Neighborhood Eats: Fall Restaurant Openings To Watch (Part 1)

• September 21st 2012

by Rebecca Cooper

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There are so many restaurant openings to look forward to in DC this fall that Neighborhood Eats thought it would highlight a few over the next two weeks. Check out the first few (below) this week, and stay tuned next week for some other highlights, including a peek of Drafting Table, the restaurant from Red Velvet owner Aaron Gordon set to open in Logan Circle on Oct. 1.

The Coupe: Situated at 11th and Monroe Streets NW in Columbia Heights (map), this massive bar/restaurant/coffee house from the owner of Tryst, The Diner and Open City finally got a name earlier this month, and is looking at an opening in the next few weeks. (Owner Constantine Stavropoulos told UrbanTurf earlier this year that he always agonizes over naming his restaurants.) The Coupe will have separate areas for the bar, the restaurant and the coffee shop, although they’ll all be integrated in some ways. It will stay open 24 hours and serve a comfort food menu that includes breakfast all day, much like its sister restaurant, The Diner. Stay tuned for the exact opening date which will be announced in the next few weeks.

Fuego Cocina & Tequileria: This Mexican restaurant and tequila bar from the Passion Food Group will take over some prime real estate at 2800 Clarendon Boulevard in the former Harry’s Tap Room space in Clarendon in early October. There’s still no sign above the door, but work has been progressing inside. The two-level restaurant will include a tequila bar with 120 tequilas on the main level, with the dining room split between the two floors. The menu will include “authentic” Mexican food with “not-for-the-faint-of-heart” flavors and textures, according to the restaurant’s web site.

DGS Delicatessen: This traditional Jewish deli planned for 1317 Connecticut Avenue NW in Dupont Circle is still a few weeks away from opening, at least according to this Facebook post during Rosh Hashanah. But they’re still aiming for opening sometime in October, one of the partners, Nick Wiseman, tells UrbanTurf. The 86-seat deli will be open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and carryout, and they’ll be smoking all their own meats and fishes. Some menu teases posted online include a pastrami hash with duck egg and whole grain mustard, a sandwich of pickled bluefish and salsa verde on Russian rye and a Cobb salad with corned beef, egg, avocado and gribenes (crispy chicken skin cracklings).

Matchbox: The latest location from the prolific Matchbox team is still under construction at 1901 14th Street NW, and the opening is slated for late October but could be pushed back to November, a rep tells UrbanTurf. The Logan Circle restaurant will seat between 280 and 300 people on three levels, including 60 on the patio, and the menu will be similar, but not necessarily identical to the other locations.

Mandalay: Shaw residents have been abuzz since at least 2010 about the coming of Mandalay, the Burmese restaurant that’s been a favorite in Silver Spring since it opened several years ago. While they estimated earlier this year that they’d open in October, there’s still a lot of work to be done on their location, a new mixed-use building at 9th and P streets NW. The 70-seat restaurant will serve a pared-down menu compared to the Silver Spring restaurant, and the chef Aung Myint, told City Paper over the summer that he’s considering doing a 6- or 7-course tasting menu as well.

minibar: Although José Andrés and his team have pushed back the reopening of their high-end tasting-menu restaurant until the end of October, next week marks the first opportunity to try for reservations at the newly expanded space at 505 9th Street NW. The restaurant will begin taking reservations September 23, reports Eater, so get your fast-dialing fingers ready. There will be 16 seats available in the new minibar, compared to the six that used to be inside Andrés’ Cafe Atlantico, and chefs are hard at work dreaming up new creations for the menu; chef Ruben Garcia tweeted this menu preview last week.

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.production.logicbrush.com/articles/blog/neighborhood_eats_fall_openings_to_watch_part_1/6052.