June 1, 2007
The Weekly Feed: We're Turning Euronese Edition
Vapiano: Hopefully Better than the Name Sounds
DCist swung by the opening dinner last night at Vapiano, now open at 1800 M Street NW. It's a European-based pizza, pasta, and salad bar that claims to be leading a new trend in the restaurant industry deemed “Fresh Casual" (which was strange, given the greeters at the dinner were dressed to the nines). What does that mean? Vapiano explains it as “somewhere between the nicest of fast casual and the hippest of dining casual,” think high European fashion meets family-style Italian. With that being said, if you’re looking for rustic Italian pizzas and pastas made right in front of you (you order directly from the cooks, a la High Noon) at great prices in a hip atmosphere, then you might want to check Vapiano out.
The menu is broken into four areas: insalatas, antipasti, pizza, and pasta. It is then further categorized into price groups A,B,C, and D; A being the lowest and D the highest. Insalatas come in at $4.25 for a small and $6.50 for a large with $2.25 for extras such as turkey or filet of beef. Pastas start off at $6.75, for Group A, which are basics like pomodoro and pesto to Group D at $9.75 with goodies like ccampi and crayfish in lobster sauce. Pizzas have the same price points and go from simple Margheritas to elaborate Crudo e Fichi, which includes Prosciutto di Parma, Figs, Acacia Honey, Tomato Sauce and Mozzarella. Antipasti ranges from Bruschetta for $3.00 to Beef Carpaccio at $9.00.
This is a place that intends to cater to all demographics. When working downtown you can get in and out on your lunch break and it’s a change from your usual turkey on wheat hold the mayo sandwich. If you’ve got a hankering for some late night comfort food after you’ve slammed a few back, Vapiano serves until midnight, seven days a week. But, in between government workers during the day and partiers at night, the place is welcoming enough to bring the family for dinner (sorry, no early bird specials for Grandma).
If you can’t make it to M Street, they recently opened their Arlington location at 4401 Wilson Blvd. and are scheduled to open one in Chinatown this coming August. Washington is the restaurant's first foray into stateside dining, though the chain has several locations in Europe including Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Holland, and one squeezed into Asia: Baghdad Avenue in Istanbul. Maybe we can use this as our common ground with the Middle East...
Champagne and Sparkling Wine Dinner at Sonoma
If you’re looking to add a little sparkle to your life check out the Champagne and Sparkling Wine Dinner hosted by Best Cellars of Dupont at Sonoma restaurant, on Thursday June 7th at 7:00 p.m. The price is $120 a person and includes a 4 course meal with a pairing of 8 (!) sparklings and champagnes, tax and tip. The menu will include grilled prawns with fregola cous cous and romesco sauce, porchetta and braised chard with mustard jus, and sabayon with fresh local berries and pistachio tuille. Wines will range from traditional champagnes, to rosé sparklers, to rare vintage 1988 Veuve Cliquot, to a sweet Hungarian sparkling. Reservations are required and can be made by calling Best Cellars Dupont at 202-387-3146.
Chocolate Heaven Headed to Logan Circle
Thanks to a tip from Metrocurean, we were pointed to the news of this: the partnering of Artfully Chocolate and Kingbury Chocolates to open a store and "chocolate cafe" at 1529 14th St. NW. Ummm, yes please. You may recall that we stopped by Artfully Chocolate in Del Ray a couple months ago. Little did you know, we haven't actually left the store. Still here. No teeth left, but chocolate conveniently melts at body temperature. Look for the store later this summer. We have one request: install wi-fi so we can "work" from there.
Adam Bailey contributed to the Weekly Feed
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those are Cooks at high noon. fooled me.
does Vapiano serve slices? the place in the same spot previously had excellent slices. was sad to see it go.
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Many, most, would say that Instanbul is in Europe not Asia.
Thanks.
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It's on the east side of the Bosphorus, so it's in Asia, geographically.
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Unfortunately I do not think they serve slices, at least I didn't see any on the menu. But the pizzas aren't that large so two people or one very hungry person can handle it.
