Neighborhood Eats: Crios, Chilango Opening; The Guards Closing?

• August 2nd 2012

by Rebecca Cooper

Good news for people who like Mexican food; this week’s column brings you not one but two new DC Mexican restaurant openings, as well as some other new restaurants coming down the pike and a possible closure of a DC institution.

Open: The former Vento space at 2120 P Street NW officially became Crios Modern Mexican as the spacious spot opened to the public on Monday. The restaurant — whose owners are the same as neighboring Scion restaurant — is offering half price margaritas through Friday to celebrate. The menu includes the restaurant’s twist on Mexican classics including tacos of Dr. Pepper pork carnitas and turkey hash, as well as novel entrees such as salmon with a pepita pesto.

For those that like their Mexican a little more no-nonsense and traditional, slide by Tacos El Chilango on V Street NW (map) later this week for a taste of some authentic al pastor or tongue tacos. The Arlington-based food truck’s first brick and mortar store soft-opened on Wednesday, according to DC Urban Daddy, and will have a grand opening next week. They’re keeping it super simple to start, with just their various taco offerings and some agua frescas, including horchata.

Opening…soon: World of Beer, Ballston’s newest choice for beer-tastic restaurants, opens Monday at 901 Glebe Road, according to ARLnow. Joining Rock Bottom, Rustico, Greene Turtle and others in the neighborhood, the Florida chain will have a beer list 500-deep with 50 rotating taps. The bar, which the owner described as an “upscale sports craft beer bar” will have some food offerings, but will also allow patrons to order from neighboring restaurants, including Vapiano, BGR and P.F. Chang’s.

Opening…eventually: Those that have lamented the general lack of doner kebab in the area will likely be happy with this news: Leesburg doner joint and beer garden Doner Bistro is coming to the District, taking over the former Schwarma King spot on Columbia Road NW. Doner kebab, the German street food which combines thinly sliced meat (off a cone) in a flatbread with a salad and sauce, is an ethnic favorite that has yet to take off in the city, although that could change when Doner Bistro’s kebabs and wide swath of German beers come to town.

The city’s next Luke’s Lobster will be in Georgetown, the Washington Post reports, as the Maine lobster roll chain will move into the former Philadelphia Pizza, popular with Georgetown University students. The restaurant opens Aug. 23 at 1112 Potomac Street NW, and will be Luke’s largest outpost with 25 seats. It’s the third location in the area — the other two are in Penn Quarter and in Bethesda — but it won’t have beer at its launch due to restrictions imposed by the ANC, the Post reports.

Shuttered (in Dupont anyway) Indian restaurant Heritage India has applied for a liquor license at 1901 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington City Paper notes, although the restaurant isn’t saying how soon they’ll open. The Dupont location closed in March, a few months after a violent incident that left one person dead and five people injured. The Georgetown location of Heritage on Wisconsin Avenue remains open.

Closed…maybe? Longtime Georgetown haunt The Guards may have to close permanently, The Washington Post reports. The divey bar and restaurant has been at its location for more years than anyone can count, but it’s reportedly stuck in lease negotiations with its landlord, according to the All We Can Eat blog. The restaurant closed Tuesday, and may reopen if a deal is reached, although if it reopens, some renovations are possible, the owner tells WaPo.

Events: Take a break from the two-day Mid-City Dog Days festival around Logan Circle and U Street for a few cooling sips of DC’s signature drink, the Lime Rickey. This weekend craft bartenders from around the city will compete in the finals of the annual rickey competition at Jack Rose Dining Saloon in Adams Morgan. Twelve finalists were selected from a field of more than 30, and you can sample the drinks from 4 to 8 p.m. at Jack Rose on Saturday. Cover charge: $10.

Hank’s Oyster Bar isn’t letting a little thing like a fight over outdoor seating with its neighbors keep it down; the seafood restaurant and bar is hosting a Hawaiian luau at its Dupont Circle location this weekend in conjunction with the Hula Girl food truck. The luau is on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the $75 ticket includes a meal of suckling pig, shrimp skewers, sides, and unlimited tiki drinks.

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/neighborhood_eats_crios_chilango_opening_d.c._getting_doner_kebab_the_guard/5857.