4 D.C. restaurant openings we're excited about this February

Washington Post

06-02-2025

Shake off that bitter cold by warming up to some of the ambitious new arrivals joining the D.C. dining scene this month.
Winter blues have you wishing you were sipping Mediterranean-style margaritas at sunset in Santorini?
Seasoned restaurateur Hakan Ilhan says he's got just the thing. His new restaurant Alara is designed to transport locals to a 'very rustic, beachy Mediterranean town' — albeit one with a Georgetown address. 'If the feel of the space, with the food and ambiance, can carry you away from your everyday life, we've achieved our mission,' Ilhan says.
The proprietor of popular D.C. restaurants Brasserie Liberté, Ottoman Taverna, Il Piatto and others says his latest project aims to honor the culture and hospitality of Turkey, Greece and the Levant region. The decor is meant to conjure memories of fun-filled vacations along the Aegean. The opening menu, which covers lunch, dinner, dessert, late-night snacks and weekend brunch, boasts an array of earthy dips, grilled meats, roasted vegetables and seafood. Core offerings include assorted mezze (hummus, dolmades, moussaka), kebabs (grilled chicken, seasoned ground beef, Mediterranean-style meatballs), crispy flatbreads (sujuk sausage, ground beef, oregano-spiked mozzarella), seafood (spiced butter-drenched shrimp, whole branzino, roasted salmon), mains (shakshuka, braised lamb shank over Ottoman rice, house cheeseburger with spiced cornichon aioli) and housemade sweets (baklava, künefe, rice pudding). Everything is available à la carte. But Ilhan has also carved out a four-course, prix fixe tour ($54.95 per person) that touches on the major elements. There are also mezze bundles (trio of dips or a six-item platter) and a mixed grill ($69.95) designed to feed two or more people.
Ilhan is confident his latest addition will call to world travelers, visiting tourists and adventurous Georgetown University students. 'We think that we are in the right place and with the right cuisine.'
1303 Wisconsin Ave. NW. alarageorgetown.com. Entrées, $34.95 to $54.95.
Winter blues have you wishing you were sipping Mediterranean-style margaritas at sunset in Santorini?
Seasoned restaurateur Hakan Ilhan says he's got just the thing. His new restaurant Alara is designed to transport locals to a 'very rustic, beachy Mediterranean town' — albeit one with a Georgetown address. 'If the feel of the space, with the food and ambiance, can carry you away from your everyday life, we've achieved our mission,' Ilhan says.
The proprietor of popular D.C. restaurants Brasserie Liberté, Ottoman Taverna, Il Piatto and others says his latest project aims to honor the culture and hospitality of Turkey, Greece and the Levant region. The decor is meant to conjure memories of fun-filled vacations along the Aegean. The opening menu, which covers lunch, dinner, dessert, late-night snacks and weekend brunch, boasts an array of earthy dips, grilled meats, roasted vegetables and seafood. Core offerings include assorted mezze (hummus, dolmades, moussaka), kebabs (grilled chicken, seasoned ground beef, Mediterranean-style meatballs), crispy flatbreads (sujuk sausage, ground beef, oregano-spiked mozzarella), seafood (spiced butter-drenched shrimp, whole branzino, roasted salmon), mains (shakshuka, braised lamb shank over Ottoman rice, house cheeseburger with spiced cornichon aioli) and housemade sweets (baklava, künefe, rice pudding). Everything is available à la carte. But Ilhan has also carved out a four-course, prix fixe tour ($54.95 per person) that touches on the major elements. There are also mezze bundles (trio of dips or a six-item platter) and a mixed grill ($69.95) designed to feed two or more people.
Ilhan is confident his latest addition will call to world travelers, visiting tourists and adventurous Georgetown University students. 'We think that we are in the right place and with the right cuisine.'
1303 Wisconsin Ave. NW. alarageorgetown.com. Entrées, $34.95 to $54.95.
Matt Price's online followers know him as social media star Mr. Make It Happen. And now the self-taught chef turned aspiring restaurateur is taking his career to the next level by welcoming local diners to his new Columbia Heights restaurant, Fraiche.
'I'm one of those people that just like to look for the next challenge. And there's nothing more challenging than the restaurant industry,' the Richmond native says of his latest venture, adding that he's excited to show the world he's more than 'just a YouTube chef.'
Having Fraiche open in early February, Price says, will mark a major milestone in his unconventional life. A former Capital One employee who has never worked in a restaurant before, Price says the online cooking and recipe sharing he delved into during the pandemic is now his full-time hustle. In addition to engaging with 1 million food-obsessed fans on Instagram, Price has spent the past few years doing pop-up dinners across the country, including here in the DMV. 'We sold out every event that I've done. And D.C. has always shown a whole lot of support,' he says, citing a recent appearance at the members-only City Club of Washington. He also dipped his toe in the hospitality world this past fall by lending a hand with the launch of Southern cooking-centric Kitchen Cray in Sandy Springs, Georgia. 'I helped revamp the menu,' Price says, adding that he also did some staff training to help get his friend's business off the ground.
