The 'Walk of Shame' breakfast burrito at Ted's Bulletin

While the ink is finally dry on a new Matchbox location along bustling 14th Street NW, the same cannot be said for a nearby spin-off of the Matchbox Food Group's homemade Pop Tart and Spam burger emporium Ted's Bulletin. Back in June, Y&H colleague Lydia DePillis reported that deals were in the works for both Matchbox and Ted's outposts near Logan Circle. Matchbox Food Group honcho Perry Smith tells The Feast that no deal is done on Ted's Part Deux. Yet. "The answer is yes... We'd love to bring Ted’s Bulletin there, but we haven’t signed a lease yet," says Smith. "That would clearly be a good thing for us, if we could do that."

Photo by Chris Shott

Matchbox partners Perry Smith, Drew Kim, Ty Neal, and Mark Neal

Back in June, our colleague Lydia DePillis reported on an array of restaurant projects coming to 14th Street NW, including a new Matchbox location in the old Arena Stage warehouse at 14th and T. On Monday afternoon, Matchbox Food Group sent along the official announcement.

The Logan Circle location will be Matchbox's third in the District and fifth nationwide.

The full details follow:

MATCHBOX CONTINUES TO EXPAND WITH NEW LOCATION IN WASHINGTON, DC

matchbox Food Group adds a favorite on the fast growing 14 St. Corridor

Washington, D.C. [July 25, 2011]— The matchbox food Group is fired up to announce their latest expansion plans! Diners will soon be able to enjoy the group’s first and most successful concept to date, matchbox, at the corner of 14^th Street and T Street NW. The group, whose history dictates its expertise in finding the next hottest neighborhoods in the district, has just signed a lease with real estate developer JBG. With the approval of all necessary licenses, this will mark the 3^rd matchbox location in DC and the 5^th nationwide.

“We are extremely excited to have the opportunity to expand into the growing 14^th Street Corridor,” said Ty Neal, principal partner of the matchbox food Group. “Washington, DC has been our home since 2003 with our first location in Chinatown, then Capitol Hill, followed by Rockville.  In 2012, our sights are set on the Logan Circle area and Merrifield, Virginia. We are so grateful for the people of greater Washington and how they have embraced us, our food, and our restaurants. ”

The group has plans to renovate the building that has had a rich history of former occupants. The turn of the century construct has housed a bowling alley, jazz club, and most recently has been home to Arena Stage’s rehearsal hall. Signature design features that diners will be sure to see in the restaurant will be multiple levels, rustic barn wood, architectural staircases and of course the “matchbox” a seating area that first appeared in the Capitol Hill location.  This wooden box can seat 6-8 people and has become a highly requested table for those who want to see and be seen!

The matchbox Food Group prides itself on their personal participation in each and every restaurant build that occurs. Each of the four principal partners participates in the process by helping lay the structure with their own hands.

For more information on the matchbox Food Group please visit www.matchbox369.com follow the team on Twitter (@matchboxdc) or contact Christina Miller at christina@lindarothpr.com or (703) 417-2702.

About matchbox Food Group

What began as a simple idea among longtime friends has now expanded to become a thriving Washington culinary group with multiple concepts. Principal partners Ty Neal, Mark Neal, Perry Smith, and Andrew Kim, began their journey in 2003, opening a matchbox restaurant in the heart of Washington, DC. The restaurant quickly became a success, and expansion began, first with another location in Palm Springs, CA, then with third location back in DC on Capitol Hill. In 2010 the group successfully opened two new concepts, Ted’s BULLETIN, an American eatery, and DC-3, specializing in regional hot dogs, as well as their largest matchbox restaurant yet, in Rockville, MD.

Photo by Darrow Montgomery

Why do you think that might be? Leave your answers in the comments.

On Monday starting at 4PM, ChurchKey is featuring five draft beers from Brauerei Hofstetten, a small Austrian craft brewery that focuses on unique interpretations of classic German beer styles. I had my first Hofstetten at Pizzeria Paradiso in Dupont a few weeks ago. Their Saphir Bock was surprisingly hoppy for the style, as bocks tend to be full of malt and caramel flavors. Highlights include two beers never before released in the United States, Champion Bitter, Hofstetten's take on an English Bitter, and Tannenwipfelbier, an amber lager spiced with Spruce tips.

