Food and Drink, The Features

Matchbox Arrives on 14th Street NW

Good things come in threes at the new Matchbox on 14th street—three levels of seating, mini burgers in multiples of three—chances are you’ve been to one of their other locations before, so you get the idea. The newest addition to the matchboxfoodgroup’s restaurants is their location over on 14th and T streets, NW.

Housed in a building that was once a bowling alley and pool hall in 1907, an automobile showroom, the former Club Bali jazz club and rehearsal space for Arena Stage Theatre Company, the restaurant is giving the space new life while paying homage to some of its previous iterations. For example, you’ll notice the counter top at the bar is designed to look like a bowling lane, as it stretches out and morphs into a semi-open kitchen. Look up and you’ll notice the restaurant group kept the original ceiling and steel girders; look to the side and you’ll see the building’s original, exposed brick bring a warmth to the atmosphere.
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Food and Drink

First Look: Station 4

pool1 001
This swanky restaurant right across from the Waterfront metro station in Southwest comes to us from the team behind Bullfeathers and Tunnicliffs on Capitol Hill. It’s a much welcome addition to a neighborhood that is still short on great places to eat.

Station 4 doesn’t stick out as you walk by it, with its name written on the door in small cursive. The inside is beautiful and chic with a modern design. Sitting at the long bar you’ll have at least two friendly bartenders and a row of drinks to look at, plus a picture of a woman’s lips (you’ll find those throughout the establishment).
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Food and Drink, The Daily Feed

Taste of the Hill is Coming

Photo courtesy of
‘Oyamel’
courtesy of ‘angela n.’
Get your tickets while you can — Brent Elementary’s Taste of the Hill: Beyond the Classroom 2011 Gala is almost here. For $75 you’ll be able to partake in a night of music, dancing, food and beverages, and support Brent Elementary students.

Guests will enjoy food from restaurants in the Capitol Hill area and a tad beyond. My fave places participating include Ba Bay, Belga Cafe, Poste, Sonoma & Matchbox. Wine pairings will be provided by Charlie Palmer Steak sommelier Nadine Brown.

I’ll probably buy the Ticket & Raffle package. Raffle prizes this year include: an iPad, a $200 ThinkFood Group Gift Certificate (hello Oyamel & Zaytinya!), and Redskins tickets.

Taste of the Hill takes place April 2 from 6-10 pm at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church.

All proceeds go to support the PTA programs at Brent, including physical education, Chinese, scholarships for before and aftercare, field trips, and more.

The Daily Feed

Ted’s Bulletin Eyes Bethesda

Photo Courtesy Ted's Bulletin

A while ago, I heard that the owners of Ted’s Bulletin were scouting for locations in Virginia — Tysons Corner to be exact. WRONG…unless you count that they recently signed a lease for a fourth DC-area Matchbox at Lee Highway and Gallows Road in Virginia.

But I’ve come to realize that there’s always a bit of truth to everything you hear. Curious, I called Ty Neal, one of the four friends behind the whole Matchbox, Ted’s Bulletin, and now DC-3 operation.  He told me that there are plans for expanding Ted’s Bulletin already, hopefully with one location in Bethesda and another one in the District.  If all goes as planned, leases could be signed this year.

I asked him what neighborhoods he was looking at in DC, but Neal said he was going to keep that to himself for now, though he does have a few places in mind. (Looks like I still have a while to convince him to come to Navy Yard.)

Neal adds that the Hill’s Ted’s only has 80 seats, and that future locations will have 120 to 150 seats depending on the available square footage.

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Interviews, The Features

They Love DC: The Guys of Matchbox & Ted’s Bulletin

PerryDrewMarkTy

You love Matchbox’s pizza, you go there religiously for brunch (hello sticky buns!) and you’re a big fan of the mini burgers. But what if I told you Matchbox isn’t the only place around town these days? The four owners behind Matchbox have teamed up to open Barrack Row’s newest hot spot, Ted’s BULLETIN. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily, BULLETIN is a classic joint with a bit of style—complete with savory homemade food and a friendly, neighborhood atmosphere to provide relief from today’s time-congested lifestyle. BULLETIN offers homecookin’ with clever names, like Walk of Shame Breakfast Burrito, Nana’s Beer Biscuits and Gravy, the Green Green Salad of Home with Green Goddess Dressing, or home-style Meatloaf with Mingo County Ketchup Glaze with a “Big As Ya Head” Twice Baked Potato or Mac and Four Cheese with Andouille on the side.

I was able to chat with partners Perry Smith, Drew Kim, and Mark and Ty Neal, who took on the challenge of answering the They Love DC interview jointly.

Katie: How long have you lived in the DC area?
Them: All four partners moved to DC in the summer of 2002. Partner Perry Smith grew up in the area and attended B-CC High School.

What is the best thing about DC, in your opinion?
First, we all agree–the people–so many different people come to DC year in and year out and it’s great to see so many new faces. The energy is awesome, and you don’t see a lot of folks sitting still, they are always doing things!

What would you change about DC if you could?
Find some money to improve snow removal! We always get hit hard every few years but then get lulled by a couple of mild winters and forget how bad it can be! Continue reading

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed

Cheap Mini-Burgers For Errybody!

Photo courtesy of
‘matchbox sliders’
courtesy of ‘staceyviera’

Amanda over at Metrocurean tips us off to a fabulous deal at local pizzeria Matchbox. In celebration of 3/6/09, Matchbox will be offering their famous selection of mini-burgers (pictured above looking totally delish) for $3/$6/$9 accordingly. With the new location of Matchbox now on Capitol Hill, there’s even more mini-burger love to go around. (Especially since Matchbox swears a deal this good only comes around once a century.) Oh, and get there early, since Matchbox doesn’t take reservations.