amanda mcclements

Danielle Piacente (at right), a restaurant publicist, kicks off today's Five Bites double feature with a round-up of favorites from her neighborhood. 1. O Roll (spicy tuna, crabmeat, avocado) from Thai Chef 2. Manchego Artequeso cheese (from Spain) from Veritas 3. Eggs Benedict from Circa 4. Sesame shrimp from Banana Leaves 5. Steamed mussels in white wine with tomatoes, thyme, and garlic from Bistrot du Coin Andrea of Arlington offers the next set of bites. 1. Doughnuts at 2 Amys 2. Buffalo mozzarella porcupine at Corduroy 3. Paneer makhni at Delhi Club 4. Burl Ives (burger topped with a hot dog on a sub roll) at Lindy's 5. Sweet potato fries at Cafe Saint-Ex Five Bites is a weekly opportunity for you to tell Metrocurean readers which dishes you're enjoying around town. E-mail five of your favorite dishes or drinks and whether you'd like your name and a picture included to metrocurean@gmail.com.

One of the area's best outdoor perches is shutting down for the fall and winter seasons. Indigo Landing will close Oct. 1 through March 2008. Meanwhile, Star Restaurant Group, which operates Indigo Landing as well as Zola and Spy City Cafe , has set its sights on a new downtown restaurant. Plans are under way for a yet-to-be-named rustic Italian restaurant and bakery slated to open next fall in the Woodward building at 15th and H streets. Chef Bryan Moscatello will oversee the new restaurant's menu, and he'll travel to Italy for inspiration. Moscatello took over executive chef duties of the entire Star group in April, following former Zola chef Frank Morales' departure for Rustico . Back on Indigo Landing's Daingerfield Island, Guest Services Inc., which runs Indigo Landing in a partnership with Star, will operate a spot called the Afterdeck Cafe through the winter. But does the extended closure of Indigo Landing spell trouble? As the lead-in to Tom Sietsema'...

Looking for a way to put your love of food to good use? Operation Frontline needs volunteers for a variety of jobs. The program, a collaborative effort between the Capital Area Food Bank and Share Our Strength, mobilizes chefs and nutritionists to teach low-income individuals the cooking skills, nutrition information and food budgeting tips they need to make healthy food choices on a limited budget. The program needs volunteers for the following roles: • Chef: Training or experience in the culinary industry requested. • Nutrition/Dietitian: Education in nutrition or dietetics preferred. • Financial Planner: Professional background or training in financial planning. • Assistant: Geared toward those who enjoy cooking and nutrition but might not have any experience in either arena. Assistants can help out with a range of tasks during the class, like chopping vegetables, serving food, washing dishes between recipes and organizing take-home bags of food for the partici...

Yes! Organic Market will move into a retail space in Union Row at 14th and V Streets, according to a post on D.C. Councilmember Jim Graham's website. Grassroots grocery store campaigns have become a cause du jour for city activists. And local bloggers—from 14th and You to Prince of Petworth to Columbia Heights News —jumped on the news last week. (Yours truly is late to the party.) Yes! has several other locations around town, with another planned for 4100 Georgia Ave., according to the Washington Business Journal . The Union Row store is expected to open in spring 2008.

Bring on the vino. In one of my favorite trendlets to hit the D.C. dining scene, bona fide wine bars are popping up like Champagne corks on New Year's Eve. (Yes, I had to go there.) I ducked into the brand new Veritas last night and ran into a veritable who's who of local wine gurus, who were also checking the place out. It's tiny but comfortable and is the kind of casual place we ought to have more of ... and will soon. The same owners will open Enology next year in the former Zebra Lounge space at 3238 Wisconsin Ave. On 14th Street, construction is under way at Cork (more details here ). And Melissa McCart reports for The Express that yet another oeno-monikered spot is on the way. Vinoteca is slated to open soon near 11th and U streets, according to the post. Read more on her personal blog here .

