D.C.'s Michelin-Starred Restaurants: Local Perspectives

A salad from Tail Up Goat

The D.C. restaurant scene was abuzz this past week with the long-awaited reveal of which restaurants would receive stars from Michelin, the French tire company that, for over a century, has also published various travel guides.

When people talk about restaurants' Michelin stars, their referring to the ratings in the red guides--Michelin publications that review the restaurants in a particular major city. With the addition of the Washington, D.C. guide last week, Michelin has four guides to U.S. cities, which also include Chicago, New York and San Francisco (previously published guides to Las Vegas and Los Angeles are no longer updated).

That Michelin would consider a guide to Washington, D.C. at all raised a few eyebrows: "Washington, D.C. isn’t typically regarded as a destination for fine dining," begins the CBS news story about the D.C. guide. "No knock on D.C., but it gets into current Michelin Guide while L.A. doesn't? As 4th U.S. city in guide? Nuts," tweeted former New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni.

Some speculated that the guide was, in part, a ploy to improve Michelin's image among American lawmakers and regulators--keeping in mind the aforementioned fact that selling tires is Michelin's main business, which is potentially affected by transportation law and regulation. Michelin confirmed as much in an interview with Washingtonian. Yet the article also pointed out that "excitement, evolution, and innovation in the culinary scene" are the first and most important factors in selecting a city for a guide.

Certainly Michelin is not alone in recognizing D.C.'s emergent status as a culinary destination. Bon Appétit named Washington its "Restaurant City of the Year" for 2016. D.C. restaurants consistently get nominated for and win James Beard Foundation awards, such as this year's Mid-Atlantic chef award for Aaron Silverman of Rose's Luxury. 

Those, like me, who have lived in the city for some time and paid attention to its restaurant scene have watched that scene explode in recent years in very exciting ways. When I first came to D.C. in 1999, the restaurant scene was a lot different. Most of the "fancy" restaurants downtown consisted of steak and seafood places situated to take advantage of lobbyist expense accounts. Neighborhoods like Georgetown, Dupont Circle and Capitol Hill had a few worthy spots, but finding a good meal in places like Logan Circle, Shaw or H Street NE would have been a real challenge back then. Even parts of downtown, like Penn Quarter, weren't fully developed into the kind of restaurant destination zones they are now. Downtown D.C. is vibrant place on weekends now; 15 years ago, it was a struggle to find a decent place to have lunch on Saturday, as there simply weren't many choices that were open. We mostly ate in Dupont Circle or Adams Morgan on the weekend, and hardly ever ventured east of 17th Street--there just weren't many reasons to do so. 

Pork entree from The Dabney

Today the story is very different, with neighborhoods all over the city sporting significant restaurant openings every week. The last few years, D.C. restaurant openings have proceeded at a pace that's impossible to keep up with, as areas like 14th Street, Shaw, Bloomingdale, H Street, Petworth and Navy Yard have transformed into major food destinations. Once the Waterfront development is completed soon, expect another boom of new restaurants there. 

So, if you've been paying attention, the Michelin Guide for D.C. isn't that surprising at all. Neither is the fact that most of the restaurants picked for stars in the inaugural guide are fairly new. Below, I profile those restaurants, including links to local reviews (including my own for the four 1-star restaurants I've visited). Want to know more about how the reviews work? Washington Post has you covered. Want to see all the restaurants mapped? DC Eater has that very useful post here. There were also some snubs of restaurants that many expected to get stars. Rasika is surely top of that list. Washington Post's Tom Sietsema identifies that and others. Some were also surprised that no D.C. restaurants received 3 stars--Michelin's highest grade--although I suspect that perhaps next year one or more of the 2-star-rated restaurants may move up once the inspectors are able to better judge consistency. On to the restaurants!

3-Stars

(none)

2-Stars

The Inn at Little Washington

Location: 309 Middle Street, Washington, Virginia (about 90-minute drive west of D.C.)

Cuisine: American

Chef: Patrick O'Connell (chef/proprietor)

Opened: 1978

Notes: Many were surprised to see The Inn at Little Washington on the Michelin list, since the guide had stated it would only rate restaurants within the D.C. city limits. However, a special exception was made for The Inn. When you consider how important it is the area's dining scene, it makes complete sense. The Inn at Little Washington has long been considered a top food destination for the area, a place of elegance and--since it's 90 minutes away--a good excuse to get out of the city and make a weekend of it. Says Washingtonian Magazine: "Turning the big 4-0? Celebrating an anniversary? There are few more over-the-top occasion markers in the country than Patrick O’Connell’s baroque Rappahannock County getaway. The grande-dame decor, with its mauve silk lampshades and tapestries, isn’t for every taste, but the place somehow doesn’t feel stuffy. Credit O’Connell’s seamless fusion of folksy and fancy."

