The Early Word on Bob Kinkead's Ancora Restaurant

It didn't take long for D.C. restaurant institution Bob Kinkead to stage a comeback. Just months after his longtime seafood restaurant Kinkead's shuttered on K Street, the chef is back with Ancora, an Italian seafood restaurant in the former Rivers restaurant space in the Watergate complex. The restaurant has been open for about two weeks now. What do the earliest attendees think of Kinkead's latest venture (which he is calling a "pop-up" for now, since he is planning a full renovation to the space later this year)? Here's the early word from Yelp, blogs and more.

The Cheaper Than Kinkead's News: Ancora is earning 5 stars on Yelp, with 4 reviews in so far. One is from Taylor P., who says, "The food was incredible and I was excited to see the prices are a bit lower than at Kinkead's...I had the scallops for the main course. This may have been the best seafood dish I've ever had." [Yelp]

The Excellent Pre-Kennedy Center Option News: Yelp's Susan M. calls Ancora "a wonderful place to dine pre Kennedy Center.  We thought we were going to the "former" restaurant in that location for a barely aceptable dinner and were delightfully suprised to discover Bob Kinlead's new place.  We had the calamari and the carbonara and both left us wanting more." [Yelp]

The Grateful To Be There News: Over on Don Rockwell, user Banco has a wonderful first visit, saying, "I ate at Ancora for the first time last night and felt so happy, so grateful to be there. The space is essentially the same as before, but the food and service are in an entirely different league." But on a second visit, the critic was disappointed that, despite signage saying dinner was served until 11 p.m., the kitchen closed before that. [DR]

The Worth A Visit Even If You Aren't Going To The Kennedy Center News: Thrillist offers a preview of Ancora. "It's mainly a pre- and post-Kennedy Center spot, but a raw bar, salumi station, 80-seat patio, and steam-heated table-side carving carts make it a good call anytime you happen to be in the neighborhood." [Thrillist]

The Anxious For The Renovations News: UrbanDaddy isn't thrilled with the current decor. "A holdover from the Rivers restaurant, the dining room is a bit... corporate. It's getting a face-lift later this year, but already you'll see some promising touches—you can order champagne out of a giant ice bucket in the middle of the room. A farmer's table gets adorned with cheese for service. And you can order a whole veal shank for two, brought around on a cart and served tableside for you and your ballet-loving date." [UrbanDaddy]

The Already a Regular News: On Twitter, user Jeanne W. Manglock says, "Second time here in 3 days. Love it! Congrats Bob Kinkead!" [Twitter]

· All Previous Ancora News [-EDC-]