Sip of India
More and more, Washington’s cocktail scene is exploring global flavors. There are bars inspired by Malaysia (Thirsty Crow), the Middle East (Green Zone), and soon India. Daru, a drinking-and-snacking destination coming in the spring to the H Street corridor, is from chef and Rasika alum Suresh Sundas and Elle bar manager Dante Datta. Spiced cocktails and Indian beers and whiskeys will be paired with regional street snacks in the cozy corner space.
Hot Restaurant Opening
If you have fond memories of the long-gone Mount Vernon Square izakaya Kushi (we do), get excited about chef Darren Norris’s comeback project. He’s planning to open Shibuya Eatery, a three-in-one Japanese dining-and-drinking destination in Adams Morgan, in mid-January. A housemade-soba noodle shop will churn out bowls in the basement, while the top floor is dedicated to Death Punch, a Tokyo-inspired bar. In the middle: a 45-seat dining room for shabu shabu hot pots and nightly tasting menus.
Food Hall to Watch
Expect a flood of food halls in 2020. The new Savor at Studio 3807 is the first to arrive in Prince George’s County and one of the only ones in the country run by an African American woman, April Richardson. We’re fans of the chicken and sweet-potato waffles from brunch obsessives the Uncaged Chefs and the locally made hot sauces and spices from Relish Market.
New Breakfast Sandwiches
Four Mile Run farmers-market favorite Bagel Uprising has a permanent, six-days-a-week home in Del Ray. Chad Breckenridge’s small, slightly malty rounds—our favorite is the salt variety—are well suited to the menu’s whimsical sandwiches, including one heaped with thinly sliced red onions, tahini, and pomegranate molasses, plus another slathered with whitefish salad and rolled in bright-red flying-fish roe.
Goodbye, Lunch Rut
DC outfits Rappahannock Oyster Bar and Officina have opened fast-casual spinoffs in the new Tysons Whole Foods. At Officina Cafe, Nick Stefanelli’s pastas—especially a fiery bucatini all’amatriciana—hold up surprisingly well in their grab-and-go packaging. And while New Jersey transplant Curiosity Doughnuts offers plenty of unique flavors, our favorites lean classic, such as the chocolate glazed and the sugared non-yeast dough. But we’ll always leave room in the box for the confection they call doughnut bread pudding.
This article appears in the January 2020 issue of Washingtonian.
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.
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.
