About Restaurant Openings Around DC
A guide to the newest places to eat and drink.
Sly. 222 M St., NE.
Seven years after Marcus Samuelsson’s year-old National Harbor restaurant closed its doors, the celebrity chef is back to the DC area—this time, with three planned restaurant concepts at the Morrow Hotel in NoMa.
The first of these ventures to open is Sly, located on the Morrow’s rooftop and boasting 360-degree views of the city’s skyline. Samuelsson, an eight-time James Beard Foundation Award winner, Chopped judge, and the name behind iconic New York City restaurants like Red Rooster Harlem and Metropolis, has decked out the new space in rich, jewel-toned hues. The seafood-focused global dishes feature many of the same colors—a celebration, he says, of DC’s “vibrancy.”
“Wherever you are in the world, you will hear Washington, DC mentioned every day,” says Samuelsson. “With politics as an anchor also comes an incredible diversity.”
In an effort to underscore this diversity, food offerings at Sly, spearheaded by DC culinary veteran and Chopped champion Anthony Jones, have origin stories from all over the map. Expect tuna tostadas with a gently spicy walnut salsa macha, doro wat empanadas served with aji amarillo, and an almost croquette-like crab cake with kohlrabi-apple slaw. Many of the menu items come garnished with colorful roughage (think slices of watermelon radish and plenty of microgreens) and served atop banana leaves.
The cocktail menu also embraces fusion flavors. Standouts include the “Old Soul,” Sly’s take on an old-fashioned with berbere and mole, and the “Electric Sly” with tequila, passionfruit, and spicy “fire” tincture.
“I wanted there to be lush, drinkable cocktails,” Samuelsson says. “When it’s 85 or 95 degrees, you want something light and quick.”
Samuelsson says that both the menu and the ambiance of Sly will differ considerably from his next Morrow concept, Marcus DC. This brasserie, also helmed by Jones, will highlight local ingredients emblematic of Samuelsson’s Ethiopian and Swedish identities. Whereas Sly will boast lighter fare, fruity cocktails, and local DJ Afrobeat sets, Marcus will “food-driven” and “all about craftsmanship.”
“When you think about a rooftop bar, it’s unpretentious and fun,” he says. “Downstairs will be a full-on restaurant with ambition and deliciousness. Sly has its purpose, and Marcus has its purpose.”
The restaurants replace those from Masseria chef Nick Stefanelli, who operated Le Clou in the Morrow. More details about Marcus DC, as well as a cocktail lounge and private event space in the hotel, are forthcoming. In the meantime, Sly is now open every day from 7 AM to 10 PM.