Minibar by José Andrés

Location: 855 E Street NW (Penn Quarter)

Cuisine: Modernist

Chef: José Andrés (chef/owner)

Opened: 2012 (a smaller precursor opened as part of Cafe Atlantico in 2003)

Notes: As much a magic show as a dinner, Minibar has been described as a dining experience unlike any other, delivering D.C.'s most innovative tastes. It's also very expensive: the chef's counter starts at $275 per person; the "private dining" experience starts at $565. Regardless, chef and owner José Andrés is one of the great--perhaps greatest--chefs from D.C., helping to put D.C. on the food map with restaurants like Jaleo and Zaytinya (which made the Bib Gourmand list below). Says Washington Post restaurant critic Tom Sietsema: "No two deliveries are ever the same at Minibar, the intimate restaurant from José Andrés that adds up to a comedy show, a science demonstration and one of the most original dinners staged in this country. Over the course of a few hours, everything you think you know about food is likely to be challenged."

Pineapple and Pearls

Location: 715 8th Street SE (Barrack's Row)

Cuisine: Eclectic, creative

Chef: Aaron Silverman (chef/owner), Scott Muns (head chef)

Opened: 2016

Notes: No D.C. restaurant opened in the last 5 years has made a bigger splash than Rose's Luxury (see below). So expectations were high for Rose's chef Aaron Silverman's second course. More upscale than Rose's, Pineapple and Pearls offers a creative multi-course tasting menu. Like Rose's, it has earned many accolades (including 4 stars from the Washington Post). Unlike Rose's, it takes reservations--in fact, they are basically required. Says D.C. blogger Been There, Eaten That: "While we’ve dined at similarly priced restaurants that infuse wizardry into their presentation, the approach here is more subtle and playful, while still captivating."

Blue Duck Tavern's famous apple pie

1-Star

Blue Duck Tavern

Location: 1201 24th Street, NW in the Park Hyatt Hotel (West End)

Cuisine: American

Chef: Franck Loquet (executive chef), Brad Deboy (chef de cuisine)

Opened: 2006

Notes: Blue Duck Tavern is a wonderful example of how a hotel restaurant can be so much more than that. Although it's been around for 10 years, it really started to heat up in 2011 under its former chef, Chef Sebastien Archambault. My take: "The setting fits the food perfectly. Low, warm lights, large glass windows, lots of natural wood and some old-fashioned wall quilts speak to the rustic but upscale American cooking coming from the kitchen."

The Dabney

Location: 22 Blagden Alley NW (between M and N and 9th and 10th Streets NW in Shaw)

Cuisine: Mid-Atlantic/Southern

Chef: Jeremiah Langhorne

Opened: 2015

Notes: Shaw's red-hot restaurant scene doesn't get hotter than this. Quite literally actually, since chef Langhorne cooks all of the restaurant's food on a giant open-pit fire, making for a wonderful visual and absolutely delicious flame-kissed cooking. My take: "If you're still apprehensive about wandering down an urban alley to find dinner, keep in mind that Diagon Alley is where you go to find all the best magic shops in the Harry Potter world. And in Blagden Alley, you'll find The Dabney brings a touch of magic to the real world."

Fiola

Location: 601 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, entrance on Indiana Avenue (Penn Quarter)

Cuisine: Italian

Chef: Fabio Trabocchi, Chris Watson (executive chef), Alex Rosser (chef de cuisine)

Opened: 2011

Notes: D.C. has no shortage of good Italian restaurants, but this handsome Penn Quarter destination is perhaps its finest. Since opening Fiola in 2011, chef Fabio Trabocchi has successfully expanded with Casa Luca and Fiola Mare, with a fourth restaurant, Sfoglina (in my neighborhood!!!!) coming soon. My take: "Our recent dinner there was exceptional, marked by both good food and good service."

Kinship

Location: 1015 7th Street NW (near the Convention Center)

Cuisine: American

Chef: Eric Ziebold 

Opened: 2015

Notes: When Chef Eric Ziebold left 4-star CityZen in the Mandarin Hotel in 2014, the restaurant owners closed it instead of finding a new chef. A year later, Ziebold returned to the D.C. restaurant scene with Kinship, his new concept which, along with its sister-restaurant tasting-menu focused Metier, has already proven as popular and acclaimed as his previous establishment. Says Tom Sietsema: "Kinship’s menu, divided into categories including “craft” and “history,” requires some concentration, but the payoff includes custardy veal sweetbreads served with designer ham and truffles, and a mushroom torchon accessorized with toasted brioche and a tangy celery root salad."

