Fab Food Finds
Photo: Nycci Nellis @ Frankly Pizza
Area restaurants have twisted and turned, they wear their masks, and when necessary socially distance — they are also continuously rolling out new dishes, menus, and delish ways to sip and sup:
All Set Restaurant & Bar
All Set Restaurant & Bar is offering a new exclusively vegetarian and vegan menu for lunch and dinner services on Tuesdays. New menu items by Money Muscle include a smoked mushroom sandwich, a smoked mushroom risotto, Nashville hot eggplant sandwich, and more. 8630 Fenton Street, Plaza 5, Silver Spring, MD; 301.495.8800; allsetrestaurant.com
NEW: Bastille
Bastille is offering a special five-course $110 prix fixe menu on Wednesday, September 29th at 6 pm. The meal, which includes wine pairings, begins with rock shrimp beignets with yogurt harissa sauce; crab-crawfish cake with spicy roasted pepper coulis and slaw; sea scallops with eggplant caponata and espelette emulsion and moullard duck magret with long Pepper Sauce. 606 N. Fayette Street in Alexandria, VA; 703.519.3776; bastillerestaurant.com
NEW: Bisnonna Bakeshop
“The DreamStart Competition” was launched this past May to provide a unique opportunity for a brand, product, service, food vendor, maker, or idea to win free rent inside Tysons Corner Center; with the goal of providing a launchpad and an incubator for their business brand. Grand Prize Winner Bisnonna Bakeshop, a local traditional Italian bakery based in Annandale, specializes in classic Italian pastries most notably their signature cannoli that is always rolled, shaped, and filled by hand. Tysons Corner Center, Virginia 22102; 703.831.7815; bisnonnabakeshop.com
NEW: Chaia
Chaia is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month by highlighting the culture and people who inspire their food. Some of their new menu items include brussel sprout quesadilla, cumin-roasted cauliflower taco, and more. 3207 Grace Street NW; chaiatacos.com
NEW: Chicken Pot Pie -A-Thon
First-time restaurateur, chef Jenn Crovato joined the board of directors for the non-profit organization, Georgetown Main Street [GMS], helping support the economic vitality of other small business owners. It was in this spirit that she launched, during the pandemic, the first-annual Chicken Pot Pie-a-thon, in the fall of 2020. The initiative raised over $5,000. This year, the second annual Chicken Pot Pie-a-thon will take pre-orders between October 25, 2021 - November 7, 2021 - with a portion of the proceeds supporting GMS and its substantive programming. Each 23-ounce Chicken Pot Pie is made loaded with roasted chicken, peas, carrots, shiitake mushrooms, celery, Spinach, and a butter crust. georgetownmainstreet.com
Cracked Eggery
The Cracked Eggery, which started on a single propane griddle then moved to a food truck, has now opened a restaurant in Clevland Park. All sandwiches are served on Lyon Bakery, toasted challah buns which adds more flavor to the classic egg sandwich. Menu Offerings include The Cracked Burger (LaFrieda beef a 2 patty griddle burger, American & cheddar cheese, cracked Bacon, pickles, white onions, and cracked sauce), and more. 3420 Connecticut Avenue NW; crackedeggery.co
Foraged
This summer, while celebrating the first harvest at his Freeland, Md. farm, Chef Chris Amendola is prepping a stretch of adjacent woodland to bear fruit in the future as an edible forest. Acquired during early spring in 2021, Amendola has filled the woodland at his home with transplanted pawpaw trees, ramp rhizomes, mulberries and ostrich ferns, and inoculated mature native hardwoods with mushroom spore. The early harvest at the farm has already seen collards, kale, peas, radishes, squash, tomatoes, and wineberries, as well as edible flowers like bachelor buttons, marigolds and calendula, head to the restaurant from the farm. 3520 chestnut avenue Baltimore, MD; 410.235.0035foragedeatery.com
NEW: Foxtrot Market
Foxtrot Market has launched a new cafe menu. The menu features a rotating selection of craft sandwiches like The Mike (a Chicago-style Italian sub with meats and cheese, giardiniera, sport peppers, tomatoes and celery salt), and The Justin (a classic Fromage and fig topped with arugula, vinegar and yuzu preserves). 1267 Wisconsin Avenue NW; 202.352.8686; foxtrotco.com
