Image: Cocktail party, Chicago, 1957. Unknown photo credit.

Bracing for the big day on Friday, when D.C. goes to 100% capacity permitted indoors for restaurants, we did not add or subtract on the recommended restaurant list.  There was some news however from around the dining world.

Updates to Recommended List:

Green Almond Pantry – The beloved jewelbox by Convention Center got hit by fire (on top of everything else).  But this is one tough nut.  It reopens within the growing gourmet gravitational pull of Grace Street in Georgetown.  Open Thursday to Saturday, 11:30 am to 7 pm.

The Pembroke – This gleaming spot in the Dupont Circle Hotel started strong, faded, was starting to rebound, and then closed up for the pandemic.  It opens again for brunch.  Let’s hope it finds its groove and aspires again to something more than IG fodder.  Not surprisingly they are starting with brunch only.

La Jambe – Last year on Netflix there was a quirky series called The Eddy, about a washed-up jazz pianist who starts a jazz club in a gentrifying section of Paris.  La Jambe, with French lineage staking out a spot in Shaw is like the inverse, with a similar – but sunnier –  aesthetic to the stripped down club in the show – swapping wine bar for jazz club.  They are back Thursday through Sunday with a new chef.

Other News:

The biggest news came on Monday, when Mayor Bowser announced that on May 21  places that sell food can be at 100% capacity.  The initial surprise and joy evolved as some second-guessed her decision and others fretted that restaurants would not be able to turn on a dime to fully re-open.  Whatever the logistics, it is nonetheless a good sign that restaurants can start fighting back and emerge from survival mode.

Little Sesame will be selling its world-beating hummus in select stores.

And there are a slew of new places that are opening or about to open, including more comfort food and distilling/brewing spots.

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Also, keep us in mind if you are trying to figure out where to eat in the District.  You may have heard, but in case you didn’t, we have 300 recommended restaurants in our guide.  You can sort by cuisine, neighborhood, and current operating status (dine-in and/or take-out, etc.) in either LIST or MAP format.

Finally, be kind and patient as our world opens up.  Be respectful of the staff.  A recent study showed that you have an increased chance of dying of COVID if you are “that guy.”  Don’t be that guy.