The team at Eat Good Food Group is doing what it can to welcome patrons at work-in-progress Hummingbird.
“There’s still a good bit of stuff coming,” Restaurant Eve chef and Hummingbird co-founder Cathal Armstrong told Eater about the waterfront restaurant he’s installed at newly opened Hotel Indigo.
Armstrong said the dedicated oyster bar slated to occupy the far end of the L-shaped main dining room was delivered on July 14; he’s trying to get it in place this week. Other absentee items include: the main doors; the cabinets slated to line the back of the currently bare bar (scheduled to arrive in August); and a rolling bar cart expected to float between the shucking station, semi-private Nectar Room, and open air patio.
The kitchen is spinning out food throughout the day, including an Irish breakfast featuring bacon, sausage, and meat pudding, soft-shell crab sandwiches, bacon-cheddar burgers, grilled fish dishes (think: branzino, red snapper, and Arctic char), as well as comfort food benchmark, roasted chicken.
“I’ll continue to add stuff throughout the summer,” Armstrong said of the fine-tuning he’s still doing with chef Jorge Chicas. Armstrong mentioned bolstering the oyster bar selections with chilled shrimp, ceviche, and escabeche. And while a clambake platter is currently offered during dinner, Armstrong said he’s waiting for things to cool off (late August/early September) before organizing communal clambakes and roasting oysters on the patio.
Those who can’t wait are free to pop in anytime.
“Anyone who wants to come in and try it is welcome to to do so,” Armstrong said.
Status: Certified open. 220 S. Union Street, Alexandria, Va.; website.
