Only one restaurant in the 14th Street corridor makes the best burgers, and this weekend locals can put it to a vote.
The inaugural 14th Street Burger Battle Royale is set to take place at Cafe Saint-Ex (1847 14th St. NW) on Sunday, Aug. 14 from 4-8 p.m., according to the event’s organizers.
Chefs from Saint-Ex, Matchbox and Garden District are slated to compete against each other to determine which which restaurant can claim the “burger bragging rights.”
“We have this awesome patio and we just wanted to do something that was a bit focused on the neighborhood,” said Saint-Ex general manager Zeina Badran. “One of the owners of Saint-Ex came up with the idea. It kind of just sprung from there.”
Tickets are $15 at the door and include three burgers and a starter beer from 3 Stars Brewing Company. Attendees can also buy additional burgers and beers.
Badran said she expects about 200 people to show up for the cooking competition. The only thing that will stop customers from getting in on the event is if Cafe Saint-Ex fills up and runs out of room for people, she added.
Members of the public will vote on their favorite burger at the end of the event. Badran said she wasn’t sure which restaurant is likely to win the contest because each restaurant has “been in the neighborhood for a long time” and are “known for great burgers.”
The winning restaurant will donate a portion of the event’s proceeds to a charity of its choosing. And in the end, Badran said, “it might just come down to which charity locals want to pick.”
Photo courtesy Cafe Saint-Ex
Columbia Heights may get an &pizza location early next year.
The local pizza chain informed community members at the ANC 1A meeting last night that they plan to open the restaurant at the Columbia Heights Civic Plaza, wrote ANC 1A Commissioner Kent Boese on his local blog Park View, D.C.
The restaurant would take the place of the former Museum of Unnatural History at 3333 14th Street NW, and would likely have room for 40-60 people with indoor and outdoor seating, Boese reported.
The eatery has not yet filed for a liquor license, but Boese said that an &Pizza rep indicated the company planned to open its new location within the first few months of 2016.
Representatives for the chain could not be reached immediately to comment on the planned location.
Masa 14 will have an all-night happy hour on Tuesdays. (Luis Gomez Photos)
From Alejandra Owens. You can find her at her food blog, One Bite At A Time. Alejandra also writes for City Eats DC, a Food Network site, where you can book dinner reservations. Email her at alejandra[AT]borderstan.com and follow her on Twitter at @frijolita.
Looks like Tuesday is the new Thursday in Borderstan. Masa 14 recently announced a weekly all-night happy hour every Tuesday (5 pm to closing) in the bar and lounge areas. You can nab $4 cocktails, beer and wine specials, but your wallet will be at a loss when it comes to grub — sorry, happy hour food specials aren’t included in this early-week boozefest.
Masa 14 also has a rooftop that’s nearing completion. While they haven’t announced a date the roof will open, one can only assume they’re aiming to open the space by spring — prime eating and drinking outside time.
All night happy hours + new roof deck = we’re sure the neighbors are just thrilled!
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You’ve still got time to make Valentine’s Day reservations! (Luis Gomez Photos)
From Alejandra Owens. You can find her at her food blog, One Bite At A Time. Alejandra also writes for City Eats DC, a Food Network site, where you can book dinner reservations. Email her at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter at @frijolita.
There’s no time left. Or so it seems. You’ve no plans for Valentine’s Day. No reservations and like writer’s block when you’re on deadline, the best date you can think of is “dinner and a movie.”
Not that there’s anything wrong with dinner and a movie. But you can do better. And you don’t even have to try that hard. I polled the Borderstan contributors about where they’d like to be taken for their ideal Valentine’s Day meal — and as much one would think we’d all pick mainstream spots, there were some truly great off-beat spots that made the list too.
So, just how are these plans of yours going to come together at the last minute? Because honestly, word on the street is that reservations for the night of are all booked up, and this weekend and next aren’t looking great either. Here we go:
- Call them now. No really, now!
- When they tell you there’s no reservation, hit OpenTable and City Eats just in case.
- Consider an off-night. Monday being the best day to start with.
- Go early. Way early. You might feel like an AARP member eating dinner at 5:30 pm, but hey, you’re eating dinner.
- Screw dinner. Hit the bar and just do cocktails/appetizers. A boozey, long brunch is always fun. Or how about a coffee/dessert outing after a well thought out dinner at home.
And now, where will you do these things? Coming in at the top of the list, with multiple votes each:
- Hank’s Oyster Bar
- Bistro Du Coin
- Tabbard Inn
- Thai X-Ing
- 1905
- Little Serow
- Home (no, that’s not a restaurant, that’s your couch)
Still high on the list:
- Birch & Barley
- Rice
- Sette
- Al Crostino
- Level One
- Floriana
- Veritas
The ones in green? They’re all in the Dupont-Logan-U Street area.
Consider your predicament an opportunity to try somewhere new together. Or take a walk on the wild side and put together a date that doesn’t start at 7 pm! After all, eating good food and spending some ooey gooey time together is the goal.
And remember: If you can’t get into any of these great V-Day date restaurants on Tuesday, they are still great places to take a date — or on any other occasion.
