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The Girl & The Vine will soon bring Takoma Park a bright place to shop for a bottle of natural wine, order a deli sandwich to go, or linger with a Michelada on the patio.
“We want to be the neighborhood market spot where everyone hangs out,” says co-owner Jocelyne DeHaas, who’s opening the new two-level cafe and retail store with her husband, David Fritzler, next month.
Fritzler and DeHaas previously worked at Ellē, Eater D.C.’s 2018 Restaurant of the Year, and for Tryst Trading Co. They’re teaming up with chef Rob Theriot on the 2,800-square-foot destination for booze and day-to-night fare.
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The couple has two kids and lives a short walk away from their shop (7071 Carroll Avenue). The morning-to-night daily operation (10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. on weekends) will offer coffees and teas, as well as salads, soups, tartines, bread, meats, and cheese boards. Sandwiches in the works include a chicken schnitzel BLT and a turkey “Chip-wich” with avocado. Mornings will call for acai and granola bowls.
With a counter service-only model, “we aren’t going for fancy,” says DeHaas, who was mostly involved in Ellē’s daytime operations as acting general manager.
Her new venture will carry 120 wines and will be big on sustainable brands. Craft brews and ciders will play up small production labels.
After signing the lease in December the team tackled a laundry list of mostly-cosmetic changes across the space, which was already built out for a restaurant.
Girl & the Vine pays homage the freestanding building’s former life as a residence, outfitted with potted aloe plants and artwork of the couple’s daughter. Woodworkers Club in Maryland custom designed the bar and countertops. One white tiled wall leading into the open kitchen has a clean Kelly green strip running through it.
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“We wanted to make it feel bright, open and homey,” DeHaas says.
She personally designed the bathrooms, one of which is covered with dragonfly wallpaper and gold fixtures.
“You know kitchens are clean if someone pays attention to bathrooms,” she says.
The three owners, which have a combined 60 years in the hospitality world, each bring their own skills to the table. Theriot, an alum of The Coupe, has lots of financial and organizational experience. Fritzler has experience making coffee and cocktails. DeHaas says she excels in front-of-house duties.
Takoma Park’s up-and-coming dining scene got a boost from another husband-and-wife team when Carolina McCandless and David Perez opened the Cielo Rojo taqueria last month.
