Prepare Your Chopsticks!

A string of new Asian restaurants is envelopingthe DC market over the next few months. Restaurant broker Shang Wang of JBG Rosenfeld filled us in on five new restaurants opening soon.

One of Shang's busiest clients is theI-Thairestaurant group, which is planning to open three completely different new concepts within a month of each other. The original I-Thai is located in Tysons Corner and is an upscale casual restaurant with a buffet and happy hour specials. By contrast, the new I-Thai going into the former Garret's space in Georgetown at 3003 M St in May will be a white tablecloth, fine-dining experience--no buffet or half-price Mai-Thai's here.

Asia 54is set to open inDupontat2122 P St NWinApril.It will be a full-service, upscale casualAsian fusionrestaurant offering Thai and Japanese cuisine, including sushi. The prior occupant was a Japanese restaurant, so Shang tells us the buildout was relativelyeasy,mostly cosmetic changes. The former tenant's liquor license was also still active, so they transferred it rather than having to apply from scratch.The group has taken over the former Burrito Grill space at Washington Square in Old Town Alexandria. Here, they're planning to open Zento, a fast-casual Sushi and Japanese restaurant.

Another client of Shang's, the Passion Fin Restaurant Group (not to be confused with Reston's PassionFish restaurant), is opening the third location of its Passion Fin Asian Bistro in Merrifield this May. Like the new I-Thai in Georgetown, this too will be fine-dining. It will offer an expansive pan-Asian menu that includes Japanese, Thai, and even Malaysian options. The first Passion Fin Bistro opened in Bethesda last summer, followed by a second location in Ashburn at the end of the year.