The Year That Was, and More Intel

The Year that Controversially Was

Remember 2016? Seems like ages ago, honestly, but Eater is here to remind you of the biggest food-related scandals of last year. From Ponzi scheme wine to eggless mayo with inflated sales to the truly horrible Pizzagate — 2016 was quite a year. [E]

Bijou Buzz

Washingtonian goes inside the big shakeups at The Shaw Bijou — from dramatically slashing the price of the tasting menu nearly half, to cutting the number of courses served. Conclusion? The backlash that the Bijou faced was what ultimately did it in for the changes.

Diet Right

The beginning of a new year is probably the most popular time to start a diet, and Washington Post is on it. In fact, they have five staff members — including a masked Tom Sietsema — going for it in 2017, each with a different approach. Here, nutritionist Ellie Krieger rates each of the diet choices, discussing plusses and minuses of each. [WaPo]

Is It or Isn’t It?

DCist has the scoop on a foreclosure auction: that of the Florida Ave. Grill, which sits at 1100 Florida Ave. NW. The restaurant recently celebrated its 70th anniversary. While we do have a date for the auction — Jan. 18 — it appears to be contested. Current restaurant/property owner denies that the restaurant is even closing. “On the record, the only thing I will say is that the Grill is not closing,” Imar Hutchins told Eater in an email. [DCist]