Business Briefs • Sarah Payne

Mariscos 1133 owner/ chef Alfredo Solis. Photo by Alexander M. Padro, Courtesy Shaw Main Streets.

Mariscos 1133 Features Affordable, Authentic Eats

Latin Seafood & More In Shaw

Mariscos is Spanish for seafood, and Shaw’s newest restaurant, Mariscos 1133 at 1133 11th Street NW o ers the ocean’s bounty, Latin style, in addition to a vast menu of beef, pork, chicken and beverages. e owners, siblings Alfredo and Jessica Solis, are originally from Mexico and own several restaurants, including Shaw’s El Sol and 14th Street’s Mezcalero and Anafre.

Alfredo Solis said that the goal of creating Mariscos 1133 was to show the community how broad Latin-inspired cuisine can be. “People always think of tacos or burritos, when they’re talking about Mexican food,” Solis said. “I want to change that mentality when they are thinking about Latin or Mexican food.”

Mariscos 1133’s menu o erings re ect PanLatin in uences, ranging from the Caribbean to South America. Whether you’re thinking of a seafood feast (Mariscos Duo a la Diabla (spicy grilled octopus and scallops), grilled sugar cane skewered shrimp, Puerto Vallarta salad) or meat (Caribbean lechón (slow braised pork) and Argentine Churrasco (grilled skirt steak with chimichurri sauce)), or even sandwiches (Latin Po Boy (fried oysters with jalapeño remoulade), Cuban), you’ll nd delicious options here. Renowned DMV wine and beverage director Scott Clime is responsible for Mariscos 1133’s beverage program. Cocktails, both classic (margaritas, mojitos, caipirinhas, piña coladas, pisco sours) and house specialties (Michelada Solis, Mariscos Sangria), a large selection of wines from Spain, Argentina and Chile and an extensive list of mezcals and tequilas are available to complement meals. A ordability is also key for Chef Solis. He said oftentimes restaurants sacri ce quality for lower prices, but that he is committed to providing excellent quality with reasonable prices. “I like to combine the quality and the price,” Solis insisted. “I want my customers dining once or twice a week, maybe once a month, not just one time.”

Solis emphasized that the food and atmosphere, not the pro ts, are the most important thing for his restaurant.

“If my sta make good money and I can pay my rent and pay my bills, I’m happy,” Solis said. “I’m not wanting to be rich, I don’t want to be so sel sh.” e neighborhood response to his latest restaurant has been overwhelming. “It’s amazing how many people live around the area and come in twice a week,” Solis exuded. “People already feel like they’re engaged with the restaurant because they liked the food, they came into the room, the taste is good, and the price is very reasonable compared to downtown.”

Mariscos 1133 is open Monday through ursday 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday 12 p.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. Kearn more about their food, view their menu and place takeout orders at www.mariscos1133.com.

Business Briefs

by Sarah Payne

Electric Cool-Aid Offers Days and Nights at the Beach

Frozen Drinks & Rotating Food Options Highlight Casual Outdoor Bar

The beach is a walk or Metro ride away at Electric Cool-Aid at 512 Rhode Island Avenue NW, a three-year-old outdoor bar with a variety of frozen drinks, unique cocktails, beer and food. Just don’t expect to go swimming or sur ng there.

Angela DelBrocco, business manager of Electric Cool-Aid (ECA), said she walked past the abandoned lot that is now home to Electric Cool-Aid often. Together with business and life partner Ben Schwartz, ECA’s general manager and Ben’s brother, Jesse Schwartz, operations manager, the trio teamed up to clean up and transform the space into a fun, vibrant setting for drinking and socializing.

After moving to DC from Memphis, Tennessee, and working at Nellie’s and other DC establishments, and meeting Ben Schwartz at Ivy

Electric Cool-Aid co-owner and General Manager Ben Schwartz. Photo by Alexander M. Padro, Courtesy Shaw Main Streets.

and Coney, where he worked, DelBrocco said she wanted to bring something new to the community and noticed a dearth of outdoor spaces and frozen drinks in the District.

“ ere certainly wasn’t a place where you could go and have a variety of frozen drinks,” DelBrocco recalled. e bar takes its name from the old school bus that sat on the lot when it was home to Mr. P’s Ribs and Fish. e bus was initially intended to be used as a bar, which proved impractical in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. But the name, inspired by the colorfullypainted bus in Tom Wolfe’s 1968 book, e Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, stuck.

