Nearly 40 pizzas are the focus of Piola’s menu, though you’ll find much more to snack on than just the wood-fired pies. Photographs by Andrew Propp.
The 14th Street corridor gained three new pizza spots in the past two weeks. First came Ghibellina, the Tuscan-inspired restaurant by the Acqua Al 2 crew, followed closely by Etto, a Neapolitan-leaning eatery by the owners of 2 Amys and the Standard. Now the international chain Piola opens its doors with the most extensive list of pies yet, plus a daily happy hour featuring gratis bar snacks.
Founded in Treviso, Italy, 30-plus Piolas (Pioli?) now dot the globe, including one in Arlington, the chain’s first Washington-area effort. Owner Nabil Ashi says menus at the new local restaurants are largely the same, though the two spaces look significantly different. Fitting for a neighborhood undergoing constant construction and expansion, the version in lower Columbia Heights boasts an industrial look with exposed pipes and wood floors, though high ceilings, large windows, and skylights give it a lofty feel. A second-story back deck is also in the works for the summer.
The menu of more than 40 pizza options is divided between red and white pies, all thin-crusted and fired in a wood-burning oven. In addition to classic Italian combinations such as a margherita or capricciosa, with ham, mushrooms, and artichokes, you’ll find influences from Piola’s other international locations. The Rio de Janeiro pie, for example, arrives with creamy Brazilian Catupiry cheese and pulled chicken; a starter salad of arugula, pistachios, and pomegranate dressing is a nod to Turkish cuisine. Antipasti and a variety of pastas run more traditional, with dishes like beef carpaccio and Bolognese with pappardelle.
Happy hour runs from 5 to 8 every day—a nod to the Italian tradition of snacking while you drink. Bar-goers receive waves of free bites—think bruschetta, small pizzas, olives, cheeses, and tastes of risotto—and discount drinks include $3 Peroni drafts, $4 glasses of house wine, and $5 specialty drinks such as sangria, bellinis, and Negronis. The generous vibe extends to opening week—all food (sorry, no alcohol) is offered at a 50 percent discount through May 26. After that, look for “gnocchi day” on the 29th of each month, where you can get all-you-can-eat house-made potato dumplings with a range of sauces.
Piola. 2208 14th St., NW; 202-986-8729. Open Monday through Thursday 5 to 11, Friday 5 to 1, Saturday 11 to 1, and Sunday 11 to 11.
Ghibellina inhabits the old HR-57 space, a structure that dates back to the early 1900s. Photograph by Andrew Propp.
If the 14th Street strip is primed for an Italian invasion, then consider Ghibellina its Amerigo Vespucci. The 114-seat osteria officially opened this week, preceding six soon-to-open Italian spots including Etto from the Standard folks, international pizza chain Piola, Bar di Bari by the Drafting Table crew, and G, Mike Isabella’s sandwich joint that pops up at Graffiato this week. Ghibellina co-owners Ari Gejdenson and Ralph Lee are currently paving the way with their Tuscan-inspired spot offering everything from piatti piccoli (small plates) to a hefty porterhouse steak big enough for a group.
Gejdenson and Lee’s first neighborhood joint, Acqua Al 2, is a branch of an original Florentine restaurant; Ghibellina is closely inspired by another. Gejdenson says he traveled with chef Jonathan Copeland (formerly of Palena and Society Fair) to work in the kitchen at Trattoria Mario, one of Gejdenson’s favorite restaurants while living in the ancient city. There, they practiced making the rustic Tuscan dishes that fill the menu—items such as ribollita, a cannellini bean soup thickened with bread, and potato-stuffed ravioli with hearty beef ragu. You might make a meal of smaller portions of pasta, meat, and seafood, mixing rich offerings like white wine-braised beef pot roast stracotto and ricotta-and-spinach-stuffed girelle pasta with lighter dishes such as citrusy pesto-dressed arugula salad and wood-roasted artichokes tossed with lemon and mint. Larger plates arrive in the form of shellfish stew or a splurge of a steak (depending on how many friends are willing to share): the bistecca alla Fiorentina that clocks in at more than 3 pounds for $85. More in a casual sharing mood? Pizzas get a light char in the wood-fired oven, and are topped with both traditional ingredients—tomato, basil, and buffalo mozzarella, for instance—and more creative combinations such as pea shoots and culatello salumi.
The lofty dining room is designed with both eating and drinking (or waiting) in mind. Leather banquettes and wooden tables are part of the rustic atmosphere, as are two marble-topped bars: one where you can order the full menu, and a circular version that’s reserved solely for sipping wines, beers, and cocktails like the white peach “Ghib-Bellini.” A third place to perch is by the front window, overlooking what’ll eventually be a small outdoor patio. Plans for the circa-1900 building are far from complete. While currently the entry-level floor is the only open, it’ll eventually be joined by two more: a top level that might become a more traditional dining room, and a basement that channels the former occupant, jazz club HR-57, with live music. Stay tuned for more details as they emerge.
