Image: Jaromír Funke  – Staircase of Old Prague (1924)

This week was light posting of new content from us.  So we re-posted some favorites about how much to tip and where to take Charlize Theron for dinner in D.C.  We’ll build back up to a regular pace in a week when school pulls D.C. back from recess vacations.   There was, however, a lot of news in the dining world this week.  Here’s the week in review on the site:

Changes to the Recommended Restaurant List:

Removed – Maison Kayser.   The New York-based shop came in strong to D.C. with two stores, then decided to pull the plug.

Wine:

Schneider’s of Capitol Hill – This week we finished our initial survey of great D.C. neighborhood wine shops by highlighting this institution.

News:

There was a slew of news this week:

A long-time favorite, Bibiana is closing.  Owner Ashok Bajaj is going to give the place a make-over and reopen in September as Modena.  He is also bring Chef John Melfi back into the fold to run the place.  Melfi’s credits include a lauded stint at the Oval Room.

In a strange twist, Hanumanh, a place we recently added, is temporarily relocating to the basement bar below Doi Moi.  There were some repairs needed to their place.  Hopefully it will be back and at full strength soon.

There is another Doi Moi connection to some of the biggest news.  The brilliant team that created and opened Himitsu has decided to part ways.  Carlie Steiner bought out chef Kevin Tien.  Tien is opening a new spot on Capitol Hill called Emilie’s.  Steiner has planted deep roots in Petworth with the opening of Dos Mamis.  The plan is for Tien to cook into September then turn the reins over to Amanda Moll, who was most recently sous chef at Doi Moi.

Finally, Downtown legend The Greek Deli celebrates 30 years.  In the Washingtonian story, owner Kostas Fostieris recalls: “There’s really no comparing it to how I started. I started this deli serving meatballs and pita, and now every day I have different specials. This space is so small that every morning I need to get a fresh food delivery and I do my specials around what we get.”