NEW: Happy Ice Cream
Ben’s Handmade Ice Cream has officially got their own cart, and they are scooping his handmade ice creams and sourdough waffle cones Tuesday-Saturday in front of Happy Gyro. They have four flavors on scoop each night, plus much more available by the pint. 1509 17th Street NW; happygyrotogo.square.site
NEW: Milkbar
Milk Bar has launched brand new seasonal treats for fall. Taking the classic fall favorite, apple cider, they have remixed it on their menu with apple cider doughnuts (Made with spiced doughnut cake, apple cider jam, and creamy frosting with doughnut sugar topping mixed right in) and apple cider cake truffles. 1525 15th Street NW; 202.506.1357; milkbarstore.com
NEW: Nick’s Riverside Grill
Nick’s is featuring Detroit-style pizza. The thick-crust pies are baked in blue-steel pans and served in four flavors including Margherita (topped with fresh mozzarella, basil, and cherry tomatoes), classic pepperoni (a unique take of shrimp scampi), and pork & fennel sausage (drizzled with parmesan and provolone cheese). 3050 K Street NW; 202.342.3535; nicksriversidegrill.com
NEW: NRG Provisions Oktoberfest
NRG Provisions is celebrating Oktoberfest with Bavarian food and drink. They’ve got pretzels, bier cheese, spaetzle, schnitzel, märzens, rieslings and a whole lot more. They are also featuring beer specials like Das Beer (Rothaus Tannenzäpfle German Pilsner, DC Brau Oktoberfest Märzen, Firestone Walker Oaktoberfest Märzen, and more) and Das Wine ( Maximin Grünhaus Riesling Sekt Brut, Georg Albrecht Schneider Niersteiner Paterberg Kabinett, and more). nrgprovisions.com
NEW: Old Town Pour House
Old Town Pour House is offering several Oktoberfest specials for those wanting to celebrate the beloved German tradition. Featured menu offerings include chicken schnitzel (breaded chicken breast, fried egg, Pilsner Düsseldorf aioli, hefeweizen braised slaw, and Kaiser roll), Spaetzle (house-made herb spaetzle, hefeweizen Mornay, braised pork belly, caramelized onions, and brown butter breadcrumbs), and more. 212 Ellington Boulevard, Gaithersburg, MD; 301.963.6281; oldtownpourhouse.com
NEW: Pizza Paradiso
Every Wednesday throughout September, Pizzeria Paradiso will offer a special Back to School pizza special. Customers who purchase a large pizza of their choice can add on a second small Paradiso pizza (tomato & mozzarella) for $5. The promotion will be offered at all locations. Continuing its series of highlighting local produce and farmers, Pizzeria Paradiso has added a specialty corn pizza to its menu for the month of September. Available across all Pizzeria Paradiso locations, the pizza comes topped with a summer corn succotash, Grana Padano, Virginia Country ham, and an herb aioli. 4850 Massachusetts Avenue NW; 202.885.9101; eatyourpizza.com
Rose’s at Home
Rose’s is offering October dinner parties with limited dates available. The dinner parties take place in your home, and you can choose between Rose’s Luxury menus or Pineapple Pearls menu. Rose’s will bring the chefs, glassware, and even the playlists! Book now before it’s too late. rosesathome.com
The Lane
The Lane, a family-friendly social space providing a modern and stylish environment for families with young children to play, learn, relax, and eat has launched a new all-day café menu featuring food and drinks for children and adults. The newly expanded café menu features breakfast, lunch and healthy snacks alongside a full coffee program and local beer from Atlas Brewery, DC Brau and Anxo Cidery. Wine and cocktails are on offer as well. House-made breakfast and lunch sandwiches, smoothies as well as salads and snacks round out the menu. 1408 Okie Street NE; 202.656.1105; thelanesocialclub.com
NEW: The Point
The Point has opened up a sushi bar that features Sashimi (fresh raw fish) to Uramaki (rice on the outside) and Maki (seaweed on the outside). Guests can look forward to salmon sashimi, spicy tuna rolls, and more. 2100 2nd Street S.W; 202.948.2522; thepointdc.com
