D.C. hospitality brothers Ian and Eric Hilton are at it once more, this time with an all-day brasserie for Nationwide Touchdown. Bar Colline is H2 Collective’s large metropolitan reply to the charming authentic (Cafe Colline), which debuted in 2020 within the tree-lined Arlington suburb of Waverly Hills.
Positioned a 14-minute drive away (269 nineteenth Courtroom S.), the brand new Bar Colline joins offshoots of different acquainted favorites like dumpling spot Bar Chinois and Cuban cafe Colada Store on the foot of JBG Smith’s new Grace and Riva flats.
H2’s longtime chef Brendan L’Etoile imports staples from the 5-year-old authentic, together with its top-selling steak frites dunked in bearnaise, croque madame, and duck confit. The large distinction this time round? It’s over thrice bigger, with room for 230 visitors together with an enormous patio decked out in string lights. More room means there’s extra room within the kitchen to provide further dishes like chickpea fritters, chilled corn soup, and weekly specials. Hours to start out are Sunday by means of Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. The sizable setup additionally permits for extra walk-ins than the primary.
“We now have a bigger assortment of smaller plates for a fast lunch-type factor for individuals who can’t linger and must get again to their desks,” Ian Hilton tells Eater. Chinese language chef Peter Chang additionally went the identical menu route for his Nationwide Touchdown version of Baltimore-born NiHao.
“I bear in mind this space full of presidency contractors hanging out at nondescript buildings,” says Hilton, of the artist previously generally known as Crystal Metropolis. “It’s gone by means of main modifications and it’s good to see individuals strolling round on a regular basis, even in 100 levels.” In late 2023, the tech-driven neighborhood welcomed an all-outdoor meals corridor referred to as Water Park throughout from HQ2. The Amazon impact “has introduced ancillary companies in and an assortment of retail,” Hilton says. The realm can be now dwelling to sit-down choices for Mexican (Taqueria Xochi, Tacombi) and pisco (Peruvian Brothers), however Bar Colline fills considerably of a French meals void. Bar Colline’s arrival on Friday, July 11, coincidentally comes simply in time for France’s annual Bastille Day festivities (Monday, July 14).
H2’s Parisian cafe sport began with Chez Billy Sud a decade in the past in Georgetown, adopted by Cafe Colline in Arlington and Parc de Ville within the Mosaic District (which is presently closed for renovations). A 50-foot wraparound bar slings spritzes, native beers, and wines, with day by day blissful hour that features $6 crimson, white, and rosé pours from 3-6 p.m. Simply past the eating room, an out of doors patio surrounded with bushes seats 40.
Bar Colline is H2’s newest large-scale venture this 12 months. Its third space outpost of El Rey – its largest up to now, with 300 seats inside and outside – debuted alongside the Navy Yard waterfront this spring. Different El Rey taquerias sit in Ballston and on U Avenue NW, and its prolific portfolio additionally contains Gamers Membership, Solace Outpost in Falls Church and Navy Yard, Crimson, American Ice Firm, and not too long ago opened golf bar Muni. In comparison with crimson tape he’s used to in his hometown of D.C., the opening timeline throughout the Potomac was comparatively seamless – round 18 months from begin to end, he says.
H2 co-owner Eric – sure, that Eric Hilton of Thievery Company fame – has taken a step again from the DJ touring world to spend extra time on the brothers’ joint hospitality enterprise. Subsequent up: restoring and redeveloping Potomac, Maryland’s Normandie Farm, the almost century-old landmark leased by H2 in 2022. “It’s a labor of affection that’s taking a very long time to do,” says Ian Hilton. “We are able to focus some consideration on that after we get Colline on stable floor.”
