You are here
America Eats Tavern will replace Cafe Atlantico
By Tom Sietsema, Posted at 10:15 AM ET, 05/16/2011
Chef Jose Andres will turn Cafe Atlantico into anAmerican-themed restaurant in July. (Sarah L. Voisin - The Washington Post) CafeAtlantico is going on hiatus June 12 to make way for a novel pop-uprestaurant orchestrated by Jose Andres in partnership with the NationalArchives.
Fresh from being namedOutstanding Chef by the James Beard Foundation in New York, the Spanishvisionary plans to replace his Latin American-themed destination in PennQuarter with a radically different flavor: America Eats Tavern and amenu of iconic U.S. dishes will coincide with the Archives’ forthcomingexhibit, “What’s Cooking, Uncle Sam? The Government’s Effect on the AmericanDiet.”
The free show, which looks at the nation’s fascination with food, runs fromJune 10 to January 3. Following a minor facelift, the restaurant is expected tomake its debut on the Fourth of July. (Fear not, fans of Minibar; Andres’s six-seat culinary adventure on the second floor of Atlantico,will, save for that three-week revamp, remain open.)
America Eats Tavern will start on the ground floorwith a cafe serving lobster rolls, hot dogs and the star chef’s signaturecheesesteak. Upstairs, a more formal restaurant will introduce shrimp andgrapefruit cocktail, Brunswick stew and, in a nod to Vermont, maple syrup drizzled over “snow”coaxed from pulverized ice. The menu will include short descriptions explainingthe stories behind the dishes’ recipes, which were culled from such diversesources as a manuscript penned by a chef for President Washington and the firstedition of “The Joy of Cooking,” says Andres.
A portion of the profits from the temporary restaurant will benefit theFoundation for the National Archives. Andres’s involvement in the project willextend to future panel discussions featuring culinary scholars, scientists andpolicy makers.
Come January, after America Eats Tavern closes, probably along with theexhibit, Minibar will likely expand to multiple floors and 18 seats at 405 Eighth St. NW.It will share the space with ThinkFoodTank, the culinary center where Andresand his creative team develop new ideas.
No word about when Cafe Atlantico will resurface, but a refreshed notion ofthe restaurant will return, says Andres. “It’s close to my heart and mybackground and my history in Washington.”
