New Heights Restaurant chef alumnus, Alison Swope now presides over Restaurant K by Alison Swope, replacing Jimmy’s on K. McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurants is her partner (as they were for Jimmy’s on K). Formerly at Andale, Alison’s new menu here will feature contemporary American cuisine and creative cocktails made with seasonally infused liqueurs.
And speaking of New Heights alumni, what goes around, comes around. John Wabeck has gone around and returned to New Heights, where he began in D.C. He returned to the Woodley Park restaurant after five years with Kimpton hotels, most recently at Firefly on New Hampshire Ave., NW (adjacent to Hotel Madera).
Josh Short is the new pastry chef at Neighborhood Restaurant Group’s Buzz, the bakery and coffee shop that serves morning pastries and in to the evening with late night coffee and liqueurs. Former pastry chef for Zola and Red Sage, Josh also presided over From Scratch Bakery in Charlottesville, Va. before returning to D.C.
Joe Englert and partner Adam Manson plan to openEnology at the old Zebra Room on Wisconsin Avenue at Macomb. The idea is a wine bar and charcuterie featuring caviar and artisan cheese. After the compliance and permitting square dance, they plan to open by year’s end. This will be their second NW location, as Veritas in north Dupont Circle (another wine bar and charcuterie) plans to be open by summer’s end.
The Irish are coming — OK, they’ve been here. Irish restaurateur Patrick Whelan plans to open James Hoban’s in Dupont Circle where Cloud used to be. A history buff, as it were, the restaurant is named after the Irish architect who designed buildings in D.C. in the 18th century. This will be his second venture in the D.C. market, as he also opened O’Faolain’s Irish Pub in Sterling, Va. (care of George Petros).
Chef and Manager Update: Nilesh Singhvi is the new executive chef at The Bombay Club in downtown D.C. on Connecticut Ave, NW. Joy Ludwig is the pastry chef at Oval Room and the Bombay Club. She has worked at Jean Georges in New York City for Johnny Iuzzini, a James Beard Foundation Outstanding Pastry Chef of the Year. Alessandro Negrete, formerly of Bice, is the new manager at Il Fornaio, which opens in Reston in August.
A new free-standing restaurant that is currently being built, will hopefully open by next spring. Called The Policy, it will have Chef Brian Murphy, former sous chef at L’Auberge Chez Francois in Great Falls, at the helm in the kitchen. Owner Jack Maaseide of Chesapeake Investments is building it at the corner of 14th and T Streets, NW, across from Cafe Saint-Ex. Look how 14th Street has grown up — and blossomed.
More Pork Barbecue! Famous Dave’s Famous Pit Barbecue brings their “hogspitality” to Spotsylvania (near Fredericksburg, Va.) and on Route 1 in Alexandria, as well as in Owings Mills, Md. — all by the end of 2007.
The Hangar Report: As a tenant of Hangar 11, I am happy to report on the expansion of foodservice places at National Airport. Arrive early to dine at the newly opened Carmella’s (not Soprano), Five Guys Burgers, Panda Express and Cibo. The DCA Cafe now proudly serves illy caffe. Dining at DCA keeps getting better.
Jason Washington, who was Mayor Adrian Fenty’s advance man, has advanced himself to the restaurant industry. He plans to open a small eatery called Evolve, serving lamb, beef and vegetables, in Columbia Heights in Adams Morgan. It’s down the street from Fleet Feet, an athletic shoe store owned by Jan and Phil Fenty, Adrian’s uber-cool parents.
NYC-based Devon & Blakely soup and sandwich shop plans to make its debut in DC at 13th & F Streets, in downtown D.C., as well as a few other locations in the market.
Calendar Note: The James Beard Foundation celebrates its 20th anniversary by holding a series of celebrated dinners in 20 cities around the country on Friday, September 28. Washington, D.C. is one of the cities. The restaurant location has not yet been finalized. There will also be a chef demo with kids at Williams-Sonoma at Mazza Gallerie. Washington Area Concierges Association’s (WACA) annual fundraiser, Bubbles on the Potomac, will be held on Sunday, August 5. Proceeds will benefit Food & Friends, Les Clefs d’Or Foundation, and the John B. Campbell Hospitality Scholarship. Tickets are $75 apiece and can be purchased on www.wacaonline.com.
Congratulations: To chefs Christophe Poteaux and Michelle Garbee, owners of Bastille in Old Town, Alexandria, on their recent marriage. They met when both worked at Aquarelle at The Watergate. And congrats to Pete Smith of PS 7’s in Penn Quarter, on the birth of his son, Simon Porter Smith.
Linda Roth is president of Linda Roth Associates, LLC specializing in
marketing, promotions and publicity in the hospitality industry. Contact
Linda at 703-522-0703 or linda@lindarothpr.com or visit her Web site at
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