About Plume
The most sumptuously formal setting in Washington is this glittering-gray dining room in the Jefferson hotel, where servers will offer you a petite velvet stool for your purse. Chef Ralf Schlegel’s menu follows suit—you’ll have no trouble getting a truffle or foie gras fix, and there are plenty of head-turner dishes, such as a crab “tea” brewed tableside. We tend to avoid salmon at many restaurants, but not here. Schlegel’s secret for keeping the fish extra-moist? He cooks it in a sheath of beeswax. Very expensive.
Also great: “Beet puzzle”; lobster gratin; bison with corn soufflé; piña colada granita.
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
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.
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.
Kristen Hinman has been editing Washingtonian’s features since 2014. She joined the magazine after editing politics & policy coverage for Bloomberg Businessweek and working as a staff writer for Voice Media Group/Riverfront Times.
