Chef and World Central Kitchen founder José Andrés recently confirmed he will be opening a new location of the Bazaar at Washington, D.C.’s Old Post Office building later this year, following years of anticipation.
“I first dreamed of opening a restaurant at the Old Post Office back in 1993 when I first came to D.C.,” said Andrés in a statement. “Nearly three decades later, I am building that dream into a reality, and couldn’t be more excited to bring my beloved Bazaar restaurant right here to D.C. in this beautiful historic location.”
Andrés premiered his Bazaar concept in 2008 at the now-shuttered Los Angeles location, before opening new spots in Miami and New York, along with Bazaar Meat locations in Las Vegas and Chicago. (Another is set to open in downtown L.A. in 2022.) Across these restaurants, the chef and his team explore traditional and more contemporary takes on cuisine from Spain (particularly tapas) and farther abroad, offering everything from jamón Iberico and patatas bravas to pork belly bao buns and a bagel-and-lox cone.
Spain is a central focus on Bazaar wine lists as well, which feature the likes of Rioja, Priorat, Navarra rosé and bubbly from Josep Maria Raventós i Blanc. These programs are rounded out with bottles from other regions, including Sonoma, Burgundy and Bordeaux.
The latest Bazaar has been designed by Spanish firm Laìzaro Rosa-Violaìn, taking over a space previously occupied by David Burke’s BLT Prime. The restaurant will sit within one of D.C.’s most historic edifices. Built in the Romanesque Revival school, the Old Post Office served as D.C.’s general post office for about 15 years beginning in 1899. It is now operated as a hotel—as of this month, the Waldorf Astoria Washington, D.C.
Andrés had been set to open a restaurant in the Old Post Office several years ago, when it was Trump International Hotel. (The building was leased to the Trump Organization by the U.S. government’s General Services Administration.) The restaurant, Topo Atrio, was slated for a 2016 opening. However, in summer 2015, Andrés pulled the project due to controversial comments made by Trump Organization owner and then–presidential candidate Donald Trump about Mexican immigrants in the U.S. Chef and television personality Geoffrey Zakarian also pulled his planned restaurant from the hotel for the same reason.
The Trump Organization sued Andrés and his ThinkFoodGroup for breach of contract, reaching a settlement in 2017. In 2021, the organization agreed to sell its lease on the Old Post Office building for $375 million, and it is now operated by investment manager CGI Merchant Group and Hilton Hotels & Resorts.
“A lifelong learner with a passion for U.S. history, the opportunity for José and our team to open a flagship restaurant at this iconic site is incredibly meaningful,” said ThinkFoodGroup and José Andrés Media president Sam Bakhshandehpour in a statement. “Bringing the Bazaar to D.C. is an important anchor for us, and our partners, who are locally based and community-minded.”—C.D.
[article-img-container][src=2022-06/tt_mothertongue063022_1600.jpg] [credit= (Angelo Clinton)] [alt= The natural light–filled, golden-hued dining room of Mother Tongue in Hollywood with floor-to-ceiling windows, an elegant bar and booth tables along one side][end: article-img-container]
Mina Group Opens Mother Tongue in Hollywood
“It took me a minute to wrap my head around what this concept would look like,” admitted Jeremy Shanker, corporate wine director for the Mina Group.
That concept is the latest restaurant from the Mina Group, Mother Tongue, a partnership with the RSG Group (the company behind fitness and lifestyle brands such as Gold’s Gym). Situated on the top floor of a five-story building in downtown…
Source : https://www.winespectator.com/articles/turning-tables-new-restaurants-from-jose-andres-michael-mina-pascaline-lepeltier-063022