Also tonight starting at 5PM, Galaxy Hut is showcasing beers from Virginia breweries including two brews from brand new local brewery Port City Brewing Company in Alexandria, and some beauties from Blue Mountain in Afton, Starr Hill in Crozet, Legend Brewing Company in Richmond, and Williamsburg AleWerks.

Monday also provides two opportunities for food and beer pairings. All day, Ella's Wood Fired Pizza downtown is pairing Brooklyn Brewery’s Cuvee Noire, a limited release strong Belgian-style dark ale, with a Fontina, gorgonzola, parmesan, roasted shitake mushroom, and meat ragout pizza for $15. A representative from the brewery will be on hand from 5 to 8PM. Matchbox in Chinatown is pairing small dishes with four Great Lakes Brewing Company beers, Conway's Irish Ale, Edmund Fitzgerald Porter, Commodore Perry IPA, and Christmas Ale starting at 6PM.

On Tuesday ChurchKey is hosting a D.C. launch party for Epic Brewing Company from Salt Lake City, Utah. Brewery representatives will be available to talk about the brewery and its beers. Out of the three drafts and six bottles being poured from Epic's Classic, Elevated, and Exponential series, standouts are the Smoked & Oaked Release #2, a Belgian-style beer mad with smoked cherry wood malt, and Hopulent IPA, an "over-the-top" Imperial India Pale Ale made with ten pounds of dry hops.

Tuesday is the first night of the next round of trivia at Biergarten Haus on H Street, Northeast. Doors open at 7:30 and spots fill up quickly for the German food and beer specials and nerdy fun.

On Thursday, the overachievers at ChurchKey supply the fun again with a meet-and-greet draft night featuring Great Divide Brewing Company from Denver, Colorado. National sales manager Dave Duffy presents seven Great Divide drafts including two of my favorites, Claymore Scotch Ale, a strong, malty Wee Heavy and Wild Raspberry, a refreshing fruit beer made with plenty of red and black raspberries.

Send submissions for the D.C. Beer Events calendar to thelagerheads@gmail.com.

Follow The Lagerheads on Twitter | on Facebook

The last time someone tried to make hot dogs a culinary star in the District, it didn’t take.

Amsterdam Falafelshop owners Scott and Arianne Bennett thought they had another hit when they opened M’Dawg Haute Dogs in 2007 on 18th Street NW across from their popular chick pea–and–frites place. Foodies were talking about it, and the early reviews were good. The plan, however, soured quickly. A focus on “haute” dogs—like a $20 Kobe beef sausage—and premium toppings had diners wondering why they were spending so much on something you can buy from a cart on the corner.

Seven months after opening, the Bennetts sold their share of the restaurant, citing differences with their investors. The business wasn’t hitting budget projections. A year later, the shop closed.

There’s not much history with hot dogs here. So far, Ben’s Chili Bowl and the Vienna Inn are the only notable brick-and-mortar restaurants in the area able to turn a sustainable long-term profit on a hot dog–heavy menu. And both of those establishments leverage their history and neighborhood tradition more than the quality of their food. As a stand-alone menu item, hot dogs are tricky for restaurateurs, says Erik Bruner-Yang, co-creator of U Street Music Hall’s pho dog, and chef/partner in the upcoming Toki Underground restaurant slated to open this January on H Street NE. Ingredients are expensive, but customers tend to think dogs should be cheap.

Still, a handful of D.C. restaurants are giving hot dogs another shot, setting up sausage-heavy menus. Pizza and burger joints have boomed as the economy has stagnated by taking advantage of quality ingredients, clever marketing, and the occasional celebrity chef. The restaurants provided customers value and a side of nostalgia, while creating a void for upscale hot dogs—one that looks like it’s about to be filled.

On Barracks Row last month, the restaurant group behind Matchbox and Ted’s Bulletin opened a new hot dog business, DC-3, with a cool and sleek façade. A fresh coat of gray paint cloaks the storefront, as well as the interior walls, and a giant propeller salvaged from a 1940s passenger plane sets a theme that continues everywhere. Take-out menus resemble airline ticket sleeves. Tabletops bound in rivets resemble faux airplane skin. Along one wall, a giant red map doubles as a menu describing regional hot dog offerings.

