WASHINGTON 鈥� The D.C. area鈥檚 restaurant bubble continues to grow, but it鈥檚 not bursting just yet. Close to聽 opened in 2018 鈥� from grand dining rooms to street-food stands 鈥� and 2019 is shaping up to be an equally exciting year for the taste buds.
What, exactly, is in the works? executive food editor and critic Ann Limpert shared six projects from local chefs that will open in 2019.
贰尘颈濒颈别鈥檚
If you鈥檝e had trouble snagging one of the 24 seats at Kevin Tien鈥檚 Petworth restaurant, Himitsu, perhaps you鈥檒l have better luck at his new 70-seat Capitol Hill concept, .
There, the 31-year-old James Beard Award finalist will 鈥渟tep onto a much bigger stage鈥� with fresh pastas, homemade breads, pickled goods and a menu that changes daily.
鈥淭he really cool thing here is that most of the menu is going to be circulated around the dining room on trays and carts,鈥� Limpert said.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e even going to have a mobile oyster bar for table-side shucking.鈥�
贰尘颈濒颈别鈥檚 is expected to open in late 2019.
Reveler鈥檚 Hour
Adams Morgan will get a new place to dine and drink when the team behind the Michelin-starred Tail Up Goat opens its new restaurant, Reveler鈥檚 Hour. Limpert said the concept will be casual with a menu of pastas, vegetable dishes and wood-fired items. She expects it will also be a hot spot for wine lovers.
鈥淭heir sommelier, Bill Jensen, makes things really accessible and fun, and I think he鈥檚 a real star on the scene,鈥� Limpert said.
Mama Chang
Peter Chang is adding to his growing restaurant empire this year with a new outpost on Old Lee Highway in Fairfax, Virginia. Mama Chang will shine a spotlight on home-style Hunan and Szechuan dishes.
鈥淎nd the cool thing here is that many of the recipes have been passed down through lots of generations of his family,鈥� Limpert said.
Albi
Seasoned sommelier Brent Kroll and former Arroz and Requin chef Michael Rafidi are joining forces with two neighboring and collaborative projects in D.C.鈥檚 Navy Yard neighborhood.
Limpert said Rafidi鈥檚 restaurant, called Albi, will focus on Middle Eastern-inspired fare; Kroll will head its wine program. Next door, Kroll will open a second location of his wine bar, Maxwell Park, for which Rafidi will design the food offerings.
Philotimo
As if Nicholas Stefanelli wasn鈥檛 busy enough in 2018, the chef behind the Michelin-starred Masseria and the recently opened Officina (a three-story Italian market and trattoria at The Wharf) has another project in the works. This year, Stefanelli will open Philotimo, a Greek restaurant at Fannie Mae鈥檚 new downtown headquarters.
鈥淗e鈥檚 going to be importing specialty cheeses, wild herbs and olive oils from Greece, but he鈥檚 also going to highlight food and wine from all regions of the country,鈥� Limpert said.
The Block
Similar to its Annandale, Virginia sibling, The Block in North Bethesda, Maryland will showcase an array of Asian fare in a food hall format. Limpert said the new location, designed to look like an Asian night market, will be much bigger than the first ( bigger). Diners can expect a bar and several stalls serving street foods.
Read about more 2019 restaurant openings on Washingtonian鈥檚聽.