That experience served as good practice for putting his own stamp on the former home of Creole on 14th. His opening menu draws inspiration from classic French, Creole, Cajun and Caribbean cooking, weaving in personal favorites he's happened across while traveling. Those scouting trips are what Price says prompted him to make garlic noodles, riff on oxtail meatballs and make other mouthwatering road meals his own. He's confident D.C. diners will dig his sherry-laced she-crab soup, steak frites finished with spiced butter, and fried Southern grits paired with caviar.
'I don't want to put boundaries on anything,' he says of his culinary philosophy.
3345 14th St. NW. fraichedc.com. Entrées, $28 to $55.
Matt Price's online followers know him as social media star Mr. Make It Happen. And now the self-taught chef turned aspiring restaurateur is taking his career to the next level by welcoming local diners to his new Columbia Heights restaurant, Fraiche.
'I'm one of those people that just like to look for the next challenge. And there's nothing more challenging than the restaurant industry,' the Richmond native says of his latest venture, adding that he's excited to show the world he's more than 'just a YouTube chef.'
Having Fraiche open in early February, Price says, will mark a major milestone in his unconventional life. A former Capital One employee who has never worked in a restaurant before, Price says the online cooking and recipe sharing he delved into during the pandemic is now his full-time hustle. In addition to engaging with 1 million food-obsessed fans on Instagram, Price has spent the past few years doing pop-up dinners across the country, including here in the DMV. 'We sold out every event that I've done. And D.C. has always shown a whole lot of support,' he says, citing a recent appearance at the members-only City Club of Washington. He also dipped his toe in the hospitality world this past fall by lending a hand with the launch of Southern cooking-centric Kitchen Cray in Sandy Springs, Georgia. 'I helped revamp the menu,' Price says, adding that he also did some staff training to help get his friend's business off the ground.
That experience served as good practice for putting his own stamp on the former home of Creole on 14th. His opening menu draws inspiration from classic French, Creole, Cajun and Caribbean cooking, weaving in personal favorites he's happened across while traveling. Those scouting trips are what Price says prompted him to make garlic noodles, riff on oxtail meatballs and make other mouthwatering road meals his own. He's confident D.C. diners will dig his sherry-laced she-crab soup, steak frites finished with spiced butter, and fried Southern grits paired with caviar.
'I don't want to put boundaries on anything,' he says of his culinary philosophy.
3345 14th St. NW. fraichedc.com. Entrées, $28 to $55.
'There's a huge population of West Africans here, whether it be from Nigeria, Ghana or Togo. And I love D.C. for that,' Top Chef alum (Season 16) turned Food Network host Eric Adjepong says of his adopted home.
That all-inclusive nature, along with his passion to showcase African cooking, is why Adjepong is energized about making a deeply personal statement along 14th Street NW with Elmina. 'There's a lot of great restaurants that are speaking to the food of the region … and it's about d--- time,' he says of the Afro-Caribbean cooking revolution he helped stoke as part of the opening team at critically acclaimed Kith and Kin. Adjepong aims to expand that conversation on Feb. 18 when he unveils the meticulously appointed, three-story space — featuring thematic rooms (tobacco and sugar cane color the twin bars, while wood, cotton and indigo inform the dining areas) — where he'll be edutaining diners one multicourse meal at a time. Fine dining is 'not necessarily a Eurocentric sort of idea … and I really want to hammer that home,' he says while walking The Post through his Ghanian menu.
The core tasting menu is built around five courses, with four choices per round (20 options total). And Adjepong promises a 'couple of surprises in between.' He was also coy about one 'cliff-hanger' dish but insists the wait will be worth it. 'We're going to be offering a really traditional dish as a surprise with a nice ceremony around it,' he says. His eyes light up as he runs through other featured items, including a signature jollof rice bolstered by confit duck legs, breasts and eggs — 'to push the boundaries of what people think jollof rice could be.' Elmina will also serve whole grilled lobster flanked by a sumptuous fisherman's stew, and an octopus, shrimp and palm nut stew. The bar menu lists Ghanian-style kebabs as well as a smash burger crowned with caramelized onion jam sporting hints of lemon, ginger, turmeric and curry. Chase it all with worldly cocktails mixed with palm wine, soursop, mango, passion fruit and malted barley.
'I wanted to bring it to a level that felt sexy,' Adjepong says of the fully immersive experience.
2208 14th St. NW. elminarestaurant.com. $105-per-person five-course tasting menu.
'There's a huge population of West Africans here, whether it be from Nigeria, Ghana or Togo. And I love D.C. for that,' Top Chef alum (Season 16) turned Food Network host Eric Adjepong says of his adopted home.
