Latest news with #TimMa
Washington Post
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Bring saucy, tender bourbon chicken home with this timeless technique
Have you ever noticed how the meat and seafood from your favorite Chinese restaurant are particularly succulent? The trick, it turns out, is a technique called velveting. 'It's very prevalent in Chinese cuisine,' said Tim Ma, the chef-owner behind Chinese American restaurant Lucky Danger. And it can be found in other Asian cuisines as well. The technique has been around for centuries. Ma recalls childhood memories of watching his mother use it at his family's restaurant but never heard the word 'velveting' until later in life.
Eater
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
The Biggest D.C.-Area Restaurant Openings in May
This is Eater DC's guide to all the new restaurants, bars, and cafes that opened in May. For more 2025 debuts, check out our roundup of best new bars and other recent restaurant arrivals to note . If there's an opening in your neighborhood that we've missed, let us know at dc@ PENN QUARTER — Chinese American takeout Lucky Danger unveils a full-on flagship on Wednesday, May 21. Founded by restaurateur Tim Ma, the food menu is full of allium pancakes with whipped tofu and caviar; blue crab lo mein with leek fondue; and duck fried chaufa (Peruvian fried rice) with fish sauce caramel. The restaurant features four distinct areas: a bright entryway bar with classic cocktails integrating Asian flavors, an intimate dining room, the moody 'Lucky Club' with drinks using Chinese herbal medicine, and a green-toned mahjong parlor with over-proof whiskeys. Opening hours are 4 to 11 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, with lunch (and possibly even weekend dim sum) coming soon. 709 D Street NW PENN QUARTER — The venerable Cafe Fiorello, which first opened its doors in Manhattan over five decades ago, lands in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol on May 21. This marks the first time the flagship of restaurateur Shelly Fireman's hospitality group grows beyond its Big Apple roots. The new location has the same reliable Italian fare, including famous thin-crusted pizza and an antipasti bar overflowing with vegetables and seafood, plus a new wood-fired oven pumping out branzino al Forno, a center-cut veal chop, flame-kissed cheeseburger, and more distinctly smoky mains. 1001 Pennsylvania Avenue NW GEORGETOWN — After closing downtown Sushi Gakyu earlier this year, sushi chef Yoshi Ota is opening Sushi Gaku on Wisconsin Avenue on Wednesday, May 21. Traditional nigiri, maki, and an omakase tasting with very fermented ancient-style sushi will be on the new menu. Dinner will be served from 5 to 10 p.m. every night except Tuesdays at the new sushi spot. 1338 Wisconsin Avenue NW UNION MARKET — Fossette Focacceria, a Shaw sandwich shop for focaccia fanatics, expanded to a new stall in Union Market on Tuesday, May 20. The new menu includes most of the same breakfast and Italian sandwiches on the simple airy bread, plus two Union Market specials: the roasted vegetable and feta-filled Portofino and the Capra filled with prosciutto cotto, sopressata, pickled peppers, and Calabrian chile honey. The new stall also has longer hours than the original location, operating from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and opening up at 10 a.m. on weekends. 1309 5th Street NE Related The Best Sandwiches Around D.C. Right Now EASTERN MARKET — New American restaurant Lobby Bar debuted on Friday, May 16, in the storied space that housed Boxcar Tavern. Owner Adam Shulman livens up Barracks Row with an experimental martini menu, happy hour, and late-night service. Chef Andre Williams sends out local oysters, shrimp cocktail, crab cakes, a double smash burger, chicken pot pie stuffed with root vegetables, and a weekend-only prime rib special. Tori Pratt, founder of Pratt & Standard Cocktail Company, remixes a dirty martini with caper brine, tops a gin French 75 with a caviar-and-potato chip bite, and jazzes up an espresso martini with brown sugar. The 2,000-square-foot space with an 18-seat bar features cozy booths, a communal table, and an outdoor patio. Lobby Bar sources ingredients from vendors and farmers at historic Eastern Market, which sits directly across the street. 