Coming Soon: Tackle Box To Cleveland Park, Eve Empire Expands, More Italian On 14th

Georgetown's Tackle Box.
Photo: tackleboxrestaurant.com

There's lots of delicious restaurant news floating around out there ... for those keeping track:

• Tom Sietsema reports that an old McDonald's that has sat vacant for years at 3407 Connecticut Ave. will be revived as a new location of Georgetown's popular seafood spot Tackle Box. The end of the year is the target opening.

The historic building that will house Virtue Feed and Grain.

• Work on Virtue Feed & Grain, the next project from restaurateurs Meshelle and Cathal Armstrong (pictured) and mixologist Todd Thrasher (Restaurant Eve, The Majestic, PX and Eamonn’s), is set to start in the next few weeks inside a historic feed building at 106 South Union St. on Old Town's waterfront.

The Irish-American pub menu will feature dishes like pigs in a blanket with housemade pastry, cockles and mussels, and toasties (grilled cheese sandwiches with fillings). Thrasher will be assembling a selection of specialty, on-tap craft beers. "Opening a pub was inevitable — I’m Irish, it’s in my blood,” chef Armstrong says. Look for an opening next spring — and stay tuned for news of another ambitious concept up the Armstrongs' sleeves.

Planned home of the new Italian Shirt Laundry at 14th and Q streets.

• Meanwhile, 14th Street will be getting two new Italian restaurants, according to Tom Sietsema. The creators of the British-flavored Againn will open Italian Shirt Laundry, a pizzeria and bakery, in the old dry cleaner space at 1601 14th St. NW and Italian Cinema at 1404 14th St. NW. The Whisk Group is partnering with Abdo Development on the new spots.

• Speaking of Againn, a second location is slated to open June 29 at in Rockville at 12256 Rockville Pike.