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HOH’s One-Minute Recess: Spike, Part Two

The cheap-eats haunt of many a Member and staffer is about to get an upgrade — celebrity chef Spike Mendelsohn and his family have purchased Greek joint Zack’s Taverna on Pennsylvania Avenue.

[IMGCAP(1)]Look for a new menu starting today at the restaurant, located just a few doors down from Spike’s popular burger-iffic Good Stuff Eatery.

First reported in the Washington Post’s Food section, the expansion of the Spike brand will doubtless please fans of the former “Top Chef— contestant and hungry staffers looking for more Capitol Hill dining options.

Spike’s sister, Micheline Mendelsohn, who handles publicity for the family businesses, tells HOH the food will retain its Greek accent (Spike’s father is Greek), but will feature more modern takes and a pared-down menu.

“It’s going to be not so serious food — it will be younger and hipper, more like Spike’s personality,— she tells HOH.

And the name will change from Zack’s Taverna to Greek Islands.

The Mendelsohns hope to have a pizza oven in place by the end of the summer, she says. Meanwhile, the interior will get a little freshening up, but there are no immediate plans for a major overhaul.

And soon, lobbyists will be cheering: The family plans to open two upstairs rooms for fundraisers and other private events. They weren’t able to host such functions at Good Stuff, despite demand, because there isn’t room.

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