224 7th Street SE ARLINGTON — Bar Chinois, Mt. Vernon Triangle's high-energy hangout for Frenchified cocktails and Chinese dim sum since 2021, debuts a follow-up location in Arlington, Virginia, on Thursday, May 15. The beverage program that party-starting Bar Chinois is known for makes its way across the Potomac over to National Landing, as do popular orders of black pepper duck, crab Rangoon, bao buns, and chicken karaage. Familiar daily deals like $1 dumplings and half-priced cocktails kick in next month (4 p.m. to 6 p.m.). Bar Chinois partners Dean Mosones, Mark Minicucci, and Margaux Donati are also behind Bar Japonais in Logan Circle, and BC National Landing marks the team's third project to date. The 90-seat, turquoise-toned interior joins a big (58-seat) patio. Reservations here. 244 19th Court S. #105, Arlington, Virginia SHAW — Top Ethiopian chef Elias Taddesse's beefy burger shop, Mélange DC, and fried chicken joint, Doro Soul Food, are back and better than ever at his new culinary incubator in Shaw's Atlantic Plumbing building. Taddesse's Mélange Foods, Inc. opened on Monday, May 12 with both concepts and will add a third Ethiopian taco spot called Moya later this spring. 2108 8th Street NW U STREET — Peruvian poultry pad Lucky Pollo swings open on Friday, May 9, with a starring order: 24-hour marinated chicken cooked over charcoal and infused with a dozen-plus herbs. Sides include yuca and french fries, mac and cheese, and mashed potatoes, plus wraps and salads for the healthier set. Owner and nightlife vet Zach Renovátes tapped NYC-based Jasin Cadic to install ceiling chicken figurines sporting green hair, Keith Haring-influenced art, and a neon-lit logo of its rowdy namesake saddling a horseshoe. 1357B U Street NW FALLS CHURCH — Ice Cream Jubilee, a D.C.-born ice cream shop founded by government lawyer-turned-chef Victoria Lai in 2014, opened its sixth location in West Falls Church on Friday, May 9. The store also serves ice cream sandwiches made with Sunday Morning Bakehouse's sea salt chocolate chip cookies. The new scoop shop is open from noon to 9 p.m. daily. 151 W. Falls Station Blvd, Falls Church, Virginia ARLINGTON — Courthouse's promising summer hot spot dubbed Rooftop Recess debuted Thursday, May 8, with a garden-like interior, happy hour, grilled eats, and a 360-degree view of the neighborhood. 2424 Wilson Blvd Arlington, Virginia CLEVELAND PARK — NY native Gina Chersevani doubled down on her months-old Buffalo & Bergen with the addition of Carb Bar on Cinco de Mayo. As the name implies, there's plenty of pizza and buttery danishes to choose, from with help from her husband Neil Dundee. The founder of roving pizza pad Eternal Love swears by rye flour to build an array of carbs. The next-level Honey Love hot pocket comes stuffed with imported mortadella, stracciatella, arugula, EVOO, pistachios, Parmesan, and lemon. The sommelier by trade also offers an off-menu selection of rare Italian varietals by the bottle. Rectangular-shaped 'Grandma Pizza' — Chersevani's childhood favorite growing up in Long Island — is en route soon. 3501 Connecticut Avenue NW H STREET — Two-level Henceforth opened up on Monday, May 5 in the former H Street Country Club space. The retro-styled venture showcases a thorough craft beer list, all brewed in house, and a wine list that ranges from Maryland and Virginia vinos to bottles from the West Coast, Europe, and South Africa. The carefully curated food menu features triple-fried fat fries, beef sliders with charred pepper aioli, and honey Old Bay wings. There's also a succulent, braised beef cheeks sandwich and an array of vegetarian entrees, including charred asparagus or roasted cauliflower on black garlic labneh. The new neighborhood hangout will unveil its sunny rooftop seats soon. 1335 H Street NE Sign up for our newsletter.
