Barracks Row baron Xavier Cervera will continue to expand his restaurant empire around Capitol Hill.

The Advisory Neighborhood Commission for Ward 6 approved Cervera’s request for a restaurant license in a building across from Eastern Market’s North Hall.

The restaurant, Boxcar, will be located at 224 Seventh St. SE, next door to Tunicliff’s Tavern. The license request described Boxcar as a “classic American bistro with recorded music.” The new cafe will have outdoor seating.

This is Cervera’s first self-started Hill restaurant not located on Eighth Street Southeast, where he owns the Chesapeake Room, Molly Malone’s, Lola’s Barracks Bar & Grill and Senart’s Oyster & Chop House.

Cervera also recently acquired Hill staple the Hawk ‘n’ Dove, which was owned by Stuart Long for 44 years. Cervera plans a major revamp of the saloon before it reopens in a few months.

H Street Welcomes
New Restaurants

Two new restaurants have recently opened along the H Street corridor.

Pho Bar & Grill (1360 H St. NE) opened Tuesday night. The two-story restaurant offers Vietnamese cuisine, including pho — a type of soup that includes noodles, sprouts, basil and different types of sliced meat — and bánh mi, sandwiches made of meat and vegetables on baguettes. The restaurant opens every day at 11 a.m. and will have late hours for those who wander hungry down H Street after a little bar hopping.

Blocks away is the Big Board (421 H St. NE). The restaurant, featuring chefs who worked at Granville Moore’s and Queen Vic, offers a variety of upscale burgers, from the Ciao Bella (sliced prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, San Marzano tomato and roasted red pepper aioli) to the Straight Outta Dublin (meat marinated with Guinness and Muscovado sugar, Irish cheddar and Jameson pan gravy). The restaurant is open for dinner Wednesday to Monday and for lunch on weekends.

‘Othello’ Opens at Folger

The Folger Shakespeare Library kicks off its 2011-2012 season with William Shakespeare’s “Othello” this week. The tragedy about racism, love and jealousy will show at the library through Nov. 27.

“Other than Iago, not one of Shakespeare’s characters takes us so deeply into his confidence, explains his rationale and then sets about a course of villainous actions that we are made aware of before the victims experience them,” director Robert Richmond said in his notes on the show.

The Folger will host a post-show talk with the cast Nov. 10 and a discussion with Richmond about the play’s themes Nov. 20.

Tickets range from $30 to $65. For show times, visit folger.edu.