The pork/barbecue fad isn’t slowing down anytime soon. The Washington Post shares news that the guys behind Pork Barrel BBQ plan to open a chain of five restaurants over the next two years (their first location in Del Ray is slated for September, while their barbecue-scented cologne—that’s right—is already on the market). Prince of Petworth expands on his earlier report that the upstairs bar at Asylum is being converted to a beer, barbecue, and bourbon den called the Smoke Barrel. And Eater notes that the Eat Well DC restaurant group plans to open a “nose-to-tail” swine-centric spot in the Logan Circle neighborhood. Fittingly, they’re calling it the Pig. Holy bacon!
Eater broke the story that Neapolitan pizza guru Dino Santonicola is out at Bethesda’s three-month-old Pizzeria da Marco. Seems that was news to both the public and the restaurant’s GM, who said that he had “no knowledge” of Santicola’s plans. Read more about Pizzeria da Marco here.
In other chef moves, Frozen Tropics had a short scoop over the weekend that chef Adam Stein is out of the kitchen at H Street gastropub the Queen Vic. We followed up with Stein about his plans going forward, which include helping out with the opening of the Big Board, a burger joint that’s also on H Street. British chef Ian Reeves is set to take over the kitchen at the Queen Vic.
More New York imports are headed this way, this time in the form of the low-calorie, fro-yo-like “dairy dessert” put out by Tasti-D-Lite. The City Paper reveals the chain’s plans to open its first location in Dupont in September.
Washington Post critic Tom Sietsema shared news on his weekly chat that “famously droll” restaurateur Peter Pastan will open a bakery behind the small winery he co-owns in California. The Obelisk and 2 Amys proprietor will put out several kinds of bread and hopes to sell products at two local farmers markets. Sietsema noted another DC connection: the winery “sits in the shadow of the federal prison that housed a few Watergate conspirators.”
ARLnow has details on the legal battle between Kitty O’Shea’s owner Danny McFadden and his landlord, who is forcing the pub to close for good this weekend. McFadden is still gunning for a day in court, and is checking out spaces to relocate the watering hole. Grab a parting Guinness before the doors are locked on Sunday.
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Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. He was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Washington City Paper. He lives in Del Ray.
