Carolina Kitchen, TKO Burger Now Aiming for January

No one will ever accuse Lance London of understatement. "It will be the most beautiful restaurant in D.C., hands down," says the Carolina Kitchen owner, who is planning his next location for Rhode Island Row. Though originally slated for summer, the restaurant is now looking at a January 10 opening next year, if all goes well with permits.

The soul food-influenced restaurant will have some different menu items than the Largo and Hyattsville locations, such as shrimp and grits and deviled eggs. London is planning some spiced crab legs, an oyster bar, and some combination platters, like smothered chicken with beef ribs and vegetables. The restaurant stretches over two floors and will have a King Kong room.

London said he could have probably pulled off a December opening for the new restaurant, but he's busy planning to cater a big Christmas party at the Carnegie Library December 19 (his goal is to get 2,000 toys for needy kids). Opening in a space adjacent to the restaurant will be TKO Burger — the casual spot will share an entrance and bathrooms with Carolina Kitchen. London was going to originally call his foray into the burger scene CK Burger, but faced a lawsuit threat from, all companies, Calvin Klein. TKO Burger will likely open two or three weeks after Carolina Kitchen so it can get its own fanfare, he said.

Another idea from London is to host a fundraiser run where participants dash from the Hyattsville location to the new Carolina Kitchen, though he says he's still working out the logistics.

· Carolina Kitchen [YouTube]
· All Previous Carolina Kitchen Coverage [-EDC-]