It’s Earth Month, and we’re celebrating the best way we know how: food! These local eateries are going above and beyond to support sustainability and promote eco-friendly practices in the kitchen. Not to mention they make some of the best grub in town.
Shia (Union Market)
Celebrity Chef Edward Lee’s newest D.C. restaurant is a case study for finding practical sustainability solutions that can be replicated across the industry. Shia — an upscale Korean restaurant — is building a zero plastic, zero gas, and zero waste kitchen and will publish data on their cost findings.
Oyster Oyster (Shaw)
Chef Rob Rubba has been a long-time advocate of electric stoves in the kitchen for both environmental and health reasons. The plant-based restaurant also bans single-use plastics such as plastic bags, reuses food scraps, and uses primarily local ingredients.
Lost Sock Coffee Roasters (Takoma Park/Various Retailers)
Sadly, coffee is notoriously harmful to the environment, so it’s important to know where your beans are coming from. Lost Sock works closely with small farmers who prioritize environmental sustainability. Their beans also happen to be my favorite in D.C.
Catfish sliders at the Dabney. (Courtesy of the Dabney)
The Dabney (Blagden Alley)
Since opening 10 years ago, Chef Jeremiah Langhorne has made a commitment to preserving the Chesapeake Bay region, specifically raising awareness about the pesky invasive blue catfish. The fish is a staple on the Dabney menu, it's delicious, and helps eradicate it from the bay.
Smoke & Mirrors (Navy Yard)
This rooftop bar and restaurant has a new closed-loop food waste system that transforms food scraps into fertilizer. In less than a month, they’ve diverted 1.3 tons of food waste from the landfill. That’s the carbon offset equivalent of planting 99 trees.
Lutèce (Georgetown)
This French Bistro is working to reduce food waste through responsible sourcing and creative menu items. For example, they make a kombucha with leftover apples or rhubarb trimmings. And their cocktail “Tangelo Dream” takes advantage of excess juice from their citrus salad.