A flight to Illinois via the “Chicago 7” and a root beer set me back seven bucks and change. The soft bun, heavily studded with poppy seeds, nearly collapsed under its toppings as I tried to maneuver a hot dog “dragged through the garden” to my mouth. The peppers were snappy and hot, and the pickle stood up on its own with a healthy dusting of celery salt. Sweet relish, a shade of green that would make Peter Venkman’s nemesis Slimer blush, gave the dog an almost festive look. It’s obvious these guys have been doing their homework on Chicago-style dogs.

Still, some of DC-3’s offerings leave me feeling a little lost. The “Arkansas razorback red” tastes of cheese and bacon but resembles neither, sporting an artificially colored pinkish red casing. The “Bay Bridge dog” boasts a Heidelberg pretzel roll, crab dip, and a dusting of Old Bay seasoning. While I love the salty chew of the pretzel roll, the crab dip–meets–beef frank is a surf-and-turf combination I don’t find compelling. The vegetarian option, a “California left winger” boasting a tube of falafel, doesn’t work at all.

DC-3 does hedge with a few other offerings. The most notable is an Italian beef sandwich, packed with half a pound of shaved rib-eye and topped with an oily heap of peppers and a ladling of au jus. My first bite caused a torrent of oil and juices to pour from the back of my sandwich: A bite packed with beef, salt, and briny, bright pickle flavors.

The classic dogs, however, have become popular over time for a reason and resonate with my childhood memories. At DC-3 these more simple links are irrefutably delicious. Rochester’s “snappy griller,” featuring a Zweigle’s white, is by far my favorite, and all the items featuring Nathan’s links satisfy. Crinkle-cut fries, fried pickles, and a collection of throwback sodas also help this vintage hot dog shop leave a lasting impression that could bolster a hot dog trend in the area.

***

After teasing the U Street NW corridor with professionally designed banners and signage for months, ChiDogO’s finally opened this November on 14th Street. The storefront, painted bright red, has a “multiple-locations-coming-soon” feel; carefully crafted logos dot the walls and staff T-shirts. The menu simply offers hot dogs, Italian beef, a few beverages, and a story about ChiDogO’s beginnings.

According to legend, a mysterious “Bob H.” was unable to find the authentic Chicago-style meals here in the District. On frequent visits to his hometown, he brought Chicago classics back to share with friends in the area, and the dogs were so well received, the new business enterprise was warranted. By phone, Bob H. reveals himself as Robert Hisaoka, a longtime D.C. area resident with family in Chicago. Perhaps striving to keep the mystery of the menu alive, Hisaoka tells me he owns and runs a number of other local businesses besides the restaurant, but he won’t say what—or where—they are.

On my first visit to ChiDogO’s, my foot-long was warm but not hot, and lapped with spicy full grain mustard. The link itself (from Vienna Beef Ltd., based in Chicago) was a mildly flavored steamed dog devoid of smoke or personality that would distinguish it from other hot dog suppliers. A pair of bright, vinegary peppers packed heat, but the tomatoes were unripe and flavorless. Onions and a pickle spear were bright and crunchy, and muddied with the expected, and much appreciated, dusting of celery salt.

The relish, however, left me confused. After talking to a number of Chicago natives and eating at DC-3, I was expecting a distinctively sweet, bright green number with a radioactive appeal. ChiDogO’s relish was grayish and tasted flat, as likely to come from a plastic Hunt’s packet as a specialty Chicago provider.

According to Hisaoka, all of his toppings hail from Chi-town except the onions, tomatoes, and other fresh condiments. When I badger him on the relish matter, he concedes the neon green varieties’ popularity, but says he decided on his chosen relish after a number of recipe tests. He won’t tell me what brand he’s using, citing competitive concerns.

