Fans of Bloomingdale Italian restaurant The Red Hen can't wait to see what chef Mike Friedman can do with pizza. And regulars at Bloomingdale bar Boundary Stone are ready to see what the owners can put together for the Shaw neighborhood. Both contingents will get their wish later this week with the opening of All Purpose, the teams' restaurant collaboration bound for The Colonel building.
All Purpose, with a design from Lauren Winter of Edit Lab at Streetsense, features an oven-lined open kitchen, wooden stools and flooring, and tables with rough-looking finishes. Unfinished walls remain from the space's original storefront. There's colorful hexagon tiling on the floor (reminiscent of a Jersey pizzeria), as well as blue vinyl booths accented with wooden touches and intimate lighting. The restaurant spans 2,400 square feet in total. Woodworkers in Brooklyn and Front Royal, Virginia created custom furniture for the space.
The restaurant is the brainchild of Friedman, Michael O'Malley and Sebastian Zutant of Red Hen, as well as Gareth Croke and Colin McDonough of Boundary Stone. Pizza is the focus (pastry chef Tiffany MacIsaac helped with the dough and desserts), but there will be antipasti, charcuterie, and bruschetta, as well as a few entrees. Expect a wine list of American and Italian natural wines. The restaurant is tentatively scheduled to open Thursday, as long as permitting goes as expected.
All Purpose, 1250 9th St. NW, no website yet
