Margarita’s liquor license cancelled

From the April 2013 edition of the Glover Park Gazette:

On February 20, the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board cancelled the liquor license for Margarita’s Restaurant (formerly at 2317 Wisconsin, the current home of Sprig & Sprout). The licensee, Maria Villalta, closed Margarita’s several years ago. Lately, she has tried unsuccessfully to find a new location for her restaurant or a buyer for her license.

Under Glover Park’s liquor license moratorium, up to 14 restaurants in the neighborhood are allowed to have full-service restaurant (CR) licenses. At press time, the former Margarita’s license was one of two Glover Park CR licenses that were unused and unapplied-for, according to an Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration spokesman.

The closing of Mayfair & Pine (2218 Wisconsin Ave.) and Kavanagh’s Pizza Pub (2400 Wisconsin Ave.) has left two more Glover Park CR licenses idle, though the Kavanagh’s license will soon be put to use at Arcuri, a trattoria slated to open in late April. The liquor license for JP’s Night Club (2412 Wisconsin Ave.), expected to reopen in May, is a nightclub (CN) license.

Read Full Post »

So long, Mayfair & Pine

Mayfair & Pine (2218 Wisconsin Ave.) has closed, The Washington Post’s Tom Sietsema reports. Chef Emily Sprissler had some tart parting words for the neighborhood, Sietsema writes:

Did competition do them in? “We did not have any competition when it came to food on the strip,” says the chef. “No one had the chops, the creativity.” People in the area, she adds, preferred getting meals “delivered to their door.”

We’ll give her this: that’s a creative explanation for the restaurant’s troubles.

Read Full Post »

Duelling Super Bowl spots

The Mason Inn (2408 Wisconsin Ave.) has already declared its allegiance as a Baltimore Ravens bar. Now Mayfair and Pine (2218 Wisconsin Ave.) has announced via Twitter that its staff will be rooting for the San Francisco 49ers during today’s big game. May the better team (i.e., the Ravens) win!

Read Full Post »

Special Christmas Eve dinner at Mayfair & Pine

On most Mondays, Mayfair & Pine (2218 Wisconsin Ave.) is closed. But on December 24—Christmas Eve—the restaurant will host a prix fixe dinner. “Some of our regulars have requested us to be open,” explains chef Emily Sprissler in an email, “so we will be open.”  The restaurant will offer a three-course meal—including a choice of glazed rib-eye steak, citrus-roasted chicken, or a TBD veggie option—starting at 5 p.m., for a charge of $30. Dessert will be pecan pie a la mode.

Read Full Post »

Mayfair & Pine hosts special wine dinner Dec 7

Mayfair & Pine (2218 Wisconsin Ave.) will serve a six-course wine-and-champagne dinner on December 7 at 7 p.m. Each course features wine pairings from Charlottesville’s Thibaut-Janisson Winery. Courses include pumpkin bisque, samosa pie with date sauce, and braised short ribs. The dinner costs $85 per person (including tax and tip), and a representative from Wide World of Wines (2201 Wisconsin Ave.) will be on hand with bottles of the showcased wines for sale. For reservations and tickets, visit cityeats.com.

Read Full Post »

Mayfair & Pine = soccer bar! (Updated)

Mayfair & Pine (2218 Wisconsin Ave.) has announced “Soccer Saturday”: a full English breakfast available from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays only, with Premier League soccer on three big-screen TVs starting at 10 a.m. The $9 meal includes eggs, Irish bangers, fried mushrooms, and streaky bacon; throw in an extra $2 for bottomless Tetley tea.

Tottenham Hotspur fans, be warned: chef Emily Sprissler is a lifelong supporter of  Arsenal.

UPDATE: Mayfair & Pine is now open for breakfast—including French toast, buttermilk pancakes, or their full English breakfast—both Saturdays and Sundays starting at 7:30 a.m.

Read Full Post »

It’s opening day for Mayfair & Pine

Mayfair & Pine, the new family-friendly gastropub at 2218 Wisconsin Ave., opens today at 11:30 a.m. The restaurant will serve lunch and dinner six days a week; it’s closed on Mondays.

On the menu, according to a press release, will be “a rotating assortment of homemade savory pies including shepherd’s pie, chicken pot pie, and fish/lobster pie; a candied-apple salad; nostalgic dessert classics such as [chef Emily Sprissler's] signature, never-to-be-removed-from-the-menu hot fudge sundae; holiday-inspired sandwich staples such as the Thanksgiving sandwich; and an impressive wine list featuring notable American wines.” The children’s menu features “playful, made-from-scratch classics such as grilled cheese, chicken strips, and fish and chips, all made utilizing fresh, high-quality ingredients.”

The restaurant’s hours are 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday and 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Read Full Post »

Zagat previews Mayfair & Pine

Olga Boikess of the Zagat blog takes readers inside Mayfair & Pine, the gastropub set to open July 20 at 2218 Wisconsin Ave., the former home of Town Hall.

As we have reported, chef Emily Sprissler and her husband Jason Coté plan a family-friendly restaurant with touches of London (the ambience) and San Francisco (the cuisine). Boikess describes Sprissler’s menu as “childhood faves re-imaged for everyday dining,” including potpies, a candied-apple salad, and a children’s menu featuring grilled cheese and fish ‘n’ chips. Adds the writer: “Future plans include family happy-hour deals offering inexpensive children’s plates, with the lure of a free cookie if the vegetables are eaten.”

Read Full Post »

Mayfair & Pine to open July 20, per Post

Mayfair & Pine (2218 Wisconsin Ave.) is opening on July 20, according to The Washington Post’s Tom Sietsema.

Read Full Post »

Mayfair & Pine is hiring

The family-friendly, fish-centric, English-pub-style restaurant coming to 2218 Wisconsin Ave. is recruiting front-of-house staff, according to a sign in the window. “Open call for bartenders, servers, bussers, hosts,” the sign states. Interested parties should apply in person from noon to 4 p.m. weekdays. The currently vacant building is the former home of Town Hall, which moved up the street to 2340 Wisconsin Ave. in January.

Although no opening date has been announced for the new restaurant, named Mayfair & Pine, the help-wanted sign suggests that the wait won’t be too much longer.

Read Full Post »