Openings Blitz!
Hear that sound? That's the doors to new restaurants opening right and left this fall. Add these three to your list: Second State, Chez Billy Sud, and EatsPlace.
Restaurateur Reese Gardner takes having a vision quite seriously. His latest concept, Second State, strictly adheres to its Pennsylvania theme. Beer drinkers can only sip on suds from the Keystone State. Also starring on the beverage program is rye whiskey. We snapped Beverage Manager Phil Clark who shared that PA was the biggest producer of rye pre-prohibition with 160 distilleries. You’ll notice he’s sitting in front of what's sure to become DC’s most Instagrammed sign: “Enjoy your food, not your phone.” Second State opens Oct. 21 and serves American fare sourced from farms within a three-hour drive of DC.
Goodbye Cafe La Ruche, hello Chez Billy Sud. Georgetown just got a sister restaurant to Petworth’s Chez Billy, also from Eric and Ian Hilton. We checked out this charmer and discovered a romantically lit dining room and an expansive patio that seats 60. Chef Brendan L’Etoile will hold down both kitchens. Look for his soul-comforting Boeuf Bourguignon and Confit de Canard in the entree section, as well as an approachable (wallet-friendly) wine list. Chez Billy Sud is now open for dinner, with lunch to follow.
Tucked in a brick row home in Petworth is EatsPlace, a brand new “pop-uppery,” charged with providing restaurant residencies for up-and-coming concepts. The opening chefs in residence are Charles Lyons, executive chef of DC Born and Raised and Jason Gehring, executive chef of Mason Dixie Biscuit Company. We snapped one of Jason’s biscuit sandwiches. Get this leaning tower of pulled pork, along with other sweet and savory biscuits Mon-Fri from 7am-1:30pm.
When the clock strikes five, EatsPlace switches gears so Charles can carry out dinner until 10pm (and weekend brunch). The team overseeing it all includes founder Katy Chang, whom we snapped. She’s pleased with the response from the culinary community. “We have a pretty long waiting list for our chefs-in-residence program,” she tells us. “To accommodate more people, we’re making the residencies shorter.” To put this in context, Mason Dixie’s residence is slated to run through January. She hinted that we might see something from Nick Pimentel soon.
