| Travel News from Washington, DC | May 2007 |
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DC Dish
Breathtaking views, fresh air and culinary delights come together in Washington, DC's restaurants with rooftop tables. Enjoy a delectable meal al fresco on a warm summer evening or crisp fall night with an amazing backdrop at one of these popular eateries.
Go up 11 floors to the Hotel Washington's Sky Terrace and take in spectacular views of the White House, Jefferson Memorial, Washington Monument, Arlington National Cemetery and beyond. While its breathtaking view makes the Sky Terrace a popular place to linger over cocktails at night, its newly-updated menu makes it worth a mealtime visit as well. Feast on lunch selections like the Pulled Pork Po'Boy or Fried Green Tomato Hoagie or dinner specialties like Cornmeal Crusted Catfish or Jumbo Lump Crabcakes. Located across the street from the White House at Pennsylvania Avenue and 15th Streets NW, Sky Terrace is open from 11:30 am to 12:30 am daily through October. The dining room operates on a first-come, first-serve basis and new specials are offered daily.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Hotel Washington.
In Adams Morgan, the rooftop at Perrys is another pleasing choice for dining al fresco. A neighborhood fixture since 1984, Perrys treats its rooftop customers to a view overlooking Adams Morgan's liveliest streets, 18th Street and Columbia Road. The restaurant is well-known for its award-winning sushi menu, but diners can also sample American and Asian-fusion dishes like Braised Pork Shanks with fava bean succotash and orange glaze and Tandoori Lamb Chops with Thai eggplant and mint jelly. Another claim to fame: Perrys is home to a popular "drag" brunch buffet, served every Sunday in the main dining room from 10:30 am - 2:30 pm. Dinner is served daily beginning at 5:30 pm.
A few blocks away, Lauriol Plaza is a Washington favorite for spicy Tex-Mex and tangy margaritas served in the open air. On pleasant evenings, diners line up for its fabulous rooftop deck (great for people-watching) or snag sidewalk tables for street-side dining. On the menu, you'll find an assortment of mesquite-grilled items, but many patrons simply indulge in Mexican favorites like enchiladas, tacos and a variety of sizzling combination plates. Wash it down with flavored margaritas, sangrias and swirled combinations, available by the glass or by the pitcher. Lunch and dinner is served daily and brunch is served Sundays from 11 am-3 pm.
At Tabaq Bistro in the trendy U Street Corridor, diners and lounge-goers can enjoy a bird's-eye view of the District at any time of year, thanks to a retractable glass roof - the only one on the East Coast. While the rooftop is one of Tabaq's prime attractions, all four levels of dining and lounge space draw socialites and trendsetters for cocktails and tasty Mediterranean light bites. If you're in the mood for something heartier, the menu also offers full-size fare like Chicken Tagine, Lamb Shanks and Beef Medallions. Dinner is served Monday through Saturday beginning at 5 pm, or stop in for weekend brunch 11 am - 4 pm.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Tabaq Bistro.
Washington, DC's eclectic Adams Morgan neighborhood highlights its Latin American roots with a pair of new eateries. The owners of Arlington, Va. hotspot El Guajillo have opened Café Oaxaca (2106 18th St. NW, 202-387-2272), a hip new restaurant featuring cuisine from southern Mexico, led by Chef Alfio Blangiardo.
For flavorful Peruvian cuisine, try Las Canteras (2307 18th St. NW, 202-265-1780), where Executive Chef Eddy Ancasi delivers a tempting mix of traditional recipes and innovative Andean specialties. Many recipes incorporate quinoa, a grain popular with health-minded diners and a mainstay of the Andean diet for more than 6,000 years. Using quinoa, risotto becomes "quinotto," made with fresh cream and mushrooms. Decadent chocolate cake is even made with the grain. The menu also features classics like cebiche and lomo saltado, all at affordable prices.
The menu at Georgetown newcomer Hook (3241 M St. NW, 202-625-4488) speaks to what's fresh and local, including seasonal produce and regionally-procured meats. True to the restaurant's name, fish shows up on the menu in various forms, always provided by small, ecologically-responsible fisheries, prepared by 28 year-old Executive Chef Barton Seaver, formerly of Café Saint-Ex and Bar Pilar. Pastry Chef Heather Chittum, formerly of Notti Bianche, woos diners with an enticing assortment of desserts, including homemade ice cream in flavors like Gorgonzola Dolce, Lavender Honey, Black Pepper and Concord Grape.
