Perhaps one of the most anticipated restaurant openings this spring will be Kwame Onwuachi’s return to Washington, D.C.
The chef, whose New York City restaurant Tatiana was named among the nation’s best new restaurants last year, is planning a return to the nation’s capital, where he first made a name for himself with two fine dining concepts, the short-lived Shaw Bijou and the acclaimed Kith and Kin. Both are now closed.
Along the way, he also wrote a memoir (“Notes From a Young Black Chef”), did some “Top Chef” shows and has been dubbed one of the most important chefs in America.
Now Onwuachi is working on the new Dōgon, which is scheduled to debut at Salamander Washington, D.C., a revitalized hotel on the Southwest D.C. waterfront. The Salamander Collection is the largest Black-owned luxury hotel company in the U.S.
Press handlers will only commit to saying the opening will be in late spring. But spring is coming.
Onwuachi is known for telling a story with his restaurants, and this will be no different. Dōgon will be designed to honor Benjamin Banneker, who helped map the borders of the nation’s capital in the late 1700s. Benneker was a descendent of the West African Dōgon tribe, which was known for skill with astronomy, math and engineering.
And that’s not all in D.C. Across town in Georgetown, Chef Johnny Spero is readying the reborn Reverie, his 36-seat Michelin-starred restaurant that closed in August 2022 after a fire. As he rebuilt the venue, Spero did a series of popups with chef partners across the country, like Bell’s in Los Alamos, Calif., Saison in San Francisco, and Commis in Oakland. He also has Bar Spero in downtown D.C.
In a statement, Spero talks about the fire “preserving, rather than destroying.” Reverie 2.0 will have a new menu, but the chef doesn’t want to lose what the original concept was. “We are just picking up where we left off the day before the fire, continuing the story with a couple of small edits,” he said.
The tasting menu will skew coastal and seafood- and vegetable-forward. Guests are invited to bring a sense of curiosity and “leave their troubles at the door.”
The Washington, D.C. Reverie, reconstructed after a terrible fire. | Photo courtesy of Reverie.
Tableside presentations are enjoying a revival this opening season.
Coming later this spring is a new, more elevated steakhouse from famed Chef Charlie Palmer at the Knickerbocker hotel in midtown Manhattan. To be called Charlie Palmer Steak IV, this new iteration will replace a Charlie Palmer Steak location on 42nd Street, which closed at the end of February. (The IV is a reference to Palmer’s four sons.)
With Executive Chef Adam Raksin leading the kitchen, this Palmer concept promises to move beyond the traditional steakhouse, with tableside experiences like “The Seaside,” in which a medley of seafood is flash poached on the spot, or Dover sole is fileted, or large format steaks carved for the table.
And, because it’s tradition at the Knickerbocker, there will be a custom martini cart. The martinis will be dry, presumably with virtual vermouth joining the meeting via Zoom.
Meanwhile, because Chicago is notoriously lacking in steakhouses (the extra sarcasm is free, folks), Divan is scheduled to open March 7 in River North. With a menu by Executive Chef Mike Sheerin (Jean-Georges; Lutéce; Atlas; Blackbird), this 150-seat venue is owned by a group of veterans that includes James Brown, Gordon Hardin (the former maître d’ of Maple & Ash), and Elizabeth Pena Brown.
An Iberico ham and caviar appetizer at Divan. | Photo courtesy of Divan.
Here are other new and notable openings (and closings), including a restaurant within another restaurant; a “bath-house-inspired” sushi concept; and a restaurant named for a celebrity boat.
Parklife Taqueria
Brooklyn, N.Y.
This Mexican/Persian/Texan taco concept opened March 5 in Brooklyn. It’s the second concept by Julie Kim and Chef Scott Koshnoodi, and the name is a reference to a Blur song the two listened to on repeat while studying engineering at the University of Texas, Austin. The two also operate a comedy and music club called Littlefield, next door. The original Parklife opened in 2017 to feed club goers, but the chef left and Kim and Koshnoodi launched an all-new food-and-beverage program.