But Hisaoka confirms my hunch that he’s already looking into additional ChiDogO’s locations. He’s not alone. Andrew Kim tells me his partners are aggressively evaluating real estate for expanding DC-3. The endeavor might seem gutsy considering how poorly M’Dawg fared, but the environment has changed significantly since then. At U Street Music Hall, Bruner-Yang’s pho dogs have become popular—a grilled dog previously simmered in Vietnamese beef soup broth with a spicy cabbage slaw and hoisin sauce. On busy nights at the club, he sells five or six dozen dogs. They’re not a serious profit-maker, but it lets Bruner-Yang play with new flavor combinations while waiting for Toki Underground’s permits to come through, and it gives his friend, club owner Jesse Tittsworth, a hell of a snack to sell patrons. Bruner-Yang recently added a Monte Cristo dog, complete with strawberry preserves, to the club’s hot dog counter.

At The Passenger, brothers Derek and Tom Brown also feature gourmet dogs for their neighborhood speakeasy. The tube steaks, handcrafted at Red Apron Butchery in Alexandria, come topped with a loose chili sauce and cheese, or spicy kimchi, and an $8 price tag. Stoney’s Bar & Grill, Bar Pilar and many other restaurants sell a few hot dogs too, though all of these businesses have one major thing in common: They rely heavily on sales revenues generated from other menu items.

It may just be the nitrates talking, but some of the chefs behind the hot dog boom say the District might yet turn into a sausage town, no matter how dim the history is.

“This city wasn’t a hamburger town years ago, and Five Guys changed that,” Bruner-Yang says. “Two years ago it wasn’t a food truck town, either.”

DC-3, 423 8th Street SE, (202) 546-1935

ChiDogO’s, 1934-C 14th Street NW, (202) 332-3647

U Street Music Hall, 1115-A U Street NW, (202) 588-1880

Eatery tips? Food pursuits? Send suggestions to hungry@washingtoncitypaper.com.

Photo by Darrow Montgomery

The latest in restaurant openings, closings, and highly unstable target dates.

Coming Soon:

• Rockville is getting set to open the latest outpost of the gourmet pizza bar, Matchbox, as early as Friday with an impressive spot which can seat more than 400 people! (Bethesda magazine)
• Dupont Circle will soon have a new yogurt and parfait bar/coffeehouse, Yola, which is set to open next Monday. (Prince of Petworth)
• The Arlington Rooftop Bar and Grill in Courthouse is now officially open however the actual rooftop component will not be ready for patrons until early spring. (ARLnow)
• New York-based Shake Shack, which is set to hit the corner of 18th Street NW and Connecticut Avenue, is now looking for managers. (The Feast)
• The self-proclaimed "first FIT restaurant and bar in America" Funxion at 1309 F St. NW is looking to switch to a 24-hour schedule. (Prince of Petworth)
• The space occupying the former Mar de Plata restaurant at 1827 Jefferson Place NW will soon be transformed to house St. Arnold's of Jefferson Place, a Belgian restaurant and pub. (Prince of Petworth)
• Woodley Park will be the new home to Las Vegas–based and Man Vs. Food-featured, Hot N Juicy Crawfish, which will be occupying the old Trattoria Italiana space at 2651 Connecticut Ave. NW. (Prince of Petworth)
• Besides the two new in-District spots already planned, FroZenYo has announced they will also be adding three new joints in Arlington as they continue their campaign of frozen yogurt world domination. (TBD)
• Perry's owner Saied Ayoubi plans to open Mintwood Place in Adams Morgan sometime in the spring. (The Feast)
• Volt chef and owner Bryan Voltaggio is apparently scouting around for another restaurant, which may or may not be the second coming of Volt. (Washington Business Journal)
• The Capital Video Sales store on 8th Street SE will be closing to make way for a Latin tapas joint called Pacifico. (Prince of Petworth)
• Foxhall sandwich shop Jetties will be opening a second location in Bethesda early next spring. (Bethesda magazine)
• New York City tapas joint Boqueria is currently on the prowl for a spot in the District to open a new location. (Eater)
• While the downtown D.C. branch of NYC-based Crumbs Bake Shop has already launched, the folks in Clarendon continue to await an opening date. (ARLnow)
• A new bar and barbecue joint called American Ice Company is set to open at 917 V St. NW. (Prince of Petworth)
• A new dual-concept sports bar and restaurant, Redline, will be opening soon in the former Indebleu space at 707 G St. NW. (Prince of Petworth)
• Sette Bello has closed its doors at 3101 Wilson Blvd. in Arlington to make way for yet another American Tap Room. (ARLnow)
• Ping Pong Dim Sum is already on the hunt for a third location despite still working on its second spot in Dupont. (Washington Business Journal)

