Joselito Casa de Comidas

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Joselito Casa de Comidas is an intimate eatery reminiscent of the timeless establishments found throughout Spain at the turn of the century. Brought to us by Javier Candon and his wife Christiana Campos, who own SER Restaurant in Ballston, Joselito's menu features traditional family recipes from Spain, but prepared with the modern techniques of today.  Closest Metro is Eastern Market.

Emilie's

Emilie's is Chef Kevin Tien's newest endeavor in honor of his uncle's family name and features an ecclectic mix of food from the kitchen or ready-made and pushed around on rolling carts.  With a fusion feel and every dish offering a 'slap' of spice in some form or fashion, this restaurant will be a popular spot in Capitol Hill.  Closest Metro is Eastern Market.

Beer Dinner with Art & Soul and Ocelot Brewing Company

Craft beer is a passion, an obsession and a journey. Art and Soul, a restaurant in Capitol Hill that provides Southern comfort food with the same passion, recently teamed up with the Ocelot Brewing Company for a beer dinner on Friday, March 11.  Ocelot Brewing Company is located out near Dulles airport in VA and has been open for only 11 months now.  From hoppy, to malty, to sour, we took a trip through all the flavors of Ocelot beer accompanied by Executive Chef Douglas Alexander's comfort cuisine.

Barrel

Barrel is a Southern bourbon bar in Capitol Hill, DC offering inventive cocktails made with "brown water", as well as other beers and wine and great food with most ingredients made fresh in-house, all in a laid back atmosphere.  Closest Metro is Eastern Market.

Béarnaise

Béarnaise embodies the experiences of Chef Spike and his sister, Micheline, growing up among fabulous steak frites in Montreal and spending time cooking, exploring and living among French bistros in Paris. This restaurant located in Capitol Hill serves French fare in a casual-chic, social atmosphere. Closest Metro is Capitol South.

Art and Soul

Art and Soul is located in the Liaison Hotel on New Jersey Ave NW near Union Station in Capitol Hill. This chic restaurant offers guests a setting in which to meet and connect, while enjoying “food for the soul” – food made with love and special attention. With celebrated two-time James Beard-Award winning Chef Art Smith as chef/owner, this 221-seat dining destination serves up fresh and modern regional cuisine with southern accents. Named for its nationally renowned chef and the genuine welcoming feeling guests experience when they walk through the doors, the cuisine at this DC restaurant will be presented with southern-style hospitality. Closest Metro is Union Station.

Northern Greek Cooking Class with George Pagonis

I've been to the Hill Center DC before, and returned this time for the Northern Greek Cooking Class with Chef George Pagonis. Chef Pagonis is a recent cheftestant on Bravo's Season 12 of Top Chef. This class was advertised about two months before the show aired, but knowing that our area has produced some fantastic Top Chef alums, I grabbed a ticket to this event and asked fellow blogger, Lori - who is also a huge Top Chef fan - to join me. Naturally, she agreed.

Hops & Pops

On Wednesday, August 20, Hill Center hosted Hops & Pops - a beer and popcorn tasting - which sounded too fun to pass up. Keith and I enjoyed nine unique craft beers from around the world that were paired with popcorn from Capitol Kettle Corn. A team of beer connoisseurs were on site to walk us through the different pairings and explain why these flavors work so well together.

The Pretzel Bakery

The Pretzel Bakery serves small batch, hand-rolled, Philly-style soft pretzels fresh-out-of-the-oven all day, from a little row house in Capitol Hill.  Open Wednesday - Friday 8am to 6pm, Saturday 9am to 6pm, and Sunday 9am to 5pm.  Closest Metro is Potomac Avenue.

Sushi Capitol

Keith almost convinced me not to even write about this place for fear it will get more popular.  But one of my vows is to share my experiences at all restaurants - great, good, bad, and terrible.  Without further ado, I present to you Sushi Capitol - a relatively new sushi restaurant, located right in the heart of Capitol Hill on Pennsylvania Ave. The chef, Minoru Ogawa, is a trained sushi specialist and takes great pride in his work and passion. Serving perhaps the freshest sushi in DC for incredibly modest prices, this Japanese family-owned hidden gem will quickly be my go-to spot.  Closest Metro is Capitol South.

Osteria Morini

Osteria Morini is named after Chef Michael White’s mentor Gianluigi Morini, the owner and founder of acclaimed restaurant San Domenico in Imola. Located in the Yards Park area of Capitol Hill, the restaurant draws strongly from White’s personal experience in Emilia-Romagna, where he worked under Chef Valentino Marcattilii for seven years. Morini's menus offers a wide array of smaller plates and larger composed platters by Executive Chef Matt Adler.  Closest Metro is Navy Yard.

