FOOD & WINE

Andy Brown with his International Pizza Challenge trophy. Courtesy Andy’s Pizza.

THE LATEST DISH

BY LINDA ROTH

Just Opened: Andy Brown has opened Andy’s Pizza in Adams Morgan at 2465 18th Street, NW where &pizza used to be. There are locations at Atlas Brew Works on Half Street SE, in Shaw at 2016 9th Street NW, in Navy Yard, and at Tysons Galleria. Andy’s Pizza was named the 2021 winner of the world pizza competition at the International Pizza Expo & Conference in Las Vegas.

Just Opened: SoleLuna, a coffee (from Ecuador) and pastries shop, at 1787 Columbia Rd, NW in Adams Morgan, where Nicecream used to be. Brought to you by the team behind Al Volo Osteria, Taqueria Al Lado, and Retrobottega in Adams Morgan and Trattoria al Volo in Cleveland Park… traditional Japanese izakaya restaurant, Shōtō, opened at Midtown Center with the largest selection of Japanese whiskeys on the East Coast. Executive chefs are Kwang Kim, who was corporate executive sushi chef at Zuma (12 worldwide locations), and Alessio Conti, who was executive chef at Aman Resorts.

Western Market at 2000 Pennsylvania Ave NW has two more food operators serving the Foggy Bottom neighborhood: Falafel Inc., offers classic Mediterranean flavors -- and partners with the World Food Programme, a leading humanitarian food organization, as each $10 food purchase helps feed a refugee. Arepa Zone, allows diners to dig into traditional Venezuelan food such as arepas, patacóns, tequeños, cachapas, and pabellón bowls.

Chef Update: Daron Lee was named executive chef of Sofitel Washington DC Lafayette Square. An alumnus of the University of Central Florida and the French Culinary Institute, he was previously executive chef at the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner.

Captain Cookie & The Milkman is targeting a Q2 2022 opening in Arlington’s Courthouse neighborhood at 2200 Clarendon Blvd. Originally a food truck operation, owners Kirk and Juliann Francis now have locations in Eastern Market, Brookland and Foggy Bottom.

Quick Hits: Gordon Ramsay’s GRNA is planning to open a two-story Hell’s Kitchen at The Wharf’s phase II development in SW D.C. with indoor and outdoor seating…. Founders Table Restaurant Group is slated to open Dos Toros in at 7th and G Streets, NW in Penn Quarter (near its sister operation, Chopt) and at 215 Pennsylvania Ave SE on Capitol Hill where Firehook Bakery used to be.

Denver-based Sage Restaurant Concepts is slated to open Baja-inspired seafood restaurant, Hello Betty, in Q2 2022 in the Canopy by Hilton at Pike & Rose in North Bethesda. The 138-seat restaurant includes a 14-seat PDR and 40-ft Delta Deadrise 23-seat boat bar on the patio. Ryan Zemel is the restaurant GM.

Linda Roth is Founder & CEO of Linda Roth Associates (LRA), a D.C.-based public relations and marketing firm that specializes in the foodservice and hospitality industries. Follow her at: @LindaRothPR @LRAPR #LindaRothPR or www.lindarothpr.com.

P resented by s t . J ohn ’ s e P isco Pal c hurch , G eorG etown

hy hoto G ra P itchell P ike M : M

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Our doors are open, once again

Celebrating it’s 89th year, this annual event graciously opens historic 18th and 19th century homes in Georgetown to Tour attendees.

Tickets are $55 per person online in advance, or $60 per person on the day of the Tour. Ticket includes a Parish Tea at St. John’s from 1:30-4:30 pm. Group prices are available. For more information and to purchase tickets online, please visit

www.georgetownhousetour.com.

saturday, aPril 23, 2022 11 aM - 5 PM 3240 o street, nw

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Middleburg Is Back, Busy and Buoyant

BY PEGGY SANDS

It’s a well-known fact that Georgetown and Middleburg, Virginia – an historic village about an hour away in the heart of horse country -- have a special relationship. For decades, many Georgetowners including some of the most renown residents such as the Kennedys and the Grahams, have maintained homes and estates in and around Middleburg. Recently and especially during the past two pandemic years, many more have gone to Middleburg regularly for a change of atmosphere.

“All during the pandemic especially in 2021, I’ve seen a steady stream of D.C. families coming to Middleburg for the day, the weekend, for a week’s stay and increasingly, to buy what was to be a second home but increasingly becomes their primary home,” Emily Ristau, a horsewoman, farm owner, real estate agent and former Georgetown O St. homeowner herself, told The Georgetowner during a lunch at the Oyster Bar on East Washington St., Middleburg’s main street. “They come to enjoy the country atmosphere of Middleburg with more relaxed masking, store, and restaurant regulations.” “I’ve never had such good sales year as 2021,” Ristau admitted. “It continues today but the inventory is very low. Many offers have escalation clauses.”

Of course, there were some hard days, especially in 2020. A quick reconnaissance of Middleburg’s main two commercial streets revealed some favorite stores are no longer in business such as the White Elephant exchange shop. But on March 2, there did not appear to be any empty storefronts. Among the favorite survivors include Middleburg’s unique The Fun Shop, a ten-room gift and cook shop. The owners, sisters Page and Patti Allen, still hope to sell it but only to new owners who commit to maintaining its special aspects such as a

Your Plate Reimagined

Discover imaginative dishes and whimsical desserts that tell the story of Virginia’s Piedmont region. Immerse yourself in local flavors and sweeping views of the countryside.

RESERVATIONS AT 855.623.4306 MIDDLEBURG, VIRGINIA

harrimansgrill.com

AT SALAMANDER RESORT & SPA

2021

Middleburg spring races at Glenwood Park

significant number of horse and hunt, fox and hound themed offerings. A sign by the register reads “Have you ever dreamed of owning a store?”

Locals’ two most popular eateries and coffee shops are still open across the street from the Fun House. The post office and Safeway down the block still bustle with local shoppers in jeans and riding boots; the two tack stores are still there. The historic Red Fox Inn & Tavern down the street still entices and across the street, The Second Chapter community bookstore still features the latest books as well as a large selection of fiction and non-fiction tomes by local authors about Middleburg.

“Now everything is opening up and there’s so much to do here,” said Lynn Wiley, a board member of the Middleburg Spring Race Association (MSRA). “Most exciting is that the postponed 100th anniversary of Middleburg’s most famous steeplechase race founded in 1911, will take place in-person and live on March 23,” she said.

From origins as foxhunting club point-topoint competitions, the Middleburg Spring Race has evolved into a world-class sanctioned event offering almost $200,000 in prizes attracting some of the fastest racing/jumper thoroughbreds in the world, according to the MSRA. The race takes place at Glenwood Park on the edge of Middleburg on a reportedly one-of-a-kind obstacle course comprising every type of jump and obstacle from ditches, banks, brush, timber, and coops. “Tickets have just been opened for the Spring Races,” said Wiley. “But the customary spaces for group tailgate picnics – often featuring luxurious service items, flowers and gourmet picnic food – have been enlarged and limited in number this year. “Already almost all tickets are sold out.”

Other point-to-point local hunt club races will be held in various locations from Warrenton, Virginia to local farms around Middleburg between March 5 through April 24. Two other popular sanctioned steeplechase races are the Foxfield Spring races in Charlottesville to be held April 30, and the popular Virginia Gold Cup at Great Meadows in The Plains outside Marshall, Virginia on May 7.

But also an increasing number of cultural events are opening in Middleburg. A “Hunt Country Music Festival” is planned for May 20-22 at the Salamander Resort and Spa just outside Middleburg. On March 20, the famous Whiffenpoofs singers of Yale University will perform there. Plus, a new film festival featuring documentaries called Doc5 is being organized for early June; the weeklong Middleburg film festival takes place in the fall.

The 340-acre Salamander Resort and Spa was opened in 2013 with 170 all-view guest rooms, numerous dining offerings, conference and catered spaces, full spa and one of the best equestrian programs in the country including miles of riding trails. It’s added a lot to traditional Middleburg’s social and cultural life, Ristau and Wileu agreed. No doubt old Georgetowners/Middleburgers like the Kennedys and the Grahams would have welcomed it as well.