• New "urban village" Park Potomac is attracting a wide range of new restaurants, including the second outpost of The Wine Harvest. (Bethesda magazine)
• Speaking of Park Potomac, the owners of Cava will be joining forces with the owners of Mamma Lucia in order to open Sugo Macaroni and Pizza Bar in the Potomac complex early next spring. (Bethesda magazine)
• Capital City Brewing Co. has lost its lease on Capitol Hill and will be moving operations to its Shirlington site, making it one of the top 10 largest brewpubs in the country. (All We Can Eat)
• More brewpub news: Rock Bottom and Gordon Biersch are merging. (Washington Business Journal)
• BGR owner Mark Bucher has just signed a lease for a Burger Joint in Springfield, at 8420 Old Keene Mill Road. It'll mark the fifth BGR. The sixth is already scheduled for Clarendon.
• Grapeseed's chef Jeff Heineman is planning to open a New England-style seafood shack called Freddie's Lobster and Clams right next door to his current joint at 4867 Cordell Ave. in Bethesda. (Bethesda magazine)
• Self-proclaimed "non-traditional sandwich shop" SUNdeVICH is on its way to 1314 9th St. NW. (Prince of Petworth)
• Cafe Eagle, an Italian/Eritrean restaurant will soon be occupying the old Vegetate space at 1414 9th St. NW. (Prince of Petworth)
• Celebrity chef Bobby Flay plans to throwdown a Bobby's Burger Palace on K Street NW. (Washington Business Journal)
• Jackie Greenbaum, the restaurateur behind Jackie's and Quarry House in Silver Spring, plans to open a Mexican restaurant in Columbia Heights.
• Heebeen Restaurant in Alexandria is scheduled to open a location in Arlington where it will continue to mix Korean and Japanese cuisines. (ARLnow)
• Former IndeBleu chef Michael Hartzer is pairing up with the owner of Bourbon to open the Jack Rose Dining Saloon in Adams Morgan. The selling point? One thousand kinds of whiskey. (Going Out Gurus)
• The founder of Tangysweet is opening a gourmet salad and sandwich shop in Clarendon called Rabbit.
• Looks like Cava is moving forward with plans to open a 4,000-square-foot space in Arlington. (ARLnow)
• Todd Gray and Ellen Kassoff Gray will open their multi-faceted Watershed operation in NoMa this spring.
• Businessman David Von Storch, who owns the Capital City Brewing Company, signed a lease for his newest operation, 901 Restaurant at 901 9th St. NW. (TBD)
• Silver Spring will finally have a spot to watch sports and wolf down fried foods. Babe's Sports Bar & Grill is moving into the old Gallery Restaurant space. (Silver Spring Singular)
• Hey, Biergarten Haus, look out! A new Bavarian beer garden is on its way to 720 L St. SE. (Prince of Petworth)
• Michael Landrum's project at CityVista, it turns out, will apparently not sell steaks or burgers — but coffee, sandwiches, salads, and yogurt. Michael Landrum and yogurt?! (Washingtonian)
• The owner of Hudson in the West End is taking over the former Il Mulino space and turning it into a comfort-food tribute to the 16th president, Lincoln. (WaPo)
• Capitol Hill Sporting Goods at 727 8th St. SE will soon be replaced by a funky new tavern serving up American fare and offering live jazz and blues. (The Hill Is Home)
• Roti Mediterranean Grill has claimed a spot in Constitution Square in NoMa. (Prince of Petworth)
• A new Tryst-type spot called Bistro 18 will be opening up where Oya’s Mini Bazaar and African Art used to be at 2420 18th St. NW. (Prince of Petworth)
• News from Twitter is that food truck, DC Empanadas, will start rolling out soon in the District — with plans to extend into Maryland. (TBD)
• The owners behind the popular Foggy Bottom eatery, Founding Farmers, and its sister operation, Farmers & Fishers, are planning to open a new restaurant in Potomac. (Bethesda magazine)
• Beer and wings specialist, Buffalo Wild Wings, will open up a location in Crystal City sometime this month at the corner of 23rd Street and Crystal Drive. (ARLnow)
• Our bread and pastry options may soon improve. Paul, a bakery that can trace its roots back more than 100 years to France, is opening a location on Pennsylvania Avenue NW. (Metrocurean)
• Zpizza plans to open a location in Rosslyn. Try to contain your excitement. (Washington Business Journal)
• News from the Twitter world is that Red Hook Lobster Pound is looking to add a second truck to its fleet. (Metrocurean)
• The spot at 1113 V St. NW, which used to house the Gori Cafe, is set to become the V Street Cafe, slated to open in several weeks. (Prince of Petworth).
• Christine Sarapu and chef/husband Jorge Pimentel are launching a new Latin-inspired food truck, Sabor’a Street, which is coming to town soon. (WeLoveDC)
• Former Vidalia chef R.J. Cooper is working on a place of his own, Rogue 24, an all tasting-menu restaurant in Mount Vernon Square.
• Could Bayou Bakery's David Guas have some competition? A place named Mudbug is headed to Crystal City. (ARLnow)
• Restaurant Eve‘s chef Cathal Armstrong is planning to get into the pub business with Virtue Feed & Grain. (WaPo)
• Former Maestro chef Fabio Trabocchi is coming back to town to open his own place, Fiola. (WaPo)
• Chef Jeff Black will be opening up the Pearl Dive Oyster Palace and a bar upstairs called Black Jack at 1612 14th St. NW. (Prince of Petworth)
• Middle Eastern restaurant Javan is on its way out to make room for Kabob Bazaar at 7710 Wisconsin Ave. in Bethesda. (Bethesda magazine)
• Prince of Petworth speculates that a Z Burger may be soon opening at the Tivoli Theatre in Columbia Heights. (Prince of Petworth)
• Neighborhood pet shop Chateau Animaux at 524 8th St. SE will close its doors and two District chains, Moby Dick House of Kabob and Nooshi, will occupy its space. (ANC Norm)
• Penn Quarter is set to introduce two new restaurants. St. Louis-based pizzeria, District of Pi, will take over one of the final retail spots at 914 F St. NW and former Top Chefer Mike Isabella will launch his new place, Graffiato.
• A hip new deli called Annie and Teddy’s is coming to the corner of Potomac and Pennsylvania SE. (Prince of Petworth)