Today's Five Bites come from Metrocurean reader Emily, who offers highlights from a "Goodbye to DC Dining Tour" since she recently moved. 1. Cold roasted red pepper soup at Dino 2. Kadu chalau (sauteed pumpkin) at Bamian 3. No. 12 Pho at Pho 75 4. Sauteed eggplant and chicken with basil at Thai Square 5. Flounder sashimi with fried carrot salad at Sushi-Ko Five Bites is a weekly opportunity for you to tell Metrocurean readers which dishes you're enjoying around town. E-mail five of your favorite dishes or drinks and whether you'd like your name and a picture included to metrocurean@gmail.com.

RedRocks , Columbia Heights' two-month-old pizza hot spot, has added breakfast pizza and Belgian waffles to its repertoire. The restaurant began offering brunch Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. last month. The brunch menu offers a pizza topped with a fried egg, roasted potatoes, truffle oil and herbs, several omelets, Belgian waffles and eggs in hell (eggs poached in marinara sauce) with housemade toast, among other dishes. On Sundays, brunch-goers can sip on $9 bottomless mimosas. Last week, RedRocks (whose brick oven pizza ranked second in a DCist taste test ) added lunch service Tuesday through Sunday, and this week, Monday night dinner was added to the schedule.

The Alexandria outpost of Hank's Oyster Bar (1026 King St.) is now open. The new location is a little smaller than the original but serves the same menu of fried shrimp, lobster rolls and oysters. Unlike its Dupont Circle big sister, however, this one serves lunch Tuesday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The lunch menu features a daily sandwich special, like an open-faced Mediterranean option offering mahi mahi, watercress, oven-dried tomatoes and Niçoise olive preserved lemon tapenade on foccacia. There are also salmon cakes, oyster po' boys, salads and a burger. Also in Virginia, Restaurant 3 (2950 Clarendon Blvd.) is preparing to open its doors. DC Metrocentric points us to the menu for the new spot, which features cider brined pork chops with three apple relish, fried oysters and Southern fried catfish. Read some background here .

Dean Gold, the affable owner of Cleveland Park's Dino , kicks off today's Five Bites double feature. 1. Hand pulled Korean Chinese style noodles at Da Rae Won in Beltsville, Md. "JaJa Mein is the house favorite, but I also like the seafood varieties." 2. Lion's head, a huge meatball with lots of spices in a wonderful broth served on a bed of meltingly soft cabbage, at Bob's 88 Shabu Shabu 3. Crispy dried fried beef at Joe's Noodle House . "Blindingly hot, addictive. Get it extra spicy like I do and you will hallucinate!" Gold says. 4. Pupusas from Sergio's Place 5. Crabs and beer out of plastic cups at L.P. Steamers in Baltimore. "No atmosphere but great crabs," Gold says. "Try the shrimp with onion and Old Bay as well." Caryn Marks of Dupont Circle offers the second dose of Five Bites for today. 1. Calamari at Hook 2. Spanish cheese selection with honey from Taberna del Alabardero 3. Tuna and ginger ceviche ...

The owners of Matchbox plan to open a second restaurant on Barracks Row in a former vending warehouse sometime next year. Co-owner Drew Kim told me in an interview for Roll Call that they plan to transform the raw space inside 521 Eighth St. SE into a new Matchbox, with the same look, vibe and menu of wood-fired pizzas and mini burgers that made the original Matchbox in Chinatown wildly popular. He and co-owner Ty Neal both live on the Hill. "We had been looking up there for several years," Kim said. "With the new baseball stadium coming, we knew we wanted to be over there." The second Matchbox will offer 150 seats and outdoor seating. Early plans call for neighborhood friendly features like weekend brunch and happy hour deals. Kim says they're shooting for a late spring or early summer opening next year.

The ongoing construction on P Street just west of Dupont Circle is reportedly having a devastating effect on local restaurants. The owners of Mark and Orlando's , Montsouris and Pesce all report a damaging drop in business, according to a story in this week's Dupont Current . Mark Medley of Mark and Orlando's says there's a 50-50 chance his restaurant will have to close, and Veronique Onteniente of Montsouris says she's not sure the French bistro will outlast the construction. The Fractured Prune already hightailed it for greener pastures. The Current paper not only has a story dedicated to the construction-prompted problems but also includes an ad taken out by ANC 2B Commissioner Mike Silverstein that states: "This is Not a Call to Arms ... It's a Call to Dinner!!!" The ad cites a 60 percent or more drop in business for some P Street occupants. It would be a shame to see any of these restaurants go, so take some of your dining dollars over to P...

