Image: Fay Wray “Behind the Make-Up” (1930)

It was a busy week in the world of dining in Washington, D.C.  Here is a review of the action on our site plus other news.  Lots of leases coming due.

Updates to the Recommended Restaurant List:

Added:

Nina May – A new team, with a history at Equinox, is balancing the fine line between satisfying New American and creative.  It is a neighborhood spot with a lot of potential.

Removed:

Vinoteca – In its early years, Vinoteca was a great wine bar that added some great food out of a tiny kitchen.  It lost some of its edge and pull.  It is sad to see it closing.  The good news is that the owner says they are going to do a re-boot in the same space.  It closes today.

Whaley’s – This great seafood spot at the Navy Yards is closing today.  There is a silver lining that the chef team that just left Maydan is taking over the space.

Reviews:

Fiola Mare – The spectacle of the waterfront destination serving seafood-focused Italian dishes can lead you to overlook the quality of the cooking.  Yes it is expensive, but the cooking, wine list, service and experience make it worth a trip across town for a special occasion.  Or more frequently if you can hang financially with the Georgetown set.

News:

Alfred Solis has redone Little Havana and turned it into a Mexican spot that focuses on seafood called Anafre.  Considering his track record, you can expect it to be good.

In a curious and promising move, the team behind Prather’s on the Alley is bringing in local star chef Tim Ma to work on their menu.  It sounds like he is consulting more than taking the reigns day-to-day, but this is good news for Prather’s.

Hungry Lobbyist had the scoop that The Commodore will be closing at the end of the month.  We never got there, but heard good things.  Real estate forced them out.  They intend to re-open somewhere else.  Also closing, the last location of Kwame Onwuachi‘s Philly Wing Fry at Union Market.  He would like to have a stand-alone location, but is also working on a second restaurant, so it may be awhile.

Remember if you are looking for wine to go with turkey and cranberries, then our guide to great neighborhood wine shops can help you out.

As always, check out our dining guide for D.C.  There are more than 200 places in the District, that you can sort by cuisine, neighborhood, and/or rating!  In both MAP or LIST format.

Finally, be sure to follow up on social media for updates, we are on FB, Insta, and Twitter.  Click on the icons at the top or bottom of this page.

Have a great Thanksgiving!