Electric Cool-Aid’s picnic tables, benches and umbrellas give the outdoor venue a beach party vibe, accentuated by vividly-colored murals on the walls facing the space. DelBrocco said that out of a menu lled with unique drinks, two are near and dear to the owners’ hearts are the frozen Irish co ee and Disney on Ice, a spin on Dole Whip with rum. She emphasized, however, that ECA’s focus is on the experience.

“For us, it really is about the atmosphere that we try to cultivate,” DelBrocco said. “It’s casual and laid back. We’re focused on the breadth of things that people enjoy, which includes nonalcoholic frozen drinks and nonalcoholic beer.”

Electric Cool-Aid partners with local businesses to serve food to customers. ey regularly update their Instagram page with the information on the rotating vendors and food items available at certain times. Currently, they are partnering with Sonny’s Pizza for free delivery to customers and their next-door neighbor DC Shawarma, which delivers food directly to ECA’s seating area.

DelBrocco believes that the community has always been at the forefront of everything at Electric Cool-Aid. “We actually live in Shaw, about a block away from the bar itself,” she said. “So, for us, it’s always been about building our community and being part of our neighborhood. ere are regulars that all live within a couple of blocks of the bar, and they have been incredibly supportive. We’re just so grateful and so proud to be part of the Shaw community and we look forward to being a staple in the neighborhood for years to come.”

Electric Cool-Aid is open Monday through ursday from 5 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., Friday 4 p.m. to 2 a.m., Saturday 12 p.m. to 2 a.m. and Sunday 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. Read about their drinks and upcoming food o erings and events at www. electriccool-aid.com.

Beau Thai Shaw co-owners Ralph Brabham, Aschara Vigsittaboot and Drew Porterfi eld. Photo by Alexander M. Padro, Courtesy Shaw main Streets.

Beau Thai Shaw Offers Authentic and Unique Dishes

Fresh, Mild-To-Spicy, Made-From-Scratch Cuisine

Large family portraits and pictures of rice paddies line the walls of Beau ai, located at 1550 Seventh Street, NW. e photos are of founder and chef Aschara Vigsittaboot, her family and her home in Southern ailand, where she learned to cook for her family.

Shaw residents Ralph Brabham and his husband Drew Porter eld met Vigsittaboot at a dinner party in 2007, where she had cooked a meal. ey all became friends and she asked them to be investors in her business. Since then, Beau ai has opened two locations in the District. e original Beau ai, at New Jersey Avenue and R Street NW, opened in 2010. e current, larger Shaw restaurant opened in 2014, followed by a Mount Pleasant outpost. e original Beau ai became a third restaurant, BKK Cookshop.

Brabham, the co-owner of the Beau ai Restaurant Group and formerly a practicing lawyer, said Beau ai was initially just a “side hobby” where he served as a bartender, answered the phone and went to the wholesale market, until he fell in love with the business and decided to take it on full time.

“I realized I was deriving a lot more joy out of Beau ai than I was in the practice of law,” Brabham recalled. “And we decided that if we opened another location, I could leave law- rm life.” e casual, family friendly restaurant features a wide variety of authentic ai cuisine, including made from scratch curries, stir-fry, noodle dishes, salads, soups and deserts, including vegetarian options and a range of proteins, including duck and lamb. e menu is derived from Vigsittaboot’s upbringing in ailand and features many of her family’s recipes. e restaurant o ers a full bar, including cocktails, beer, wine and cider.

Brabham said their food is unique because Vigsittaboot is “a stickler for making everything from scratch.” Despite the painstaking process, this allows all of the food served at the restaurant to be fresh and avorful. e restaurant also has its own herb garden, where some of the ai chilis and ai basil used in their dishes are grown.

According to Brabham, the community response to their Shaw location has been overwhelmingly positive. e restaurants have won Best ai Restaurant and favorite ai restaurant honors from the readers of Washington City Paper, Washingtonian and other publications. Giving back to the community they love through philanthropy is a core principle of Beau ai’s mission. e restaurant hosts fundraisers for LGBTQ+ organizations and other groups, with more than $100,000 in funds donated to various charities.

Beau ai Shaw is open Monday through ursday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. You can learn more about Beau ai, view their menu and place a to-go order at www.beauthaidc.com.

Sarah Payne is a general assignment reporter at Capital Community News. She can be reached at sarahp@ hillrag.com. ◆

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