Neighborhood Eats: District Kitchen and Another Taylor Open, Artfully Chocolate Closes

• January 5th 2012

by Rebecca Cooper

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There have been a slew of developments in the DC restaurant/bar scene since we last checked in before the holidays, so we’re going to stick to the biggest/latest in this first edition of Neighborhood Eats for 2012.

Open: The team behind the ever-expanding Taylor Gourmet empire opened its fourth DC location this week at 1908 14th Street NW (map) in Logan Circle. Although Mayor Vincent Gray didn’t make it to the ribbon cutting, the foursquare “mayors” of the chain’s other delis were on hand. Taylor has its fifth location planned for Merrifield, and a cheese steak outpost slated for H Street.

District Kitchen had its grand opening last night, after a soft opening a few days ago with a special New Year’s Eve party for friends and neighborhood guests. The restaurant in the former Jandara Thai restaurant space at 2606 Connecticut Ave NW seats 75 and features a modern American menu from former Mendocino Grille chef Drew Trautmann. The menu’s small plates, salads and mains are currently full of hearty winter fare including rabbit, chili, and pork shank and sauerkraut.

The Hamilton, the much-anticipated project from the Clyde’s family, opened at the end of December, bringing 37,000 square feet of restaurant, bar, and music space to the former Barnes & Noble location at 14th and F Streets NW. The restaurant plans to be open 24 hours a day, and has a menu that is divided into seven different sections, including sushi, late night, and breakfast. (We have to say, we’re exited to try the Denver burrito on the breakfast menu [PDF] — who doesn’t need food coma right when they get to work in the morning?)

Boxcar Tavern, the latest venture from Capitol Hill restaurant magnate Xavier Cervera, opened December 30 across the street from Eastern Market at 224 7th St. SE. Boxcar aims to be “the first gastropub on the Hill serving affordable food to people,” Cervera told The Hill is Home last week. The long, narrow restaurant is true to its name, and sports a similar style to Cervera’s other joints (Lola’s, Molly Malone’s, Senart’s Oyster and Chop House): dark wood, warm lighting, and antiquey accents.

Opening…soon: The first DC location of New York tapas restaurant Boqueria is hoping to open in February, according to Eater DC. Eater’s Amy McKeever spied a Craigslist ad that suggests the restaurant’s tentative January opening has been pushed back. The restaurant at 1837 M Street NW will serve classic Spanish tapas, sangria, and wines like its New York spots.

Opening eventually: Ballston will significantly expand its beer selection this summer when World of Beer opens in July at 901 N. Glebe Road — a building also occupied by P.F. Chang’s and adjacent to the Westin Arlington Gateway. The Florida-based chain owns more than 20 restaurants around the country, all of which boast 50 beers on tap and as many as 500 in the bottle. The Arlington location will also feature “sausages and snack foods,” a rep writes on ARLNow. Ballston is on its way to being somewhat of a beer mecca, with Rustico, Rock Bottom Brewing Company, and less crafty standbys like Carpool, Green Turtle, and Front Page.

Closed: Artfully Chocolate closed its doors on 14th Street NW at the end of December, holding a liquidation sale on New Year’s Day. A rumor that the cocoa bar and chocolate shop was closing circulated last fall, but was staunchly denied by the store’s management. But in an email to customers last week, owner Eric Nelson said closing the store was an “unfortunate, but necessary” decision. Artfully Chocolate’s other locations in Del Ray and Old Town, Alexandria will remain open.

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.production.logicbrush.com/articles/blog/neighborhood_eats_district_kitchen_another_taylor_opens_artfully_chocolate/4859.