Since opening in late February, Dupont sandwich joint Bub and Pop’s has been the kind of place to roll up your sleeves and dig into a braised beef brisket sandwich dripping with jus (great for soaking up the booze on weekend nights, when it’s open until 3 AM). Still, it’s obvious chef and co-owner Jon Taub aspires to more than stuffed hoagies—note the jars of seasonal pickles displayed across the counter, and the fact that nearly everything on the menu gets prepped in house. The next step: Bub’s Sunday Table, a monthly supper club where Taub transforms the counter-order eatery into a dining room to serve an 11-course tasting menu to a dozen guests. “People come in late night [on Saturday] and they’re fighting outside, and the next day we have foie gras ballotines,” says Taub.
Taub hosted the first in the series for a private party this week. Guests started off with dishes such as Kumamoto oysters and potatoes topped with crème fraîche and caviar before moving on to eight courses that included Kobe beef tartar, halibut with prosciutto and heirloom vegetables, and escargots slow-cooked in red wine, veal jus, and bacon. Upcoming menus remain in the works, but Taub says to expect a classic tasting menu progression with hors d’oeuvres, hot and cold appetizers, fish and meat courses, cheese, desserts, and petit fours, all paired with cocktails, wine, and other beverages. A background in French cuisine comes into play—Taub’s résumé includes stints at the Ritz-Carlton, Adour, and Philadelphia’s Lacroix—but you won’t necessarily find a strictly European menu. Prices will also vary with the menus, but Taub estimates that most dinners (with pairings) will run $200 a head, comparable to tastings at Komi and CityZen.
There’s no set date yet for the next dinner, but Taub plans to release more information about the upcoming Sunday Table by the end of the week. In the meantime, you’ll find additions to the homey Bub and Pop’s fare, such as house-made ice cream sandwiches and fried peanut butter and jelly, perfect for that 2 AM crowd.
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.
