Ah, we love the constant flow of new restaurants into the DowntownDC BID area. The one now getting the most buzz was just identified after several days of speculation. According to theWashington Business Journal, the John Buck Co., the full-service corporate real estate firm, is converting the historic, 175,000-square-foot Union Trust Building (740 15th Street) into a 454-seat restaurant. Guess what’s coming? Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak and Stone Crab, which has locations in Chicago and Las Vegas.
The restaurant will reportedly cover the basement and first and second floors of the building, occupying 18,000 SF, and have a total occupancy of nearly 800. Wow! This means it would seat more guests than The Hamilton (600 14th Street) and Carmine’s (425 7th Street), two Downtown restaurants with the city’s largest year-round seating capacity! The Hamilton, however, still will have more square footage—37,000 SF. Joe’s Seafood will be located a block from the White House, on the southwest corner of 15th and H streets, a prime tourist spot.
Opening later this month: NoPa Bar + Kitchen (800 F Street), a new concept by Ashok Bajaj, owner of 701 (701 Pennsylvania Avenue), Bibiana Osteria-Enoteca (1100 New York Avenue), and Rasika (633 D Street). The brasserie, whose name is short for “north of Pennsylvania Avenue,” will be in space once occupied by Zola in the International Spy Museum Building. Shake Shack, the New York-based burger chain, will also open there this summer, replacing Spy City Café, which closed last year.
Also look out for Casa Luca (1099 New York Avenue), a chef Fabio Trabocchi creation. The 130-seat restaurant is scheduled to open in June and will differ from Trabocchi’s high-end Fiola (678 Indiana Avenue) Italian restaurant. Expect a more casual, family-friendly osteria offering simple pastas, vegetables, grilled fish and meat. Casa Luca will reside in the former Againn space, which the gastro pub vacated in November.
Ready for another? Then add Flight (777 6th Street) to your soon-to-check-out list. Come September, the upscale restaurant and wine bar will open next to the Corner Bakery, where it plans to seat 71 diners and offer a 24-seat sidewalk café. No word yet on the type of cuisine to be served, only that it will be “fresh, seasonal and locally sourced.” The owners are also requesting approval to offer live entertainment for special occasions. Once online, Flight will help fill in the 6th Street corridor, also now home to Graffiato (707 6th Street) and Daikaya (705 6th Street).
In case you missed it, Taylor Gourmet (624 E Street) opened for business last month and Potbelly (726 7th Street) closed. Taylor Gourmet is the Italian deli and market specializing in authentic hoagies and market goods; it replaces Meatballs, the short-lived casual eatery. Lime Fresh Mexican Grill will replace Potbelly, which has about a half dozen locations spread throughout Downtown.