Image: Carole Lombard – 1940

Two of the stand-out, high-end spots in D.C. came back to life this week. We ate at a restaurant for the first time and the combination of fear and sympathy for the wait-staff may deter us for another 6 months, especially as the outdoors become less hospitable. There was a lot of non-dining news in D.C. this week, but here we will narrow the focus to just the food scene. Here’s the update!

Updates to the Recommended Restaurant List:

Re-opened:

Marcel’s – The beloved French by way of Belgium restaurant has survived to re-open. Hopefully it can hang on until Kennedy Center crowds can return.

Metier – A favorite splurge and refuge from everything re-opened a couple weeks ago. Kinship upstairs is also open and doing take-out.

Hazel – The re-opening of this spot snuck past us. Along with Iron Gate, they are the two spots in the NRG constellation doing dine-in.

News:

Though no restaurant on our recommended list closed this week, there still some big hits. Beloved gelato makers Dolcezza announced it was closing its D.C. stores, though it will still be selling in other venues like market shelves and the Hirshhorn cafe. The Mosaic District spot is still open.

The neighborhood favorite on H Street Cusbah announced it was closing up shop. We never made it, but many who we respect give it props. We wish them well.

Bryan Voltaggio appears to have repurposed his flagship in Frederick as Thacher and Rye.

The signs on U Street are mixed. Roaming Rooster managed to open a new shop there to great acclaim. But the news on the music scene continues to look grim with U Street Music Hall vacating its space and Codmother closing (via the great Barred in DC).

Despite the grim news, many more places are hanging on than we expected. There is a hope that most can make it to the other side. Bars and clubs are obviously most at risk, but many restaurants will need help to weather the colder months. We can all hope they do and that Tom gives them a chance to get their feet under them before throwing stingy amounts of stars around.

We will keep updating our dining guide so you can track who is open, closed and doing what. There are a number of places in teh queue to add when we get a chance, but for now we have over 300 restaurants in D.C. listed (although a chunk of them are now closed to one degree or another). You can search by LIST or MAP.  And you can sort by status, neighborhood, and/or cuisine.

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