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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

Continue reading →

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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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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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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

Continue reading →

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Thaaja Bringing Customizable Indian Food to NoMa

15 Oct

Over the past couple of years, NoMa (roughly defined as the region to the north of Union Station) has seen its population grow exponentially thanks to the opening of several large apartment buildings.  Unfortunately, there has not been similar growth in the number of good food options in the area that are open for dinner.  NoMa residents are currently restricted to the pricey (and less than stellar) Watershed, a few fast food places, or going elsewhere for food.  Thaaja Indian Food Bar, 1335 2nd Street NE (in the same building as the Courtyard by Marriott), has the potential to improve the NoMa dining scene when it opens in mid-November.

Future Site of Thaaja Indian Food Bar

We recently caught up with Thaaja owner Shailesh Kumar to learn more about the new place.  Thaaja will be Kumar’s first restaurant and will draw upon the flavors and experiences of the Indian food that Kumar grew up on as a child.  Kumar wants Thaaja to show customers that Indian food can be done quickly, while still being delicious, fresh, and healthy.  Thaaja is still in the middle of renovations, but Kumar expects that it will be ready to open in November.  Once Thaaja has been open for a little while, it will begin delivery.

At Thaaja–which translates as fresh–diners will choose their ingredients and build their meals from scratch.  The customization will be similar to that of Chipotle, ShopHouse Kitchen, or H&pizza.  Customers will first choose a base: Indian wrap, tortilla wrap, rice bowl, or salad bowl.  Next they will add the type of meat that they want as well as other toppings before finishing the meal off with a variety of Indian sauces of different spice levels.  The meats will be chicken, lamb, steak, paneer (smoked Indian cheese), and tofu.  The other toppings will range from onions to chickpeas to cucumber to fried onions.  According to Kumar, they will have “six signature homemade sauces which vary in spiciness, some of which offer very traditional Indian flavors, while others are a little more modern.” The sauces are broken down into spicy ones (a tikka masala sauce, a spicy vindaloo sauce, and a “Tandoori Buffalo” sauce) and savory ones (a yogurt based sauce, a coconut sauce, and one with cilantro, cucumber, and coriander). While the full details of the menu at Thaaja are still being ironed out, there will be a variety of sides on the menu, likely including Indian bread baskets with dipping sauces. Continue reading →

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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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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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