A Taste of Barcelona Coming to 14th Street
From Rachel Nania. Check out her blog, Sear, Simmer & Stir. Follow Nania on Twitter @rnania, email her at rachel[AT]borderstan.com.
Barcelona is coming to 1622 14th Street NW, formerly BodySmith. (Luis Gomez Photos)
BodySmith’s old 14th Street NW location will soon be home to the New England-based Spanish tapas restaurant and wine bar, Barcelona.
“We chose DC because it is such an eclectic environment,” said Ria Rueda, director of marketing for Barteca Restaurant Group. “Restaurants in Washington are serving all different types of foods.”
The restaurant planned for 1622 14th Street NW, which has no set opening date or even approximation, will focus on the traditional cuisine of Spain.
“The focus will very much be on charcuterie, tapas, etc.,” said Rueda. “It will have an excellent wine program and excellent food.”
While Rueda did not have any specific details to share on the menu and wine list for the DC location, she did say that the format of the menu will be similar to Barcelona’s other locations. However, Rueda assured us that Barcelona is “not cookie cutter,” so not everything will be the same.
Other locations for Barcelona serve lunch, brunch and dinner, with a strong focus on dinner. Menu options include a variety of Spanish meats and cheeses, tapas (ranging from Kale Salad to Yellowtail Crudo, Sweetbreads a la Plancha and Spiced Beef Empanadas), paella and mixed-grill items for the table.
Plans for the 14th Street location are still in development, so information on design and space layout is not available. However, Borderstan has seen some action at the site, with a small crane and some cleaning up of the site.
“We’d rather be methodical and take our time to explore every detail,” said Rueda, who also told Borderstan that Barcelona does not have plans reach out to the press when they have a better idea of an opening date. “We’d much rather roll out slowly than stick to a hard date,” she said.
So until the mysterious opening day, we’ll be pacing outside.
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