Sure, I’d resolved to cook at home more in 2024. But that was before I wrote up this list. Maybe “try new restaurants” is a more realistic goal …
👋 Welcome These Newcomers:
This beloved D.C. spot has resurfaced in an upgraded CityCenter location. The menu features a bunch of their staple dishes, plus new must-try items like Hamachi Tiradito and something called the “Melting Cloud”? Plus, starting in March, they’re unveiling an interactive “Surprise Experience,” where you wear blindfolds and solve puzzles to “unlock” the menu and utensils.
MITA:
The long-running Latin vegan pop-up finally opened as a brick-and-mortar at the end of December. The chefs boast that they prepare vegetables in “a way you have never seen before.” The new spot is right by the 9:30 Club. Pre-concert meal, anyone?
Maryland’s best barbecue joint is leaning into D.C. with a new, 80-seat location opening mid-January in Mt. Vernon Triangle. They’re going to be smoking all meat in-house, a total upgrade on their recently-closed Union Market stall.
Twice-cooked chicken with pandan coconut rice from Doki Doki BBQ. (Nevin Martell/Courtesy of Doki Doki BBQ)
This modern Vietnamese spot is coming back hot with a reopening that coincides with the start of restaurant week. Get your reservations now for the Penn Quarter location. Slots start on Jan. 15.
It was tragic when this Georgetown favorite burned down, just months after scoring its first Michelin star. But Chef Johnny Spero and his team have managed to revive it from the ashes. The joint will reopen in February with a new, internationally-inspired menu and its famously “trashy but classy” ambiance.
