For Immediate Release:
July 27, 2010


                                   DC Dish: What's New this Fall in Washington, DC


Just Opened:
Carmine’s
425 7th St. NW Washington, DC 20004 (202)737-7770
Grab the kids, pass the parmesan (and the vino), and get your stomach prepared, because Carmine’s is bringing a taste of New York-style Italian to DC. Designed to be Italian-American Wedding Feast Style, every meal is big enough for sharing – family style. With seafood, beef, chicken, veal and pasta dishes as entrees, there is loads of variety to choose from - eggplant parmigiana, rigatoni and linguini being typical dishes. The classic 1920s and 1940s interior boasts an old New York, American restaurant style. Restaurateur Artie Cutler's latest location opened August 3.

Buddha-Bar DC
455 Massachusetts Ave., NW Washington DC, 20001, (202) 377-5555
Buddha-Bar DC is now open a few blocks from the Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro stop.  Korean-born Executive Chef Chul Kee Ko is spearheading the menu which offers Pan-Asian cuisine with a touch of French influence.  A large bar with dim, orange lighting engulfs half of the restaurant while a large statue of Buddha overlooks the patrons. The seats are lined with elaborate Oriental fabrics that match the deep orange and dark mustard walls, while the chairs match the dark brown wood of the bar. Among the highlights of the menu are Curry Shrimp in Banana Leaves; Roasted Black Cod; Five Spices Chicken; Lacquered Pecking Duck; Wok Fried Beef with Bail along with an assortment of sushi and sashimi rolls for sharing.  A comprehensive wine list, premium sakes and artisanal cocktails are also available to complement the pan-Asian fare.

Morso
3277B M St. NW, Washington DC, 20007, (202)333-1032
Chef Ed Witt, from Food Network’s 2009 series “Chopped,” delivers a modern, seasonal spin on traditional Turkish cuisine at his new restaurant located in Georgetown. The restaurant is divided into two parts: one for quicker, lighter dining, and the other for sit-in meals. The smaller of the two parts of the restaurant, Morso Express, offers a menu of pidas (Middle Eastern pizzas), charcoal-grilled kebabs and wraps and offers a small seating area where diners can sit and eat or order to take-away. Next door, the larger, sit-in restaurant, Morso, offers a variety of Turkish-inspired soups, salads and hot and cold Meze (small plates).  Drink offerings include raki, cocktails, wine and beer. A large, curved bar and cozy, modern seating fill the restaurant, while ambient lighting adds to a hip, yet relaxed atmosphere.

Point Chaud Café & Crepes
1736 7th St. NW, Washington, DC, 20009, (202)588-8877
Un petit restaurant with bright blue and orange walls has just snuck up on Washington DC, bringing a taste of French deliciousness with it. With French music bouncing off the lively-colored walls and little bistro tables with wicker chairs, Point Chaud Café & Crepes brings a cozy sense of Paris to 7th Street. Algerian-owned with more than 70 offerings, both sweet and savory, there are authentic flavors for literally everyone. The crepes can be served with fresh, hot coffee and cappuccinos, while customers choose from varieties such as Nutella, honey and bananas, or from proteins, cheeses and veggies. The café boasts free Wi-Fi, outdoor seating and friendly prices for everyone.

Dickson Wine Bar
903 U St. NW, Washington, DC 20001 (202)332-1779
This trendy establishment just opened its doors in the vibrant U St. corridor of Washington, DC. Owned and run by locals, this hip restaurant headlines its organically-grown veggies and organic beers and wines. From appetizers like seasoned marcona almonds to delectable salads, charcuterie, cheeses and flatbreads, Dickson Wine Bar is the perfect trendy place for a first date. Dickson Wine Bar boasts over 700 organic wines to choose from, 4 organic beers and a selection of delicious natural and organic foods. The menu houses a variety of small plates to choose from, while providing a cozy, modern and funky but upscale ambiance. The eclectic nook of a restaurant, housed in a three-story brick building, is decorated with bottles of wine that line the walls, and offers a cozy, intimate, yet friendly atmosphere.

Meridian Pint
3400 11th St. NW, Washington, DC 20010 (202) 588-1075
Columbia Heights residents have just discovered a new way to stimulate the American economy – by drinking beer. Meridian Pint has opened its doors as the first DC restaurant to have self-serve beer taps – all from local or American breweries. Choose from about 27 all-American beers on the menu ranging from light lagers and fruit beers to cask conditioned ales and Czech Pilsners. The American pub-grub menu caters to both vegans and carnivores alike, offering a variety of soups, salads, sandwiches and entrees from ribs and chicken to veggies and cous cous. On the ground floor, a dining room with plain wooden tables, floors and pro-American posters bring a taste of Americana to the pub-like atmosphere. Downstairs is the ultimate man-cave with a fully-stocked bar and a couple of pool tables that allow for male (and female!) comradery at its finest. Six-person booths line the walls and display the shiny new self-serve beer taps. To start the beer flowing, one must signal the waiter to turn on the spigot and pour away. The taps are on a charge-by-the-ounce system and there are drawings nearby to illustrate how to pour the perfect pint. Ahh, the taste of freedom - full-on American style. And in this economy, every beer helps.

