Georgetown Is Losing an Irish Pub

Say goodbye to Ri Ra Georgtown

A letter taped to the door of Ri Ra in Georgetown announces that the Irish pub is closing this month. “We have struggled for a number of years to make the business a viable one, but have come to the point of accepting that is not tenable to continue,” the closing announcement reads. The Irish chain opened on M Street in December 2013, and PoPville reported the impending closure back in December 2019.

Photo: Tierney Plumb/Eater

Ice Cream Jubilee adds a new dairy-free option

Try a dairy-free scoop on Ice Cream Jubilee this weekend as the ice cream shop unveils its new flavors made with Eclipse Foods’ vegan base. Washingtonian has the details on RSVP-ing for the freebie.

José Andrés’ ThinkFoodGroup is throwing a truffle party

José Andrés’ restaurants are cooking with truffles for the next few weeks: ThinkFoodGroup’s Truffle Festival is back, running from now until February 16. Participating restaurants like America Eats Tavern, Zaytinya, Jaleo, China Chilcano, and Oyamel will offer specials highlighting black winter truffles sourced by truffle-hunting dogs in the Spanish city of Teruel.

Tonari will feature an indoor garden

The design of upcoming Japanese-style pizza and pasta spot Tonari from the Daikaya team sounds like it will be very serene, thanks to a garden of moss inside the restaurant. An Instagram post says that the garden by local designer Thomas Virnston “intends to capture the peaceful and intimate essence of Japan’s natural beauty.”

Order bottomless beer during the big game

This Sunday from 6 to 10 p.m., José Andrés’ America Eats Tavern in Georgetown will offer a gameday special with the choice of three starters and bottomless beer for $45. Food options include fried mac n’ cheese balls, BBQ wings, sloppy Joe sliders, fried cauliflower and more, along with bottomless Budweiser and Bud Light. There’s also the option to order just bottomless beer for $20 along with other menu items besides the special.

Photo: Stella Barra

North Bethesda’s Stella Barra revamps its menu and name

Stella Barra in North Bethesda is now Stella Barra Pizzeria & Wine Bar, adding thin crust tavern-style pizzas with toppings options like sausage, peppers, and heritage pork. Dunk the crusts in dips like tomato sauce, garlic butter or truffle gruyere fonduta, or order up pastas like traditional bucatini cacio e pepe and rigatoni bolognese. The wine list is now three times longer, showcasing wine director Bobby Joe Rinaldo’s favorite Italian varietals.