Travel might still be frowned upon, but local chefs keep on cooking up new pop-up concepts and ghost kitchens that offer culinary adventure — or at the very least, something new. Here’s a look at the latest offerings.
RUSSIAN ZAKUSKI
The Trans-Siberian Railway holds a special place in Rose Previte’s heart: She was on board when she dreamed up her restaurant, Compass Rose. Now, Previte has drawn on her years of living in Moscow to create a Trans-Siberian pop up at the restaurant. Designers transformed their outdoor space into a train laden with nods to Russian culture. The lighting glows red at night, for one, and a bookshelf is crammed with tomes. (Where did all the books come from? Previte’s own stash. “I forgot how many I had,” she says, adding that guests can feel free to take one home. “They’re all up for grabs.”)
The prix fixe Zakuski menu ($55 per person) comes with classics, like borscht and blini with salmon, as well as tastes of the central European cuisine that’s popular in Russia — including khachapuri (the cheese-filled Georgian bread that Compass Rose has long been known for) and Uzbek-style kabobs. The meal is also served with a carafe of dill-infused vodka for the table. “The Russians love dill,” she says. “It’s even on pizza. It’s on everything, so you’re not surprised to find it in your vodka.” Don’t mistake these for pickleback shots, though. There’s no vinegary component, so it’s a bright, herbal flavor, according to Previte. Horseradish- and blueberry-infused vodkas are also available.
The pop up is only available for on-site dining at Compass Rose, though you can order the vodka for take out. It runs through the end of March, but Previte says they’re already working on the next concept: a Eurostar train that features a menu highlighting cuisine from a number of countries, for the spring and summer. “We’re really having fun with it,” she says.
Where: 1346 T St. NW
When: 5 p.m.-10 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday; 5 p.m.-11:30 p.m. Friday; 1 p.m.-3:30 p.m. and 5 p.m.-11:30 p.m. Saturday; 1 p.m.-3:30 p.m. and 5 p.m.-10 p.m. Sunday.
AMPERSANDWICH
A self-proclaimed big pun guy, Shilling Canning Co.’s executive chef Reid Shilling started cooking up the idea in mid-December for this sandwich pop up.
“I especially love food puns, they’re limitless,” Shilling says. “This is one awesome food pun and it worked.”
He had developed a burger for the restaurant in the pre-pandemic era, which helped pave the way for the pop up. Sandwiches run from $14 (crispy chicken with hot honey, iceberg lettuce, pickles, and mayo) to $27 (a Maine lobster roll with herbs and mayo) and all the bread is made in-house.
One of the more popular sandwiches is the McReid ($16), according to Shilling. “It’s essentially my version of a McRib,” he explains. Dry-rubbed St. Louis style ribs get slow-cooked before getting chopped and folded together with seasoned raw pork shoulder to create the signature patty, which gets fired over coals before settling in on a burger bun with pickles and onion.
He has also crafted breakfast burritos for weekend brunch. “Everybody you know likes burritos, right?” he says. Shilling’s fillings include eggs, pork belly, fire-roasted salsa, and hash browns. You can’t eat in for brunch, but the Ampersandwich menu is available for dine in from 4 p.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday. Both are otherwise available for pickup and delivery.
Where: 360 Water St. SE
When: 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
EMMY BURGER
Popping up with one of New York’s most popular burgers isn’t a new concept for restaurateur Emily Hyland — she did it a few years ago at one of their restaurants in Nashville. “People went bonkers for it,” she says. So when they were looking for a fun way to ring in the spring, Hyland says, they thought of bringing a friendly competition to D.C.’s Emmy Squared.
The import comes from the Emily restaurant in New York’s West End, where it has garnered plenty of acclaim for its two beef patties stacked with caramelized onions, American cheese, pickles, and Emmy sauce, a Kewpie mayo spiked with gochujang ($16).
It is up against Le Big Matt, the Emmy Squared’s regular burger. It’s a “a play on a Big Mac, a play on [an] all-American burger,” Hyland says. Two beef patties are topped with American cheese, greens, pickles, and Sammy sauce, a mayo base with sambal ($16). Both come on a pretzel bun.
“They’re both so good, but they’re so different,” Hyland says.
On-site dining is available in Shaw beginning at 4 p.m. daily; earlier than that, you’ll have to order for takeout or delivery. The pop up runs through the end of March and has a voting component: Folks who cast a vote for the winning burger will win a $10 gift card to Emmy Squared. And which way would Hyland go? “The Emmy burger is my namesake, so that might be my preference,” she says.
