Update on The General Store

Good news, folks - The General Store in Silver Spring is now a sit-down in addition to a carry-out restaurant. Breakfast, lunch and dinner will now be available in the dining room it took Chef Gillian Clark and partner Robin Smith over two years to build. And they promise that wine and beer are on the way. (Check out WP's recent write up on the place here).

Brabo Opens Tomorrow

Attention Brasserie Beck lovers - Brabo, the newest restaurant from Chef Robert Wiedmaier (pictured in foreground) is set to launch in Old Town tomorrow. Located at 1600 King Street, the Belgian-inflected breakfast, lunch and dinner menus will highlight Virginia products and eco-friendly farmers.

Next door is the Brabo Tasting Room - a bit of a misnomer, as this is the more casual outpost of the two - which will feature a wood burning oven churning out charred goodies like tarts stuffed with smoked duck and braised pork belly. Guests can also share charcuterie and cheese platters with housemade marmalades, breads, and, of course, those addictive frites and mussels Beck is known for.

Photo: Washington Post

The General Store Opens Saturday

It's official - two years in the making, Chef Gillian Clark of Colorado Kitchen fame is set to finally open The General Store this Saturday at 1:30. One of several new restaurants in the works for the popular DC Chef, The General store is located in Silver Spring (at the corner of Forest Glen and Capital View) and will be serving "American road food." Just one catch - until a pesky parking issue is resolved, dining will only be of the take out variety. Clark promises dine in serve is soon to follow, though.

Speaking of Ray's...

The Washington Post reports today that Michael Landrum, the man behind the Ray's restaurants, plans to open a fourth location, this time (finally) in the District. However, rather than opening in swanky Penn Quarter or the 14th Street strip, this new spot, dubbed Ray's The Heat, is slated to open in "restaurant starved" Ward 7 - more specifically, in a strip mall located at Minnesota Ave and Benning Road NE.

Here's hoping this will be the catalyst for another blossoming DC "food neighborhood."

Commonwealth (Almost) Open!

Chef Jamie Leeds' newest restaurant unofficially opened tonight, serving food and drinks to a packed friends-and-family-only crowd at the Columbia Heights outpost for British-y food. The official opening is this Wednesday, August 6th, when Leeds hopes to officially launch her movement to dispel "the myth that British food is bad." Jamie, if anyone can make black pudding and shepherd's pie sexy, it's you.

ENO Wine Bar to Take Flight

Good news for all you oenophiles still standing in line at Cork: the $35 million restoration program currently underway at DC’s Four Seasons Hotel in Georgetown, at right, will include – surprise! – a wine bar. Well, a wine, cheese, and chocolate bar, to be exact.

Attempting to capitalize on the current wine bar craze sweeping DC, ENO Wine Rooms (located in several high end hotels across the country), touts itself as “a sleek and sensual alternative to traditional wine bars…where you’ll experience a dazzling taste and sensory experience.” Wow, way to manage expectations.

ENO gives guests the option of choosing flights (i.e., sets of three) for each of these guilty pleasures. And it’s a good thing – with 300-500 types of wine, 35 types of cheese, and a multitude of chocolate selected from local chocolatiers being offered, getting through the menu will require a lot of, er, flight-ing.

No word yet on when ENO is slated for completion.