Why deny the truth the first time that a young enterprising reporter calls out of the blue? Because you've probably promised the scoop to WaPo veteran Tom Sietsema. That's why. “It will be my vision, my food, my way or the highway,” Isabella tells Sietsema about his partnership in the project with restaurateur Jonathan Umbel, who owns the building.

Isabella earlier laughed off the suggestion that his rumored new restaurant would be a "Spanish/Mexican concept." Turns out, it will just be "modern Mexican." Clever dodge, there, chef.

Expect “awesome cocktails” and “lots of tacos," Isabella says.

Full details in press release form below:

MIKE ISABELLA TO OPEN MODERN MEXICAN RESTAURANT, BANDOLERO, IN GEORGETOWN
Top Chef All-Stars Runner-Up Announces Plans to Open His Second D.C. Restaurant in Early 2012

Chef Mike Isabella announces plans to open his second restaurant in Washington, D.C., in early 2012. Bandolero will open as a modern Mexican small-plates concept in the former Hook restaurant space in Georgetown (3241 M St. NW). Hook has been closed since June 29, 2011, due to a fire. The Bandolero space is owned by Jonathan Umble, restaurateur and proprietor of Hook and Tackle Box.

“My vision for Bandolero is a high-energy, high-volume restaurant to match the bustling vibe of the Georgetown neighborhood and feed the late-night appetite of its college students. The menu will change frequently with my twist on classic Mexican dishes and a large cocktail menu,” said Chef/Partner Mike Isabella. “Jose Garces has been one of the most influential chefs of my career. With Bandolero I’ll draw from my early culinary experience with him learning to create modern Latin American dishes.”

Much like Graffiato, the Bandolero menu will feature sections of small plates including salsas, guacamoles, ceviches, tacos, vegetables and more. Large-format “carbons,” Chef Isabella’s take on fajitas, will be available for the table. Untraditional fillings such as duck, goat and off-cuts of meat as well as surprising flavor combinations will keep the menu interesting and anything but traditional Mexican cuisine. The 5,000-square-foot space will be open for lunch and dinner seven day a week. After the kitchen closes, tacos and guacamole will be available through last call.

Chef Isabella will draw from the Graffiato talent pool to open Bandolero. Plans include moving James Horn, Graffiato General Manager, and mixologist Sam Babcock to the Georgetown restaurant.

The Bandolero beverage list will feature at least two dozen cocktails, including a section for margaritas and modern cocktails made with tequila or mezcal. While the wine list will be significantly smaller than Graffiato’s 60-plus bottles, Prosecco on tap will flow at Bandolero as well.

About Chef Mike Isabella

Mike Isabella is the Chef/Owner of Graffiato, an Italian-inspired restaurant that opened in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., in June 2011 and has already received local accolades and national attention. Before opening Graffiato, Chef Isabella was the executive chef of José Andrés’ Zaytinya. Previously, Chef Isabella worked under Marcus Samuelsson, Jose Garces and a host of other chefs and restaurateurs. Outside the kitchen, Chef Isabella recently appeared on Season Six of Top Chef, and he was the runner-up on Top Chef All-Stars. In Fall 2012, he will publish his first cookbook, Flavors From a Jersey Italian.

Photo by Chris Shott

She was referring to the Georgetown sustainable seafood spot that has  remained closed since a fire over the summer. Contacted by ES, Isabella denied the rumor. Sort of: "No, no, that was misinterpreted. I don’t have anything signed. It was a miscommunication.” He more firmly rejected the rumored kind of restaurant: “I wouldn’t do a Spanish/Mexican concept."

Earlier this fall, Isabella dished to Y&H contributor Stefanie Gans about his wish to open a new pizzeria different from Graffiato, possibly on H Street NE, then later downplayed the whole idea. His camp called it a "half-baked rumor"—albeit one that he started himself.

Photo by Darrow Montgomery

Grist

It's our patriotic duty to eat as many farm-raised shellfish as we can. It's the only seafood that recommend overconsumption of. Oysters are an absolutely decimated wild population, and they provide a very necessary and vital ecosystem function of helping to filter the waterways. When an oyster farmer plants a clam or an oyster, that farmed oyster is the exact same species that goes in the wild, and it performs the same vital functions. In fact, in some cases, those oysters will actually breed and reproduce, thus helping to replenish and restore native populations. Every time you eat one of these farmed oysters you're incentivizing the farmer to plant at least one more. And that creates a vital economic lifeline for areas that are devastated by overfishing.

"It had the same dense, meaty and yet flaky texture of eel with a real sweet aftertaste to it," he said. "It's a good fish. It should be. It spends all day eating bass and other tasty fish."

Photo by Brian Gratwicke/Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

The cause of today's fire in Georgetown behind Hook and Tackle Box restaurants is yet to be determined. It is believed that the fire started outside of Hook in the loading dock, however there are no official details as of yet. Owner Jonathan Umbel is waiting on an official investigation from the fire department regarding specific details on today's regrettable accident.

"The most important thing to me is that our patrons and staff are safe and no one was harmed. We want to thank the DC fire department, which was quick and responsive to prevent any injuries to our staff, neighbors and diners. Unfortunately, both Hook and Tackle Box Georgetown are going to be closed for repairs indefinitely. We will be working feverishly to repair the buildings to have them open for business for our loyal patrons. During this difficult time, Tackle Box's Cleveland Park location will be open for business and we ask our fans to support our brand so that we may be back on our feet in Georgetown soon." – Jonathan Umbel

Photo by Laura Bolt

That description somewhat differs from an earlier account given by a rep for the restaurant, who downplayed the alleged devastation as only "minor smoke damage."

