Food

“Iron Chef” Jose Garces Headed to Washington

The restaurateur is set to open a steakhouse in 2014.

Celebrity chef Jose Garces will open an Argentinian steakhouse in 2014. Photograph by Jason Varney.

Stephen Starr isn’t the only Philadelphia-based restaurateur with his eye on Washington. A release from the Loews Madison Hotel announced today that celebrity chef Jose Garces will open an Argentinian steakhouse in the Thomas Circle-area hotel in early 2014. The new spot will replace the Federalist, which lost chef Harper McClure in early June and will serve its last meal on Sunday. A name has yet to be released.

You may recognize Garces from his role on the Food Network’s Iron Chef. Those familiar with the Philly restaurant scene will also know the name from more than a dozen restaurants in the city, including Tinto, Amada, and Garces Trading Co. The restaurateur also operates eateries in Atlantic City, Scottsdale, Palm Springs, and Chicago. Garces isn’t the only restaurant mogul expanding in DC; Daniel Boulud is set to open DBGB Bar & Kitchen at CityCenter, while Starr recently announced plans to open a Southeast Asian concept with the New York-based Fatty Crew restaurant group.

Food Editor

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.