Eater
20-05-2025
- Business
- Eater
Baijiu, Crab Lo Mein, and Mahjong Collide at D.C.'s New Lucky Danger
Chinese American restaurant Lucky Danger is moving in 'the reverse direction of Panda Express,' acclaimed chef and restaurateur Tim Ma jokes. The Mount Vernon Triangle ghost kitchen that first served delivery staples like fried rice and pork wontons during the pandemic and set up long-term takeout digs in Pentagon City Mall is returning to D.C. in an almost-unrecognizable new form (709 D Street NW). Opening on Wednesday, May 21, the full-service restaurant with three distinct bars will feature what Ma calls 'updated Chinese food,' drinks inspired by Chinese herbal medicine, and even mahjong lessons that turn the restaurant into 'a Chinese community center.' Opening hours are 4 to 11 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, with lunch (and possibly even weekend dim sum) coming soon. The Penn Quarter spot will serve dishes, like allium pancakes with whipped tofu and caviar; blue crab lo mein with leek fondue; and duck fried chaufa (Peruvian fried rice) with fish sauce caramel, that transform classic Chinese dishes with flavors and techniques from France, Peru, Thailand, and the rest of the world. Ma says the menu's eclectic palate is 'just a reflection of how people eat these days,' and is influenced by D.C. kitchen staffs being made up of many different nationalities. A D.C. native, executive chef Robbie Reyes returns to the capital to run Lucky Danger's kitchen after stints at the David Burke-led Breckenridge Distillery Restaurant in Colorado, David Chang's Momofuku in New York and D.C., and even a short time in Peru. He's been running operations for the classic Chinese American menu in Pentagon City for a year now and developed the new Penn Quarter menu with Ma through nostalgic research trips to New York's Chinatown. The new restaurant itself straddles the line between fine and casual dining, with the brick walls of the Partisan's former space dressed up with the playful Lucky Danger icon and red-and-green wallpaper depicting flowers, pottery, and dragons that take cues from ancient Chinese art. There are four distinct spaces throughout the multifaceted flagship. First there's a bright entryway bar serving classic cocktails infused with Asian-influenced flavors, like a take on a margarita with Sichuan peppercorn and a tomato-salt rim, leading into a cozy dining room where diners can settle into soft leather booths to chow down on family-style servings of Chinese prime rib, Beijing duck, or wild boar char sui balanced with a napa cabbage slaw. At the back of the dining room, Chinese characters on the wall spell out a saying that was written on Ma's uncle's restaurant, the Shandong Inn, which loosely translates to 'let the cocktails and champagne fly, let the good times roll.' That freehearted phrase leads to the moody and red lantern-illuminated 'Lucky Club.' Bar director Sunny Vanavichai's flowing cocktails are a little more complicated in this den, like an umami bitters and sesame-infused whiskey drink served with a Pei Pa Kao candy that's reminiscent of molasses-like traditional Chinese cough medicine. A Chinese grain spirit called baijiu is paired with brie, pear cordial, and a bitter apertif to marry the complex fermented flavors. There's also a hidden theme in the name of each cocktail (hint: Ma loves Jackie Chan), with the Twisting Tiger Punch mellowing out smoky mezcal with Oolong tea, mango lassi, ginger, and five spice. The groundbreaking restaurateur pays homage to one of his favorite movies by the iconic actor and martial arts star in his hidden mahjong parlor at the very back of Lucky Danger. In Rush Hour 2 , Chan kicks down the door of Don Cheadle's character's illegal mahjong bar in the back of a Crenshaw Chinese restaurant. 'This is our mahjong bar in the back of the Chinese restaurant,' Ma explains. 