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Cusbah Spices up H Street

20 Sep

Not long ago the 1100 block of H Street housed Taylor Gourmet, Little Miss Whiskey’s, and not much else.  The combination of vacant buildings and a somewhat sketchy liquor store made the block one of the less appealing parts of H Street.  However, this summer the block sprung to life with first the exciting addition of H&pizza and now Cusbah (1128 H Street), a Southeast Asian restaurant with a wonderful outdoor bar and patio.  Even in its first few weeks, Cusbah has already helped transform a largely abandoned block into one of the most exciting (and tasty) blocks on H Street.

Cusbah on H Street

The owners of Cusbah completely remodeled what had previously been Naby’s Island Restaurant into a beautiful new space that has both indoor and outdoor patio seating.  Cusbah is located in a corner townhouse unit on the eastern end of the block.  As you enter, the indoor seating is intimate with dimly lit lights that reveal jars of spices above the tables that line the left side of the restaurant.  The seats on the right hand side are high top stools located at the bar.  The owners knocked out part of the exterior wall on the right side to create a large window behind the bar to form a two sided bar (with the bar tenders in the middle by where the exterior wall should be), so that diners can sit inside at the bar or outside on the patio at the bar.  To get outside to the patio, diners are escorted through the restaurant and through the interior door by the bar to the patio that is located on the corner of H and 12th streets (it is separated from the sidewalk by a waist-high fence and several planters).  Apart from the bar seating (four seats) outside, there are a variety of regular tables and high top tables.  When it is nice weather outside, you would be pressed to find a more pleasant environment to dine.  As it gets colder outside, we are told that the owners plan to put up a temporary roof over the patio and will presumable heat it somewhat, so that diners can enjoy the patio even during the winter. Continue reading →

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Newsom: Bringing Global Cuisine and a Cool Hangout to H Street

18 Sep

We stopped by Newsom (1110 H Street, NE) during H Street Festival on Saturday and got a chance to talk with the owner of the restaurant which hopes to open within the next three weeks.  The restaurant will open up in the newly renovated Hubert Newsom building (which apparently has its origins in the 1890s), will serve a menu featuring “global cuisine,” and will be open for dinner and then brunch on the weekend.

Second Floor of Newsom (the window in the back left is the enclosed karaoke booth)

The owner told us that the food will draw inspiration from a variety of cuisines.  The preview menu during H Street Festival included jerk skewered quail (we didn’t personally try it but heard that it was quite tasty), steak and cheese spring rolls (we tried and enjoyed), pickled shrimp, edamame hummus, and crispy shishito peppers.

First Floor of Newsom

Newsom will have a variety of different cocktails and will also have sangria on tap according to the owner.  The drinks debuted during H Street Festival included Icy Ting (vodka, grapefruit, lavender bitters, lemon, and aloe), New Kid on the Block (bourbon, roselle syrup, condensed milk, and fruit), and the H Street Gold (bourbon, white wine, and fruit).

Window on Second Floor of Newsom Overlooking H Street

Continue reading →

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Le Grenier Opening This Sunday on H Street (Photos)

17 Aug

Le Grenier (502 H Street) will begin cooking French dishes for dinner and brunch (weekends only) this Sunday.  We sat down with co-owner Marie Ziar to learn more about the restaurant and to take a tour of the beautifully renovated space.

Bar Area at Le Grenier

Le Grenier will be a sister restaurant to Le Chat Noir in Friendship Heights.  Marie Ziar explained that she and her husband chose to open their second restaurant on H Street  because H Street is an exciting and booming area that she feels also has a real sense of community.  While Le Chat Noir has a more formal and traditional French feel, Marie Ziar explained that their goal for Le Grenier is to have a more modern atmosphere that will tailor to H Street’s younger crowd.  Le Grenier will be a restaurant first and will make food the priority (as opposed to some places on H Street that focus on alcohol but also offer food) but will also have an extensive cocktail and French wine list.

Stairs Leading to the Second Floor of Le Grenier

All of their food will have a French focus and will be made from scratch.  They will not have a incredibly long menu but will change it every three months to reflect the new season.  They plan on serving food that is fresh and authentic but not terribly expensive.

Corner Table on the First Floor of Le Grenier

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H&pizza Opens on H Street (Photos)

13 Jul

H&pizza (1118 H Street NE)–next to Taylor Gourmet on H Street–opens for lunch and dinner starting Friday, July 13th, but tonight they had a soft opening to debut their new restaurant and food (opening menu).  We were very impressed with both; the interior is completely rebuilt and redesigned from the previous tenant (Birdland) and the food was excellent.  We were lucky enough to chat with the owners and the chefs for awhile and have very high hopes for the new place (you can see our previous interview with one of the co-owners for more background on the restaurant).

H&pizza During Its Soft Opening

Their goal is to allow you to make a fully customizable pizza that fits your tastes because you designed it (imagine a customizable assembly-line like a Chipotle).  They have spent the past several weeks testing different sauces, doughs, cheeses, and ingredients in a test kitchen, and they offer a truly unique set of choices for your pizza (check out their opening menu here).  In addition to letting you make your own pizza from scratch, they have several “Our Suggestion” pizzas that are predesigned by the owners and can be ordered right off the menu if you don’t feel like making your own.

Topping Selections at H&pizza

Once you’ve selected your toppings (or one of their suggestions), your pizza goes through their oven (90 seconds) and comes out ready for you to enjoy.  The plan is for the whole process from ordering until when you get your pizza to take less than five minutes.

