The same folks at Mess Hall who brought you Ramen World and Blazed & Glazed are at it again with another event series: New Kitchens on the Block (a.k.a NKOTB), which brings together seven yet-to-open restaurant concepts on Sunday, July 31.
“We want to give the general public what everyone wants—something they can’t have,” says Mess Hall founder Al Goldberg.
The lineup includes chefs at various stages in their careers, and concepts that range from ongoing pop-ups like Shadowlawn by former Fiola chef Stefano Frigerio, to Marjorie Meek-Bradley’s Smoked & Stacked, which will open in Shaw this summer. Also in the mix: a yet-to-be-announced eatery from veteran restaurateur Jeff Black (Pearl Dive, Black Salt et al.). The Black camp is keeping mum for now, but details are expected soon.
Tickets for the event are available now for two sessions: noon to 2 pm and 3 to 5 pm ($65 general admission; $95 VIP), and include eats, cocktails, and beers from a variety of participants. Hey, it’s summertime.
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.