Openings:

• Arlington Rooftop Bar and Grill in Courthouse
• Sweetgreen in Ballston
• Bayou Bakery in Arlington
• Ba Bay on Capitol Hill
• Tsunami Sushi & Lounge in Logan Circle
• Brasserie Brightwell in Easton, Md.
• DC-3 on Capitol Hill
• Merzi in Penn Quarter.
• Panera Bread in Dupont Circle
• Vento in Dupont Circle
• Wok and Roll in Adams Morgan
• Zoës Kitchen in Fairfax

Closings:

• Sette Bello in Arlington
• Chuck's Wagon BBQ is closing on H Street NE
• Quarterdeck Restaurant is closing in Arlington

Photo by Arlington Rooftop Bar and Grill

Allow me to offer a disclaimer before I start: You can trust my picks for the District's best shopping districts as much as you can trust Bernie Madoff's financial advice. Through years of selective focus, I can walk through any neighborhood and ignore all manner of shoe shops, clothing stores, and perfumeries, my mind singularly focused on the latest eatery to open its doors.

As such, you'll have to cut me some friggin' slack if I missed one of your favorite shopping meccas. This ain't my area of expertise. So, with that in mind, here are the best neighborhoods to mix shopping and eating on Black Friday, the day that I personally plan to stay at home, far from the marauding hordes armed with their razor-sharp plastic cards.

