The chefs behind the latest pop-ups and ghost kitchens in the D.C. area are channeling a lot of nostalgia and comfort into their latest inventive concepts. Looking for a cozy bowl of stew or just a big bowl of pasta? You’re in luck.
Seinfeld references have long been a thing for The Fainting Goat general manager Patrick Newman. “My last name is Newman, so ‘Hello, Newman!’ has been part of my life,” he says. But naming the restaurant’s new soup and stew pop-up in a throwback reference was a collaborative effort, Newman says.
The idea emerged just before Christmas, and launched in the middle of January. Chef Sam George drew on his childhood to develop the menu, which is available for takeout and delivery only. “That was what my mom did, if me and my siblings were having an off day, she would make a big pot of soup,” says George, who adapted two of her classics: the roasted tomato soup ($9) and the Italian white bean with confit duck ($14). “During the pandemic, with everything going on right now, I felt like everyone needed some comforting,” George says. There are plenty of crusty sides available too, including brioche grilled cheese ($8) and cheddar biscuits ($4), as well as dips.
A vegan offering is in the works, too, according to George. Newman says the plan is to continue the pop-up throughout the winter. “As long as the community is embracing it, we’re going to run with it,” Newman says.
Where: 1330 U St. NW
When: noon-9 p.m., Wednesday-Sunday
Stingray Kitchen launched on Inauguration Day, a fitting opening day for the new ghost kitchen sibling of Washington-themed restaurants Lincoln, Teddy and the Bully Bar, and Declaration. “Being the president these days is not the most reputable job, not the most desired job even, so I kind of moved away from the presidential thing and wanted to be different,” says Presidential Restaurant Group owner Alan Popovsky. He drew on his pre-pandemic Caribbean trips to name the new concept. “I used to do a lot of snorkeling, and a stingray to me was always an ocean ghost,” Popovsky explains. “Stingray Kitchen, it just kind of flowed together.”
It operates out of Declaration in Shaw, dishing up a menu that’s centered around Asian fusion. Chef Takeshi Nishikawa drew on his Japanese heritage and Popovsky’s wife, whose parents hail from Hong Kong, offered up family recipes. The result includes General Tso’s tacos, stuffed with chicken, broccoli, and green onion ($8); and Cantonese BBQ pizza, with char siu pork and bok choy ($16). Popovsky’s favorite, though? The steamed chicken dumplings ($9). “Takeshi handcrafts them every morning,” Popovsky says. “They are so supple and just melt in your mouth.”
Stingray Kitchen plans to overhaul the menu every three months, so the Asian offerings are available until March 31 for pickup or delivery. After that, Popovsky says, they’re leaning toward a Mediterranean menu, but nothing is set in stone yet. “We’ve really never really gotten into this kind of thing, but we are having a good time doing it,” he says.
Where: 804 V St. NW
When: 5 p.m.-9 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 5 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Sunday
Chef Alfredo Solis pulled a little inspiration from his time spent working in a pizza place years ago to create a fusion pop up at his acclaimed Columbia Heights restaurant, Anafre. He started slinging pies in December. “It’s more like a family-friendly menu,” Solis says. “It’s something new, I really like it.”
“It took me two months to find the right pizza dough,” Solis says. He wanted to find the right base to pull together all of his ingredients on his Mexican-inspired pies. Toppings include mole, roasted pork, and blistered poblano peppers. “People get crazy with The Gulfo,” Solis says, adding that the pizza is topped with shrimp, chorizo, avocado, and pico de gallo and finished with chipotle sauce ($13). “It’s almost like a taco.” El Gallego combines grilled octopus, pickled jalapeños and avocado ($14). There’s also a rotating speciality pizza, the chef says.
He’s kept some signature dishes from his seafood-centric Anafre, too, such as ceviche. He hopes to reopen Anafre in the near future, but plans to keep the pizza pop up available until then.
Where: 3704 14th St. NW
When: 4 p.m.-10 p.m., Monday-Friday; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday-Sunday
In a nod to their Italian-American roots, the team behind the Maryland-based Denizens Brewing Co. named their pasta pop-up after a cherished Sunday tradition. So what exactly is Sunday gravy? “It’s when you get together with everyone in your family, and you have someone in the kitchen stirring the gravy, which is red sauce,” Denizens founder Julie Verratti says.
The starting lineup has just three main dishes: Cheese tortellini paired with the namesake gravy — a pork-based tomato sauce — ($15), linguine topped with marinara and two 3-ounce meatballs ($12), and spinach lasagna ($12). And there are cannoli ($8), too. “In my mind, it’s absolutely comfort food,” Verratti says.
Sunday Gravy, which launched at the Riverdale Park location in early January, has expanded to the Silver Spring location and is available for onsite dining and takeout at both locations. Menu offerings will rotate, but the namesake gravy is staying put — as are the cannoli. “I’m always a sucker for cannoli, it’s one of my favorite things ever,” Verratti says.
Where: 1115 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, Md., and 4550 Van Buren St., Riverdale Park, Md.
When: 2 p.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 2 p.m.-10 p.m. Friday; noon-10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Rebel Taco’s space on U Street came with a brick oven for pizzas from its previous tenant, but the taco spot, which opened in August, didn’t have a plan to use it right away. “We were always trying to figure out what to do with it,” says Rebel Taco owner Mike Bramson. “We decided to do a pizza concept out of it, but if we did it, we wanted to do it right.” After a few months of experimenting with dough, sauce, and toppings — and “a lot of taste testing,” Bramson says — the resulting pop up launched this month.
The Neapolitan-style pizzas, about 11 inches in size and available for pickup or delivery only, have a classic red or white sauce and come with an array of topping options. One of Rebel Taco’s best sellers, tacos al pastor, becomes a riff on Hawaiian pizza, with roasted pork and pineapple, applewood bacon, pickled onions, and cotija cheese ($12). Their spin on a meat lover’s pie features barbacoa, chorizo, and pepperoni ($14). Pizzas also come with a choice of hot honey oil or jalapeno oil drizzle. Wings are also available, sauced with barbecue, jerk, or the housemade buffalo sauce from their Buffalo Soldier taco.
For now, the pop up is the only thing cooking in the Rebel Taco kitchen, but Bramson says they’re aiming to reopen Rebel Taco by the end of the month. When that happens, he says, Rebel Margherita will still be available for pickup or delivery.
Where: 1214 U St. NW
When: 5 p.m.-10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 5 p.m.-11 p.m. Friday; 4 p.m.-11 p.m. Saturday; 3 p.m.-9 p.m. Sunday
