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A new communal cocktail bar opens inside the Union Market district\u2019s Latin market La Cosecha <\/a>on Sunday, February 8, with backing from a big Hollywood name. Elegancia<\/strong><\/a> is co-founded by actor, activist, and entrepreneur Wilmer Valderrama \u2013 best known for his role as Fez on hit TV sitcom That \u2019<\/em>70s Show<\/em> \u2013 and Daniella Senior, the female force behind decade-old Cuban cafe Colada Shop<\/a> that has six locations across D.C. and Virginia. Elegancia, sliding into the food hall\u2019s central setup that formerly housed holiday pop-up Coquito Bar (1280 4th Street NE), teases \u201cexpressive cocktails bold bites,\u201d with a logo that spotlights native South American animals like iguanas and hummingbirds.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cElegancia is everything I love about our culture,\u201d says the NCIS<\/em> star, whose father is Venezuelan and mother is Colombian. \u201c[I\u2019m] excited to return to another one of my passions: hosting a unique experience.\u201d Valderrama, whose first-ever job was a bus boy, has a West Coast hospitality resume that includes ties to Geisha House, Dolce, the Lodge, sports bar chain Big Wangs, and high-end bowling bar Ten Pin Alley.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Elias Tadesse, the award-winning Ethiopian chef behind Shaw\u2019s M\u00e9lange and Doro Soul Food<\/a>, just debuted DaBo Burger<\/strong><\/a> inside Southeast D.C.\u2019s new Atlas Bridge District Brewery & Tap Room<\/a> flagship locale. Named for the Amharic word for \u201cbread,\u201d DaBo draws from his fine dining background with house-made milk buns finished with pearl sugar. The four opening burgers take tips from a pain au lait, Tadesse\u2019s favorite snack from his culinary school cafe, and there\u2019s milkshakes in the mix, too. The first 25 guests in line on Thursday, January 15, get free hand-cut beef tallow fries with purchase of a burger (600 Howard Road SE).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n DMV-wide beauty shop Nailsaloon<\/a> teamed up with Just Ice Tea<\/a>, the canned company from Top Chef <\/em>alum and Plnt Burger<\/a> founder Spike Mendelsohn, to give back to the East African area its organic ingredients are farmed from. Now through the end of January, all five area salons (Logan Circle, Walter Reed, Capitol Hill, Chevy Chase, and National Landing) offer customers a free Just Ice Tea and will match their optional donations at checkout to help to build a much-needed Mozambique health clinic.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Commodore<\/a>, D.C.\u2019s treasured destination for Southern comfort foods and trivia since 2016, expands across state lines for the first time in March. The incoming Virginia outpost in Old Town, Alexandria slides into the space that formerly housed Myron Mixon\u2019s Pitmaster Barbecue (220 N. Lee Street). The Commodore moved from its original Logan Circle digs to Dupont Circle in 2021, and Rob Van de Graaff teamed up with industry vet Steve Kim to retool the venture in 2024<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nCheffed-up burgers for Anacostia<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Dupont\u2019s \u2018five-star dive\u2019 is coming to Old Town<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n