• Dupont Circle: I've heard you can buy good shit around here. I know you can eat well, although that hasn't always been the case. I think some recent additions have significantly improved the dining in Dupont, particularly in the fast-casual area, which will probably capture most of the shoppers on Black Friday. You can't go wrong (well, you can, but not usually) at BGR: The Burger Joint, Panas Gourmet, Sweetgreen, Nando's Peri-Peri, and even Pizzeria Paradiso (if the place is on its game that day.) For more upscale options, you have the exquisite Obelisk and the newcomer Eola.
• Georgetown: With a few exceptions — Citronelle, La Chaumiere, and Leopold's Kafe + Konditorei — I've long considered Georgetown a wasteland of food options, a tourist destination where many eateries are content to slide by on mediocre fare. The neighborhood has improved of late. I like the big juicy patties at Thunder Burger & Bar (and the craft beer selection). I admire the Neapolitan pies at Il Canale, and I know I can always get some decent sweets at Georgetown Cupcake and Baked & Wired. And if all else fails, I can just slip into my favorite little bistro in the area.
• U Street Corridor/14th Street Strip/Logan Circle: OK, granted, this is really several neighborhoods clumped together, but what the hell. It's the holidays. I'm feeling generous. The dining options in this area have exploded. The hard part is not finding a decent place to eat, but deciding which one to pick. There's Masa 14, Teak Wood, Bar Pilar, Oohhs & Aahhs, Cork Wine Bar, Great Wall-Szechuan House, Little Ethiopia, JJ's Cheesesteaks, and, of course, the mother of all beer emporiums, Birch & Barley/ChurchKey. I know where I'll be shopping this holiday season.
• Capitol Hill/Barracks Row: I've heard this is a good shopping area, but I have my doubts. I do know that you can get quality bites in the neighborhood. You, of course, have Spike Mendelsohn's fast-food two-fer, Good Stuff Eatery and We, the Pizza. Come to think of it, casual dining (some more refined than others, obviously) rules in this neighborhood. You have Matchbox, Ted's Bulletin, DC-3, Zest Bistro, Montmartre, Ba Bay, Market Lunch, Taqueria Nacional, and Tunnicliff's Tavern. If you want to take a few steps up the gastronomic ladder, you can always hit a pair of restaurants run by two of the District's most notable chefs: Johnny's Half Shell under Ann Cashion and Bistro Bis under Jeffrey Buben.

Good luck with your shopping on Friday, and please, someone, let me know when it's over.

Even without its brewpub option, Fire Station 1 Restaurant and Brewing Co. continues to fascinate readers, if only to see how far the Silver Spring project has strayed from its original plan. Whatever the reason, you clicked on this item by the hundreds, making it the most popular post from last week. It just barely beat out our little Yelp experiment.

Take a look at the Top 5:

1. Fire Station 1 Restaurant and Brewing Co. Could Open on Friday (*)
2. Sniffing Out Yelp Reviews: Are They Trustworthy?
3. Betty White's Muffin Skit on SNL
4. A First Look at Ted's Bulletin on Capitol Hill
5. Shooting Blanks: Lobby Protesters at Ristorante Tosca

* A certain light-drinking Budweiser beer was, once again, a popular item among readers, but we’ve stopped counting it.

Ted's Bulletin is the latest project from those tireless guys behind the small Matchbox chain, which has a location just a few doors down from this new Capitol Hill eatery. So what is Ted's Bulletin?

It's a throwback operation, named after co-owners Mark and Ty Neal's father, who, according to restaurant lore, used to feed his West Virginia neighbors and visitors a grilled cheese sandwich with a bowl of homemade tomato soup. The owners have infused that kind of down homey-ness into Ted's, which aims to enable the comfort-food-aholic in all of us; the menu features meatloaf, sloppy Joes, burgers, shakes (even adult ones), four-cheese lasagna, and country fried steak, all served in a marble-and-metal ambiance that looks like it was lifted wholesale from the Chrysler Building.

Actually, it was lifted from the old Philadelphia Convention Center.

Ted's Bulletin is a rare bird: a highly conceptualized space that manages to maintain a warm, friendly vibe. Take a look at some pictures after the jump.

The main dining room with the Art Deco light fixtures and the massive sky light.

The menu is presented as a newspaper. Remember those?

The well-stocked bar includes a faux old-fashioned TV showing B&W movies. No Sports Center for you!

Pastry chef Erica Chirunomula sells sweets from a glass display counter by the front door.

The chocolate milkshake includes three different variations on chocolate: syrup, ice cream, and flakes.

Just as important, the servers give you the leftover shake in the stainless steel container.

Ted's "Famous Grilled Cheese" and tomato soup, although I think the menu description may be premature for a brand new restaurant.

The delightful way in which Ted's IDs its bathrooms: the women's room.

The men's room.

The namesake.