Taylor Gourmet Founder Set to Open a Downtown Restaurant Selling Subs, Fried Chicken, and Ice Cream

Former owner of the Taylor Gourmet hoagie chain Casey Patten is adding another location for his new sub shop Grazie Grazie, reports the Washington Business Journal. The outpost is headed to downtown D.C. at 1100 15th Street NW (the same Midtown Center development as Dauphine’s), and Patten will sell more than Philly cheesesteaks.

The 5,560-square-foot restaurant will be a three-in-one venture, selling buttermilk fried chicken sandwiches at Little Chicken and ice cream at Sweet Blossom in addition to sandwiches at Grazie Grazie. Patten opened up his comeback sub shop in the Southwest Waterfront in 2019.

In other news...

• One of D.C.’s newest museums, Planet Word Museum, announced plans to partner up with Immigrant Food to develop an on-site restaurant at the language-focused museum. The new collaboration will involve globally-inspired foods, and Planet Word’s Rebecca Roberts and Immigrant Food’s Téa Ivanovic are going to do a virtual cooking class together focusing on hand pies next week.
• Puerto Rican restaurant Qui Qui DC is moving into the space above The Passenger (1539 7th St. NW) in Shaw, reports the Washington City Paper. This is a big leap for Ismael Mendez, who is going from running a catering company to pop-ups to a dine-in space opening May 21. Expect to find dishes like mofongo, roasted pork shoulder, and lechón.

• A former ice house in Old Town Alexandria will be reborn as an ice cream shop from Goodies’ owner Brandon Byrd, per the Washington Post’s John Kelly. A new paint job is up already and the plan is to open before Memorial Day.
• Bob & Edith’s Diner is headed to Old Town: the 24/7 breakfast spot with multiple locations in Northern Virginia will open at 1743 King Street this fall, according to a press release.

• Here’s how chef Seng Luangrath cooks up cicadas: the chef behind Thip Khao, Padaek, Hanumanh, and Sen Khao shared an Instagram photo with “crispy fried” cicadas featuring olive oil, sea salt, black pepper, bai makrut lime leaves, garlic, and pepper flake. “Similar taste as crickets,” she wrote in the comments, adding that it tastes “nutty and earthy, perfect with beer.”
• Juicy King Crab Express is open in Adams Morgan, per PoPville.
• Vegan doughnut shop Donut Run will give out free treats on Friday, June 4 to celebrate National Donut Day.