The X2

DC's eight CAVA restaurant will be opening soon at 523 H Street NE. This will be the second Northeast location for the Greek and Mediterranean fast casual eatery, with the other being just blocks away inside Union Station. No word on exact opening date, but the interior is looking close to finished (perhaps ready for fixtures & equipment) and the exterior is getting a lot of the current attention with final paint jobs, repairs, and whatnot. CAVA employs a build-you-own, quick serve format. In my experience they move the lunch line faster than any other competitors (Chopt's may be as fast, but few others). CAVA is also vegan friendly! The new H Street store appears to be quite small, so I will be curious to see how they handle dining in. Still, grateful to have another quality fast casual option in the neighborhood. 

Khepra's Raw Food Juice Bar looks poised to move, but not far. The all-vegan raw foods restaurant opened at 402 H Street NE in 2011. Signage indicating a new storefront recently went up at 408 H Street NE. This is between Fare Well and Hot Yoga Capitol Hill. A recent Facebook post mentioned the move would happen in 2018. Good luck Khepra's! Bar Elena, the new venture replacing shuttered Boundary Road, has moved forward to the point of hiring staff. The New American style ( I had to look it up ) restaurant looks to distinguish itself by including a cache of video games and pinball machines, an idea I love. Bar Elena  has posted job listings as recently as Oct 29, including a note saying they were "opening VERY soon." Stay tuned! 414 H Street NE. Read more:  Boundary Road has Closed to be Replaced by Bar Elena (Frozen Tropics)  Replacement H Street Bar Aims to Double Its Drinking Space (Eater) New Restaurant With Arcade Games Will Replace Bounda...

A Paris-based boulangerie is planned for the old Blackboard building in Penn Quarter.  Maison Kayser looks to open a shop inside of 640 Massachusetts Ave NW, specifically on the high traffic corner spot fronting both 7th Street and Mass Ave. Maison Kayser opened in Paris in the late 90s and has 100+ locations worldwide including 12 in New York City, the only U.S. outposts. They have proper breakfast  (PDF), brunch, lunch, and dinner menus. And of course they offer plenty of breads, pastries, and baked goods. Not much in the vegan friendly category, at first glance. 640 Massachusetts Ave undergone a major overhaul over the past few years. The new main tenant is now Georgetown's School of Continuing Studies. The circa 1990 building had a major renovation in 2013 and is quite large at 419,000 square feet, including 25,000 sq feet or retail. Maison Kayser should add even more activity to this corner, which is in the line of sight of the Convention Center and adjacent ...