Image: Branson Decou, Breakfast in Paris (1945)

It is the sleepy days of August, interspersed with some torrential downpours.  This is generally our least favorite time of year.  But this year, despite everything, it doesn’t seem as grating.  Maybe getting to travel helped.  For those faithful few readers who stuck around, here is our weekly round-up of activity on our site and other news from the world of food and wine.

Updates to Recommended Restaurant List

Added:

Rumi’s Kitchen – Persian food near the convention center from an Atlanta-based mini-chain.

Cafe Riggs – New American touches for food rooted in the French tradition in a place that got a big upgrade just before it had to close the fancy new dining room.

Temporarily Closed:

Queen’s English is on a summer pause. Re-opening September 16.

News

The Popal family that owns Lapis (and the Berliner and Lutece) is collecting donations for Afghan refugees at Lapis and The Berliner during the week.  They are accepting specific items (not clothing), so check the list before you drop.

We are immensely excited that the Beuchert’s team has not given up on fine dining.  Eater reports they will be taking over the old Montmatre space to open Newland.

Call us snooty, but swapping out a Mission offshoot for El Centro is a like-for-like change.  Though Jane-Jane a block or so away looks a lot more interesting.

While waiting to get their union recognized (congratulations!), the Washingtonian team apparently ate a lot of beef.  The list is now online.  They also include a fish burger on their list, that somehow is not from Fishscale.

Two things to celebrate.  First, Chef Kwame Onwuachi’s Family Reunion event at the Salamander brought together an amazing collection of culinary talent from across the nation and the world (check out Anela Malik’s post).  We miss Kith/Kin, but we’re happy to see that he is finding success on a bigger stage.

The second thing to celebrate is a life well-lived.  Becky Wasserman went to Burgundy as a young woman to live in a small village.  In 1976 she got a job selling barrels and was sent on trips to California, luckily when that wine region (and use of French oak) was taking off.  She switched to wine exporting and became one of the great ambassadors of Burgundy wine (also overlapping a period when that region took off).  On Friday night, word spread that she had passed away.  This interview with Levi Dalton is a classic.

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That’s the news this week.  If you are looking for a place to eat be sure to check out our dining guide that has 300 plus recommended restaurants.  You can sort by cuisine, neighborhood, and current operating status (dine-in and/or take-out, etc.) in either LIST or MAP format.

Also consider giving us a follow so we don’t have to hunt you down every time we post something mildly interesting.  We are on FB, Insta, and Twitter.  Click on the icons at the top or bottom of this page.

Stay cool, stay safe. Get the jab, bring proof and a mask.  Tip big and don’t be a jerk to the staff.