Restaurateur Ashok Bajaj is preparing to renovate his second restaurant, the Oval Room, which opened 20 years ago this fall. (His first, the neighboring Bombay Club, just marked its 25th anniversary.) The birthday present: a complete overhaul of the space and menu. Bajaj will close the modern American eatery on June 30, with plans to reopen in August.
Designer Martin Vahtra of the New York-based Projects Design Associates is behind the new look, as well as the interiors of sister restaurants Nopa Kitchen + Bar and Rasika West End. The remodeled space will include touches such as theatrical lighting and more art, with a new menu in the works.
Before the temporary closure, guests can drop in for a “greatest hits” menu from chef Tony Conte, including favorites from the past two decades such as pasta with shaved summer truffles, pastrami-cured kampachi, and duck with turnip kimchee. Set offerings include two courses at lunch for $25 and $50 three-course dinners. Stay tuned for more details on the revamped restaurant.
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.
