WASHINGTON 鈥� When Andrew Dana first started working on the concept for , a Jewish-inspired deli that opened in October in D.C.鈥檚 Park View neighborhood, he imagined it would be 鈥渁 semi-sleepy鈥� neighborhood bagel shop that drew a small crowd on the weekends.
鈥淚 wanted to create a bagel shop that could be here for generations,鈥� said Dana, who is also the co-owner of Timber Pizza Co., Bon App茅tit鈥檚 .
鈥淎 staple, a go-to 鈥� not sort of some new, shiny opening that is 鈥極h I can check it off the box, I went once,鈥� but (something that) becomes a place that people go every Sunday with their kids and really is a neighborhood institution.鈥�
However, Dana鈥檚 plans didn鈥檛 pan out. And after months of successfully 鈥�testing the market鈥� by selling wood-fired bagels to the masses at local farmers markets, he should have known the end result would be anything but sleepy.
鈥淲e basically had the door blasted open. From day one, we鈥檝e had lines out the door and halfway down the block to the alley,鈥� Dana said.
To crank out the 3,000 bagels Call Your Mother sells on the weekends, the shop鈥檚 hot-pink brick oven gets started around 3 a.m. and doesn鈥檛 catch a break until the afternoon. Even weekdays are busier than Dana expected, especially since the corner deli is surrounded by row homes, not office buildings.
鈥淚 guess a lot of people work from home in this area or take long lunch breaks 鈥� we don鈥檛 really know,鈥� Dana said.
鈥淏ut it鈥檚 been crazy, and it鈥檚 been great, and we love how into it people are.鈥�
The warm welcome from carb-crazed Washingtonians might lead some to believe that Call Your Mother is the only bagel shop in town. That is not the case. But Dana said the concept, led by chef Daniela Moreira, also of Timber Pizza Co., does fill a void in D.C.鈥檚 food offerings.
鈥淭he city was ready for a bagel shop that was done in sort of a new, creative way,鈥� he said.
The menu at Call Your Mother has the staples customers expect from a deli: smoked fish, black and white cookies, and a selection of smears. But there鈥檚 also a bagel filled with apple cream cheese, apple bacon, jalape帽o and chips.
鈥淚t鈥檚 crunchy, it鈥檚 salty, it鈥檚 sweet, it鈥檚 spicy, it鈥檚 got the fat from the bacon 鈥� it鈥檚 definitely weird, but it鈥檚 also dope,鈥� Dana said.
The matzo ball soup has a South American twist, and diners can sub in pastrami for bacon on the classic egg-and-cheese bagel sandwich. Then, there鈥檚 the Amar鈥檈, which features candied salmon cream cheese, crispy shallots, cucumber and microgreens on a za鈥檃tar bagel.
鈥淚t鈥檚 close enough to a classic bagel with salmon and cream cheese, but creative enough that it鈥檚 different and new, and that one has been really popular,鈥� Dana said.
The deli鈥檚 pink and green d茅cor 鈥� which Dana describes as Boca-meets-Brooklyn, with 鈥渂right and tight and South Florida vibes鈥� 鈥� is just as playful as the menu. Even the coffee is a twist on what鈥檚 commonly found in other cafes throughout the city.
Dana said he wanted to serve 鈥渏ust coffee鈥� at Call Your Mother, not an 鈥渙ver-the-top鈥� craft brew that tastes like 鈥渇ruit juice.鈥� So he tapped the team at Lost Sock Roasters to make it happen.
鈥淎nd I took them on a field trip to 7-Eleven and I said, 鈥楳ake this, but good,鈥� and they were highly offended, but then they executed it, and it鈥檚 bomb. It tastes like coffee,鈥� Dana said.
Those anxious to try Call Your Mother鈥檚 mash up of Montreal- and New York-style bagels without a line will soon be able to find them in a select cafes, markets and restaurants around town. Dana is currently working on wholesale operations, as well as plans to host more communal dinners, dubbed supper club, in the breakfast and lunch-only deli.
Call Your Mother is located at 3301 Georgia Ave. NW and is open Tuesday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
