Pop Up Restaurants: LTO

The new, or maybe at this point not so new, trend in both restaurants and stores are Pop Ups, places that takes over an existing space and occupy it for a short or temporary amount of time.  What Happens When is an example of a restaurant that took over a space in a building that is going to be demolished in the Fall, but until then the landlord wanted to continue to make some revenue so the chef John Fraser What Happens When enters and in a very clever and thematic way opens up a Pop Up restaurant on a tight budget to highlight new dishes, experiment and get some press and then before you know it close down.  It also gives the dinner a feeling of being in on something, and unlike a traditional brick and mortar establishment the evanescent aspect of these places give people motivation to go while they can.

Broadway East was a fancy place that opened a few years back with a very lofty, local, organic, mostly vegetarian menu and Gweneth Paltrow's personal chef in the kitchen.  It never took off and had many variations, each less successful than the last.   Finally sometime last year it closed and was used as a rental and sometimes club.  It was very fun as a club at least the one wintry Thursday I went, but a waste of such a nice space especially given the kitchen which was languishing when it was just serving booze.

So now it is a Pop Up appropriately called Limited Time Only (LTO) and will feature the cooking of James Beard award winning chef RJ Cooper, who will be using this opportunity to fine tune dishes for his new restaurant Rogue 24 to open in DC later in the Spring. 

His "Pop Up" is being billed as a preview.  So if you are interested from April 28th to May 8 he will be taking reservations for one of two menus, a 16 course menu called the Progression ($100) and a 24 course menu called The Journey ($125).

Make reservations here while you can! 

THE PROGRESSION
16 courses/4 pairings

snacks/soft-crunch/cold-hot

headcheese/pretzel paper/fried grilled mayo

quail egg/spring textures/anchovy

shima aji/black lime/yeast/puffed rice

catalina sea urchins/squid toast/lardo/clamato

smoked rap oyster/smilax/meyer lemon

liquid chicken/truffle/cepe/everona

conger eel/seaweed/grapefruit/bbq/charcoal

turbot/radishes/green garlic/roe

pain perdu/bacon/onion/caramel

lamb/blue ridge inspirations/peanut

dragon carrot soda/tapioca/satsuma crema

sheep’s ricotta/walnut/long pepper/manni

basil pound cake/lemon-rosemary/passion fruit

oliver & sinclair chocolate/acer ice cream/muscovado

happy endings

THE JOURNEY
24 courses/8 pairings

snacks/soft-crunch/cold-hot

headcheese/pretzel paper/fried

grilled mayo quail egg/spring textures/anchovy

shima aji/black lime/yeast/puffed rice

osetra/new classic garniture/gin infusion

iberico lomo/melon/coffee/manchego/almond

langoustine/chawan mushi/ginger/chorizo

catalina sea urchins/squid toast/lardo/clamato

smoked rap oyster/smilax/meyer lemon

fingerling trout/parfait/roe/meuniere

liquid chicken/truffle/cepe/everona 

conger eel/seaweed/grapefruit/bbq/charcoal

olives/goat cheese/bell pepper/basil

turbot/radishes/green garlic/roe

pain perdu/bacon/onion/caramel

quail/rhubarb/ramps/blood foraged in wild shenandoah

lamb/blue ridge inspirations/peanut

dragon carrot soda/tapioca/satsuma crema

wagyu brisket/ potato pave/morels

sheep’s ricotta/walnut/long pepper/manni

basil pound cake/lemon-rosemary/passion fruit

oliver & sinclair chocolate/acer ice cream/muscovado

happy endings

My suggestion is go hungry!!!!!