14th Street Becoming Restaurant Row: Slew of Restaurant News

A French restaurant, a cousin to Estadio, a sister to Ted's Bulletin, a new Matchbox, and Rogues States burgers 2.0.

What do these places all have in common? They all might be on their way to 14th Street.



Lydia DePillis, the City Paper's crack Housing Complex reporter, unleashed a slew of news today about new restaurants coming to the neighborhood. Perhaps the biggest piece of news out of all of them is that the notorious "Shirt Laundry" building at 14th and Q, which had been slated to become an Italian restaurant until high renovation and environmental remediation costs got the better of the Whisk Group, is set to become Parc, a French brasserie from Philadelphia-based Starr Restaurant Group. The apparently deep-pocketed Starr Group is undeterred by the high clean-up costs of the desirable space, and those of you who have strolled by the building recently may have notice that the posters, stickers and handbills have all been sraped away. No timeline that I'm aware of, but I would expect movement there shortly.

Up the street and across the block, DePillis is also reporting that two restaurants are close to signing leases in the new District Condos building, although JBG's James Nozar isn't confirming anything yet. First, Mark Kuller of Proof and Estadio is said to be signing on for a space there, while the owners of Barracks Row's Ted's Bulletin will be opening up a companion restaurant there as well.

Moving up the street a bit more, local pizza joint Matchbox will be filling the space that was formerly the home of the Arena Stage warehouse at 14th and T. And, just to top things off, Raymond Mendizabal--whose Rogue States burger spot in Dupont ran into a bit of trouble with the Steptoe & Johnson law firm--will be opening up the new iteration of his burger spot, Black and Orange, at 1931 14th Street NW, near the intersection of 14th and U.

Combined with the recent announcement of the arrival of Taylor Gourmet sandwich shop, Jeff Black's Pearl Dive Oyster Palace and BlackJack Bar at 1612 14th Street, and the still-anticipated Italian Cinema Restaurant down the block...well, is 14th Street going to be anything other than a row of restaurants and furniture stores?

"Estadio" Opening Soon

Those of you looking forward to getting some Spanish tapas here in Logan won't have to wait much longer.

Estadio, the new venture from Proof-owner Mark Kuller, is set to open its doors soon (although a promised opening date by "the end of the month" seems unlikely). Estadio, which will be located in the former Garden District space at 14th and Church streets, will feature contemporary Spanish cuisine focused on the northern part of the country. And since it is a creation of the team behind Penn Quarter's Proof, you also know that Estadio will feature an extensive wine list--over 300 wines, in fact, many of them Spanish.


(If you've walked by their space during the last week or so, you know that this pic is a bit outdated. Sorry, I hadn't been by with a camera for awhile.)

According to a release sent out by the restaurant, chef Haidar Karoum's menu will feature a variety of pintxos (small snacks) ranging in price from $3-$6, traditional tapas from $5-$11, and smaller entrees from $12-$19. Of particular interest to those of you (like us) who complain about the frequently crummy bread served with meals at restaurants throughout the area, all of the bread served at Estadio will be baked fresh on the premises.

One final bit of trivia for those interested in such minutiae: the space Estadio is moving into wasn't originally designed to house a restaurant, and had to be retrofitted with an exhaust fan in order to make it work--no small investment.

No firm opening date yet, but from the looks of the interior of the restaurant, they're between 1-2 weeks out. Keep watching www.estadio-dc.com for a firm opening date.

It's official: "Estadio" coming to Logan

Is 14th Street becoming THE dining destination in the city?  It's appearing that way as the onslaught of restaurants moving into the 14th Street corridor continues.  

We made mention a couple of weeks ago that the team from Penn Quarter wine bar "Proof" were looking to set up shop in Logan, and it seems today that the move finally became official, as the "For Lease" sign has come down from the window in their new space, and the ABRA hearing notice has been posted.






















"Estadio" will be opening in the space formerly occupied by the Garden District at 14th and Church streets, across the street from soon-to-open wine market "Cork and Fork".

The 125-seat establishment, which will be looking for a late sprint/early summer 2010 opening, will be an upscale restaurant serving Spanish cuisine.  Considering that the Proof guys are behind this, it's a safe bet that the wine selection will be top notch as well.

Operating hours are completely non-threatening, with a proposed 1 AM closing time during the week and 1:45 AM on Fridays and Saturdays, so hopefully the VA agreement negotiations with the ANC will go smoothly.

"Proof" team coming to Logan; Birch & Barley opening next week?

A quick bit of restaurant news to pass along: it seems that the team behind trendy Penn Quarter wine bar Proof are headed to Logan. They are planning to open a Spanish-themed restaurant called "Prado" that is current unnamed in the space at 14th and S streets formerly occupied by the Garden District (before they moved across the street). No word on how much of a focus wine will be at this new establishment, but if Proof is any indication, it will feature a fine selection.

No opening date has yet been set for the new establishment.

With Cork already firmly entrenched, and the forthcoming Cork Market and Cork and Fork, is 14th Street becoming the city's hangout for oenophiles?

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In other restaurant-related news, nothing's official yet, but...we have received a tip that the folks behind the long-awaited Birch & Barley and ChurchKey--the restaurant and beer-themed bistro, respectively--set to move into the former Dakota Cowgirl space are aiming for a soft opening as early as next week. If you've been by the space recently, you see that they're putting the finishing touches on the interior, while staff training is commencing as well.

Anyone who has followed these two establishments knows that there have been several false starts, so any discussions of opening dates should be taken with several grains of salt. However, the opening date does appear to be imminent, and who knows...they might be able to coax a couple more pleasant evenings out of the weather in order to test drive their rooftop deck.