Neighborhood Eats: Tune Inn Reopening, Komi’s New Project

• November 3rd 2011

by Rebecca Cooper

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We’re still waiting to hear whether Ben’s Chili Bowl is coming to H Street or whether its owners, who just bought the old George’s Place clothing store building at 10th and H Street NE, will explore another concept. Nevertheless, there are a lot of restaurant updates around town we can give you.

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(Re)Opening: Tune Inn, the decades-old Capitol Hill bar that closed this summer after a kitchen fire, makes its triumphant return tomorrow. The owners had to rebuild most of the kitchen after the fire, which has left a small stretch of Pennsylvania Ave SE (map) a little more sober in recent months. The bar will open bright and early (8 a.m.) on Friday, and will also host a special thank-you party for firefighters this Sunday at 10 a.m.

Opening…soon: Little Serow, a new Thai restaurant from Komi's Johnny Monis, is almost ready to open. The restaurant, which will feature an eight-course, $45 per person tasting menu of cuisine from the northeast region of Thailand, is located just next door to Komi at 1511 17th St. NW. Unlike Komi, reservations will not be taken, which means that you might actually have a chance of getting a table on the spur of the moment. (UrbanTurf staff went to a soft opening of Little Serow last Friday and we can tell you that it is well worth the $45.)

Much to the delight of Arlington residents, the Clarendon Trader Joe’s can finally be put into the “opening soon” category, with store officials now predicting the offbeat grocery store at 1109 N. Highland St. (map) will be open by mid-November. They haven’t begun stocking the shelves yet, a regional manager for the grocer tells us, as they’re still waiting for some permits from the county, but the opening shouldn’t be too far off.

Open: DC sandwich shop Jettie’s finally opened its Bethesda location, and is now serving sandwiches, salads, and something called “Jettie’s crocks” -- a one-pot dinner meal. The space at 4829 Fairmont Avenue NW took a little longer to open than expected due to some permitting drama, but it’s now open with its signature bright, airy beach theme. Oh, and Bethesda parents, get excited: the spot is launching a “revolutionary” kids menu.

It wouldn’t be a week in DC food news if Michael Landrum wasn’t confounding us somehow. This week, it’s his new steak-and-cheese sandwich restaurant that opened yesterday in the place of the former Ray’s Hellburger Too at 1713 Wilson Boulevard in Rosslyn. So far, the restaurant only serves Landrum’s own ribeye-American cheese-provolone sandwich -- NOT a Philly cheesesteak -- but there should be some sort of vegetarian option before week’s end.

Closing: Chicago-style hot dog joint ChiDogO’s will close its location at 14th and U streets NW (map) next week after only a year in the space. Construction on a new residential project with retail on the ground floor is set to begin at the building where ChiDogO's is located in December, and it’s possible the ‘furter-focused casual eatery will take over one of the new spaces. In the meantime, it has plans to open locations in College Park and National Harbor.

America, one of the restaurants that has anchored Union Station (map) for more than two decades, closed abruptly this week, CQ Roll Call reports. The restaurant was owned by the same company that owns two other establishments in the station, Center Cafe and Thunder Grill, which are now becoming the beneficiaries of some of its equipment. One rumored possibility for its replacement is Capitol City Brewing Company, which recently vacated the post office building next door.

Events: The big spender event of the weekend has to be the Vices that Made Virginia, a beer, bourbon, and bluegrass-fueled bacchanal being thrown by sustainable food nonprofit Arcadia Foods. Designed to highlight the best food, drink, and cooking in Virginia, Vices benefits both Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food & Agriculture and Woodlawn, a National Trust Historic site in Alexandria. The $125 ticket gets you four hours of Virginia vices (beer, bourbon and bluegrass), not to mention oysters, a pig roast, braised lamb, and dozens of other dishes from Virginia chefs.

For something lower-key that’s also for a good cause, Dupont Circle Turkish mezze restaurant Agora will host a fundraiser for victims of the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that hit Turkey last week. The happy hour, which includes a $20 suggested donation, will have unlimited appetizers and drink specials. In addition to the cover donations, 30 percent of the evening’s bar sales will go to earthquake victims.

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Rebecca Cooper is a freelance journalist and avid eater that has contributed to TBD, DCist, and Washingtonian. If you have any tips about restaurant or bars openings or closings, email Rebecca at coopscoop@gmail.com.

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.production.logicbrush.com/articles/blog/neighborhood_eats_tune_inn_reopening_komis_new_project/4503.