H Street NE Gets An Asian Fusion Place With Loaded Kimchi Fries

Banh mi hot dogs

Baltimore-based Asian fusion restaurant the Red Boat opened its first D.C. location yesterday on H Street NE, bringing the strip a place where bar-hoppers can line their stomachs with kimchi- and bulgogi-topped fries, lemongrass pork tacos, and more traditional Vietnamese dishes like pho and banh mi. The D.C. restaurant (500 H Street NE) is located in the former home of Micho’s Lebanese Grill. It’s the fifth location for the Red Boat, which has four stores in Maryland (Baltimore, College Park, Glen Burnie) and another opening planned in Boca Raton, Florida. Two of the wilder options are the fusion hot dogs. There’s a Saigon Dog piled with banh mi fillings and a K-Town Dog with kimchi, bulgogi, and toasted seaweed.

Month-long Mardis Gras party

Bar Roubaix, the cycling-themed European bistro in Columbia Heights, kicks off its Mardis Gras pop-up tonight with a 50 percent discount on its new menu and happy hour prices from 5 p.m. until close. Dubbed Sim’s Creole Kitchen, the pop-up will serve Louisiana staples such as red beans and rice, jambalaya, grilled oysters, and gumbo. The food is based on recipes chef Sim Bates brought with him from New Orleans, and the pop-up is scheduled to run through Fat Tuesday on March 5.

Stupid fun

Brookland’s Tastemakers food incubator has a Stupid Burger stall that’s topping patties with ghost chile and mushroom confit. Washingtonian reports that the business comes from two former food truck operators — including one who used to work at Le Diplomate — who just want to make “stupid good” food. [W]

From Chinese to Caribbean

Peking Express on U Street NW appears to be transforming into a Jamaican restaurant called U & Jerk. Popville shared photos of the new signage and a menu — written in marker — that advertises $7 lunch specials on jerk chicken and large plates or curry goat or oxtails for $15. [Popville]

Food hall filling out

Quarter Market, the food hall that’s coming to the Ballston Quarter development late next month, has added an option for raw seafood. Washington Business Journal reports that the Local Oyster, which operates one location out of Baltimore’s Mount Vernon Marketplace, will have a 1,500-square-foot space that includes a kitchen equipped with a fryer. [WBJ]