'I am Don Cheadle.' Automatic mahjong tables can be rented for $45 an hour here, and Ma plans to host weekly lessons with the four tables that can set up a game within seconds. His dad helped teach mahjong at Scott Chung's (now-closed) Sparrow Room for two years and the classes garnered a cult following, easily booking up twice a week. Now, Ma himself, his dad, and other family friends will teach mahjong at Lucky Danger. Over-proof whiskeys and whiskey cocktails will be served at this hidden bar, and while the entire food menu is available throughout the rest of the building, this shrine to the tile-based game will be drinks-only. A quick scan of the food menu may seem familiar to devoted Ma fans. The iconic crab Rangoon from the original takeout spot are dusted with Old Bay, spicy mapo tofu is beefed up with rice cakes and shiitake mushrooms, and a few dishes that have frequented Any Day Now's constantly evolving dinner menu are back too, like whole crispy flounder balanced by a fresh papaya salad. The Navy Yard spot became a sort of test kitchen for Ma, where they served 'versions of the dishes from here last year, some of the upcoming concepts have been tested there.' Those upcoming eateries include the recently opened Kata, an Asian fusion supper club in Chinatown; Sushi Sato, an all-you-can-eat sushi spot coming to H Street in the next month; and Taco Cat, a playful, all-day taco spot in Western Market. Beyond debuting three completely new restaurants and a more refined version of Lucky Danger, Ma plans to open another location of Any Day Now in the Chinatown area and two more casual takeout versions of Lucky Danger in Baltimore and Virginia. Related Chinatown's Fusiony New Supper Club Hits All the Senses While all these openings sound overwhelming, Ma is taking a back seat to young new chefs that 'are closer to modern cuisine' in his kitchens and is ready to focus on rolling out a small restaurant empire with new takes on Asian-American food 'for the culture.' 'Nobody's going to Sushi Sato to see me. They're going for sushi. And I think that's the way it should be,' he says. 'That's the new evolution.' Sign up for our newsletter.
Washington Post
07-04-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
The D.C.-area restaurant openings we're most excited about this April
Breaking into our local restaurant scene is never easy. But that doesn't deter eager chefs and entrepreneurs looking to make their mark on D.C. This month's band of go-getters includes a veteran restaurateur branching out in new directions, a first-timer looking to build community with tank-to-tap beers and a U.K. hospitality group infatuated with Mid-Atlantic seafood. Chef-turned-restaurateur Tim Ma, who has migrated from Vienna (Maple Ave Restaurant) to Shaw (the now-defunct Kyirisan) to Navy Yard (Any Day Now), aims to fulfill a lifelong dream of opening 'quote, unquote, a Chinese restaurant by a Chinese person in Chinatown' with his latest venture. Ma originally launched Lucky Danger as a pandemic carryout near Mount Vernon Square in late 2020. He subsequently opened other branches in Pentagon City, but this month marks an elevation of the concept, as he brings a refined, sit-down version of the restaurant to 709 D St. NW. Ma and chef de cuisine Robbie Reyes have revamped an existing menu built on Americanized offerings like crab Rangoon, General Tso's chicken, and beef and broccoli. The new menu features spruced-up entrées including Sichuan-style mapo tofu with fermented black beans and rice cakes; Maryland blue crab lo mein; egg noodles blanketed in black vinegar and toasted breadcrumbs; whole crispy flounder freshened by papaya salad; and Peking duck with fish sauce, cured cucumber and butter lettuce. Look for additional snacks at a cocktail bar tucked into the back. And prepare to nurse 'overproof' whiskey drinks at a semiprivate mah-jongg parlor nestled behind a wall of red lanterns. Ma is also launching Tacocat — an outgrowth of the Asian-fusion snacks he served at Wild Days on Eaton's rooftop — in the Foggy Bottom food hall Western Market. This version of Tacocat will be an all-day venue serving breakfast tacos and Any Day Now's coffee service in the morning, and globally inspired tacos accompanied by tequila, mezcal and beer starting at 11 a.m. And if that weren't enough, he's planting Sushi Sato in the three-level home of the short-lived Bronze (1245 H St. NE). The plan is to serve sushi on the first two floors — including a two-tiered, time-restricted all-you-can-eat option ($50 per person for standard fare, $70 for premium offerings). Ma says he's reserving the top level for an undisclosed project. His secret to juggling multiple openings all over town without losing his mind? 'We've built a really big, diverse team now, so luckily, we have the bandwidth to do so,' he says of an eponymous hospitality group that's now home to like-minded business associates and about 15 chefs tasked with keeping their respective kitchens on point. 709 D St. NW. Entrées, $25 to $90. 