Looking for a new happy hour spot? Hungry for eggs Benedict on a beautiful patio?
Ready for a new restaurant? We have you covered on all fronts. The Washington restaurant
scene is buzzing with fresh dining experiences, from newly opened eateries to lunches
and brunches launching at established places. Here’s what’s new this week for a variety
of cravings.
Boozy $3 punch and fried chicken
New fried chicken and doughnut hot spot
GBD just rolled out its sit-down dinner menu and bar last week. Up this Thursday: happy
hour from 5 to 7 Tuesday through Friday. Tonight’s specials include $3 glasses of
punch, $4 Tempranillo and Riesling wines on tap, and $4 brews like De Struise Pannepot
and Ballast Point Sculpin (the brews will rotate daily on the whim of brewmaster Greg
Engert). Order up snacks such as smoked chicken skin chips or crispy Buffalo wings
and make an early evening of it.
Lunchtime tacos and tortas
Richard Sandoval’s 14th Street Mexican spot
El Centro D.F. just launched lunch service on Monday. Weather permitting, you’ll head up to the 45-seat
roof deck—likely less crowded than it is on beautiful evenings—for the menu of guacamole, ceviche, tacos, entrée salads, and more. The ground-floor taqueria is
the place to hole up with a steak torta and Dos Equis during springtime rain and scorching
summer afternoons. The meal is served Monday to Friday 11 to 3.
House-made pastas in a cozy atmosphere
The highly anticipated
Red Hen opened this Tuesday, and we got one of the first previews of the Bloomingdale Italian joint. Take a look through the pictures and menu to work
up an appetite for rustic fare such as smoked ricotta crostini, house-made linguini
with clams, and wood-grilled hen cacciatore. A plus for the inevitable weekend crowd
in a 60-seat space: It takes reservations.
A (nearly) all-seafood menu
Craving crustaceans, raw oysters, and other fin fare? Then check out our photo tour
of
Azur,
a new European-style seafood spot opening for dinner this Thursday. Chef/owner
Frederick De Pue transformed the former
Café Atlantico space into a nautical-themed eatery with a menu devoted to the sea. Think a full
raw bar and caviar menu, truffled oyster croquettes, whole fish baked in a salt crust,
and grilled prawns with popcorn grits.
Tableside steak tartare and a Champagne cart
A little decadence is never a bad thing, and that’s exactly what you’ll find at the
swank
Capella Hotel’s
Grill Room and Rye Bar. The two officially opened to the public this week. Early birds can drop by in the
morning for coffee and freshly baked pasteries on terrace tables overlooking the canal.
In the evenings, comfy leather chairs in the Rye Bar are the spot for sipping a Manhattan
before dinner, which could involve steak tartare prepared tableside to your liking
and a rolling cart of Taittinger Champagne.
A prix-fixe brunch
In addition to opening an ambitious seafood restaurant this week (see above), De Pue
is launching brunch this Saturday and Sunday at his Shaw neighborhood spot,
Table.
The three-course menu is $34 per person, and includes a pastry basket, a choice of
appetizers, and main courses like stuffed French toast or baked eggs
en cocotte with mushrooms and mustard cream sauce. Brunch runs through the weekend from 11 to
2, with reservations taken on the website.
Eggs al fresco
Stephen Starr’s
Le Diplomate has been packed since the buzzy brasserie opened just under two weeks ago, so we’re
guessing brunch—officially starting this Saturday and Sunday—will be no different.
Get there early to snag a prime spot on the spacious outdoor patio, or snag a booth
in the airy restaurant (a limited number of reservations are also available). The
diverse menu allows for a variety
of options, from a special-occasion meal with Champagne cocktails and a shellfish
plateau to health-conscious egg white omelets Provençal to an indulgent double-patty
cheeseburger “Americaine.” Brunch runs Saturday and Sunday, 10 to 3.
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.
