Bocce Bar Vendetta Will Become a Brewpub

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Vendetta on H Street NE will soon replace bocce with brewing equipment.

Owners Joe Englert and Jimmy Silk are adding Granville Moore's owner Teddy Folkman and Maison Dixon Hot Chicken pop-up founder Adam Cox as business partners and plan to turn the place into a brewpub later this year with a Southern comfort food menu. In the meantime, Folkman is taking over the kitchen at Vendetta with a new "Long Island red sauce" menu launching tomorrow.

Folkman and Cox, who has a full-time job at the Department of Homeland Security, had been shopping for a permanent location for their Maison Dixon Hot Chicken pop-ups. After a real estate deal fell through, Folkman was having lunch with Englert, who was looking to bring a jolt of life to Vendetta. They ultimately decided to partner together. Interestingly, Folkman was originally going to help open Vendetta three years ago but got too busy.

The brewpub doesn't have a name quite yet, but it won't be Vendetta or Maison Dixon. The brewpub's menu, however, will serve an expanded version of what was available at Maison Dixon's pop-ups, include Nashville hot chicken, fried pork chops, and smoked brisket. (Folkman and Cox are also looking to open a separate Maison Dixon fast-casual restaurant a couple years down the road.)

Folkman says the brewpub, whose equipment will be spread on multiple levels of the building, will produce at least three staple beers plus one seasonal and one more experimental offering. Beyond beer, the brewpub will serve "batch cocktails and good wine," Folkman says. "I hate going into a brewpub and it's all about the beer. You can't get a good cocktail or good wine."

In the meantime, Folkman's Italian menu will have a build-your-own pasta option with various types of noodles and sauces. There will also be chicken or eggplant parmesan sandwiches and Italian meat paninis.

"This is what you got when you used to go out as a kid," Folkman says. "It's really simple. I'm not trying to be a rock star here."

Photo courtesy Vendetta