There’s a new chef de cuisine at the helm of popular downtown strip joint BLT Steak: Marc Hennessy. The toque takes over the kitchen from Will Artley, who left in July.
Hennessy is no stranger to the BLT brand, having opened and held leading positions at sister branches in Scottsdale, Arizona and Hong Kong. Most recently he spent a year as the executive chef at STK in Dupont Circle. Though much of the menu remains constant—those popovers aren’t going anywhere—a few changes are underway, especially on the seasonally-focused blackboard lineup. Look for more house-made pastas—the current version is tossed with black trumpet mushrooms and Maine lobster—and specials with white truffles. The team has also brought the coveted A5 Japanese wagyu beef back to the menu on a permanent basis, as well as a rarer red wagyu cut from Kumomoto. Hennessy says he hasn’t yet been asked to show the cow’s birth certificate, though he did send some Wagyu to Michelle Obama’s table during the First Lady’s recent visit.
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.
