Image: Marilyn Monroe interviewed by columnist Earl Wilson. Photo by Sam Shaw.
Activity on our site remains at a good clip. We added three places to our D.C. dining guide this week. It should also be noted that no places have closed for a couple weeks. That does not mean they are out of the woods, but it is a sign of hope. On to the recap of the week in D.C. dining!
Updates to Recommended Restaurant List
Added:
El Tamarindo – It has been a long time since we ate at the stalwart of Salvadoran-Mexican food at the foot of Adams Morgan. It’s still reliable.
Lyle’s – The hotel that formally housed The Riggsby rolled over ownership, and with it The Riggsby left to be replaced by Lyle’s. It is working to be something notable. We are glad to have the bar back.
Roaming Rooster – The locally-born mini-chain does variations on the fried chicken sandwich well.
News:
Thip Khao stopped doing delivery through Tock and prominent third party apps. They will continue to use the local service Skip The Line. They write: “Moving forward, if you would like to order delivery from us, please contact this amazing local company, @skipthelineus , for steps on how to secure your order! They have been a tremendous help from the beginning of the pandemic when we first started offering delivery!”
Nycci Nellis reports that Jonathan de Paz has moved to the Sofitel. He was previously at Primrose. Opaline, the anchor restaurant in the hotel, never seemed compelling enough to prompt a visit, but that might change.
The Royal added back bar seating and Lulu’s added more bar seating.
Maxwell Park in Shaw celebrates four years – they went big. San Lorenzo celebrates three years. It has been a helluva ride, but we are glad they made it this far.
Initiative 77 may be coming back! The ballot initiative to shift away from tipping was approved by voters but overturned by the D.C. Council. If it passes again, in this environment, it would be a surprise if it doesn’t stand.
As Laura Hayes reports, some restaurants are now applying a standard service charge in lieu of tips. Barred in DC makes the point that the current system is pretty ingrained, but if there was ever a moment to change this might be it. However applied, and we think Marilyn would agree, transparency is the key.
Christy Canterbury, a Master of Wine, did a twitter talk on Aligote, the third most-produced varietal from Burgundy (We would have guessed Gamay!). As much as we disparage the toll of social media, there is something redeeming about the fact this can happen.
You may recall that the Washingtonian staff did a walk-out after some ham-fisted statements by the publisher. Now they have formed a union and are battling to get it recognized.
A week after that Times article about D.C. social life, they based a good chunk of this week’s Food section on D.C. You’re welcome New York.
Returning to that easily mocked NY Times article about post-Covid D.C. social life: they buried the lede. Apparently Uma Thurman is dating some guy at Bloomberg Media who lives in Kalorama, and UMA THURMAN COMES TO DC!!! Perhaps the Times lashing out is rooted in the insecurity of losing Uma Thurman, which is understandable. If you were dating Uma Thurman, then those “how would you spend a perfect day in D.C.” pieces that the Post does would be somewhat superfluous, because it would just be: I’d spend the day with Uma Thurman. We might also refer the Bloomberg guy to the post we did when Charlize Theron announced she was single, and we considered where we would take her on a date in D.C. should the circumstance arise. Needless to say, for Uma we’d pull out all the stops.
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Even if you are not dating Uma Thurman, we would agree with Marilyn: this very site is quite possibly the best way to find a great place to eat in Washington, D.C. Our dining guide has 300+ recommended restaurants that you can sort by cuisine, neighborhood, and current operating status (dine-in and/or take-out, etc.) in either LIST or MAP format.
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