Futuristic New Ted’s Bulletin Opens in Ballston With a Lighter Menu | Eater DC

"Opened on Monday, the retooled Ted's Bulletin in Ballston — the first new location since Steve Salis acquired the chain in November 2017 — aims to lighten and modernize a comfort-food formula while keeping its indulgent staples. The menu shifts toward a French‑brasserie feel with more salads, an avocado hummus appetizer, and a cauliflower‑steak entrée (developed after Salis hired Chris Anderson, who helped Moto earn a Michelin star and previously worked at Alinea), yet it still preserves all‑day breakfast and crowd-pleasers like the Sloppy Joe, biscuits and gravy, and milkshakes. The Ballston site adds Sidekick, a brand‑within‑a‑brand for coffee and over‑the‑top croissants, and beefs up the bar with a weekday happy hour (3–7 p.m.) offering $3 drafts (including local pours from Aslin Brewing Co., Solace Brewing Co., and DC Brau), $5 small plates such as house tots and pimento mac and cheese, $5 glasses of wine, and $7 classic cocktails. Interiors blend Art Deco with austere Bauhaus and mid‑century modern touches into a predominantly light‑gray dining room and bar, with upgraded lighting and engineered playlists, and ownership stresses a move to more “honest products” (higher‑quality meats and vegetables) as part of a strategy to attract repeat customers and expand the brand beyond D.C." - Gabe Hiatt