Jimmy T's Place

***Special Post by Keith***
The Washington Post first reported: "You wouldn't expect to find an honest-to-goodness greasy spoon just five blocks east of the Capitol, but that's what makes Jimmy T's Place such a gem. Settle in at a chrome stool and banter with the line cook while your eggs and bacon sizzle on the flat-top grill. As soon as your diner-quality coffee shows up (in a random mug from a mismatched collection), you'll start to feel like a regular. Located in a rowhouse at 5th and East Capitol streets, Jimmy T's looks like it hasn't changed much since its signs advertising 65-cent ham-and-egg breakfasts were accurate."  Closest Metro is Eastern Market.

Hawk n' Dove

***Special Post by Keith***
Hawk n' Dove, as quoted on their website, "was the venerable meeting place where both sides of our brain got together, politically. Since 1969 the arguments ebbed & flowed, and eventually everyone just moved on to drinking and laughing together. The quintessential American "dive bar". The next chapter was a ground up 15 month renovation under new owners in 2013. The new menu looks to our heritage, and celebrates local farms and ranches with free range birds from Fredricksburg, as well as hormone and antibiotic free beef from Creekstone Farms. Great ingredients like Duroc Pork allow true American Pub fare to be served that satisfies without the fuss. Lunch and dinner are available along with live Bluegrass Brunch on Sunday."  Closest Metro is Capital South.

Anh-Dao

Formally known as Vietnamese Corner, the non-descript Anh-Dao brings a "Taste of Vietnam" to Capitol Hill.  The restaurant shares one wall with a pizza place and gave ¾ of its space to Frager's Hardware store after they suffered a devastating fire earlier this year.  Serving pho and a few other traditional Vietnamese items, this restaurant is modest but sure to satisfy your craving, especially on a chilly night.  Closest Metro is Potomac Avenue.

The Wine Down: Brunch & Champs at Sonoma Restaurant & Wine Bar

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As part of the closing events for DC Wine Week, Sonoma Restaurant & Wine Bar hosted a special brunch called "The Wine Down."  We jumped on the opportunity to attend this VIP event, as I love wine and brunch.  So what is a better way to celebrate?  Sonoma is wine bar in Capitol Hill and the perfect place to host such an event.  We were treated to fabulous sparkling wines and a preview of the items available on their new brunch menu.  Check out my photo recap below.

Broodjes & Bier

Broodjes & Bier is a Dutch-inspired sandwich start-up based in Capitol Hill, currently offered prepackaged sandwiches on the shelves at The Silver Spork. On September 20, 2013, Broodjes & Bier held an inaugural sandwich and bier extravaganza: Prost! A Sandwich & Bier Pop-Up! in order to "bring the canal side cafes of Amsterdam to the sun-drenched patios of Capitol Hill."  Closest Metro is Eastern Market.

District Taco

"In 2009, two neighbors got together over some homemade chips, salsa and guacamole and decided to launch District Taco as a food truck. District Taco has since grown and now operates multiple locations in and around Washington DC."   Serving quality Mexican (Yucatan style) food that is fresh, simple and healthy, the restaurant's trademark is "Orale!" which roughly translates to "Right On!"  I tried the newest location in Capitol Hill.  Closest Metro is Eastern Market.

Beuchert's Saloon

Beuchert's Saloon is a neighborhood restaurant and bar serving up a "farm American" dining experience in the historically rich Eastern Market neighborhood of Washington, DC.  With ingredients sourced from their family farm, Executive Chef Andrew Markert translates local, fresh produce into playful American fare with a creative twist.  Closest Metro is Eastern Market.

Baseball Eats #OpeningDay

It's baaaaack! Baseball season, that is. Today is opening day of the 2013 Major League Baseball season, and our local Nationals are the World Series favorites this year.  With so many new restaurants now open (or opening soon) near Nationals Ballpark, I wanted to highlight some great places to eat before or after the game.

Mangialardo & Sons

Mangialardo & Sons is one of the best sub shops in DC that many have never heard of.  The historic cash-only carryout is currently owned by Antonio and Anna Mangialardo's grandson, Tony Mangialardo, and has been voted as best sandwich in various DC competitions.  Selling cold-cut and oven-toasted subs to a diverse crowd, this no-table counter-service carryout does one thing and does it well: subs. There are 16 on the menu, but the option that dominates most orders is the "G" Man.  Closest Metro is Potomac Avenue.