•Chef Richard Sandoval, owner of Penn Quarter’s Latin/Asian Zengo and a dozen other restaurants nationwide, opened his second local spot this week at Tysons Corner Center. The Mexican La Sandia, which has a twin restaurant in Denver, offers more traditional flavors than Zengo, but the colorful dining room tries to bring some swank to the mall location. A festive opening party last weekend featured a mariachi band and a neverending parade of tasty margaritas, strawberry agua frescas, pork carnitas, and tiny fish tacos. At the end of the night, Sandoval and his business partner, celebrated tenor Placido Domingo, made an appearance.
•Frank Bruni of the New York Times gives three stars to Momofuku Ko, the latest New York restaurant from Northern Virginia native and Georgetown Prep grad David Chang. Not that Chang really needed any more good press to fill Ko’s twelve stools—it’s possibly the most buzzed-about restaurant in the country right now, with people fighting tooth-and-nail for reservations on the online-only system. We knew a review was around the corner after Bruni documented his many futile attempts—and eventual success—last month on the Times' Diner’s Journal blog.
•Chef Tom Power’s new Corduroy—transplanted from a dull Sheraton on K street to a charming rowhouse near the Convention Center—is open for business and already getting the predictable raves from his cult of online foodie fans. Devout Power fans practically waited outside for the doors to open, and immediately reported back to Kliman Online, Ask Tom, and Donrockwell.com.
•The Examiner reports on a new DC law that allows restaurants to re-cork wine and place it in a plastic bag for diners to take home. Up until now, ABC regulations prohibited carrying out leftovers. Councilman Marion Barry, of all people, points out one of the many benefits of doggy bags for vino: “"If you buy a very expensive bottle of wine and you can’t carry it with you, you tend to drink it. And you may get drunk. And then you’re out there driving while drunk.”
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