Merging in Cleveland Park: Ardeo and Bardeo

Restaurateur Ashok Bajaj plans to close Ardeo and Bardeo, his side-by-side restaurant and wine bar in Cleveland Park, Nov. 1 for a million dollar face-lift that will erase the wall currently separating the two concepts. When their doors re-open Nov. 22, they will lead to a single brand, Ardeo + Bardeo.

The former Ardeo will feature a community table for up to 18 diners; Bajaj hopes to use it as a place for wine tastings and other special events. A 100-foot-long black and white mural depicting Cleveland Park from the '30s and '40s will start on the ground floor and wend to an upstairs bar for private functions. The former Bardeo will find a stone oven for baking pizzas and cooking fish and meat. Where a wall once stood between the two operations, an island bar will dominate.

Bajaj says the menu for Ardeo + Bardeo will "reflect what's going on now, the current trends. And hopefully we will start some new trends." He lists plates to share, cheese and charcuterie selections and the aforementioned oven-fired dishes. Ardeo's Alex McWilliams will stay on as chef, but get input from Tony Conte, the creative force in the kitchen of another Bajaj destination, the Oval Room downtown.

Why the changes? Bajaj is looking for "more energy" in the neighborhood business. Ardeo is 12 years old; its younger sibling set sail on an infamous date: September 11, 2001.

--- Tom Sietsema