The bar boasts 120 different kind of beer glasses for the expansive list, as well as wine and cocktails. Photograph by Andrew Propp.
Belgian mussels and fries are a ubiquitous dish around Washington, but vlaamse stoverij met rode kool (Flemish beef stew)? Not so much. B Too, the newest spot from Belga Cafe chef/owner Bart Vandaele, isn’t just another spot to quaff Belgian beers and munch on frites, though you’ll find plenty of both. The recent Top Chef competitor’s nearly complete, 175-seat Belgian restaurant is slated to open for dinner on May 7. Here’s what to look for.
The second- and third-floor dining areas are elegantly beachy, with stained wood and tables printed with various sea creatures. Photograph by Jeff Elkins.
It’s an exciting time to be a food fan in Washington: More than a dozen new eateries have recently opened their doors, the Red Hen debuts Tuesday in Bloomingdale, and now chef Frederik De Pue is set to open his second restaurant, Azur, Thursday in the former Café Atlantico space. Those looking for a break from fried chicken and doughnuts, take note: This 135-seat spot is wholly devoted to seafood.
You’ll recognize the lofty three-story building from its José Andrés days, but De Pue has transformed the interior to fit the nautical theme with the help of Belgian interior designer Natascha Folens. Comfy wicker chairs and cushy stools fashioned after bottle corks greet you in the entry-level bar area, a prime spot for sipping one of the many seasonal cocktails named after famous boats. The Magusta 165 may sink your wallet with its $40 price tag, but the cognac-based libation named after a mega-yacht is the most expensive on the list. The $6 Regina Marina is more our cruising speed. You can sip the Aperol and Champagne concoction alongside bar snacks such as baked oysters with chorizo, toast spread with sea urchin butter, or crispy calamari tossed with a Vietnamese-style vinaigrette and chopped peanuts.
Chef Adam Schop (left) and the most luxurious item on the menu at Le Diplomate: a three-tiered shellfish plateau heaped with freshly shucked oysters, clams, shrimp cocktail, king crab, and lobster (right). Photographs by Jeff Elkins.
Spring has finally arrived, and it’s perfect weather for relaxing on an outdoor patio with a bottle of cold Chablis and a three-tiered platter of freshly shucked oysters, clams, cracked crab, and chilled lobster. Which you can now do at Le Diplomate, a 14th Street spot from Philadelphia-based restaurateur Stephen Starr, which is finally open after a year of construction.
Nightly dinner service is currently underway, and there’s already plenty of competition for seats on the 60-seat, hedge-lined patio. Chef Adam Schop combines traditional brasserie staples such as French onion soup, hand-chopped steak tartare, beef bourguignon, and moules frites with more modern innovations (here’s the menu). You might start out with tuna carpaccio drizzled with leek vinaigrette or roasted sweetbreads with morels before moving on to house-made pappardelle sauced with wild boar or seared scallops with spring peas and orzo. Simpler dishes—radishes with sea salt and butter, say, followed by savory crepes or an omelet—appeal to the casual weeknight diner.
Restaurants on the 14th Street strip are mainly geared toward the evening crowd, but once Le Diplomate is fully up and running, you’ll find breakfast, brunch, lunch, and mid-afternoon service. While the airy 200-seat eatery is surrounded by windows, the 36-seat garden room, with its glass ceiling and doors opening to the patio, seems particularly suited to reading the paper over a pot of La Colombe coffee and a warm croissant. Later in the day, a stately curving zinc bar or one of the deep semicircular booths promises to be a popular spot for sipping one of the many draft beers, wines, or French-inspired cocktails like a glass of bubbly with Combier Pamplemousse, a grapefruit liqueur. Designer Shawn Hausman—the talent behind see-and-be-seen spots such as Hollywood’s Chateau Marmont and the Standard in New York City—created the chic decor, which manages to feel both buzzy and cozy, thanks to glowing lamps and antiques salvaged from Parisian markets.
The concept was inspired by the corner building, a former laundry facility that reminded Starr of Parc, his French brasserie off Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Square. While the menus and design are different, the two have a similar feel, especially from the outside with canopied sidewalk seating. Another welcome carryover: an extensive bakery program, with stacks of fresh baguettes and boules greeting you at the door. The loaves pop up on the menu, but you can also make like a Parisian and tuck one under your arm to go.
The restaurant officially opens on Monday, April 15. Until then, enjoy a 10 percent discount during the soft-opening stage. We’ll report back on daytime services as they start.
Le Diplomate. 1601 14th St., NW; 202-332-3333. Current dinner hours: Sunday through Tuesday 5 to 10, Wednesday and Thursday 5 to 11, and Friday and Saturday 5 to midnight.
