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Suddenly Erratic Wicked Bloom Turns to Impossible Burgers for Help

The unsteady Bloomingdale bar is changing menus again

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The bar at Wicked Bloom.
Wicked Bloom [Official photo]
Tierney Plumb is the editor of Eater DC, covering all things food and drink around the nation's capital.

Struggling Bloomingdale bar Wicked Bloom is hitting the reset button for the second time in just a few months, this time swapping the global plates it introduced a few weeks back for a mish-mash of barbecue, Mexican fare, and trendy plant-based patties known as the Impossible Burger.

The three-year-old neighborhood bar has been closed for over a week in order to implement the replacement menu; it plans to unveil the updated lineup of smoked wings, tacos, burgers, loaded pork rinds, and sandwiches next week.

“We are transitioning into what I would say is a resurgence of our brand,” Scott Jacobs, co-owner of parent company Southeast Restaurant Group, tells Eater. Late last year, Bourbon Steak head bartender Torrence Swain and pop-up dining vet Johanna Hellrigl were hired to consult on the drinks and food, respectively.

“They did a great job but we wanted to get back in there and recapture the space and Wicked Bloom’s essence,” Jacobs says. “We took a risk on the area and we want to give back to a neighborhood that’s given us so much.”

Older sibling Dcity Smokehouse originally debuted in 2013 with a handful of counter seats and soon became known as one of the city’s top barbecue destinations. The smoked meats mecca relocated to 203 Florida Avenue NW a year ago and just tacked on a patio seating component.

Its one-time sole supplier of food, Dcity will resume feeding Wicked Bloom barbecue favorites including its Big Snoop half-smoke sausage ($10) topped with pulled pork, coleslaw, barbecue sauce, and crispy onions.

Wicked Bloom DC Social Club

1540 N Capitol St NW, Washington, D.C. (202) 750-6375