amanda mcclements

In addition to shopping for space to open a new restaurant in town, the owners of Matchbox are preparing to unveil a sizable expansion that will nearly double the restaurant's current seating capacity. The 125-seat expansion (check out a pic here ) should be ready in the next two months, partner Ty Neal told me in an interview for Roll Call (subscription required). With the 75 seats they have now, diners wait as long as two hours for a table on weekends. “Demand is really strong,” Neal said. “With all the growth and condos … it’s a fantastic time to be in this neighborhood, and the expansion is really needed.” The expansion will include a 20-seat patio, a private dining room and a new kitchen with a second wood-burning pizza oven to accommodate the additional diners. But even with the increased capacity, Neal said the restaurant won’t lose its quaint charm. “It’s still Matchbox.”

Good news, city folk: Trader Joe's is slated to open July 25 at the Columbia Residences in the West End, according to The Current Newspapers . The Current report also mentions that the 9,500-square-foot store will offer a 50-car underground garage. Anyone have news on the legend of Adams Morgan's Harris Teeter , while we're talking grocery stores?

Welcome back to the daily grind. I couldn't help getting Soul II Soul's song stuck in my head this morning, thus the title of this post. I also couldn't resist sharing this off-topic and unappetizing shot of a deceased sea turtle, somehow still majestic in death, that we came across on a hike last week. She may convey how some of you are feeling back at work this morning. But onward we forge into the sultry heat of summer. On the horizon is a mid-summer opening for Eamonn's - A Dublin Chipper , possibly in the next few weeks, chef and owner Cathal Armstrong indicates on donrockwell.com. I spoke to Todd Thrasher, manager and sommelier at Restaurant Eve , recently about his plans for the new restaurant's 1920s speakeasy-inspired bar. He's been working on fresh takes on retro cocktails (like clear mint juleps and Moscow mules) and foraging for antique stemware. Check out what else Thrasher and other local mixologists have up their sleeves for summer in this Washin...

Dispatch from the road ... Also known as slimy, nasty, little thing for those who can't appreciate the mushy, mealy delicacy found along coastal roadways down South. They are best purchased from the back of an old man's pick-up truck, but roadside family farms are also a reliable source. Be sure to crack open with teeth so as to not waste the briny liquid trapped inside. Magic in action. Hark the return of summer tomatoes!

Metrocurean will be on vacation next week, but check in for sporadic posts from the wilds of South Carolina. And of course, I'll meet you back here after Memorial Day for more food and dining fun.

Don't forget to look out for the RAMMY ballot in Sunday's Washington Post Magazine . The public voting in four categories runs from May 21 through June 4. If you miss the ballot, you can also cast your votes at ramw.org . And the nominees are ... * Neighborhood Gathering Place: Billy Martin's Tavern , Busboys & Poets , Cashion's Eat Place , Chef Geoff's (New Mexico Ave.) and Evening Star Café * Hottest Bar Scene: Clyde's of Gallery Place , Degrees Bar , Sonoma Restaurant & Wine Bar , Tabaq Bistro and Zaytinya * Power Spot: Bistro Bis , Capital Grille , Charlie Palmer Steak , The Caucus Room and The Prime Rib * Favorite Restaurant: Voters write in their favorite.

Some of our local neighborhood blogs are great places to find information on retail and restaurant development, and I recently added links to a few of my favorites (at right). Here are a few restaurant tidbits from the neighborhoods: * From Columbia Heights News comes word that a Kudo Beans will be opening in the Tivoli Square development at 14th and Irving streets. Also opening is Rumberos , "a Latin-American style restaurant" from the owners of Adams Morgan's Rumba Café , according to the blog. * Gallery Place Living reports on a new pool hall going in at 714 Seventh St. NW, from the folks of Bedrock Bars . (More on that from the Washington Business Journal here .) The blog also mentions that the E Street Cinema now serves beer and wine (hooray!).

An occasional recollection of the five best things I've eaten or sipped on this week ... 1. The housemade pork and mushroom sausage served with delicious, sautéed white beans at Jaleo . The dish is being featured during the restaurant's mushroom festival . 2. French toast with strawberry butter at Café Saint-Ex 3. The Cucumber Collins cocktail at Firefly 4. A vanilla cupcake with fluffy white icing and colored sprinkles from Reeve's Bakery 5. About a half dozen Olde Salt oysters at Hank's Oyster Bar 's first birthday party (And believe it or not, no bichon frise .)

Update: I'd believe people would eat anything. Really . A thorough read would've made that clear. Check out today's Eating Around post on the FreeRide blog for information on the latest trend to sweep restaurants: zoo animals and puppies! (So it's not really a widespread trend but it's still crazy to read about.)

Washingtonian 's Todd Kliman reports in Tuesday's online chat that Morou has found a spot for his new restaurant in Old Town Alexandria--far (enough) from the scandal-tainted Signatures location. The 66-seat restaurant may open as early as September, Kliman reports, in the former Blue Point Grill space at 600 Franklin St. Morou is also scheduled to compete on "Iron Chef America" in the coming months, with Mayor Anthony Williams serving as a (completely objective?) judge. Metrocurean is glad to see Morou rising from the Jack Abramoff ashes.

Duffy's Irish Restaurant , U Street's newest addition , has rolled out their happy hour specials, which run from Monday to Friday, 4 to 7 p.m. Pints of Yuengling, Bud and Miller Lite and house wines are $3.50. Rail drinks run $4, burgers and shepherd's pie, $4.95 and fish and chips, $5.95. If you want a deal on the good beer, the restaurant is hosting a "24" finale viewing party on Monday, with $4 pints of Guinness and Smithwick's during the show. They also promise to show every Nats game on at least one television. Anyone stopped in yet?