The Willard InterContinental Washington unveiled its new casual eatery, Café du Parc (1401 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 202-942-7000), in late March. Modeled after a Parisian bistro, the Café spills out onto the sidewalk with outdoor seating. Across the street, Pershing Park beckons with a new arts market on select weekends, featuring craft vendors and live performances. Patrons can stop by the dining counter for a flaky croissant or decadent pastry to go, or sit down to enjoy a tempting slate of selections developed by Antoine Westermann, one of Europe's top Michelin-starred chefs, and prepared by Willard Executive Chef Daniel Kenney. Menu selections include pike dumplings, duck confit, steamed mussels and other French favorites.
The city's newest wine-centric restaurant, Proof, is slated to open in late May at the corner of 8th and G Streets NW. Look for modern American cuisine with Mediterranean accents designed to match the impressive selection of wines - some 4,000 bottles in all. Wine director Sebastian Zutant brings with him a state-of-the-art serving system offering measured wine pours, allowing patrons to sample tasting-sized servings of 16 red and 16 white wines. Haidar Karoum of Asia Nora will head up the kitchen.
Chef Robert Wiedmaier, who has earned acclaim at the helm of Marcel's, opened his downtown casual dining room in late April. At Brasserie Beck (1101 K St. NW), Wiedmaier's menu focuses on traditional Belgian cooking styles, which shine through in sumptuous dishes like Roasted Pork Loin, confit of cabbage and mustard sauce; Crispy Duck, Congolese style; Pan Seared Beef Steak, Green Pepper and Cognac sauce; and Grilled Alaska Salmon with curry fennel sauce. To complement the casual menu, the wine list features 50 wines priced under $50 per bottle and an assortment of Belgian beers.
Washington, DC Summer Restaurant Week Returns
One of Washington, DC's most celebrated traditions returns August 6-12, when more than 100 of the region's top tables join forces for Washington, DC Restaurant Week. For $20.07 (lunch) and $30.07 (dinner), diners can enjoy a special three-course meal celebrating the best of the DC restaurant scene and summer's finest flavors. Look for a list of participants in June.
DC Restaurants Step Up to Go Green
With its green buildings, environmental programs in its hotels and public buildings and the dozens of ecological agencies that call the city home, it's no surprise that Washington, DC takes its role as an earth-friendly capital quite seriously - and the city's restaurants have followed suit.
Georgetown's newest hotspot, Hook (3421 M St. NW), opened in April with an earth-friendly philosophy. Chef Barton Seaver is passionate about only serving varieties of fish that can reproduce at the rate at which they're caught. To raise awareness of sustainable seafood among diners, servers present wallet-sized guides of fish breeds to "watch," because they are in danger of depletion. Dedication to the environment is incorporated into the behind-the-scenes details of Hook as well. The menus are printed in-house on 100% post-consumer recycled paper. The containers used for take-out are created from biodegradable sugar cane fiber. Wind energy credits are purchased to power the restaurant.
Poste Brasserie's (555 Eighth St. NW) Chef Robert Weland has a commitment to organic and sustainable food that is highlighted in his on-site garden, located on the restaurant's patio. Seasonal herbs, vegetables and greens are grown and harvested for immediate use in Poste's dishes. In the summer, several varieties of heirloom tomatoes are featured while in the cooler months, the garden provides a bounty of squash and winter vegetables.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Poste Brasserie.
Every Thursday in April through October (weather permitting), Weland takes an intimate group of curious diners (10 guests max) to the Penn Quarter Fresh Farm Market on 8th Street NW, where he talks about how easy it is to shop for and include sustainable products everyday in recipes. At the market, guests interact with producers and learn about environmentally-friendly agriculture. The group then returns to Poste, where the chef prepares a three-course meal with ingredients highlighted during the market visit. The entire experience is priced at $65/person, plus tax and gratuities.
Equinox (818 Connecticut Ave. NW) is serious about sustainability as well. The name reflects its commitment to seasonal cooking, and Executive Chef Todd Gray uses products harvested in accordance with the environment and the earth's natural tempo. Plus, all of his ingredients are grown within 100 miles of the restaurant whenever possible.
While these fine dining eateries and trendy tables have earned acclaim for their environmentalism, some of the city's casual restaurants are on a similar mission. Adams Morgan's The Reef (2446 18th St. NW), a restaurant and bar, strives to reduce waste by only serving beer on draft and using only recycled paper products. Tex-Mex favorite Austin Grill powers its six DC-area locations with 100 percent wind power in place of conventional electricity - a practice it implemented in 2003.