Masseria

Location: 1340 4th Street NE

Cuisine: Italian

Chef: Nicholas Stefanelli

Opened: 2015

Notes: Chef Nicholas Stefanelli has been an up-and-comer in the D.C. food scene for some time, cooking at noted area Italian restaurants such as Galileo, Maestro and Bibiana (he even did a stint at The French Laundry). With Masseria, he steps out as a chef/owner and his earning his most promising accolades yet. Says D.C. blogger What Mickey Eats: "The inspired tasting-menus are rooted in the flavors of Chef Nick's Italian heritage and showcase the organic, exploratory sensibility of the country’s cuisine emerging from its daily markets and seasonality of ingredients.  Each course was a virtual trip to the pretty seaside of Puglia."

Plume

Location: 1200 16th Street NW (Jefferson Hotel)

Cuisine: American

Chef: Ralf Schlegel 

Opened: 2009

Notes: Plume's inclusion among the Michelin-starred restaurants was a bit of a surprise, as it hasn't had quite the profile of the other choices. But it's food accolades are solid. Says D.C. blogger Girl Meets Food about the restaurant's Lobster Fumidor: "And while Plume at the Jefferson Hotel is every bit as fancy as Babette’s Supper Club, nobody gets hurt here.  Except the lobster."

Rose’s Luxury

Location: 717 8th Street SE (Barrack's Row)

Cuisine: American

Chef: Aaron Silverman

Opened: 2013

Notes: Since opening 3 years ago, Rose's Luxury has become D.C.'s most talked-about restaurant, notable as much for its mouth-watering food as it is for its blocks-long line (annoyingly, it refuses to offer reservations except for very large parties). Says D.C. blog In a D.C. Minute: "The menu at Rose’s Luxury is fit for the wealthiest DC lobbyist in the finest suit, yet the waiting line is filled with rolled up sleeves and women wearing comfy flats."

Sushi Taro

Location: 1503 17th Street NW (Dupont Circle)

Cuisine: Japanese

Chef: Nobu Yamazaki

Opened: 1986

Notes: Like Plume, Sushi Taro has a comparatively low profile, although I understand it is well-respected among those who love sushi. Says D.C. blogger Capital Spice: "The fish was among the freshest I had tasted at that point, which helped me branch out beyond my comfort zone and try some new items like uni (sea urchin) and hokkigai (surf clam)."

Tail Up Goat

Location: 1827 Adams Mill Road, entrance on Lanier Place (Adams Morgan)

Cuisine: American

Chef: Jon Sybert

Opened: 2016

Notes: After Pineapple and Pearls, Tail Up Goat is the second-newest D.C. restaurant to earn a Michelin star--more than half the 12 restaurants earning stars have been open 5 years or less. In that time, it's already become one of the best reasons to check out an increasingly revitalized Adams-Morgan. My take: "I expected the food at Tail Up Goat to be good, but I was pleasantly surprised by the caliber of its service. Everyone was friendly, including a manager who came by and thanked us for coming. And their excitement about the restaurant seemed genuine."

Bib Gourmand

In addition to the starred-restaurants, Michelin also provided a list of "Bib Gourmand" restaurants, other recommended establishments at a lower price point. Those that I've visited are linked to my reviews (which, coincidentally, are the four restaurants under José Andrés' umbrella).

Bad Saint

Bidwell

Boqueria

Chercher

China Chilcano

Das

Doi Moi

Jaleo

Kyirisan

Lapis

Maketto

Ottoman Taverna

Oyamel

Pearl Dive Oyster Palace

Red Hen

Royal

Thip Khao

2Amys

Zaytinya

Roasted Tomato and Sausage Baked Ziti

Say what you want about Carmela Soprano, but the woman can cook. Re-watching The Sopranos recently gave me a major hankering for some of her baked ziti, a dish she trotted out with some frequency for family dinners and guests (she even dumped an entire batch into the garbage once, the horror!).

This is the sort of dish which you can make lots of different ways, although it's never going to be a truly "quick" meal. About the shortest way to do it is with a jarred meat-and-tomato sauce, although you're still looking at an hour-long dish, since you have to first boil the noodles before assembling and baking the dish (plus, you're using jarred sauce, which is frankly not very good compared to what you could whip up yourself is about the same amount of time). The longest route involves making Italian "Sunday gravy," a meat, vegetable and tomato sauce that bubbles on your stove all afternoon. Obviously, I'd rather have something like that than something from the jar, but cooking all afternoon can be tiring.

My version finds what I think is a happy medium. My sauce comes together quickly but is made with all fresh ingredients, including fresh tomatoes that roasted the previous afternoon. I used a mixture of hot and mild Italian sausage, but you could certainly use only one or the other, depending on your heat preference. A lot of recipes add egg to the ricotta, presumably to smooth it out so you can spread it more easily. I find gently heating it in the microwave to do the trick just fine.

