About Restaurant Openings Around DC
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A Southeast Asian-style chicken joint has taken flight out of DC’s only full-service Malaysian restaurant: Spicebird, a virtual takeout and delivery from Makan chef James Wozniuk. It’s open for dinner service in Columbia Heights, with daytime weekend hours starting Saturday, February 4.
Ghost kitchens were having a big moment mid-pandemic, but many vanished with the return of in-person dining. Though Makan and adjoining Malaysian-American sports bar Thirsty Crow draw a crowd, Wozniuk says he wants to offer something beyond an expensive, full-service meal.
“We wanted to put something good together that’s fast, easy, you get a lot of big flavors, but it’s approachable,” he says.
![Cold Sesame Noodles - Washingtonian Sesame noodles with a dan dan-style Szecuan chili spice.](https://www.washingtonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Cold-Sesame-Noodles.jpg)
Wozniuk, who spent six years at Maketto and its sister restaurants before going solo, was inspired by his extensive travels in Southeast Asia for the menu. A brined and spice-rubbed chicken is technically the star of the show, coated in 15 spices like coriander, cinnamon, cumin, and turmeric. But it’s the sweet-sour-spicy “KL”—for Kuala Lumpur—dipping sauce that Wozniuk spent years trying to perfect after sampling a similar brew from Malaysian street vendors. The sauce—a blend of vinegar, garlic, shallot, citrus, and chilies—accompanies every bird, as do a choice of two sides.
![Meal (1) - Washingtonian](https://www.washingtonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Meal-1.jpg)
Diners can pick simple options like yucca fries, or pump the flavor with cold Szechuan-style sesame noodles; turmeric-ginger slaw; Thai basil fried rice; or home fry-style potatoes with a spicy crumble and curry leaf. There’s also a spicy-crunchy pulled chicken salad with cabbage and wood-ear mushrooms dressed in a coconut vinaigrette. A whole chicken goes for $33 with two large sides, while a half chicken is $18 with two smalls (sides are also available a la carte). There’s also third party delivery via Doordash, though as always, those prices are higher.
![Thai Basil Fried Rice - Washingtonian Sides include rice two ways: simply steamed or Thai basil fried (pictured).](https://www.washingtonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Thai-Basil-Fried-Rice.jpg)
Spicebird. 3400 11th St., NW.