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Where To Eat And Sleep In Washington DC

This article is more than 4 years old.

America's capital has never been more exciting, for visitors of all ages and political affiliations. As the just-released 2020 Michelin Guide attests, Washington, DC is becoming more of a gourmet stronghold every year. The National Children's Museum reopens next month and Nationals Park is transforming into a fanciful holiday wonderland for Enchant Christmas.

Explore trendy neighborhoods like historically African-American Shaw, home to Howard Theatre, Blagden Alley bars and Supra, DC's first Georgian restaurant. NoMa is another up-and-coming area, where you'll find the city's best food hall, Union Market, Cotton & Reed distillery, NPR's headquarters and nearby, La Cosecha, a just-opened Latin American marketplace. 

Where To Stay

The newly renovated Rosewood Washington, D.C. is elegantly residential, like you're staying the night at a friend's warm but glamorous mansion. From the deep emerald velvet sofas and sparkling chandelier in the library to the marble bathrooms and rich hardwood floors in 49 guestrooms and suites, the design is sumptuous at every turn. Six new one-of-a-kind townhouse suites will debut by January, offering the ultimate privacy with separate entrances and private back courtyards. Chef Wolfgang Puck operates the new restaurant CUT D.C. (a steakhouse with a Mid-Atlantic flair) and corresponding rooftop lounge CUT Above.

In Dupont Circle, the lobby skylight at The Jefferson creates a bright, airy welcome illuminating the intricate crown molding in this historic Beaux Arts building. Antique furnishings and a collection of nine framed original documents signed by namesake Thomas Jefferson add gravitas to the stately but discreet atmosphere. The independent boutique hotel has 99 guest rooms, outfitted in a predictably traditional fashion, but with every modern comfort. In-house historian, Georgetown professor Susan Sullivan Lagon, has crafted five walking itineraries showcasing the capital's history through various perspectives, including kids who made American history. The Jefferson caters to younger guests very well, including with a specialty kids beverage cart at Plume.

On the Southwest Waterfront, the Mandarin Oriental, Washington D.C. is within easy walking distance to the Smithsonian museums and monuments on the National Mall. The spa team includes some of the best massage therapists in town, and all of the two-hour treatments begin with a soothing foot bath ritual. Book the digital wellness escape treatment, for gentle encouragement to put down your phone and relieve the stresses and strains of our digital lives. The full body massage includes thorough kneading of your head, eyes, neck, shoulders, hands and feet. The hotel's former sushi chef Minoru Ogawa runs an eight-seat sushi counter adjacent to the lobby and brand new American bistro Amity & Commerce serves more casual, approachable food all day.

Where To Dine

Start your day at Call Your Mother, the “Jew-ish” deli that's become the most popular breakfast spot in the city, famous for their sweet and savory bagel sandwiches including the best-selling Shyne – pastrami, bacon, egg, cheese and spicy honey on an everything bagel. Lines are always out the door and wrapping around the block, but it moves quickly and the wait is worth it. The eclectic menu draws from Israeli, Mexican and American flavors and the babka muffins are as good as the alfajores, a nod to chef Daniela Moreira's Argentine heritage.

Chef Nick Stefanelli's innovative Italian food at Masseria is a study in contrasts. Delicate Versace butterfly plates beside exposed brick and concrete walls. A casual patio and Lupe Fiasco soundtrack paired with generous tableside shavings of white Alba truffle atop whole-roasted turbot in brown butter or cheesy Acquerello risotto. Guests choose their own adventure with four, five or six courses at a fixed price ranging from Wellfleet oysters served with beluga caviar and burrata from Puglia to a simple linguine dressed with Masseria's own spicy XO sauce. Stefanelli grew up in small-town Maryland with Greek and Italian parents, and the Michelin-starred chef's next project is a Greek restaurant at Midtown Center opening soon. He also operates Officina at the Wharf, a more casual Italian cafe, trattoria and market with a rooftop terrace and rare Amaro library.

If you're craving Japanese food, don't let Sushi Taro's location above a CVS pharmacy in Dupont Circle turn you off. Serious sushi lovers should try to book a seat at the omakase counter, otherwise their seasonal kaiseki tasting menu is a great value and includes generous servings of sushi, including a final sushi course where you can pick any three pieces of nigiri from the entire menu. If you're feeling adventurous, try one of the more esoteric seasonal specialties like engawa (flounder fin), kohada (cured gizzard shad) or hamo (purple pike conger eel).

Supra is another gem, celebrating traditional Georgian cuisine in an educational and accessible fashion for American diners. The menu is full of hard-to-pronounce Georgian words like nigvzit, chvishtari, tkemali and mtsvadi, but friendly Georgian waiters help you navigate the foreign-sounding dishes. First-time diners would be wise to start with the tasting board of cold vegetarian appetizers including Georgian cheeses and colorful veggie pâtés. Cheesy arajruli boat-shaped bread with an egg yolk swirled in tableside is sure to be a crowd pleaser and several meat and fish dishes are accented with ajika (red pepper walnut dip) and tkemali (plum sauce). The wine list is a treasure trove of Georgian wines, including a broad array of “amber” wines – white wines made with native Georgian grapes fermented and aged with skin-contact for an orange/amber hue. 

Contemporary American has become an overused catchall term to describe restaurants that don't fit neatly into any other category, but it's particularly apt to describe Kinship, one of Eric Ziebold and Célia Laurent's Michelin-starred DC restaurants. The dining room is minimalist but warm and the menu is categorized esoterically under headings of “craft,” “history,” “tradition” and “ingredients,” but Ziebold's thoughtful food is also comforting and meant to be shared. The Maine lobster French toast that you'll find under “indulgence” needs no introduction – it's been on the menu since day one and there'd likely be a riot if it was ever removed. 

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