I served this with a simple side salad of lettuce dressed with a mustard vinaigrette and a 2008 Plumpjack syrah, a nice choice, since it's slight sweetness, spicy flavor and mild tannins complemented the pasta perfectly.

Roasted Tomato and Sausage Baked Ziti

Makes 8 servings

Note: to soften ricotta that's just out of the refrigerator, transfer to a microwave-safe container and microwave on high for 10 seconds, stir and repeat until the ricotta is easily spreadable.

1 lb. dried ziti noodles (may use other tube-shaped noodles, such as penne)
Salt, to taste.
3/4 lb. hot or mild Italian sausage, removed from casings
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
2 tsp. dried oregano leaves
1 recipe of simple roasted tomatoes (see recipe below)
1/2 cup dry white wine (may use dry vermouth if you have some on hand you're trying to use up)
Olive oil spray or additional olive oil
1 cup ricotta cheese, softened (see note above)
8 oz. part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded (I recommend shredding it yourself)
1/2 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add noodles and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain and set aside.

3. Heat a large nonstick sauté pan over medium heat. Add sausage and cook, breaking up as the sausage cooks through. Remove cooked sausage from pan and transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Remove sausage drippings from pan. Transfer the sausage to a cutting board and chop to an even pebble-sized consistency.

4. Add olive oil and butter to the pan. When the butter is melted, add the onion and garlic. Season with salt, pepper, thyme and oregano. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the cooked sausage, roasted tomatoes, white wine and 1 cup of water. Increase heat to bring mixture to a bubble, then reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the cooked ziti noodles.

5. Spray a 9 X 13 baking dish with olive oil (or brush with olive oil). Transfer half of the noodles-and-sauce mixture to the baking dish and smooth with a spatula. Spread the ricotta on top, then spread half of the shredded mozzarella over the ricotta. Add the remaining noodles-and-sauce on top in an even layer, then spread the remaining mozzarella on top of that. Sprinkle with the grated parmigano-reggiano cheese.

6. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake in the hot oven covered for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes until the mixture is bubbling and the cheese has melted. Remove from oven, allow to cool about 5 minutes and serve.

Simple Roasted Tomatoes

3 lb. fresh tomatoes, stem end removed, cut into 1 to 2 inch pieces
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, plus olive oil spray
Kosher salt, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Add the tomatoes to a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and toss to combine. Spray a 9 X 13 baking dish with olive oil. Spread the tomatoes in an even layer in the baking dish.

3. Bake the tomatoes until they have reduced significantly in size, look shrived and are starting to brown around the edges, about 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Stir every hour for the first couple hours, then more frequently, up to every 10 to 15 minutes when around the time you hit the 3-hour mark and most of the liquid has evaporated. This is to prevent the tomatoes from burning.

4. When done, the tomatoes should be shrived, lightly browned in places with little moisture remaining in the pan. Remove from the oven, allow to cool, then transfer to a container to store in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to use.

Vegan Southwestern Spelt and Squash Bowl

It finally feels like fall, and after a week of vacation in Southern California, we were desperate for some healthy eating. This vegan grain bowl foots the bill perfectly, composed of chewy spelt, roasted butternut squash, onion, sage, pepitas and a kick of smoky chipotle chili powder. That's this dish is vegan was basically accidental--it dawned on me while we were eating it that it contained no meat or dairy ingredients. That said, some crumbled queso fresco or feta cheese would be good here, as would some dried cranberries.

Vegan Southwestern Spelt and Squash Bowl

1 cup spelt berries
Salt, to taste
16-20 oz. butternut squash (peeled and seeded), cut into 3/4-inch cubes
4 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 large or 3 medium celery stalks, halved and diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
Seasoned salt, to taste
1 tbsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. or more chipotle chili powder
2 tbsp. fresh sage, minced
15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup roasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
Juice from 1 lime

1. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan with a lid. Rinse the spelt and add to the boiling water with a pinch of salt. Reduce heat to simmer, covered, until the berries are tender but still chewy, about 40 minutes. Drain any excess water.

2. Preheat oven to 475 F. Combing cut squash with 2 tbsp. olive oil and 1/2 tsp. kosher salt. Spread in an even layer on an aluminum-foil-lined baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes. Use a spatula to flip the squash cubes over and continue roasting until lightly browned, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven, allow to cool slightly, the use the spatula to remove from the foil.

3. In a large steep-sided saute pan, heat 2 tbsp. olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, celery and garlic, season with seasoned salt, cumin and chipotle chili pepper, and sauté until softened, about 8-10 minutes. Stir in the sage and black beans and cook another couple minutes until fragrant and heated. Stir in the roasted squash, cooked spelt, pumpkin seeds (pepitas) and lime juice and turn off the heat. Serve in large shallow bowls.