Neighborhood Eats: Cap City Diner Makes a Move, Ramen Shop For AdMo

• April 26th 2012

by Rebecca Cooper

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News came out this week that DC area restaurants are making moves of all kinds, both physical and figurative.

Moving…eventually: Taqueria Nacional, takeout taco joint and favorite among Senate staffers, is moving to the old post office building at 1409 T Street NW. The 2,600 square-foot space will have room for indoor and outdoor seating, and alcohol service will be added to the taqueria’s existing menu. It’ll be a few months before the move takes place, however, as work on the building is still in its early stages — as you can see in the above photo.

Moved: The Capital City Diner made its way through Northeast DC late Monday night and ended up at the site of the future Union Market — the market that is to be the new incarnation of the Florida Avenue Market at 1309 5th Street NE. Washington Post’s Tim Carman reports that the company renovating the new market, Edens, purchased the railcar-style diner from former owner Matt Ashburn for $40,000. The diner is expected to be incorporated into the market somehow, but it’s not clear whether it will be ready when the market is unofficially unveiled June 3.

Re-open: Dupont Circle Asian restaurant and sushi bar Banana Leaves reopened last week after being closed for more than a year due to a fire that nearly gutted the space. At the time, fire officials estimated the restaurant at 2020 Florida Avenue NW sustained more than $200,000. The restaurant is now back with its full menu, including noodle dishes, sushi, and other Asian specialties.

Re-opening…eventually: Georgetown waterfront restaurant Farmers & Fishers will be back after an extended closure due to a devastating flood that rocked the development last fall, although it’s shifting its concept to a slightly different one called Farmers, Fishers & Bakers. The restaurant still needs to build out the space in the Washington Harbour complex (map), so the reopening is currently estimated at sometime in the late fall, WBJ’s Missy Frederick reports. The “bakers” portion will offer a number of house-baked breads and other pastries; the restaurant is expected to add sushi to the menu in the revamped space.

Opening…soon: Rockville is getting a new, fancy cocktail bar with the opening of Quench, a bar and restaurant with a beverage program run by Steve Oshana, formerly of Elisir. Oshana and the spot’s owner, Michael Holstein, tell Washingtonian magazine that they want the bar program to be up to the level of The Gibson or Columbia Room. Quench (map) isn’t going for an uptight feel, however; catering to Rockville’s demographic, it will also be family friendly during the day, with a brunch that includes “kid cocktails” and cartoons on a big screen.

DC’s ramen obsession continues to be fed, this time in Adams Morgan. Sakuramen noodle shop is expected to open May 10, taking over the space of a former tattoo shop at 2441 18th Street NW. The ramen dishes are expected to pull from a variety of influences, and the restaurant’s owners are aiming to produce “the best ramen on the planet,” according to Sakuramen’s website.

Events: This is the second-to-last weekend to check out the preview of Mike Isabella’s new restaurant Bandolero in its temporary home-away-from-home in Cleveland Park. The Mexican taco joint is still under construction in Georgetown, so Isabella has teamed up with Tackle Box owner Jonathan Umbel — who also happens to be Isabella’s landlord in Georgetown — to give DC a preview of what’s in store at the Tackle Box in Cleveland Park (map). The temporary Bandolero is open through Saturday of this weekend, and next week from May 1-5. Reservations are available through May 4 on CityEats, and May 5 is going to be a Cinco de Mayo free-for-all for walk-ins only.

For something a little more civic-minded, head out to eat tonight at one of 130 restaurants participating in Dining Out for Life to benefit Food & Friends. Some or all of the proceeds from participating eateries will help Food & Friends care for their clients with HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other debilitating diseases. The full list of participating restaurants is available here.

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/neighborhood_eats_cap_city_diner_make_moves_ramen_shop/5465.