A Peek at Shophouse in DC; Life Cafe Scaffolding Dispute

WASHINGTON DC — Eater DC went to the opening of the first location of ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen, the brand new fast-casual concept from Chipotle. There was only one dude waiting outside when they kicked the doors open, although people started to file in around noon. The setup: "The assembly line ordering system will feel familiar: pick a bowl of rice or noodles, or a sandwich, and choose a protein (chicken satay, pork and chicken meatballs, grilled steak or tofu), vegetable (Chinese broccoli, eggplant, long bean or corn), sauce, garnish and topping." [Eater DC]

EAST VILLAGE— The owner of Life Cafe, which shuttered earlier this week, is upset about the scaffolding that has surrounded the restaurant for months. Apparently, construction on the space has been stalled because of a dispute between the landlords of the two buildings the restaurant occupies. One of the landlords hopes they can work something out and get it back open. [The Villager]

WILLIAMSBURG—Grub Street learns that the new location of Vanessa's Dumplings in Williamsburg will probably serve the dumplings four for $1.29, as opposed to four for a dollar. It should open in late October. [Grub Street]

TOP CHEFFAGE—Last night's double-elimination episode of Top Chef Just Desserts featured a challenge to transform the TCJD dining room into a Willy Wonka-esque edible wonderland. The original kids from the movie were all there (except for poor Augustus Gloop) and the fellows behind Big Gay Ice Cream say that this episode finally delivered. Head over to Eater National for a full recap.[-EN-]