Latest news with #NoMa
Washington Post
6 days ago
- Business
- Washington Post
2 D.C. restaurant openings we're excited about this June
While some folks are contemplating this season's beach reads or whether to wolf down an entire key lime pie while vacationing with in-laws, two seasoned hospitality vets are counting on fresh and dry-aged fish to snag local diners this summer. Celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson, who operates restaurants across North America, the Caribbean and East Africa, is giving D.C. another go with a globally inspired spot in NoMa. Though raised in Sweden, Samuelsson says he has a soft spot for the District because it's where he first tapped into his African roots. 'I really learned about Ethiopian culture in D.C.,' he tells The Washington Post, recalling visits in the 1990s to catch global soccer tournaments or eat his way around Adams Morgan. And he's determined to make this homecoming better than his uneven stint at MGM National Harbor. 'This is our team, our staff, our journey,' Samuelsson says of Marcus DC, stressing how excited he is about working with executive chef Anthony Jones (a Maryland native who helped open Red Rooster in Miami and has cooked locally at Alta Strada and Dirty Habit) and pastry chef Rachel Sherriffe (a New Jersey native who cut her teeth at Jean-Georges in New York and has honed her craft locally at Rooster & Owl and Ellie Bird). While they've stocked rooftop bar Sly with more casual fare (shrimp cocktail, gourmet burger), the ground-floor restaurant will feature dry-aged proteins, a custom raw bar and seasonal offerings from the open kitchen. Debut dishes include roasted rockfish with seafood chili; spiced cauliflower with aji amarillo; whole roasted chicken with mumbo sauce; and blue crab rice studded with seasonal mushrooms and pickled okra that Samuelsson calls 'delicious, crave-able, relatable.' Sherriffe sweetens the deal with a flourless chocolate cake and plantain ice cream pairing, plum-almond teff cake with berbere-pistachio brittle, and praline-coconut rum cake with strawberry shrub sorbet. Samuelsson says he is psyched to reintroduce himself to D.C. diners after folding at the casino. 'Maybe it was good for me that it didn't work out. So I had to come back in a much more focused way.' 222 M St. NE. Entrées, $26 to $68. Having soothed our souls for over a decade with his distinctive spirits, Don Ciccio & Figli founder Francesco Amodeo aims to fill local bellies with Amalfi Coast staples at Union Market newcomer Tari Trattoria. An alum of long-gone Georgetown seafood showcase Hook and downtown pasta den Bibiana, Amodeo says he plans to mimic the foodways he grew up with in Italy. That means processing seasonally available fish in-house and dry-aging choice selections — top contenders include John Dory, sailfish, gurnard, barracuda, assorted mullet fish (red, silver) and other lesser-known options — for four to six weeks to intensify their flavors. 'We want to give people a chance to try a new type of fish, which is as delicious as any other,' Amodeo says. The dry-aging will play into dishes like his oro rosso, which Amodeo describes as a feast of the seven fishes in every forkful. 'It kind of brings you Christmas in a plate,' he says of ring-shaped calamarata noodles bathed in a tomato sauce containing four types of fish, which staff then douse in a seafood stew featuring octopus, cuttlefish and langoustines. He notes that his grandmother has been raising rabbits for as long as he can remember, and that folks on the nearby island of Ischia are renowned for their rabbit confit, which he hopes to honor his own way. 'That will definitely be one of the stars,' Amodeo says of two rabbit-backed dishes on the opening menu. He's also excited about sharing a rustic Genovese sauce — 'It's four pounds of onions and one pound of meat. And you basically slow-cook it for eight hours,' he says — seeded with 'bay leaves from my grandmother's garden, oregano and all the other herbs.' Amodeo is also introducing a treasured sweet from neighboring Minori, an eggplant-based dessert bolstered by chocolate ganache, coffee-flavored liqueur, cinnamon, nutmeg, shaved almonds and candied fruits. 'I would beg my mom to make me that near the summertime because it's the most refreshing digestif ever.' Chase it all with housemade spritzes, Negronis and Don Ciccio-spiked cocktails when Tari debuts in mid-June. 300 Morse St. NE. Entrées, $22 to $45.