'We're here to create a community space,' Henceforth managing partner Mike Spinello says as co-founder and head brewer Benjamin Mullett nods approvingly from the entrance of their nascent 10-barrel brewhouse on H Street. Spinello, a local resident who dreamed up the homegrown brewpub in March 2023, joined forces with Mullet, an award-winning alum of Skipping Rock Beer Co. in Stanton and Pale Fire Brewing Co. in Harrisonburg, to make their own fun starting April 19. They have carved up the three-story establishment where H Street Country Club once stood into themed areas, including the dedicated brewhouse, a casual pub (seating for 25), a stylish wine bar (30), a dedicated taproom (75) and a rooftop deck still under renovation (expected to come online this summer). Mullett says the brewhouse will keep up to 12 beers flowing from the taps at both the downstairs pub and upstairs tasting room. 'It's all going to stay here with us,' Mullett says of every drop of beer produced. While he's partial to Belgian-style brews and dark lagers, Mullett says they'll probably launch with an easy-drinking cream ale that's been well received at special events and experiment a bit with light, dark, hoppy, sour and extra-special bitter beers before settling on a core lineup. 'Whatever the customers are enjoying the most, we'll continue to make that,' Mullett says. Chef Walfer Hernandez, an alum of Capitol Hill bourbon den Barrel, is working on an array of beer-friendly snacks and sandwiches for the pub crowd and some snazzier options for those dining upstairs. Opening pub grub includes a half-dozen types of chicken wings (one fried, the others grilled); fried mushroom quiche; soft pretzels twisted into the Henceforth logo; jagerwurst on pretzel buns; and gyros stuffed with roasted lamb, pickled onions and tzatziki sauce. Entrées include crab cakes, pasta carbonara with guanciale, roasted cauliflower with black garlic labneh, braised beef cheeks, and a house burger featuring a bacon-fat-infused patty topped with nutty Lusk cheese. Desserts range from peach tart with coconut rum to blood orange possets. Spinello says wine director Monica Lee, an alum of Mount Pleasant restaurant Elle, is in charge of lifting everyone's spirits at the wine bar and noted that the pub will feature some batch-made cocktails — along with other Easter eggs. 1335 H St. NE. Entrées, $12 to $24. At the Wharf's airy new Fish Shop, expect a lineup that's frequently in flux. 'Our menu is going to be changing quite often because we are trying to utilize what the fishermen are able to get for us,' chef de cuisine Ria Montes, an Estuary alum, says of the sourcing plan for the newcomer opening April 29. Whereas parent company Artfarm's original Fish Shop in Ballater, Scotland, features Loch Leven clams, Macduff lobster and Shetland mussels, Montes says its D.C. counterpart will highlight sustainably farmed oysters, wild blue catfish, soft-shell crabs, striped bass and tuna (when in season) plucked from our surrounding waters. Her opening menu items include crumpets laced with smoked trout from Virginia-based Smoke in Chimneys; Tall Timbers oysters from Maryland's Double T Oyster Ranch served raw, with kombu-green apple mignonette, or grilled with 'nduja brown butter; an adaptation of Scottish seafood bisque stocked with Maryland blue crabs, pickled clams and double cream; roasted Chesapeake rockfish; and a roasted half-chicken paired with an emulsified oyster sauce honoring a recipe from the historic 'Maryland's Way' cookbook. Oyster lovers looking to ignite each slurp can splash on a housemade hot sauce forged from locally grown habaneros, Fresno chiles and aji dulce peppers fermented for 30 days before bottling. Pastry chef Patrick Gannon, most recently at Kiln in Alexandria, is contributing sweets ranging from dark chocolate ice cream flecked with sea salt and olive oil to tiramisu spiked with candied Virginia peanuts. Montes says he's also working on a Smith Island cake. D.C.'s Fish Shop expands on a restaurant portfolio that includes Scotland's flagship Fish Shop, the bicoastal Manuela (Los Angeles, New York City) and other European eateries. The Wharf location will sprinkle seating for about 200 guests around a dedicated oyster bar, a main dining room overlooking the marina, three private dining spaces and patio seating (in the works). Design touches include a signature tartan woven by Scottish artist Araminta Campbell, custom bar lamps made of recycled glass by Washington Glass School director Erwin Timmers, and an overhead art installation depicting a shoal of fish crafted by Scottish willow weaver Helen Jackson and North Carolina wisteria weaver Angela Eastman. 610 Water St. SW. Entrées, $30 to $45.