Now Open: Daikaya Izakaya |
Sneak Peek: NoPa Kitchen |
Creamy green broth blankets Thai-style mussels, served with toasted bread for soaking up the juices. Photographs by Jeff Elkins.
Whether you’re in the mood for an exotic white wine rabbit sausage, eggplant-based vegan Italian, or an old-fashioned brat, you’ll find them all at a new sausage shop: Fat Shorty’s, which opened this week in Clarendon.
We first broke the news back in February that restaurateur Aaron Gordon planned to transform his salad-and-sandwich concept, Rabbit, into a Belgian-inspired eatery serving sausages, mussels, and beer. The makeover is complete—you’ll now find long beer-hall-style tables, dangling string lights, antique meat grinders lining the walls, and a ten-seat outdoor patio for drinking oversize steins in the sun.
Fried chicken at GBD. Photograph courtesy of the Neighborhood Restaurant Group. All other photos by Andrew Propp.
Back before the fried-chicken-and-doughnut craze had fully hit Washington, the crew over at Birch & Barley/ChurchKey began toying with the two comfort foods. First came the Luther—essentially a sandwich that tucked some crispy bird between two doughnut “buns”—which attracted cultlike fans in droves on Friday and Saturday nights. More recently, in-the-know diners could order a limited number of off-menu fried chicken specials at ChurchKey—essentially a cafeteria tray loaded with different varieties of fried chicken, biscuits, and sides from chef Kyle Bailey, plus Tiffany MacIsaac’s fresh doughnuts. Now the training wheels are off, as GBD (Golden, Brown, Delicious) is poised to debut in Dupont on Friday with the two former specials as menu mainstays, plus so much more.
Morning muffins and bourbon-butterscotch doughnuts
While evening hours bring sit-down service and a bar scene, your first encounter with GBD will be in the morning. The shop opens at 8 AM for drip MadCap coffee and an array of sweets, which you can take to go or consume at one of the 50 seats inside. Pick from nearly a dozen varieties of brioche and cake doughnuts, ranging from classic (freshly fried with a vanilla glaze) to inventive combinations such as a bourbon-butterscotch round topped with house-made bacon, or a citrusy version filled with Key lime cream. A number of MacIsaac’s pastries from sister operation Buzz Bakery are also on display, such as scones and the carrot-zucchini “good morning muffin.” Heartier appetites can nab a fried chicken thigh sandwiched in a sweet potato biscuit with spicy honey.
Stephan Boillon and his crew designed the comfy 43-seat dining room themselves, building the tables from old doors and repurposed materials and hanging local art on the walls. Photographs by Jeff Elkins.
Food trucks and brick-and-mortar restaurants may sometimes go head to head vying for customers, but the two entities are far from mutually exclusive. Restaurateurs José Andrés and Darren Lee Norris have brought their food to the streets through Pepe and Kushi-moto, while the vendors behind Pleasant Pops, Porc Mobile, District Taco, and Seoul Food have all opened eateries after proving themselves on the streets. The most recent owner to make the move from truck to table: chef Stephan Boillon of El Floridano who just opened his first restaurant, Mothership, in Park View.
A view of the bar from the lounge at NoPa, where you can order classic cocktails and snacks or the full menu. Renderings courtesy of NoPa.
White-tablecloth French restaurants? So ’80s Washington. This spring it’s all about relaxed brasseries. April brings two of the biggest restaurant openings of the season, with Stephen Starr’s Le Diplomate primed for its debut on 14th Street within two weeks, and prolific local restaurateur Ashok Bajaj set to open his biggest project yet, NoPa Kitchen + Bar (800 F Street, Northwest). The latter is a more modern, American vision of the brasserie in Penn Quarter, which is slated to host its first guests on April 29. We got a peek at the interior through renderings provided by James Beard Award-nominated designer Martin Vahtra.
Gone are the shiny red surfaces, white walls, and other ’90s-esque trappings of former tenant Zola. Bajaj nearly gutted the inside of the circa-1875 structure, revealing original brickwork and wood moldings. To create an American eatery with French touches, Vahtra contrasted the almost 140-year-old foundation with modern industrial touches, and used a neutral color scheme that reflects the raw wood, brass, leather, and steel used throughout the space. The main dining room, divided into three connected sections, epitomizes the rustic-meets-modern feel with wood and brick walls, accent pieces such as a large gold-plated mirror, and burgundy leather banquettes.
In the main dining room at the Gryphon, flat-screen televisions contrast with rustic touches like leather chairs and chandeliers made from animal horns. Photographs by Jeff Elkins.
The Dupont neighborhood has no lack of sports bars, but if rowdy venues like Mad Hatter and Buffalo Billiards feel a bit too college-y for your taste, consider the Gryphon, the latest venture from the team behind Lost Society. As the mythological creature for which it’s named is part eagle and part lion, the new spot is a hybrid of sports bar and gastropub—the idea is to appeal to food fans as much as the crews who come to watch the game. Here’s what to expect.