Forbes
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
5 Exciting New Black-Owned Restaurants Bringing Flavor To The Capital
Washington, D.C.'s Black-owned restaurants are essential to the city's identity. With mainstays like Ben's Chili Bowl and Georgia Brown's, these establishments offer more than just exceptional food—they're hubs of community, creativity and resilience. The city's latest wave of Black-owned dining spots continues this legacy with fresh energy and creative menu offerings. Here are five of the city's top new Black-owned restaurants, where guests can experience the taste and spirit of D.C. Sly marks the highly anticipated Washington, D.C., debut of renowned celebrity chef and restaurateur Marcus Samuelsson. This sophisticated rooftop bar, located atop The Morrow Hotel in D.C.'s lively NoMa district, offers sweeping 360-degree views of the city skyline. Its interior blends rich jewel tones, contemporary furnishings and vivid artwork that pays tribute to the city's dynamic culture and music scene. A clever nod to the neighborhood, the 'L' in Sly's logo is designed to echo NoMa's iconic water tower, which guests can spot from the rooftop lounge. Samuelsson and executive chef Anthony Jones deliver a menu of globally inspired small plates and handcrafted cocktails. Signature offerings include the crispy crab cake with kohlrabi-apple slaw, doro wat empanadas, yellowfin tuna tostadas and the Sly Chicken Sandwich, which consists of a D.C.-favorite, mambo sauce. Another highlight of the restaurant is its imaginative cocktail menu, featuring signature sips like the Electric Sly, Red Line Remedy and a zesty lemon and golden spritz infused with tej honey wine. Drawing inspiration from the glamorous dining scenes of Mykonos, Dubai, and Saint-Tropez, Gaia Supperclub brings a distinctive nightlife-meets-dining concept to Washington, D.C. The venue marries high-end global cuisine with high-energy performances and a moody, lounge-like atmosphere featuring dark architectural elements contrasted by plush, neutral-toned furnishings and luxurious textures. The concept is the brainchild of four influential industry figures: international hospitality expert Mele Melton, nightlife visionaries Wayne Johnson and Tony Perry and technology executive and investor Johannes Dzidzienyo. In the kitchen, award-winning chef Sammy Davis—celebrated for his soulful southern cooking—ventures into bold, new territory. At Gaia, he blends Mediterranean and Latin influences to create inventive dishes such as deep-fried hummus, gold-dusted chicken nuggets with crème fraîche and caviar and a showstopping 2.5-pound tomahawk ribeye accompanied by truffle butter, chimichurri and tiger sauce. Chef Eric Adjepong, who has appeared on Food Network and Bravo's Top Chef, brings a fresh and thoughtful approach to West African cuisine with Elmina Restaurant. The three-story restaurant, which opened in February in D.C.'s vibrant U Street Corridor, is named after the site of the first European slave port in sub-Saharan Africa. The restaurant offers a contemporary four-course tasting menu that reimagines traditional West African flavors through elevated dishes such as fufu with braised goat in peanut soup, jollof rice with duck and mango pavlova. In addition to its tasting menu, Elmina pays homage to Ghanaian street food with a 'chop bar' menu featuring classics like chofi (fried turkey tail) with shito sauce and kelewele (spiced fried plantains). Elmina's design incorporates five distinct dining rooms subtly themed around key Ghanaian exports—cotton, tobacco, timber, sugarcane and indigo. The Indigo Room envelops guests in rich blue tones, referencing the Atlantic Ocean, while the wood-accented washrooms and staff areas on the lower level are a nod to the timber once used in transatlantic trade ships. Across the space, lush green hues reflect the country's fertile landscapes, and gold accents symbolize Ghana's legacy as a major source of gold. Chef, author and YouTube sensation Matt Price recently opened an exciting new addition to D.C.'s dining scene with Fraîche. Located in a beautifully restored historic theater in Columbia Heights, the 110-seat restaurant offers a refined take on comfort