The CityPaper 's Tim Carman reports that the owners of Amsterdam Falafelshop have given up their stake in M'Dawg Haute Dogs . Scott and Arianne Bennett reportedly had different ideas than the hot dog joint's investors on how the business should be run. Carman reports that chef Greggory Hill, who recently left the now-closed David Greggory restaurant, is still a partner.

For the second double dose of Five Bites, Zac, a bartender at Fogo de Chao , starts us off with what he calls a "profound statement of culinary largesse" and adds cold beer to each of these. 1. Crabs at Tim's Rivershore Restaurant and Crabhouse 2. Crabs at Tim's II in Fairview Beach, Va. 3. Buffalo wings at Pirates Cove Inn in Galesville, Md. 4. Fire and smoke pizza, sub goat cheese, add bacon, at Matchbox 5. Smoked duck at Peking Gourmet Next up, Kristal DeKleer (pictured at right) offers meal suggestions for five spots. 1. Lobster bisque, Alaskan salmon and the molten lava chocolate cake with homemade ice cream and the perfect amount of fruit at Marcel's 2. El's mushroom masterpiece followed by the meat and potatoes Americana at Creme 3. The ceviche sampler, beef empanadas and black bean soup at the bar at Ceiba 4. To feed a group, the charcuterie plate with selected cheeses followed by an order of beef carbonnade and frites. ("Everyone can dip and sn...

It used to be that you needed an invitation — to a fundraiser, a cocktail party, or any other private event — to sip cocktails and enjoy the view (above) on the roof of Charlie Palmer Steak ’s building at 101 Constitution Ave. NW. No more. Every Thursday evening through Thanksgiving, starting tonight, the sleek Capitol Hill steakhouse will host a rooftop happy hour from 5-9 p.m. And what could be better than free access to one of the best perches in town? Free food, of course. Complimentary passed hors d’oeuvres will be available, including mini lobster corn dogs, crisp oysters with remoulade sauce and steak tartare. A DJ will spin ambient music, and a full bar will offer special cocktails, champagnes and wines for purchase. “We’re hoping this happy hour will become a Thursday tradition for those who live and work on Capitol Hill,” said Bryan Voltaggio, the restaurant’s executive chef and general manager, in a release. To get to the roof, head through the building’s front doors on Cons...

I can't get the Queen song "Another One Bites The Dust" out of my head this week. First came news that chef Bob Kinkead's Colvin Run Tavern was closing. It ended its six-year run on Saturday. According to a recent Washington Post dining chat , the restaurant might relocate. Snackmaniac reports that The Fractured Prune in Dupont Circle is now closed. According to the company's web site , the ongoing sidewalk construction on P Street forced the donut shop to relocate to 39-A Maryland Ave. in Rockville. And now, Washingtonian 's Best Bites blog says Yin Yankee in Bethesda has closed after just four months. Here's hoping next week is better in the brutal world of restaurants.

Turning my decaffeinated tears into wine, Cork is set to replace the recently shuttered Sparky's on 14th Street around the end of the year. The wine bar is the longtime dream of neighborhood residents Diane Gross and Khalid Pitts. The couple — who got hitched three months ago — searched for some time for available space in the 14th Street corridor. "We're really excited to be in our neighborhood building this," Gross told Metrocurean. "Sparky's had really been a cornerstone of the neighborhood," says Pitts, adding that they intend to maintain the neighborhood feel. Cork will offer about 100 wines by the bottle, focusing on Old World selections, including many organic and sustainably produced wines. As for the wine-by-the-glass list, Gross says, "I'm having trouble keeping it to 20." Glasses will range in price from $6 to $14, with most lingering at the lower end, she says. The bar will also offer wine flights. With all the high-tech wine...