Axios
20-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Exclusive: The Nationals reveal new local food and drink vendors for 2025 season
Tacos. Banh mi. Boozy slushies. Exciting eats and drinks are popping up at Nationals Park this season and 11 local businesses are joining the vendor lineup. Why it matters: Nats Park has won awards for its standout stadium food, and the team is upping their game to keep hungry fans returning. The starting lineup: New eats and drinks among 30+ local vendors at the park. Food Kam & 46 (Section 105): The food truck-turned-vendor makes fun riffs on Hawaiian and Filipino street fare (e.g. tuna tartare or sisig nachos). Taqueria Picoso (Section 117): Mexico City natives branch out from their Alexandria restaurant with home-style tacos and tortas. Mush (Section 137): Look for veggie sandwiches, bowls and sides. Phowheels (Section 140): Vietnamese street eats from the OG food truck include banh mi, egg rolls and Vietnamese tacos. Lucky Danger (Section 238): Chef Tim Ma 's popular American-Chinese takeout gets its place at the park for dumplings, lo mein and orange chicken bites. Cocktails Cotton & Reed (Section 109): The Union Market rum distillery will mix tropical cocktails like strawberry daiquiris and dark n' stormies. Electric Cool-Aid (Sections 102 and 147): Boozy slushies, courtesy of Shaw's "frozen bar." Little treats Grab-and-go items from the stadium's new marketplace stands include sweet treats from veteran-owned Dog Tag Bakery, Moore Crunch flavor-dusted mini-pretzels, and Party Of Popcorn 's Thai-flavored pops. Also, a Maracas Ice Pops bicycle for delicious Mexican fruit and cream popsicles. How it works The intrigue: This season's new vendors were chosen in a Shark Tank-style "Pitch Your Product" competition, where 23 DMV businesses presented their specialty fare and ballpark dreams to a panel of judges, including yours truly, who got a behind-the-scenes look for Axios. It's the second time they've done it. The first in 2015 yielded a bunch of cool new vendors including Haute Dogs & Fries, which you can still snag at the ballpark today. The mix of contenders mirrored D.C.'s food scene — decades-old businesses and young startups, global chefs creating everything from West African street eats to German schnitzel. Everyone's eager to get their products in front of thousands of people and grow. The ultimate question: Can small businesses go big? Serving fans at a 41,000-seat stadium is like its own endurance sport. Vendors are expected to supply top-quality fare over 81 games — kudos if it's Insta-worthy for those ballpark shots — plus during post-game concerts and events. All while running their established businesses. A lot of the specialty prep by local providers has to be done offsite, like when Medium Rare brewed its top-secret steak sauce for sandwiches. Behind the scenes: Assembling the vendor roster is a lot like putting together a restaurant menu — my fellow judges and I looked for consistency, approachability, dietary needs, and of course, deliciousness (knowing there's the added obstacle of outdoor temps). Dishes also need to be equally enticing spring through fall. Scalability is the big question. Beef suya skewers or spaetzle bowls are delicious, but can a chef turn out thousands per game? Also, what are fans into right now? Cue more "plant-based" vendors at the park, and specialty cocktails alongside non-alcoholic options. What they're saying:"We're 100% paying attention to what D.C. is reacting to," Lisa Marie Czop, senior VP of ballpark operations, tells Axios. The mix has become as global as the city itself — Venezuelan arepas and Salvadoran pupusas alongside hot dogs and ice cream. The big picture: Nats Park is increasingly about more than baseball, especially during the team's recent rebuilding years. Popular theme nights, post-game concerts and festivals are all designed to appeal to a broad audience. Same for the food. "We want to win a World Series every year, but we can't control that," says Czop. "We can make sure people come to D.C. and fall in love with the ballpark, regardless of what's happening."
