Hawthorne owners Reed Landry and Fritz Brogan have officially opened the restaurant portion of their U Street tavern, serving a dinner menu of American bistro fare from chef Dot Steck. The four-story space, formerly home to Tabaq Bistro, debuted last month.*
Steck is a 30-year veteran of the Washington restaurant industry, and worked alongside Ann Cashion at the original Jaleo, as well as Cashion’s most recent venture, Taqueria Nacional. Currently Steck also oversees the kitchen at Landry and Brogan’s Mexican spot in Dupont Circle, Mission. Her seasonal American menu at Hawthorne stars eight varieties of PEI mussels, all served with bread, garlic aioli, and duck fat fries ($20, or half-priced at weekday happy hour from 5 to 7). Other options range from patatas bravas to garlic-braised Freebird chicken, and a classic crab cake sandwich.
Initially food will be served only in the first-floor, 75-seat dining room, but you may find bottomless brunch on the rooftop come March. Brogan says they plan to include a variety of beverage choices—beer, cocktails—beyond the traditional mimosas and bloodies. In the meantime drinkers can still head up to the scenic top floor thanks to a retractable awning covering the space.
Hawthorne. 1336 U St., NW’; 202-853-9194. Open for dinner Monday through Thursday, 5 to 10; Friday and Saturday, 5 to 11.
*This post has been updated from an earlier version.
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.
