No mention of any new "orgy" specials, sadly.

Read the full press release, if you care to, below:

TORTILLA COAST GOES AUTHENTIC MEXICAN AT SECOND LOCATION

Fresh Regional Mexican Dishes Highlight Logan Circle Menu

Washington, DC (December 5, 2011)—Tortilla Coast will open a second location at 1460 P Street NW, near Logan Circle, in mid-December.  While the new restaurant will offer the same fun atmosphere and focus on freshly made food that guests have come to expect at the original Capitol Hill location, the Logan Circle restaurant will feature authentic regional Mexican cuisine.

Katie Tyson, Managing Director of Clover Restaurant Group, said, “We are thrilled to be a part of the Logan Circle community.  We’ve spent a lot of time talking with our new neighbors—residents, business owners and civic leaders—about what they want in a Mexican restaurant.  We are confident that Tortilla Coast will give them the authentic experience they crave.”

The menu at the Logan Circle location embraces the unique ingredients and culinary styles of the Yucatan, Puebla, Veracruz, and Baja regions.  Offering lunch, dinner and weekend brunch dishes, the menu is highlighted by fresh, house-made tortillas, salsas, guacamole and sauces.  Signature dishes include Lomito con Mole Negro Oaxaqueño, an adobo marinated grilled pork tenderloin, Tilapia a la Veracruzana, pan seared tilapia in a rustic lemon caper sauce, and Mama’s Enchiladas, stuffed with pulled chicken Mexicana in a ranchera and tomatillo salsa.  Traditional favorites like ceviches, tacos, and fajitas will also be offered.

Building on Tortilla Coast’s tradition of great drinks, the Logan Circle location will serve up an eclectic selection of handcrafted cocktails, and a superb mix of Mexican beers and Spanish and South American wines.  Margaritas made to order with fresh juices and organic nectars pair with any one of Tortilla Coast’s 99 tequilas and mezcals.  Standouts include prickly pear, available on the rocks or frozen, blood orange or white peach.  “Micheladas,” refreshing traditional Mexican beer cocktails, are served two ways: “Chelita,” with Modelo Especial, fresh lime and a salted rim, or “La Sangrita,” with Negro Modelo, house-made sangrita and a salted rim.

The restaurant boasts 152 seats (including 45 in the bar area) and, come spring, will feature a 48 seat patio on 15^th Street NW.  The décor is vibrant and fun, anchored by a 30 foot mural of Mexican street art collected by local designer Walter Gagliano.

Tortilla Coast Logan Circle will be open for dining Monday-Thursday 11:30am–11 pm, Friday 11:30am–midnight, Saturday 10am- midnight and Sunday 10am-10pm.  Brunch on Saturday and Sunday will be served from 10am – 3pm.

It's Monday, which means it's time to dig into a big, heaping plate of food news. We start with an item close to home:

• Amsterdam Falafelshop is looking to franchise. Where and when? The guessing (begging?) game begins. (DCist)
• New Tex-Mex joint to replace AM PM Carryout at 14th and V: Liquor license and sidewalk cafe, oh my! (Prince of Petworth)

• The Culinary Ambassadors' guide to eating through a proper Oktoberfest. Wolfgang, pass the kraut. (Serious Eats)
• Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show is coming back to the District in November. (Northern Virginia magazine)
• We have two words for you: Beer garden. This Saturday's 17th Street Festival will have live music and a beer garden. Did we mention a beer garden? (Borderstan)
• Get 'em while they're hot: Afro-Portuguese inspired Nando's Peri-Peri opens a new location in Silver Spring. (Thrillist)
• The guy seriously has no reservations.  TV bad boy Anthony Bourdain is writing a graphic novel about "ultraviolent food nerds." (MTV)
• Leave it to a group of Washington doctors to politically attack McDonald's.  Ba da ba ba ba, I'm lovin' it. (Treehugger)
• It hurts so good. Men's Health has named Five Guys one of the worst foods in America. (WeLoveDC)

My old colleague at the Houston Press recently left his post there as restaurant critic and is now doing service journalism of another sort: demonstrating how to prepare Texas/Tex-Mex dishes, complete with videos showing his once well-concealed mug.

One piece of advice, Robb: Zoom in on that food, dude! It's nice seeing your face now, but how can I say this nicely? The food is more appetizing....

As you can imagine, the news of Spike Mendelsohn's eviction took center stage this week on the Y&H blog. No other item drew even a quarter of the readers. But now, there's good news on the Spike front: The chef and his erstwhile roomie have started to pay back their landlord, with the promise of a full accounting soon. While we wait for that, check out the most-read posts of the week:

1. Spike Mendelsohn Evicted from His Capitol Hill Rental House
2. H Street Country Club Swings Open Tomorrow
3. D.C.'s Unofficial Beer Week (Thank You, Savor)
4. Atlantic Food Declares D.C. a Great Food City
5. Spike's New Pizzeria Is Coming to Cap Hill. But First: Souvlaki!
   

Remember my post earlier this month about the H Street Country Club opening in late March? Scratch that. Looks like we'll have to wait a bit longer.

This is, frankly, why I hate writing about opening dates.

After months and months and months of delays, the owners of the indoor miniature golf course and Tex-Mex outlet have one more hassle to deal with: They have to wait eight weeks for a water-pressure test. That's how long it'll take before a representative from the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority can get to the establishment and conduct the test, says Ricardo Vergara who co-owns the H Street Country Club with Joe Englert.

The owners have offered to foot the bill for a third-party tester, but Vergara says WASA nixed the idea, saying that it needed to conduct the test.  "WASA is just not willing to budge," he says.

If WASA would accept a third-party tester, Vergara says the adult putt-putt playground could be up and running in two weeks. Otherwise, it's two more painful months of waiting. "We're losing money by not being open," Vergara adds. "And the city is losing tax revenue by us not being open."

I'm waiting on WASA to return my phone call.

She and the editors over at NBC Washington dub it the "Best Mexican Food in D.C."

You can't begrudge someone's dining opinion. The palate is too personal to start casting aspersions on anyone's taste (though, God knows such activities make for good copy and reality TV.) But Kim, whoever the critic is, should have at least done a Google search on the place to help put this glowing review in better context; if you're going to call Lauriol Plaza the best Mexican joint in D.C., you desperately need to acknowledge how far you're going against the prevailing critical thinking.

You should also understand that there's a difference between Mexican cuisine and Tex-Mex. You should also know that the chimichanga was created in Arizona, not Mexico or Texas. You should also read Jule Banville's definitive take on Lauriol Plaza. You should also show some awareness of the Salvadoran/Mexican hybrids that dominate this area. You should also have a much better grasp of the cooking taking place in the so-called Little Mexico area in Bladensburg, including the routinely delicious El Tapatio.

You should, in other words, have a much firmer grasp of the city's Latin offerings before making such a bold statement. End of speech.

Photo by Darrow Montgomery