Neighborhood Eats: The Gryphon, The Mothership and March Madness

• March 7th 2013

by Jamie Liu

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Neighborhood Eats returns this week with three new eateries taking over closed restaurant spaces, one sports bar opening as another closes, and two chains planning moves into the area.

Open: Mothership, the bricks-and-mortar version of the El Floridano food truck, opened this past weekend at 3301 Georgia Avenue NW (map). The menu, made for Italian lovers, includes risotto, gnocchi, and rigatoni dishes, and unique pizzas, including a Cuban (think the sandwich toppings), and a fingerling potato with roasted, cauliflower, swiss chard, tomato, and fontina. Just don’t go expecting beer or wine just yet. Owner/chef Stephan Boillon doesn’t expect the restaurant’s liquor license to come through until mid-April.

Opening soon: Just in time for March Madness, sports bar/gastropub The Gryphon will open at 1337 Connecticut Avenue NW (map) on March 13. Chef Joseph Evans, from sister restaurant Lost Society, will be serving up hearty plates such as chili-and-soy gryphon (chicken) wings, oyster po’ boys, and braised short ribs. Housed in the former Hamilton National Bank, a DJ booth will be located in the old vault, and there will be 31 TVs for those that want to call in sick during the NCAA tourney.

Look Restaurant, in the former Teatro Goldoni space at 1909 K Street NW (map), is set to open on March 11. The menu will feature dishes like Malbec-braised short ribs, and lobster risotto. For K Streeters taking out clients, be prepared for ultra-modern interiors; think interactive light displays and holographic projection screens.

Opening…eventually: The company that runs BlackFinn American Grille will be opening the second location of its Ameripub concept in Dunn Loring in late April. The first location in Austin, Texas boasts a 10-page menu with typical bar foods, but also explores other cuisines with items like lasagna and Thai food. To match the sizable menu, there will be 70 draft beers on tap.

Speaking of chains, another expanding to the area is Tex-Mex restaurant Mi Cocina, which will open its first mid-Atlantic location at 5471-5481 Wisconsin Avenue (the former M Cafe space) in late spring. The menu features the usual Tex-Mex suspects — burritos, enchiladas, fajitas, tacos, and queso dip. And of course, the bar will serve a variety of margaritas, tequilas and cervezas.

Open Temporarily: Next up in Hogo’s kitchen pop-up space is Rose’s Luxury from chef Aaron Silverman, which is taking up residence at 1017 7th Street NW (map) until March 16. It will give bar goers an opportunity to preview some of the items that will be on the menu at Silverman’s Barracks Row restaurant, opening later this spring. The brief menu features eclectic dishes like pork & lychee salad, pork fat pho, oysters with dark and stormy granita, popcorn soup with poached lobster, caramelized cauliflower with Greek yogurt, and bread & butter fried chicken.

Closed: Boston sports fans will have one less place to hang out now that Adam’s Corner in Courthouse has closed its doors. The hookah/sports bar shuttered this past weekend, with ARLnow still investigating the reasons for the closure.

Events: Sample the cuisines of the world at The Annual Embassy Chef Challenge on March 14 at the Ronald Reagan Building. Along with top shelf booze, enjoy hors d’oeuvres from competing embassy chefs, and mingle with the celebrity judges like chefs Duff Goldman and Carla Hall. Tickets are $250 with the proceeds going to support Cultural Tourism DC.

Support Eastern Market’s Tyler Elementary School with The Alchemy of Great Taste fundraiser on March 9 in Eastern Market’s North Hall. Along with live music and dancing, enjoy unlimited food, beer and wine from nearby eateries, including Granville Moore’s, Smith Commons, The Liberty Tree, and Trusty’s. Tickets are $50 in advance and $65 at the door.

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_the_gryphon_the_mothership_and_march_madness/6754.