming to H Street in December?

4 Nov

We caught up with a representative of Sol Mexican Grill during H Street Festival a few weeks ago to learn more about their first stationary restaurant that is coming to H Street soon.  Sol Mexican Grill currently has two food trucks that roll around downtown serving a variety of tacos, burritos, and bowls featuring chicken, steak, carnitas, brisket, and vegetables.  Our favorite is the chicken bowl where they give you a generous serving of your choice of grilled chicken (tender and not overcooked), rice, beans, lettuce, corn, cheese, sour cream, guacamole (extra), jalapeños, onions, and three different types of salsa (the spicy one has a good kick).

Future Site of Sol Mexican Grill

Future Site of Sol Mexican Grill on H Street

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An Early Preview of Po Boy Jim

30 Sep

We had heard several months ago that a new cajun restaurant focusing on po boys (special cajun style sandwiches) was planning on opening at 709 H Street but had not heard anything else until they put up an opening soon sign during H Street Festival earlier this month.  We recently reached out to the owners to learn more.  While the details of the restaurant are still being worked out, we were able to get an early preview of the restaurant that they hope will open by late November or early December.

Po Boy Jim Coming this Winter to H Street

Po Boy Jim will serve po boys as well as other cajun and creole dishes.  However, unlike Tru Orleans down the street which serves a fairly wide variety of cajun foods, Po Boy Jim will primarily focus on its po boys.  The owners have Carribean and Louisiana backgrounds, so their cooking is reflective of both culinary influences.  They hope that their restaurant will create an “experience that we feel is unique to our restaurant and representative of the diversity of this city.”  As such, Po Boy Jim will serve classic po boys from New Orleans like shrimp and roast beef as well as other po boys that have a more “international or ethnic twist.” Continue reading →

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