Tom Sietsema wrote about this restaurant for an October 2009 First Bite.

January was the anticipated launch date for the health-food store and carryout that Uzay Turker hoped to open in the Van Ness area of Washington this year. Had everything gone according to plan, 4340 Connecticut Ave. NW would now house a Wellness Cafe, similar to the one he and his wife, Alana, have owned for almost 10 years on Capitol Hill.

But as is so often the case, construction delays put the project behind schedule. Not only that, but some of Turker's future neighbors weighed in with a piece of unexpected advice: Don't do a carryout; there are enough of those. What the vicinity really needs, he heard over and over, is a real restaurant.

Listening to what his customers wanted resulted in further delay but also in a light-filled, 50-seat dining room named Acacia Bistro that opened in August and finds Liliana Dumas in the kitchen. The Ligurian native, who turns 73 next month, is best known for her Italian desserts, which she has made in the past for Assaggi Mozzarella Bar in Bethesda, the late Locanda on the Hill and Cafe Milano in Georgetown. (If it's on the menu, splurge on her divine pistachio mousse cake.)

When we spotted Dumas not long ago at Acacia Bistro, she was strolling through the restaurant with a big box of orange squash blossoms from her yard in Alexandria. They would eventually be stuffed with mozzarella and anchovies and become a fried treat.

Afternoons involve small plates (Turkish meatballs, goat cheese crostini) and lots of sandwiches, including a juicy buffalo burger served with a zesty chipotle ketchup. Dinner expands on those small-plate and sandwich themes while also offering made-to-order flatbreads and nearly a dozen main courses. Just out, Acacia's fall menu brings together grilled polenta with veal ragu, lamb chops with green salsa, and pastas that Dumas makes herself. There are smoothies here, as at Wellness Cafe, but also wine, beer and cocktails. Similar to other establishments, this one pours its wines by the taste, half-glass, glass and bottle.

Acacia Bistro makes a minimalist statement. The floors and bar counter are made of stained concrete; what's not glass is putty-colored wall. Spanish guitar music and an engaging bartender enliven the space, though, and down the road, Turker promises art and curtains: details that weren't in the budget for what was planned as a health-food store. Three cheers for his change of mind.

Lunch sandwiches, $7-$10; dinner entrees, $16-$23.

(Oct. 28, 2009)