A restaurant called Seoul Spice is slated to move into 145 N Street, NE in NoMa’s Constitution Square development. This space had previously been leased to Kraze Burger, prior to that chain running into financial difficulties. The restaurant’s owners aren’t ready to divulge details yet, but we will share them as we get them.
Signage for IMM Thai on H Street
IMM Thai (1360 H Street, NE) has applied for a liquor license (they currently cannot serve alcohol, see our review here). Of note on their liquor license, they have applied to allow live music on Fridays and Saturdays. Additionally, IMM now serves lunch during the week. We spoke with representatives at the restaurant, and they told us that they plan on offering delivery in the near future. Additionally, they are working on renovating the upstairs area. While the final plans are still up in the air, the second floor may have a bar and/or a sushi bar.
Fresh Fruit and Sorbet at Masseria
You will need to suspend your disbelief when you approach the front entrance at Masseria (1340 4th Street, NE) in the Union Market district. While the restaurant will one day be a neighbor to upscale apartments and retail, it is currently across the street from a wholesaler, next to an empty parking lot, and a half block down from a Motel 6.
Open Faced Ravioli with Rock Shrimp at Masseria
But don’t let that scare you away! Once you enter Masseria’s front gate, you will completely forget the outside surroundings. Immediately upon walking in, you walk through a beautiful outdoor patio and lounge with couches and a floor that is covered in tile. Via a large bar, the patio gives way to the indoor dining space that features an open kitchen where you can watch your dinner being made. There are several seats at the kitchen bar that give you the best view.
Summer Soft Shell Crabs at Masseria
Dinner starts with an amuse-bouche followed by a presentation of bread featuring fresh focaccia, miniature breadsticks formed into small rings, and a sundried tomato sauce. Masseria has a robust wine program as well as a large craft cocktail list (we tried a type of mojito that included beer in it…sounds strange but it worked).
Sample Menu at Masseria
The menu is a tasting menu (either three or six courses) where you can choose what you want from the menu. The menu is broken up by antipasti, pastas, fish/seafood, and meat (see sample menu above). On the pasta front, we tried the linguine with salami and a spicy XO sauce as well as the open faced ravioli with rock shrimp. Both were wonderful with the spicy XO sauce packing a real punch. From the seafood category, we tried the summer softshell crab dish featuring two halved crabs in a bed of summer corn. The soft shells were delicately sauteed and topped with basil blossoms, which added a strong basil flavor. The combination of the corn and the basil blossoms made it taste like pure summer. Continue reading
Maketto (1351 H Street, NE) has launched a loyalty/rewards program for its coffee service. After you buy 10 coffees, you will get one free. They are handing out punch-cards to everyone who purchases a coffee. As frequent patrons of Maketto, we plan on fully taking advantage.
Sign Posted Outside of Masseria Near Union Market
Masseria (1340 4th Street, NE) is nearing completion and could open in the coming weeks (see our preview here). We stopped by the Masseria drink pop-up that was held last week right outside of Union Market (there is another one tonight!) and learned that construction is almost complete. There are a few finishing touches that must be applied and some final permits that they need from the DC Government prior to opening. Once all of that is complete, they will train their staff and open up. We peaked at the construction a few days ago and noticed some beautiful tile work in the patio area of the restaurant. We were also quite excited to learn that the patio will have both heaters and cooling equipment to help make the patio usable almost the entire year.
There hasn’t been much news on it lately, but construction at the future Nando’s site on H Street (411-413 H Street, NE) has been progressing nicely over the past several weeks. They knocked the entire building down except for the front wall on H Street. They replaced the windows on the front wall, but not much else has been visible from H Street. However, a walk behind the building in the alley revealed that the exterior of the building has been almost completely rebuilt. Pictures below…
Construction Progress at Future Nando’s on H Street (Taken From Alley Behind Building)
Lettuce Wrap with Chicken at IMM Thai
As mentioned last week, IMM Thai (1360 H Street, NE) will be holding a soft opening on H Street for the next several weeks prior to their grand opening. During this soft opening, they will have a limited menu (which turns out isn’t actually that limited, see below). We stopped by last night to check it out.
Spicy Eggplant with Chicken at IMM Thai
Overall, we were very impressed. We argued several years ago that H Street desperately needed a Thai restaurant, and thus far, IMM fills that void and goes beyond. You can see the menu and pictures from our dinner down below. Our favorites were the lettuce wrap with chicken (a traditional larb chicken dish that also had a slight sweet tang to it) and the eggplant fried rice with chicken. The prices are reasonable and you get a significant amount of food. Our one hope is that they do a little more work to improve the interior of the restaurant–there has not been much change since the fairly short lived Pho Bar and Grill previously occupied the space.
Panang Curry at IMM Thai
Duck Roll Appetizer at IMM Thai
Signage for IMM Thai on H Street
IMM Thai (1360 H Street, NE) held the first evening of its soft opening last night and will continue to have a soft evening opening with a limited menu for the next several weeks. This location will be their second location as they currently have a restaurant Annandale, Virginia (see our preview post here). We spoke with the IMM Thai team, and they told us that the soft opening menu will feature several items from the larger menu at their Annandale restaurant. They plan on being open most nights but recommend that you call their Annandale restaurant to check prior to going to their location on H.
In a couple of weeks, they will hold a grand opening and will roll out their full menu that will be similar to their Annandale menu. They do not currently have a liquor license but plan on applying for one in the future. Initially, IMM Thai on H will be open for dinner service only, but they plan on expanding to lunch service in the near future.
Signage Up at Ben’s Chili Bowl on H Street
Ben’s Chili Bowl on H Street (1001 H Street) has been slowly progressing for months at this point. Recently, permanent signage went up for the H Street branch of the D.C. legend. However, it does appear that there is still more work to be done inside prior to opening.
District Cuisine 