Estadio
1520 14th St. NW, Washington, DC 20005 (202)319-1404
You can’t exactly run through the streets with the bulls or feel a warm, salty breeze off the Mediterranean Sea in DC, but you can get a taste for modern Spanish cuisine at Estadio, opened July 13th on 14th St. NW. With small snack plates (pinxtos), tapas plates and small entree dishes (raciones), there is something for every level of hungry. From Spanish quesos (cheeses) and embuditos (charcuterie) to breads baked in-house for canapés (montaditos) and sandwiches (bocadillos), you can eat like a true Spaniard right here in DC. Although we may not have room for lavish vineyards in our bustling metropolis, Estadio imports over 200 wines - 90% of them from the Spanish wine regions like Ribera del Duero and Andalusia. For a cool, icy kick, try the “slushitos,” blended frozen alcoholic drinks that will put any ordinary “slushie” to shame. If that’s not enough to make you feel like you’re dining in the heart of Barcelona or Madrid, the reclaimed 19th century Spanish tiles, flamenco and bullfighter wall murals and the timber tables should do the trick. A 19-seat concrete bar invites you to cool off with a slushito or heat things up with some succulent Spanish wine. To top it off, a 14-seat marble counter overlooking the kitchen allows you to enjoy the taste of Spain from the best seat in the house. 

Agora
17th St. Neighborhood. 1527 17th St. NW (202) 332-6767
Get ready for some Greek-Turkish fusion on 17th Street. With yogurt dishes, Turkish and Greek ingredients such as peppers, feta, olives and figs, the taste at Agora is purely Aegean. Meat dishes with lamb and Turkish beef, seafood dishes, pita meals and flatbreads baked fresh in-house make delightful meals to satisfy your taste for something different. Tapas-style plates are reasonably priced ($5 – 10 per plate), so you can try many different, unique combinations. The bar boasts 6 types of raki and cocktails with Turkish ingredients like fig.  An outdoor patio with plenty of seating makes Agora the perfect place to dine on a warm summer or autumn night.


Opening Soon:

Cuba Libre Restaurant and Rum Bar
Fall 2010 – 801 9th St. NW Washington, DC 20001
Set to open in the fall of 2010, Cube Libre Restaurant and Rum Bar will bring a taste of Old Havana to downtown's Penn Quarter. An imaginative Cuban menu features the flavors of various Latin regions and combines beef, poultry, pork and seafood with exotic fruits and vegetables, herbs and seasonings. The dishes recognize the diversity of the Cuban people, reaching beyond the dominant Spanish influence to represent the native Tainos, as well as the African, Asian and Haitian-Creole peoples that have inhabited Cuba for centuries. On Friday and Saturday nights during late dinner hours, the eatery, which also has locations in Atlantic City, Philadelphia and Orlando, heats up with Latin rhythms as professional salsa dancers perform colorful floor shows. After dinner hours the resident DJ spin Salsa, Meringue, Bachata and other Latin dance music to keep guests heading to the dance floor well into the night.

Merzi
415 7th St. NW Washington, DC 20004 – 2010
A new casual Indian restaurant is opening in Penn Quarter later this year. The name “Merzi” means choice, and the menu offers a wide variety of dishes. Founder and CEO of Merzi, Quaiser Kazmi, has put a contemporary twist on classic Indian flavors. Dishes served on Naan Roll with meat and veggies, Basmati rice bowls, salads and Chaat – a blend of onions, peppers, corn, tomatoes, other veggies and yogurt with a chutney sauce – are headliners on the menu. Diners can choose from a variety of sauces to spice up their entrees or try their taste buds with two intriguing and distinctive beverages – one, a mango yogurt juice and the other, a “faloodalicious drink” which consists of nuts, raisins, jell-o and is compiled into a sort of milkshake. With its variety of tasty Indian classics with a modern spin, Merzi will be a spicy new addition to the Penn Quarter.

Crumbs Cupcakes
604 11th St. NW Washington, DC 20001 – Late Summer 2010
And Train Concourse at Union Station, Washington, DC 20002
Cupcakemania is sweeping through our capital city, and the nation, bringing with it loads of tasty new cupcake bakeries – even ones on wheels! Instead of drooling at the thought of little, delectable, sugar-loaded treats, be sure to stop by for a quick nibble or a lengthy chomp at Crumbs, one of the new cupcake bakeries in town. With two new locations opening soon in DC, and plans of at least five DC locations in total, you won’t be without a sugar-fix – no matter where you are in the city. Crumbs offers more than 50 varieties with outrageous combinations, and 4 sizes – from bite-sized (Taste) to almost cake-sized (Colossal). From cookie dough, cookies 'n cream, s'mores and cappuccino to caramel apple, cosmo and cotton candy, the flavor variety is enough to keep you coming back again and again (and again!). Order a Signature Pack of 6 and mix and match cupcakes, or choose from a variety of 6-pack options like the “College Care Pack” or the “Girl’s Night Out” pack (complete with cosmo and margarita-flavored cupcakes).The best part is, you can taste the succulent cupcakes right in your own home because Crumbs delivers!


Sprinkles Cupcake
Fall 2010 – 3015 M St. NW Washington, DC 20007
 A new and exciting cupcake bakery is coming to town, and not just any cupcake bakery, but the world’s first cupcake bakery is about to open its first DC location in the fall of 2010 in Georgetown. With huge success in its birthplace in Beverly Hills, California, Sprinkles is bringing its superior ingredients such as Belgian Chocolate, Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla and the finest, freshest fruits and citrus zests to the DC area. From classic flavors such as red velvet, milk chocolate and vanilla to exciting specialty flavors such as key lime, lemon coconut and chai latte, Sprinkles brings simple, delectable treats to Georgetown. The cupcakes are packaged as gifts, decorated for parties or weddings, or are served to a single customer with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee. Sprinkles also offers a selection of gluten-free and vegan cupcakes.