Food News Round-Up

• Your chance of scoring a seat for Frank Ruta's fry plates, dreamy
burgers and legendary roast chicken just got a little better. The long
planned and much anticipated expansion of Palena's cafe has been completed. Scott Reitz snapped some photos of the new space over on Young & Hungry. 


• Top Chef alum Bryan Voltaggio is on the hunt for a second restaurant location. Missy Frederick looks into the rumors on WBJ's Biz Beat.


• Chef Jeff Heineman of Bethesda's Grapeseed will open Freddie's Lobster and Clams right next door at 4867 Cordell Ave., reports Bethesda magazine.


• After an extensive renovation, Ashok Bajaj debuted the newly merged Ardeo+Bardeo
over the weekend. The wall that separated the restaurants came down and
in its place is a shiny new zinc bar that unites the two spaces. The
new look is really fun with retro black and white photos on the wall,
sleek new furniture and a refreshed color scheme. Chef Alex McWilliams
gained a brick oven for flatbreads in the renovation. His new menu for
the joint concept offers more shareable options.


• BYT is here to ease your holiday boozing pain with a round-up of hangover cures from some local imbibers (Metrocurean included). Find out what I oddly crave after too many glasses of bubbly.


• In case you missed chef RJ Cooper's appearance on Iron Chef, Eater offers a video summary of battle bell pepper against newly anointed Iron Chef Marc Forgione.