Pizza Assembly Line and Oven at H&pizza

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Menu for H&pizza

13 Jul

H&pizza (1118 H Street NE) opens Friday July 13th for lunch and dinner.  Here’s a first look at their menu:

 

 

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H &pizza Ready to Open Next Weekend (July 13th)

8 Jul

Exterior of H &pizza

We’ve learned that H &pizza (1118 H Street NE) is ready to open next weekend for dinner.  Check out our interview with the owner here and pictures of the newly renovated interior from their Facebook page.  The pizzas sound great, and the new interior looks great from our peeks inside to look at it.  Can’t wait to check it out!

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New (Tasty) Details on H &Pizza

25 Apr

We’ve known for several months that a new gourmet pizza place was coming to H Street (1118 H Street to be precise) and would add an important missing ingredient to the H Street dining scene.  The new place will be called H &Pizza, and co-owners Steve Salis and Michael Lastoria have been slowly revealing the details of the restaurant in anticipation of the opening.  Last week, Washington City Paper filled in some details by reporting (among other details) that H &Pizza plans to open June 1st, will allow customers to completely customize their pizzas by featuring an assembly line style format (and choosing from a variety of toppings, sauces, and crusts), and will be open late on the weekends.

This week we caught up with co-owner Steve Salis and were able to learn some exciting (and tasty) details.  Most importantly, H &Pizza will not be any average pizza joint.  Check out some of these sauces that diners will be able to choose from: Basil Pesto, Mushroom Tartufo (Mushroom Truffle spread) Ricotta, Red Chickpea spread, Classic Marinara, and Spicy Marinara.  And how about these toppings: Smoked Bacon, Sopressata, Proscuitto, Hot Sausage, Caramelized Onions, Roasted Broccolli Rabe, Kalamata Olives, Artichokes, Arugula, Soy Cheese (lactose free) and mozzarella cheese they will make in house.  If you don’t feel like designing your own pizza, H &Pizza will offer special pizzas that you can order right off the menu and they will make for you.  In addition to pizza, H &Pizza will have several salads and deserts as well as a beverage menu featuring wine, beer, and specialty drinks.

Continue reading →

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Le Grenier Hopes to Open in July on H Street

3 Apr

Le Grenier (502 H Street) applied for a liquor license back in March 2011 but has been largely silent since then.  However, we noticed construction occurring inside recently, and Le Grenier’s parent restaurant confirms that they hope to open sometime in July.  The construction seems to have a ways to go but hopefully they will be able to open this summer.

Le Grenier is a French style bistro from the owners of Le Chat Noir (located in Friendship Heights).  Le Chat Noir has quite an extensive menu of French dishes for lunch, brunch, and dinner.  The liquor license application for Le Grenier says that they will have indoor seating and a small sidewalk cafe to seat a few people and will be open late.  Le Grenier will add to the newly revitalized west end of H Street which has recently seen the opening of Big Board and Boundary Road.

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Chinito’s Burritos: Asian Influenced Tex-Mex

26 Mar

Exterior of Chinito’s Burritos

Asian influenced burritos with fried rice sounds weird.  So do Mexican egg rolls.  But if you are scared away simply because it sounds unusual, you will really miss out on what first time owner Jin Chong has to offer at the new Chinito’s Burritos (635 Florida Avenue, NE).  While eclectic, the food at Chinito’s Burritos is exciting and a nice change from the more typical tex-mex offered by so many restaurants and chains (and quite tasty too).

Chinito’s Burritos takes the typical burrito and puts an Asian spin on it.  You fill out what you want on a card (the restaurant is welcoming to its neighbors at Gallaudet University), choosing from either a burrito, tacos, or a box.  The burritos start at a very reasonable $3 base and then go up as you add more ingredients (but still stay reasonably priced as you add ingredients).  The restaurant always has three types of salsa and guacamole for you to add as well as grilled vegetables, beans, rice, cheese, lettuce, and sour cream.  Be sure to add the rice to your burrito; it is the delicious fried rice that adds the Asian flavor to the meal.  The meats you can add to your meal vary by day–some include carne asada, ground beef, chicken, and shrimp.  Chinito’s Burritos also has several side items from the typical chips and salsa to the more adventurous Mexican egg rolls.  The Mexican egg rolls are deep fried and look like a typical egg roll, but when you bite into them they explode with cheese, pieces of tenderly cooked chicken and corn all with a strong tex-mex spicy flavor. Continue reading →

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Washington Post’s Sietsema Really Likes Boundary Road

14 Mar

Boundary Road, the newest addition to H Street, continues to make news this week (President Obama visited the practically brand new restaurant last week).  The Washington Post‘s Tom Sietsema wrote a very positive review of Boundary Road for this week’s “First Bite” column.  Sietsema loves the atmosphere and the food:

So the chef and his team are slicing potatoes by hand for their french fries, which they double-fry in peanut oil and send out with a gentle curry dip. Their minestrone shows off a perfect dice of vegetables, pleasantly crisp, and it avoids the blahs with garlic, vinegar and Parmesan in its seasoning. An entree of ropy hanger steak takes my tongue on a ride, thanks to the spicy kale and choron sauce sharing the plate. The most comforting dish on the menu may be pierogi. Walker got the idea from his mother-in-law in Pennsylvania, lightening her tradition by using quark (curd cheese) instead of sour cream inside the boiled dumplings, which are served over heat-softened onions and are easy to polish off.

 We’ve only gone to Boundary Road for drinks so far, but we hope to go very soon (if we can still get in!).

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