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I've been to the Ballston Vapiano's, and while I thought the food and the overall concept were pretty decent for the price, the day I visited their "ingenious" payment system turned out to be a total disaster. For some reason, they think it's more efficient to issue little RFID cards to everyone at entrance, then you just swipe the card at each station where you pick up some food and on the way out you hand over the card, your bill is tallied, and you pay.
On that particular day, one of their two cash registers was broken and so even though there were two lines they were using the same set of equipment to read the cards and ring up all the bills. After our lunch was completely over and my co-worker and I were ready to head back to the office, instead we had to stand in line for almost 15 minutes to pay our $10 checks. Even if both registers had been working I don't see how the system is at all efficient ... the vast majority of people only visit one line anyway, and could just as easily be paying when they get their food.
Oh, and they charge $2 for EIGHT OUNCES of Coke in a cute little glass bottle. I could have put up with the screw system and the slowness, but my caffeine addiction won't let me go back there now just out of principle.
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By "European-based" you mean "owned and operated by a German conglomerate." This is Italian food as managed and delivered by Germans. Not to say they can't pull it off. Initial reviews of the Ballston store have been fairly positive. But the payment system can be kinda awkward, as Nate describes, and DC's notoriously sloppy servers can't really add much to the equation. I'd give them a couple months to iron out their staffing/technical issues and tailor their menu to the locals.
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I agree, I don't how this payment system is going to pan out. It seems more complicated than it needs to be. Their website claims they're "changing the way restaurants do business." All I know is the last thing I want to watch is skinny models walking down the runway while I chow down on pizza ( they were showing a fashion show the night I was there).
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Wait, are you reviewing a press dinner at Vapiano, or reviewing a meal on the first night the place is open?
Either way sounds sketchy to me.
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The fashion show projecton, DJ Brent, red carpet, peroni girls (and open bar and comp menu tastings) were brought in exclusively for the VIP grand opening cocktail bash for 700+. Not a press-only dinner and no priority given to them,but a widely attended event (to use the proper dc term) of friends & neighbors, investors,invited press,and local business reps.This event is not meant to skew/ influence opinion; it is to inform, introduce and celebrate! Runway models will not be watching you eat your pizza, nor will the bar continue to be free.The recipes will in fact stay the same.
Yes, my company planned the event and we all thank you for your thorough and immediate "feed." Sorry we didn't get a chance to meet, and glad you had what I deem a good time.
Having tried almost everything on the menu, I suggest the crudo e fichi -proscuitto, fig and honey- pizza, the tonna fresco pasta (if you like tuna and dill) and the bolognese.I won't wax acclaim here as indeed I'm in too deep.
Keep up the feedback and have a fantastic weekend. Carrie
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For Confused- As clfost said- this is not a review, merely a preview and info about a new place opening up. And for clfost- the pizza model thing was just a joke. We'll need to check it out on a normal day.
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Hip Euro chain serves food with an attitue?
Sounds like the Ikea cafeteria minus all the crappy furniture.
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So this German-based restaurant chain serves overpriced pizza on M Street. Is "Vapiano" Italian for "vapid?" just asking.
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According to this review, Vapiano IS Italian for "vapid." Got their work cut out for them, but it won't be the first time the area has to make do with a sorry franchise.
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LOL, I knew you were kidding around, Amanda.
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RE: b
Truth is: it feels EXACTLY like you're eating in Ikea. Plain wood and euro-modern furniture abound.
I ate at the Ballston location for the first time last night. I had figured it for a nicer resturaunt every time I had walked by due to the decor.
No problems with the payment system, and I can see how it would be nice if you were just stopping there for a drink and an appetizer. Frankly the idea of swiping a card to order a beer is 100x more appealing than having to deal with a tab. Although did anyone notice that on the back of the card it says you'll be charged 50$ if you lose it?
The pizza I had wasn't so great (the veggie pizza, FYI), and next time I'll likely try the pasta.
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What about the furniture? A friend of mine who has just bought a new office furniture and I have some ideas for you place, because I don't really like the one you adopted there.