Champagne and truffles? Sure, but a new breed of ultra-luxury tasting menus is pushing boundaries—and budgets—with chocolate hand massages and strawberries that require their own plane ticket. Here’s what you’ll find at four exciting newcomers.
Jônt |
El Cielo |
Xiquet |
Imperfecto Chief’s Table |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
Where |
14th Street corridor
1904 14th St., NW |
Union Market 1280 Fourth St., NE (inside La Cosecha food hall) |
Glover Park
2404 Wisconsin Ave., NW |
Downtown DC
1124 23rd St., NW |
Price Per Person |
$305 |
$185 to $228 |
$210 |
$210 |
Chef |
Owner Ryan Ratino | Colombian founder Juan Manuel “Juanma” Barrientos | Owner Danny Lledó | Co-owner Enrique Limardo |
Number of Seats |
14 |
40 |
24 |
10 to 12for two seatings Friday and Saturday |
Vibe |
Modernist food temple—the gleaming white tasting counter flanks a kitchen filled with tweezer-wielding chefs. | Like dining in a gorgeous, plant-filled modern Medellín home. | As if your stylish Valencian friend is hosting a house party—with aperitivo and snacks, a seated dinner, and vintage Madeira in the cushy lounge. | Intimate and exclusive. The oak chef’s table, visible from the chic dining room, adjoins a kitchen with a stone oven where Limardo cooks directly for guests. |
Number of courses |
20-plus |
13 to 22 |
14 to 18 |
14 to 16 |
Drink Pairing |
$195 for the “classic,” or $395 for the “iconic” pairing that showcases premier wineries, magnums of Champagne, and vintage sake. | There are five-glass ($95) and ten-glass pairings ($150) with sips such as vintage Krug Champagne and boutique Chilean and Argentinean wines. | $190 for prestige Spanish wines, sherry, and late-harvest Txakoli. | $160 for wines curated by sommelier Raquel Ortega. |
Standout Ingredients |
“Auction grade” Hokkaido uni, and Japanese strawberries that require a connection through the Japanese Embassy and a trip to NYC to purchase. | Exotic Colombian fruits including citrusy lulo and uchuvas (ground cherries). | Red prawns from Dénia, Spain—Lledó claims to be the only chef importing them in the United States. | Lemon ants make a citrusy syrup for petits fours, and earthy Amazonian termites are used to make a truffle salt. |
Wow Moment |
A duck that takes three weeks to plate. That includes dry-aging the breast, curing sausage, making duck tea, and pressing the bones for sauce. | El cafetal, in which Colombian coffee is served with native plants ensconced in vaporous liquid nitrogen to mimic a misty mountain plantation. | Wood-fired paella—Lledó is an award-winning paella competitor—such as oxtail topped with foie gras and truffles. | Limardo begins brushing a giant slab of dry-aged A5 Wagyu with balsamic vinegar halfway through the meal. For the final course, he torches it at the table. |
This article appears in the February 2022 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.
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.
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.