food, drawing inspiration from French, Cajun, South American and Caribbean cuisines. Popular items include the sticky ribs, bayou gumbo, mambo fried snapper and creative cocktails like the Creole Coco and the Fraîche Old Fash. The restaurant's ambiance strikes the right balance between vintage and modern aesthetics. Original architectural details from the theater—like exposed brick, ornate molding, and high, arched ceilings—have been carefully preserved and complemented with sleek, contemporary furnishings and warm ambient lighting. The open kitchen concept and plush banquettes invite guests to linger while curated jazz and soul playlists add to its upscale vibe. James Beard Award–winning chef Kwame Onwuachi makes a triumphant return to Washington, D.C., with Dōgon, his latest culinary venture celebrating Afro-Caribbean flavors and West African heritage. Located inside the Salamander Washington, D.C. hotel, this 200-seat dining destination honors legendary mathematician and astronomer Benjamin Banneker and the ancestral roots of Mali's Dōgon tribe. The design features striking geometric elements, such as gold chain curtains referencing the surveying tools used by Banneker to map Washington, D.C., while mirrored glass walls and star-inspired ceiling lights enhance the restaurant's celestial atmosphere. At Dōgon, Onwuachi partners once again with Salamander Collection founder Sheila Johnson and Chef de Cuisine Martel Stone to present a globally inspired gourmet menu. Notable dishes include Ethiopian-spiced chicken and rice, Trinidadian curried branzino and a robust fermentation program that underscores the restaurant's commitment to sustainability. The cocktail menu, curated by award-winning mixologist Derek Brown, highlights Black-owned spirits and includes a thoughtful selection of zero-proof options.
Axios
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
D.C. free outdoor movie guide for warm weather fun
Warm weather calls for spreading a blanket on the grass, unpacking a picnic, and settling in for an outdoor movie. Our favorite outdoor movie locations around town: Adams Morgan Movie Nights | Tuesdays, May 22-June 12 Free movie nights at Marie Reed's soccer field run through June. This year's theme is "Diverse Experiences in Art and Film," with popular flicks and musicals like "West Side Story" (May 22) and "The Birdcage" (May 29) starting around 9pm. CiNoMatic! at Alethia Tanner Park | Wednesdays, May 7-June 11 NoMa's outdoor movie series centers around feel-good musicals and comedies — think "Wicked" (May 7) or "Barbie" (May 21). Films start at dusk, and there are food trucks for a picnic dinner. Movies on the Potomac | Thursdays and Sundays, May 8-Sept. 28 National Harbor's free movie series overlooking the Potomac River happens every Thursday ("date night") at 7 pm, and Sunday ("family night") at 6 pm through the spring and summer. Surrounding restaurants offer pre-movie meals and takeout. Sunset Cinema at The Wharf | Thursdays, May 29-Aug. 28 Grab a seat at The Wharf's big pier for their crowd-pleasing movie series. No tickets or reservations are required; seats for each 7pm movie are first-come. Moviegoers can bring their own food, or buy beer and snacks at the Cantina Bambina concession window. Summer Movies on the Lawn | Select Thursdays, June 26-Aug. 7 The Library of Congress screens free National Film Registry-selected movies on its southeast lawn, such as "The Princess Bride" (July 10) and "The Goonies" (July 17). The Drive-In at Union Market | First Fridays, May 9 - Oct. 5 Indoor cats can get their fix of outdoor films at the drive-in, where ticket holders ($20/car) can watch the likes of "Sister Act" (May 9) from the comfort of their vehicles. It's free to watch outside on Neal Place. You can grab food and drinks from the food hall for both experiences, but no alcohol is allowed in the parking lot. Cinematery at the Congressional Cemetery | First Fridays, May 23-Sept. 12 The "cinematery" is back with its "mausoleums & monster" motif, showing films like "Jaws" and "The Mummy." Reservations are required with a suggested donation of $10. Blankets, chairs, food and alcohol are all allowed — and wine/beer will be on sale — but no pups, please.
