Neighborhood Eats: The (Mainly) 14th Street Edition

• May 17th 2013

by Jamie Liu

This week’s Neighborhood Eats is full of openings on 14th Street, but that doesn’t mean we ignore restaurant news in the rest of the area.

Open: Neighbors BakeHouse and Taqueria Nacional opened Wednesday at 1407 and 1409 T Street NW (map), respectively. The new BakeHouse will feature a variety of pastries, including muffins, scones, cookies, truffle tarts, and brownies. They’ll also sell breakfast sandwiches, and salads and sandwiches for lunch.

Taqueria Nacional has moved to the U Street area from its original spot on Capitol Hill. The restaurant serves tacos, quesadillas, and tostadas as well as fresh Spanish-style horchata made from tiger nuts. This location will also serve margaritas and boozy horchata and agua frescas. On the weekends, you can have breakfast tacos and quesadillas as well as huevos rancheros, buñelos, and cornmeal pancakes.

Also joining the 14th Street crush on Wednesday was Etto at 1541 14th Street NW (map), from the owners of The Standard in partnership with 2Amys’ Peter Pastan and Amy Morgan. The new restaurant features wood-grilled pizzas, salumi and an anchovy-heavy selection of fish. The bar will be wine focused to pair with the Italian menu.

The second location of Wagshal’s opened softly this Monday at 3201 New Mexico Avenue NW (map). Larger than the charmingly small Massachusetts Avenue location, the new market is full service with its famous brisket and pastrami sandwiches, as well as a full butcher counter that sells Iberico pork ribs, and unusual meats like snake and kangaroo.

Another taqueria, Chupacabra, joined the ranks of new places to serve tacos when it opened on Monday at 822 H Street NE (map). The once taco truck features a full selection of tacos, as well as sandwiches, soups and salads.

Opening Eventually: Brookland’s Finest, a partnership between some of DC’s most beloved bars, may open at the corner of 12th and Jackson Streets NE (map) as soon as this fall, according to The Washington Post. The collaboration between Tony Tomelden (The Pug), John “Solly” Solomon (Solly’s), and Frank Hankins (the now closed Sova) will feature a coffee bar in the mornings, and a family-friendly American menu the rest of the day.

In the same breath, The Washington Post also mentions that new shop Meat and Foods has plans for the space at 247 Florida Avenue NW (map). The venture is from Scott McIntosh and Chad “Allison” America of 13th Street Meats. The shop will sell packages of the half smokes and spicy Italian, lemon-basil-chicken sausages that have become so popular at their pop ups. There will also be space to sit and enjoy sausage sandwiches and chili. With construction permits still needed, the opening date is far from being set.

Baltimore-based brewery Clipper City will be opening a Heavy Seas Alehouse at 1501 Wilson Boulevard in Rosslyn (map), according to Washington Business Journal. Clipper City was originally Sisson’s, the first brewpub in Maryland, and this will be the second pub for the brewer.

Chef Michael White is poised to open two restaurants at The Yards development, according to Eater DC. The first will be Osteria Morini near the end of the summer, and the second will be Nicoletta NYC Pizza in the fall. Osteria Morini will emphasize pastas and roasted meats, while Nicoletta will feature pizzas, pastas and classic specials like chicken parmigiana.

Events: This Sunday, the 930 Club will host Soundbites, a concert with free food from 25 local restaurants, and a battle of mixologists. Tickets are $40, and the proceeds go to DC Central Kitchen, which helps fight poverty by providing kitchen training, recycling food, and distributing meals.

Cashion’s Eat Place is kicking off the summer with its first of many Summer Chill Out patio parties on May 22. Tickets are $30 (tax and tip not included), and you get two drinks and a BBQ sandwich.

Jamie R. Liu is a freelance writer, food nerd, and former DCist food and drink editor. She has contributed to Eater, Washington City Paper, the Express, and AskMen.com.

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/neighborhood_eats_the_14th_street_edition/7077.