Friends have been begging us to check out (and by that, we
mean take them to) brunch
at DGS
Delicatessen
since the new-wave deli first opened in Dupont a little over a
month ago. Unfortunately
the answer has always been the same: They’re getting their feet
under them before
they launch weekend service. Well, consider DGS under-foot:
Brunch starts at 11 this
Saturday and runs until 2:30 every Saturday and Sunday.
You won’t find much difference in chef
Barry Koslow’s approach. Most of the ingredients often imported at other delis are made in house,
from the pickle plate to the hot sauce and applewood-smoked salmon. Brunch brings
an emphasis on cured fishes, such as white fish salad atop a Montreal-style bagel—distinct
from its New York cousin by a turn in a wood-fired oven—and eggs “Benedictberg,” layered
on latkes with smoked salmon and sumac hollandaise. You’ll also see the same riffs
on classic Jewish dishes such as matzo brei, typically matzo fried with eggs, dressed
up here with scrambled eggs, Swiss chard, and horseradish. Wash it all down with a
Bloody spiked with the herbaceous liqueur kummel, or Le Marais, a spin on a mimosa
with Champagne, St. Germain, fresh orange juice, and bitters.
Brunch isn’t the last evolution at DGS. Co-owner Nick Wiseman says the next step is
to launch the front takeout sandwich shop sometime in the new year.
DGS Delicatessen. 1317 Connecticut Ave., NW; 202-293-4400. Lunch Monday through Friday
11:30 to 2; dinner Sunday through Thursday 5:30 to 10, Friday and Saturday 5:30 to
midnight. Brunch Saturday and Sunday 11 to 2:30.
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.
