Neighborhood Eats: Piola, Vendetta with Bocce, and Scion

• May 24th 2013

by Jamie Liu

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Italian is hot in this week’s Neighborhood Eats, and find out what San Francisco institution will open its first new location downtown.

Open: The hits won’t stop coming on 14th Street. On Monday, Italian chain Piola opened its second area location at 2208 14th Street NW (map). The chain serves thin crust pizzas, pastas, meat-centric entrees and salads as well as wine, beer and cocktails.

Piola is joined by another Italian restaurant, Vendetta, which opened at 1212 H Street NE (map) on Monday. Vendetta features a brief menu of red-checkered tablecloth classics like bolognese and carbonara as well as rustic Italian dishes like rabbit ragu and sugo all’ amatriciana (pork jowl, tomato and oregano). There is also a full menu of craft beer, Italian wines, and cocktails with bitter Italian aperitifs and fortified wines. And you can work off a little bit of your meal with an intense game of bocce on the indoor court.

Scion Restaurant opened its second location in Silver Spring on Wednesday at 1200 East-West Highway. The new location offers modern comfort food and one of the best selections of beer in Silver Spring.

Opening Soon: New bar The Elroy will open at 1423 H Street NE (map) this Saturday, May 25. The spot from the owners of the now-closed NY Avenue Beach Bar will include a futuristic theme as well as “fancy glasses” and cater to the neighborhood.

New fast casual concept Tom Yum District will be opening at 1515 Wilson Boulevard, Rosslyn (map) in June from the owners of T.H.A.I. and Bangkok Joe’s. Like a Thai Chipotle, you can create your own rice, rice noodle, or salad bowl with choice of beef, chicken, shrimp or tofu, sauce or dressing, and garnishes

Opening Eventually: San Francisco institution Tadich Grill will be opening in the old TenPenh space at 1001 Pennsylvania Avenue NW (map) in early 2014, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. This is the first expansion for the restaurant known for its cioppino and Hangtown fry.

Closed Temporarily: Zeke’s DC Donutz (2029 P Street NW) has closed temporarily, according to Washington City Paper. The temporary shutdown is attributed to complaints from neighbors about cooking smells. The shop, which opened in February, is not the first in the Dupont area to annoy its neighbors with food smells.

Events: The Grille at Morrison House is starting a series of wine tastings on the first Friday of every month through October. Each event pits two red and two white wines from France against two reds and two whites from another country. For $25 you’ll be able to sample tasting sized pours of all eight wines, as well as enjoy passed appetizers from France and the competing nation. The first country up is the U.S., with wines from California, Oregon and Virginia.

If you haven’t made it to Taylor Charles Steak & Ice on H Street, you can visit a selected Taylor location during Memorial Day weekend to order one of 50 cheesesteaks that each location will be serving starting at 11 a.m. And if you order a cheesesteak, you’ll get a side of free Italian water ice. The schedule is as follows: May 28: Penn Quarter (624 E Street NW); May 29: Dupont Circle (1200 19th Street NW); May 30: 14th Street (1908 14th Street NW); and May 31: City Vista (485 K Street NW).

Jamie R. Liu is a freelance writer, food nerd, and former DCist food and drink editor. She has contributed to Eater, Washington City Paper, the Express, and AskMen.com.

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.production.logicbrush.com/articles/blog/neighborhood_eats_piola_a_vendetta_with_bocce_and_a_scion/7112.