Everything Roberto Donna touches seems to turn to gold these days. Fresh off his recent win on Iron Chef America, the Galileo chef and owner took home the best crab cakes award at Monday night's I Love Crab Cakes competition. Also competing in the event, which was co-sponsored by the American Institute of Wine and Food and Phillips Seafood, were chef Greggory Hill of David Greggory (pictured), Jamie Leeds of Hank's Oyster Bar , Jim Swenson of the Fourth Estate and Geoff Tracy of Chef Geoff's and the soon-to-open Lia's . Former 1789 chef Ris Lacoste, who I hear may have found a location for her new restaurant, served as mistress of ceremonies. Swenson was honored with the people's choice award for his crab cakes, though Hill's rendition, which was wrapped in bacon and served with truffle-scented succotash, left a lasting impression on me. Judges for the event were Seattle chef, restaurateur and author Tom Douglas, whose new book, "I Love Crab Cakes"...

What people are talking about locally ... ... It was a good week for area chefs, with Fabio Trabocchi (right) of Maestro bringing home a prestigious James Beard award for Best Chef in the Mid-Atlantic, and Roberto Donna redeeming himself with a win on Iron Chef America. Other D.C. chefs honored as nominees at the Beard awards were Peter Pastan of Obelisk and Mark Furstenberg of Breadline in the Mid-Atlantic category and Michel Richard of Citronelle for Outstanding Chef nationally. ... ... According to Bon Appetit 's new blog , Saturday marks the cocktail's 200th birthday. And as The New York Times reports , the cocktail has come a long way, baby. José Andrés and Katsuya Fukushima of Café Atlantico get some ink in the story for the cocktails they've been engineering at the Minibar , like a whiskey sour topped off with a passion fruit foam. ... ... Coming: Il Mulino , an Italian chain out of New York, to 1110 Vermont Ave., according to a tip from a donrockwell.com po...

When I first smelled the overwhelming scent of rotting meat five years ago at a large grocery store with a reputation for its social scene that shall remain nameless, I started putting a little more thought into where I bought certain products. Whole Foods was closer to my house at the time anyway, and I started noticing a few surprising price differences. Contrary to its "Whole Paycheck" nickname, Whole Foods' prices were actually lower on, for example, the yogurt I liked. A whole 30 cents lower. But whenever I explained to someone that if you shop carefully, you really don't have to spend more at Whole Foods, I was met with headshakes full of doubtful pity. Of course you can go to Whole Foods and buy a four-ounce block of cheese for $15 or a small bottle of olive oil for $30, but no one's making you. A story in today's New York Times delves into Whole Foods' elitist image problem and reports on a new ad campaign the company is runnung in New York that ...

In his weekly chat , Washingtonian dining editor Todd Kliman makes nearly official a rumor that’s been kicking around town: Renowned chef Eric Ripert will open a restaurant called Harvest in the Ritz-Carlton in Georgetown. Ripert is best known for his cooking at Le Bernardin in New York, though he oversees several other restaurants, including Periwinkle and Blue in the Ritz Grand Cayman. According to the publicist that Kliman called, nothing has been signed and “discussions are ongoing.” No word on what this means for Fahrenheit , the restaurant in the Ritz headed by chef Terence Feury. There’s always the possibility that the rumor mill has the two oddly close Ritz hotels confused, and Ripert will set up in the Ritz on 22nd Street, but the word from Kliman is the restaurant will be in the Georgetown Ritz. UPDATE: Tom Sietsema clarifies the rumor in his chat : "I've signed a letter of intent but not a contract," [Ripert] told me earlier this morning. "There's n...

Congratulations to Galileo chef Roberto Donna for his win over Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto last night on Iron Chef America . The Italian chef more than avenged the loss he suffered during his first match by completing all five required dishes, plus one. After a good deal of browbeating on camera (at right), Donna's bravado proved itself justified when the judges awarded him 54 points to Morimoto's 48 in Battle Squid. Donna definitely scored originality points with his tin of "caviar" --actually Israeli couscous stained black with squid ink -- a clever dish also done by Michel Richard at Citronelle . You've done D.C. proud, Donna.

This stuff hits the spot on a hot afternoon.

It's been a busy week here at Metrocurean headquarters (paying work tends to take a toll on the blog), but in an effort to feed you demanding readers on a time crunch, I offer this mishmash of things floating around in my head and inbox: * Get some inspiration for what to do this weekend (go Roberto!) from this post I wrote yesterday on the new Express blog, FreeRide. I'm looking forward to trying out a scaled-down version of the recipe for agua loco , the Mexican answer to sangria. * Charlie Palmer Steak just added a Sunday dinner service to its schedule. And don't forget about the restaurant's bargain $20.06 three-course lunch. You can even try sauteed skate wing, which Washingtonian examines this month as the trash fish turned treasure. * Restaurant Eve and acclaimed cookbook author Joan Nathan are joining together May 16 for a five-course dinner centered on her new book, "The New American Cooking." Dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. and costs $145 (exclusive ...

I much prefer telling you about all the great chefs who are coming to D.C. and all the promising restaurants slated to open, but there's been a flurry of activity in the dining scene's negative column in the past few days: The Post's GOG Blog fills us in on the closing of Half Moon BBQ , a loss for the local music scene. And no sooner had the word of mouth spread about how delicious China Gourmet / Szechuan Boy in Fairfax had become since chef Peter Chang joined the restaurant, than rumors started swirling that he's leaving. It sounds like fans shouldn't panic yet, however. In Todd Kliman's chat/blog hybrid he's now calling a "chog," he investigates and is told Chang isn't going anywhere ... for now. I may keep next week's dinner date there after all. The Chang rumors come on the heels of news that Matthew Secich, the intense and talented chef recruited by The Oval Room , left his post after only a few months. I was a fan of his Buddha...