Power Dining
With its creative chefs, stylish new eateries and classic hotspots for celebrity-spotting, DC's power dining scene is a matter of taste.
Reflecting the diversity of the region and the city itself, DC restaurants blend international culinary traditions with fresh local flavors from the Mid-Atlantic and the South. Taste the creations of culinary talents like James Beard Award-winners Michel Richard, Ann Cashion, José Andrés and Eric Ziebold. Feast on fare by celebrity chefs including Eric Ripert, Alain Ducasse, Michael Mina and Wolfgang Puck, who have also felt the lure of DC's "suddenly seductive" dining scene (New York Post).
Locally-sourced ingredients and environmental responsibility are always in season in DC restaurants. As the first certified-organic restaurant in the US, Dupont Circle's Restaurant Noras is known for its focus on fresh flavors from sustainable sources. DC's first LEED-certified restaurant, Founding Farmers, is owned by a collective of family farmers. At Equinox, executive chef and owner Todd Gray and his wife, Ellen, give local products top billing in a delectable menu that changes with the season. Silk Road inspired Mie N Yu is a leader in the “Farm to Table DC” movement with 100% of its meats and cheeses coming from all natural or organic local farms.
If you're eager to mingle with the media, spot a Senator or rub elbows with a Representative, you won't have to look far in DC. Consider dinner at Old Ebbitt Grill , one of the oldest restaurants in the city, and located just across the street from the White House. Or, The Monocle , which opened in 1960 and was once a favorite of John F. Kennedy. And Art & Soul , near the Capitol, hosted First Lady Michelle Obama and a few of her close girlfriends for lunch.
While DC chefs are earning critical acclaim, they're also making it big on TV. Ebullient Spanish chef José Andrés (Jaleo, Zaytinya, Oyamel, Café Atlantico ) is the host of PBS' "Made in Spain." Good Stuff Eatery's Spike Mendelsohn and Alcehmy Caterers' Carla Hall were both finalists on "Top Chef." In the Atlas District, "The Next Food Network Star" Teddy Folkman has built a following at neighborhood hotspot Granville Moore's.
DC's international character bubbles up in the city's dynamic dining scene, setting the stage for global culinary adventures. Feast on Ethiopian fare near U Street, or head to Adams Morgan for South and Central American delights. Try fresh noodles and dim sum in Chinatown or soul food favorites in Shaw. Discover cozy French bistros and Italian trattorias in Georgetown and Dupont Circle.