Image: Jean-Paul Belmondo (1933 – 2021).
This week on our site we added only one new place to our dining guide, and there is much news in the D.C. dining world. But first we must note a passing. Soon after we started this site up we started using old pictures, mostly black and white and often of old movie stars, for our week in review posts by adding a witty (?) caption. Most of those pictured have passed away, but not all. This week we pay tribute to Jean-Paul Belmondo, star of the French New Wave, who died at the age of 88. No witty caption imposed on the photo this week.
As for the week in review, we added a D.C. outpost of a Maryland BBQ phenom, and there is mixed news on the economic health of restaurants.
Updates to Recommended Restaurant List
Added:
2fifty’s – The counter at Union Market offers up a reduced, but tasty selection from the Maryland mothership.
News
Two more Neighborhood Restaurant Group places, Churchkey and Birch & Barley, will be coming back online in November. Jarrad Silver, the chef that was reviving B&B prior to shutdown has moved on to other projects. NRG, which owns several fine dining spots in the area is bringing in a new chef from Denver. They also will do retail beer sales.
Thirsty Crow, the basement bar beneath the excellent Makan re-opened.
Chefs Stopping AAPI Hate, a group founded by Kevin Tien, is hosting a dinner at Moon Rabbit to raise money for Afghan refugees. Slots are full, but there is a waitlist. And you can always just donate without getting food in return.
The team behind Thamee, who are active Chefs Stopping AAPI Hate are also shedding light on what is going on in Burma.
Laura Hayes talked to the team behind Tail Up Goat and Reveler’s Hour about the current state of restaurants in D.C. The team was very forthcoming about the precarious financial state the restaurants are in, especially Reveler’s Hour, which did not receive funds from the Restaurant Revitalization Fund. We are not out of the woods yet in more ways than one. As we’ve been saying for a while, support what you want to see on the other side of all of this.
Food & Wine Magazine named two local chefs to their Best New Chefs 2021 list. Pastry chef Paola Velez, who co-founded Bakers Against Racism and recently left Maydan, and Anju’s Angel Barreto.
There is a D.C. punk band whose songs center around food.
Rick of Rick Eats DC made his annual trip to the Minnesota State Fair to relish in all things fried.
Tom swooned over Oyster Oyster. Pandemic Tom seems more generous, which we applaud. Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Post, Lisa Bonos used a meal at The French Laundry to do a sociological inquiry. We applaud the enterprise journalism and hope she got the whole thing covered by Bezos. As long as we are skimming through the Post, we love the G. Daniela Galarza story about a woman calling BS on a chef on a date for using the Marcella Hazan sauce recipe without giving credit.
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Summer played a bit a of a head-fake, but sunny and warm weather look to be around for the coming week, so still time to sit outside and dine, maybe without even a sweater. If you are in Washington, D.C. or thinking about coming, be sure to check out our dining guide. With 300 plus recommended restaurants that you can sort by cuisine, neighborhood, and current operating status (dine-in and/or take-out, etc.) in either LIST or MAP format.
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Stay cool, stay safe. Get the jab, bring proof and a mask. Tip big and don’t be a jerk to the staff.