Things To Do In D.C. When You’re Here For The Women’s March
(Screencap via Bryan Voltaggio’s Range)
Celebrity Chef Restaurants
The New MGM National Harbor is just across the beltway from D.C. It houses the city’s newest celebrity chef restaurants.
The Voltaggio Brothers
Brothers Bryan and Michael Voltaggio are Bravo Top Chef alumni and Frederick, MD natives. Their Steakhouse features aged beef, seafood, and even a bunch of sides and appetizers that would keep any vegetarian happy. That’s quite a rarity at a steak place.
Bryan Voltaggio also owns Range, a chef-foward destination with a carefully crafted menu. It’s an easy metro ride from downtown, in Friendship Heights.
Marcus Samuelsson
Back at the National Harbor, Chopped judge Marcus Samuelsson makes an homage to classic American food with his eponymous restaurant Marcus. There’s grits, biscuits, and fried chicken and waffles. There are also a few nods to Samuelsson’s home country of Sweden, as with the Swede Doggy Doggs, which are shrimp salad with dill on brioche.
José Andrés
Spanish native José Andrés has chosen to make D.C. his home. He has blessed us with many restaurants, and for that we are grateful. That and his warm, infectiously friendly personality. His new place in the MGM, Fish
"celebrates the best of Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, while including time-honored cooking techniques from around the world. Fish will showcase the region’s bounty in live seafood tanks and interactive cooking stations, bringing guests seafood dining in a way that only José Andrés can."
Other offerings from Chef Andrés are
- Zaytinya, for Mediterranean fare
- Jaleo, serving authentic tapas and paella
- Beefsteak, a fast-casual lunch place with heavy emphasis on veggies and whole grains.
- Minibar, THE local destination for molecular gastronomy from the man who trained with the original, Ferran Adrià.
- Oyamel, with a top-shelf taste of Mexico City
- Peruvian-inspired China Chilcano, serving the Latin-Asian fusion cuisine the country is known for.
Wolfgang Puck
If you’ve ever wanted to try one of Wolfgang Puck’s restaurants, The Source is located within the Newseum. (The Newseum is one of the very few D.C. museums that charges admission, but you don’t need to buy a ticket to go to the restaurant.) The Source is Chinese-inspired and reportedly one of the best places in the city. My friends who went there a few months ago say it was transcendent.
Then we have James Beard award-winning, Top Chef Master and LGBTQ icon Art Smith, who owns the southern-themed Art & Soul. Executive Chef Douglas Alexander is in charge of the kitchen, serving items like the shareable Snack Board, with bacon deviled eggs, pimento cheese, pickles, pork rinds, fried green tomatoes, fritters and smoked salmon dip.
Marjorie Meek-Bradley
Recent Top Chef alumn Marjorie Meek-Bradley runs sandwich wonderland Smoked and Stacked, the highly regarded Ripple, and Roofers Union in Adams Morgan, which offers hearty fare that matches well with its extensive and creative bar menu. They even have a supper dish called Sausage Party, so you know Chef Marjie has a sense of humor.
For those of who waiting to try out Kwame Onwuachi’s The Shaw Bijou, too bad. It’s closed. This was basically a very expensive vanity project. The original 13-course tasting menu, including wine pairings ran up to $1000 per couple. They slashed prices and the number of courses recently, but it was too late. I hope Chef Kwame doesn’t abandon Shaw, but he obviously needs to adjust his expectations for his next project. I wish him well. He seems like a sweet guy and is obviously an excellent cook.