That all-inclusive nature, along with his passion to showcase African cooking, is why Adjepong is energized about making a deeply personal statement along 14th Street NW with Elmina. 'There's a lot of great restaurants that are speaking to the food of the region … and it's about d--- time,' he says of the Afro-Caribbean cooking revolution he helped stoke as part of the opening team at critically acclaimed Kith and Kin. Adjepong aims to expand that conversation on Feb. 18 when he unveils the meticulously appointed, three-story space — featuring thematic rooms (tobacco and sugar cane color the twin bars, while wood, cotton and indigo inform the dining areas) — where he'll be edutaining diners one multicourse meal at a time. Fine dining is 'not necessarily a Eurocentric sort of idea … and I really want to hammer that home,' he says while walking The Post through his Ghanian menu.
The core tasting menu is built around five courses, with four choices per round (20 options total). And Adjepong promises a 'couple of surprises in between.' He was also coy about one 'cliff-hanger' dish but insists the wait will be worth it. 'We're going to be offering a really traditional dish as a surprise with a nice ceremony around it,' he says. His eyes light up as he runs through other featured items, including a signature jollof rice bolstered by confit duck legs, breasts and eggs — 'to push the boundaries of what people think jollof rice could be.' Elmina will also serve whole grilled lobster flanked by a sumptuous fisherman's stew, and an octopus, shrimp and palm nut stew. The bar menu lists Ghanian-style kebabs as well as a smash burger crowned with caramelized onion jam sporting hints of lemon, ginger, turmeric and curry. Chase it all with worldly cocktails mixed with palm wine, soursop, mango, passion fruit and malted barley.
'I wanted to bring it to a level that felt sexy,' Adjepong says of the fully immersive experience.
2208 14th St. NW. elminarestaurant.com. $105-per-person five-course tasting menu.
Boston-based fast-casual chain Life Alive Organic Cafe has arrived in D.C., planting its first vegetable-forward kitchen and juice bar outside of Massachusetts in the West End.
The burgeoning chain, which was founded in 2004, is the latest power play by hospitality mogul Ron Shaich — a serial investor who's nurtured successful brands dating back to the first Reagan administration, a roster that includes trendy cafes Au Bon Pain, Panera Bread, Cava and Tatte.
The plan for branching out into the nation's capital centers on leaning into plant-based cooking and 'positive eating.' The company throws around lots of inspirational messaging. 'Chef-crafted,' 'responsibly sourced,' 'personal and planetary wellness,' and 'energized, uplifted and fully alive' are just some of the taglines sprinkled throughout its sunny missives.
The message resonated with James Beard Award-winning local chef Rob Rubba, of Oyster Oyster fame. Rubba agreed to team up with Life Alive chef Dylan Mendelsohn on a limited-edition ramen that Mendelsohn says has a 'really fortified mushroom miso broth' featuring chili garlic oyster mushrooms, hon shimeji mushrooms, enoki mushrooms and sugar kelp from Maine.
Rubba says that they workshopped the dish, dubbed Soil & Sea Ramen ($14.95) and available until Feb. 28, for a few months and that he's excited for local diners to try it. Life Alive's opening menu also includes signature grain bowls, seasonally inspired salads, noodle dishes, falafel wraps, fruit smoothies and gourmet coffee.
2301 M. St. NW. lifealive.com. Entrées, $13.50 to $14.95.
Boston-based fast-casual chain Life Alive Organic Cafe has arrived in D.C., planting its first vegetable-forward kitchen and juice bar outside of Massachusetts in the West End.
The burgeoning chain, which was founded in 2004, is the latest power play by hospitality mogul Ron Shaich — a serial investor who's nurtured successful brands dating back to the first Reagan administration, a roster that includes trendy cafes Au Bon Pain, Panera Bread, Cava and Tatte.
The plan for branching out into the nation's capital centers on leaning into plant-based cooking and 'positive eating.' The company throws around lots of inspirational messaging. 'Chef-crafted,' 'responsibly sourced,' 'personal and planetary wellness,' and 'energized, uplifted and fully alive' are just some of the taglines sprinkled throughout its sunny missives.
The message resonated with James Beard Award-winning local chef Rob Rubba, of Oyster Oyster fame. Rubba agreed to team up with Life Alive chef Dylan Mendelsohn on a limited-edition ramen that Mendelsohn says has a 'really fortified mushroom miso broth' featuring chili garlic oyster mushrooms, hon shimeji mushrooms, enoki mushrooms and sugar kelp from Maine.
Rubba says that they workshopped the dish, dubbed Soil & Sea Ramen ($14.95) and available until Feb. 28, for a few months and that he's excited for local diners to try it. Life Alive's opening menu also includes signature grain bowls, seasonally inspired salads, noodle dishes, falafel wraps, fruit smoothies and gourmet coffee.
2301 M. St. NW. lifealive.com. Entrées, $13.50 to $14.95.