Where: 1924 8th St. NW
When: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Pizza is familiar territory for Officina chef Nicholas Stefanelli, who serves rectangular, Roman-style pizzas at his restaurants. But coming up with the right dough base for CODA, the pizzeria-inspired pop up at his cafe at the The Wharf, took a little work. He sought to create a pizza that could travel well and be eaten (or reheated) at home, as CODA is available for takeout and delivery only (through Doordash or Uber Eats). “It’ll always be a work in progress,” he says of the pizza dough. “Right now it’s cold and dry outside, and what’s it gonna be like in summer time? It’s going to be warmer and humid, so you adjust.”
Most of the pizzas are 10-inch rounds in what Stefanelli called a neo-Napolitano or classical Roman style. The Parma pizza ($16), topped with an arugula salad and prosciutto, is one of his favorites. “It’s almost like a pizza and sandwich combined into one,” Stefanelli says. The arugula is separated from the pizza, so folks can dress it and top it at home, and it also comes in an 40-inch rectangle that feeds four to eight people.
The menu also includes a few classics like arancini with veal ragu, provolone, and peas ($7) and lasagna verde, crafted with spinach pasta, bolognese ragu, bechamel, and parmigiano ($18). “It’s really one of those great beautiful comfort foods that warm the soul,” Stefanelli says.
He expects to bring new menu items on as the spring settles in, and the Cafe at The Wharf will open Wednesday. He says he hasn’t committed to how CODA will fit in there just yet, or how long the concept will last. “Our landscapes are forever changing,” he says.
Where: 1120 Maine Ave. SW
When: 4 p.m.-9 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday
TOM BONES BBQ
Since the end of January, Lindsey Ayala has been up on the pool deck of the Crowne Plaza hotel in Crystal City tending to her smoker, feeding it hickory, oak, and apple wood. “I’ve been out there in the ice and sleet, it doesn’t matter,” Ayala says. The personal touch makes it taste better, she says. “It’s definitely a labor of love.”
The chef at Potomac Social Tavern is no stranger to barbecue: A Baltimore native, Ayala helped her father open a barbecue joint in Maryland in 2014. (It later closed when he decided to focus on his health.) She took that experience — and some of her dad’s recipes — to launch the Tom Bones pop up, which offers brisket, pulled pork and chicken, and St. Louis-style ribs. Sandwiches run from $10-$14, but meats can also be ordered a la carte. There are a bunch of classic sides, too — think cheddar cornbread, braised collard greens, and mac and cheese ($3 each).
“Everything is from scratch,” she says. “We are making everything 100% old school.”
Ayala has also cooked up an array of sauces from across the country: Alabama white sauce, a vinegary take from North Carolina, a creamy horseradish sauce from Baltimore, and a spicy Texas sauce, to name a few. “Wherever you come from, you have your style here,” she says. The sweet Kansas City sauce is billed as her favorite on the menu, and it’s been the most popular one, too. “I think people identify with that one the most,” Ayala says. “It’s almost like a Sweet Baby Ray’s.”
The menu is available for dine-in at Potomac Social, as well as takeout and delivery, and the chef says they’re planning to run it indefinitely. “It’s been a little overwhelming with the amount of support,” Ayala says. “It’s going very well.”
Where: 1480 Crystal Drive, Arlington
When: 4-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday
ONE NIGHT IN TOKYO
A lot of factors helped lead to the development of Minibar’s Japanese pop up, including a recent collaborative video series with the Japanese embassy and Minibar chef Ruben Mosquero’s own experiences living in Tokyo. “I really love Japanese cuisine,” Mosquero says. “And I’m lucky to have one of the best Japanese chefs to work with.” (That would be Koji Terano, ThinkFoodGroup’s research and development chef.)
The concept launched last month in Penn Quarter and, at $70 a person, offers a nine-dish tour of Japanese cuisine via bar snacks. One is a goat milk ice cream with hay-infused goat milk sauce and puffed wild Japanese rice with makrut lime powder, hay caramel, and fennel flowers. (It’s dubbed Breakfast in Hokkaido.) Another pairs a Krispy Kreme-like matcha donut with matcha ice cream.
The chef’s favorite dish, though, is a wagyu beef tartare with sea salt tempura. “It’s a very simple recipe,” he says, though there is some technique to the tempura.
Cocktail pairings — including such ingredients as sake, whiskey, cucumbers, shiso, and other Japanese flavors — or wine pairings are also available for $75.
The pop up is slated to run through the end of April, aka through cherry blossom season. They’re working on incorporating the delicate pink blooms into the menu, whether that’s a cherry blossom marshmallow in a cocktail or another form in a dessert, Mosquero says.
Where: 855 E St. NW
When: 5 p.m.-10 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday
