Capitol Cuisine by Celeste McCall

CAPITOL CUISINE

by Celeste McCall

Silver Charm

The venerable Silver Diner chain, which boasts 19 suburban locations, has landed in the Navy Yard. You’ll nd the hip, two-level newcomer at 1250 Half St. SE, across from Nationals Park. “Chopped” winner Executive Chef Ype von Hengst melds classic American road food with con-temporary cooking. The 139-seat lower level is called Silver Diner; the dressier upstairs terrace—which opens later for dinner only—is Silver Social.

Peter and I went on opening day, which we don’t normally do. The place was hopping, with a high energy buzz. The gleaming, $9-million Art Deco space was designed by CORE Architects Inc. It’s gorgeous. Catching my eye was the huge mural depicting DC’s long-gone Gri th Stadium, home of the old Washington Senators.

We settled at a spacious table and perused the menu, which included omelets, pancakes, sandwich-es, burgers, chicken pot pie and meatloaf. Executive Chef Ype von Hengst’s kitchen highlights lo-cal ingredients and caters to dietary restrictions with gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian options. Quinoa coconut pancakes are piled with fresh fruit and agave; meatloaf is made from local Black Angus beef. Some shakes are dairy-free. I decided on the $10.99 “blue plate” special: A half junior turkey club was stacked with lots of white meat, bacon and cheese on sourdough. The generous “kickin” crab/corn chowder was tasty with just enough heat. But it was long on corn with little crabmeat. Peter went for a diner classic: chicken pot pie, accompanied by soup or salad (Peter chose a side Caesar). Von Hengst’s beautifully presented rendition—chock full of breast meat— tasted of tarra-gon and sweet potatoes; the latter delivered a surprising sweetness. Lunch for two with a glass of Chilean Sauvignon Blanc came to about $50. Service, delivered by Bree, was rst rate--pleasant and knowledgeable. Silver Diner is open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. For more information, visit www.SilverDiner.com/ballpark.

Coming Soon

Duke’s Grocery, the British-style pub, is coming to 1201 Half St. SE, across the street from

Silver Diner. Other Duke’s outlets are located at Dupont Circle, Foggy Bottom’s A lunchti me Silver Diner special is the soup and half-sand- Western Market and wich. Seen here is a “junior” turkey club with spicy crab-andcorn chowder. Woodley Park. For updates, visit www.dukesgrocery.com.

Dim Sum Palace

The Capitol Hill restaurant scene is heating up. Joining Barracks Row’s Asian culinary family is Han Palace. Located at 522 Eighth St. SE, the 60seat Han showcases Cantonese-style dim sum and other traditional dishes. You’ll nd it at the former Frame of Mine space, which moved across the street. Han proprietor Chris Zhu also operates the original Han Palace in Tysons Corner, with a secIn the Navy Yard near Nati onals Park, the Silver Diner sports ond location in Woodley Park, plus China Garden a handsome $9-million Art Deco interior. in Rockville.

Specializing in dim sum, Barracks Row’s Han Palace is especially busy on week-ends. At Han Palace, artf ul presentati on is important, including this beauti ful tea set.

Barracks Row’s Han Palace offers two unlimited dim sum menus—priced at $38 and $48-- which offers soup dumplings, scallion pancakes, steamed pork buns, Han style Peking duck, and crispy beef. Tea is included, and bottomless mimosas are $18 extra per person. No Hong Kong-style pushcarts here; dim sum items are made to order by Chef David Xie. His menu also includes sev-eral kinds of congee, the soothing gruel that Chinese often eat for breakfast. Congee choices are seafood, abalone/chicken, lobster tail and plain.

Han Palace is hot! When we showed up for Saturday lunch, the small space was jampacked, with a three-hour wait. When we returned on a rainy Monday, we were seated right away. Sure, we found glitches; management was unable to (temporarily) accept credit cards, and the bar had no sake, which would have been welcome on such a cold, dreary day. But Han was still new.

We decided to go ala carte rather than prix fixe. From the congee listing, I chose the medley of scal-lops, octopus (rubbery, unfortunately), and Chinese clams. The tummy warming dish arrived in a handsome black pot with a lid, plus matching bowls and spoons.

From the dumpling lineup, Peter ordered pan-fried chicken with vegetables. The half dozen plump crescents were arranged on a traditional bamboo steamer, escorted by a variety of dipping sauces presented in lovely porcelain cruets. Other dumplings are filled with shrimp, lamb-and-carrots and pork. Presentation is big here. Flower tea—enough for three-- arrived in a handsome glass pot, along with a pair of beautiful teacups.

Lunch for two with hot tea and a glass of Malbec came to $47.14 plus tip. Service was excellent, in spite of the snags. Han Palace is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner. For more infor-mation visit www.hanpalacedc.com.

Yet More Pizza

Also due to open—if not already—is Della Barba Pizza, 1382 East Capitol. For the long-awaited pie palace, expect classic New York style (“light and airy”); thicker, richer Sicilian; Chicago deep dish; rectangular Detroit style. Among toppings are crushed tomato, pepperoni, sausage, meatballs, spinach ricotta, fresh mozzarella. Della Barba also operates a pop-up at 1369 New York Ave. NE (Ivy City).

Long time Hill dwellers like us might remember Al’s Gourmet Pizza, which departed the East Cap-itol space years ago. Back then, Al’s was one of the few pizza options on the Hill. How things change. For Della Barba updates visit www.dellabarbapizza.com.

The International Fresh Produce Association recently hosted a Joy of Fresh promotion at Eastern Market.

Eat Your Veggies

There was a fun and healthy promotion at Eastern Market recently as the International Fresh Pro-duce Association (IFPA) was winding up a three-day conference. In addition to meetings with Congressional offices and other powersthat-be, the green gathering included the “Joy of Fresh” on Capitol Hill.” The festive event decorated Eastern Market’s north end with bountiful seasonal pro-duce, colorful floral displays and lots of freebies. There was also flower braiding, a happy hour and other community activities.

The IFPA overall goal is to provide solutions for the world’s health and economic challenges, im-proving the appeal of fresh fruits and vegetables in our diets, and supporting the development of infrastructure and supply chain issues. IFPA is headquartered in Newark, Delaware. For more in-formation, visit www.freshproduce.com. u

THANK YOU FROM THE CAPITOL HILL RESTORATION SOCIETY TO OUR GUESTS AT HOUSE EXPO 2022

AND TO THE PARTICIPATING HOME SERVICE EXHIBITORS:

Abay Iron & Metal Works CUSTOM IRONWORK American Profess. Chimney CHIMNEY SWEEP Capitol Hill Village AGE-FRIENDLY COMMUNITY Chemstrip Refinishing REFINISH METAL/WOOD Chuck Burger/ Coldwell Banker REAL ESTATE

Cole Roof Systems ROOFER Community Forklift RECYCLED BUILDING SUPPLIES Dave Taylor HANDYMAN//HAULING DC Fire/ EMS SAFETY DC Access INTERNET & TV DOB (formerly DCRA) DEPARTMENT OF BUILDINGS DOEE DEPT OF ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT Eastern Market Mainstreet SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESS EMCAC EASTERN MARKET CITIZEN ADVISORY Chris Cox/First Savings Mort. MORTGAGE LOANS

Image Painting PAINTER International Dark Sky Assn CONSERVATION EDUCATION Joel Truitt Builders & Mgt. CONTRACTOR PROPERTY MGMT Masterworks Design INTERIOR DESIGN Merlino Construction CONTRACTOR Michaliga Masonry BRICK/STONE ARTISAN Mike Jones/State Farm INSURANCE

MPDC METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPT N&M House Detectives HOUSE HISTORIES Parick Design LANDSCAPER Solar United Neighbors (SUN) SOLAR CO-OP

Wilcox Electric ELECTRICIAN Woodland Estate & Title TITLE COMPANY/LOANS

And our sponsors: W.S Jenks & Son, Hardware, Hill Rag & Chuck Burger at Coldwell Banker Real Estate

Contact information for exhibitors is available on our website at chrs.org/house-expo-2022/

Sponsors:

Chuck Burger