Food

Mintwood Place: An Update

Former Central chef Cedric Maupillier will continue to play with French and American flavors at this soon-to-open Adams Morgan restaurant.

Mintwood Place is still very much a work in progress, but plans include a white pressed-tin ceiling, columns wrapped in wood and stitched leather, and a semi-open kitchen with Middle Eastern-style tiles. Photograph courtesy of the restaurant

The fall restaurant season is getting underway, so we checked in on Mintwood Place—the Adams Morgan restaurant helmed by Cedric Maupillier and slated to open mid-October—to see out how it’s coming along.  

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Restaurateur Saied Azali, who also owns Perrys next door, is planning a neighborhood gathering place with comfort dishes coming out of a wood-burning oven. Early reports said the fare would be homespun American, but under the guidance of Maupillier—who used to run the kitchen at Central—there are plenty of French touches. The small menu—around eight appetizers and eight entrees—will include chicken roasted in a cast-iron skillet, cassoulet, cioppino made with Chesapeake seafood, and thin, savory tarts made from fougasse, a traditional olive oil-based dough from Provence. At the bar, you’ll find more adventurous small plates—think skewers of frog legs, snails, and blood pudding—and family-style portions of whole roasted fish, leg of lamb, and seasonal stews. For dessert, there will be fresh-baked fruit pies served with house-made vanilla ice cream.

Construction is still underway for a space that will fit about 90 people, but Maupillier is optimistic about the mid-October opening. After the place has been up and running for about three months, look for breakfast offerings, which will include house-made viennoiseries (breakfast pastries), fresh juices, egg dishes, and pancakes. Lunch and brunch will also become available, as will seating on an outdoor patio.   

Mintwood Place, 1813 Columbia Rd., NW.

Food Editor

Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.