Piringer also tells reporters at the scene, "We believe [the fire] originated in Hook. " Restaurant management, meanwhile, contends the blaze began outside in the back.

Firefighters received the call around 12:30 p.m. and arrived in the 3200 block of M Street NW to find "some pretty heavy smoke conditions," Piringer says. "We did trace it back immediately to the Tackle Box and Hook restaurant," he adds, citing heavy smoke primarily in the rear.

According to Piringer, nearly 100 firefighters were called to the scene. Authorities shut down M Street between Wisconsin Avenue and the Key Bridge. It took about 10 to 15 minutes to quash the flames. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Piringer acknowledges some "collateral damage to the neighboring establishments," including Saloun, but also notes that other nearby foodie destinations were spared.

"It’s not even close to Georgetown Cupcake – that’s one of the first places I checked," he laughs.

With reporting by Carrie McCloud and Laura Bolt

Photo by Carrie McCloud

D.C. Fire & EMS adds via Twitter: "BTW – Georgetown Cupcakes & most other neighbors ok."

A Y&H correspondent is headed to the scene. Expect a statement from a rep  for both Hook and Tackle Box momentarily.

UPDATE: A rep for Hook owner Jonathan Umbel says the fire started outside the restaurant in the back, not inside the kitchen, contrary to prior reports. No one is sure what started the blaze. The kitchen suffered some "minor smoke damage." Both Hook and Tackle Box will be closed for the rest of the day. "We are very happy that no patrons or staff members were hurt," she says.

Logo courtesy of Hook

Damn, the things you miss when you're out videotaping large, chain-let restaurants that aren't quite as large as they think. On Friday, Bravo announced the 12 contestants for the debut season of Top Chef: Just Desserts, and among them are D.C.'s Heather Chittum, pastry chef for Pure Hospitality's two Georgetown properties, Hook and Tackle Box.

Chittum got married last month, presumably after taping Just Desserts, and is now, according to her Facebook page, going by the name Heather Roth. I don't know if she'll continue to go by Heather Chittum professionally, but I do know this: By whatever name, she's a terrific pastry chef.

Chittum has not only created one of the most memorable desserts in recent history and won herself the top pastry honor in town in 2008, but she's done something perhaps even more challenging: She's managed to successfully navigate the treacherous waters at Pure Hospitality, where chefs on the savory side get tossed overboard with alarming regularity.

Her survival skills will be important on Top Chef: Just Desserts, which will be hosted by Gail Simmons and will premiere at 11 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 15, presumably to get some spillover viewers from the Top Chef episode before it. The way the teaser video above plays out, the producers of Just Desserts want you to understand that pastry chefs can be just as mean and backstabbing as their cousins on the savory side of the kitchen.

Watch the video and check out the nasty comment directed apparently to Chittum: "You can almost taste the resentment in her cookie." (Or maybe the judge says, "cooking," I can quite tell.) A fellow contestant then piles on in classic Top Chef fashion: "Heather, you weren't forced into anything."

The look on Chittum's face is priceless.

I suspect we're supposed to draw the conclusion that Chittum isn't long for the contest. Personally, I wouldn't make that assumption. Not by a long shot.

I had been trying to reach Barton Seaver for weeks, hoping he might have something to say about his short time at Blue Ridge and about the Glover Park eatery's new focus on beer. But Seaver is a busy man, and we missed phone calls on several occasions. It was only late last week that we finally connected. He was riding in a taxi cab, barking directions to the driver, who clearly had no idea where he was going.

Seaver said he has been traveling a lot, whether for his work with sustainable fisheries or for his forthcoming PBS series, Turning the Tide or for the Oceans Now program with the National Geographic Society. But the former Blue Ridge chef has also been busy with a new cookbook, which his wife, Carrie Anne Seaver, has been designing for Sterling Publishing. It's set for a Spring 2011 release.

The book will focus on sustainable seafood as well as vegetables — "the fastest way to save the oceans, and ourselves, is to eat more vegetables," Seaver notes on his website — but "nothing about it is preachy," he tells me. There will be some sustainable seafood talk, he says, but mostly it's a book designed to provide home cooks with tips on what fish to purchase, how to store fish, and how to prepare them.

"I'm really writing this book for people who shop at Walmart," he says. "It's about engaging people at the point of impact."

The cookbook will include more than 100 recipes, none of which should sail over the heads of home cooks. The former Hook chef says this despite the fact that he was one of the pioneers in the use of controlled vapor cooking to maintain the moisture content of seafood. "I've been driving toward a more simple style [of cooking] for awhile now," Seaver says.

Which reminds me: Does Seaver ever want to cook again in restaurants? He appears poised, after all, to have a long career as a sustainable seafood advocate, TV personality, and cookbook author. Seaver admits he still has the itch to open his own place, despite the premature death of his last project, Diamond District Seafood Company.

"I was really hoping that Diamond District would work out, but it didn't," he says, citing a lack of financing as its downfall. "I'd love to do something like that again."

If he does relaunch Diamond District, Seaver says he'll do so right here in the District, regardless of all his recent globe-trotting. "Yeah, for right now, we're staying here," he says. "I got that D.C. flag tattoo on my leg, so we're slightly vested."

And with that, Seaver gives the cabbie some last directions and says he needs to cut our call short. The talk of Blue Ridge will have to wait for another day.