D.C. bar vets Trent Allen and Robin Webb (Midlands Beer Garden) and Chris Powers and Josh Saltzman (Ivy and Coney) are joining forces to open a laid-back flagship on the edge of the city at the Parks at Walter Reed.
Situated in the heart of the redeveloped historic campus, the to-be-named Takoma venture will transform a former mechanic shop and adjacent plaza into a full-service bar and restaurant with a 6,000-square-foot patio overlooking the Great Lawn (6810 Cameron Drive NW). The project will roll out in two phases, starting this summer with an Airstream trailer bar and rotating food trucks parked on-site. The main brick-and-mortar component is scheduled to open in spring 2025. Menu details are slim for now, but the food “will be casual and familiar, and different from what we have at our current spots,” Saltzman tells Eater.
Shaw’s unpretentious dive Ivy and Coney is devoted to Chicago Bears and everything that comes with the city (think sausages, Detroit pizza, beef sandwiches, cheap Midwestern beer, and love-to-hate novelty liquor Malort). Midlands, located a 10-minute drive down Georgia Avenue NW from the future project, is an indoor-outdoor Park View fixture for frosty beers on tap, giant pretzels, and dogs.
The project marks a reunion for the owners, who previously worked at Columbia Heights’ barbecue bar Kangaroo Boxing Club. And Ivy and Coney’s owners and Midlands partner Allen go back 20 years as college buds from the University of Michigan.
“We’re very focused on having this be a community hub that has a little something for everyone,” says Saltzman, which includes nearby families and outdoorsy types coming off the Rock Creek Park trail.
The mixed-use overhaul of the 66-acre Walter Reed Army Medical Center site will eventually feature 3.1 million square feet of new retail, housing, office space, a school, and hotel.
Whole Foods and Jinya Ramen Bar were among the first to activate the Parks at Walter Reed last year, and incoming options for pizza (Slice & Pie), Mediterranean wraps (Mezeh), and ice cream (the Charmery) are expected to open over the next few months.
“Having the opportunity to revitalize a historic space in our own backyard is a dream come true,” says Allen, who also lives in Ward 4.
This article was originally published by a dc.eater.com . Read the Original article here. .