Sorry to all those hoping to dine on
skyr and shark meat when Look debuts next week (and particularly to Popville’s commenters,
who’ve been especially excited/annoyed).
Contrary to the early news
and consequent rumors that restaurateur
Michael Kosmides is transforming the former Teatro Goldoni space into Washington’s first Icelandic
eatery, the Cities owner tells us that the restaurant isn’t themed around our Nordic
neighbors, nor was that ever part of the plan.
“People thought we were opening some kind of Viking restaurant. It was funny, so we
just kind of went with it,” says Kosmides.
The Iceland connection came about because the architect hails from the European isle.
You’ll find plenty of edgy Nordic design in the 165-seat space: Think interactive
light displays on the bar and stairway, leather-walled dining booths, and two-way
hologram projection screens casting various images on the walls. As for the food,
the small-plates menu is made up of globally inspired dishes such as lobster risotto,
Malbec-braised short ribs, and scallops on the half shell. The K Street spot hosts
friends-and-family events this weekend, but will be open to the public on March 11.
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.