Andrew McCormack at Early to Rise. | Photo courtesy of Brianna Danner.
Early to Rise
San Francisco
Chef Andrew McCormack (Jean-Georges; The Modern; Quince) opened this restaurant and brunch haven in February, bringing a bit of Southern comfort to the Bay Area after six years as a pop-up. The donuts are warm, the English muffins are spongey, the bagels are malted and there will be poached eggs galore, according to press materials. Look for Tri-Tip Steak & Eggs “En Meurette” in a red wine stew with bacon; Samusa Potato Pancake; and Tangerine Pudding.
Hiroki-San and Sakazuki
Detroit
The Book Tower in January added the upscale Japanese dining and cocktail outlet Hiroki-San, led by Executive Chef Hiroki Fujiyama, who opened his namesake concept Hiroki in Philadelphia. The 108-seat Hiroki-San also includes nine seats at the sushi counter. At street level in the tower, however, is the Japanese sister pub called Sakazuki, with a menu of sakes and sandos.
The Blue Room is inside the restaurant Emilia's at The Crescent Hotel in Fort Worth, Texas. | Photo courtesy of The Blue Room.
The Blue Room at Emilia’s
Fort Worth, Texas
This is a fine-dining experience at The Crescent Hotel that opened in February. It’s actually inside the Mediterranean restaurant Emilia’s, which opened in November. Executive Chef Preston Paine (formerly Eleven Madison Park) offers a more New American menu at this 50-seat curated experience, with fresh fish of the day carved tableside, caviar service and over-the-top seafood towers.
The sushi bar at Ukiyo. | Photo courtesy of Ukiyo.
Ukiyo
Denver
Ever been torn between wanting to go to a Japanese bath house but also a fine-dining restaurant? Now you can do both. This omakase concept opened in February, nestled in the alley under Bao Brewhouse. Ukiyo is a 12-seat, “bath-house-inspired” sushi bar with two seatings per night and a menu crafted by Chef Phaseuth “Paul” Sananikone. Bring your own towel.
Amarena
New York City
This is the first Italian concept by Chef Julian Medina and restaurateur Louis Skibar, who are known for the Mexican restaurants Toloache and El Fish Marisqueria. The menu is heavily Roman. The rice balls are Suppli (not Arancini); antipasti includes crispy baby artichokes with Calabrian chili-meyer lemon aioli; and pizzas might be topped with truffle burrata and fresh black truffles.
Butterbird
Madison, Wis.
This opened in January, but it’s worth noting because it’s the latest from Shaina and Joe Papach, who also operate The Harvey House. The two met working at Gramercy Tavern in New York, and Joe Papach also spent time at Quince, Cotogna and The French Laundry in California, where Shaina Papach worked at Chez Panisse. The casual-dining Butterbird specializes, not surprisingly, in chicken (fried or rotisserie), with sandwiches (the Hot Badger Chicken Sandwich does not contain badgers) and snacks (soft pretzel bites with beer cheese dip), as well as Triple Smash Butter Burgers in which the Big Marty Bun is also smashed. It’s a Wisconsin thing. Oh, and there's Banana Pudding Soft Serve for dessert.
A rendering of Hurrica on the San Francisco Peninsula. | Rendering courtesy of Hurrica.
Hurrica Restaurant & Bar
Redwood City, Calif.
Also open in late January was the waterfront restaurant Hurrica on the San Francisco Peninsula, named for the celebrity boat, the 100-year-old Hurrica V sailing yacht, which was to be docked in front of the venue for the opening (it appeared in “The Great Gatsby” movie). Hurrica was founded by Chef Parke Ulrich, MeeSun Boice, Chef Justin Baade, Erick Cadena and Julie Kurz, who are also known for destination concepts like Waterbar, EPIC Steak and Mersea Restaurant and Bar. Arrive by land or sea for dishes from the (live-fire) hearth. There’s a “statement making” wraparound calacatta viola marble bar, and a floor-to-ceiling jellyfish aquarium.
The team at Moon Rabbit, now with a new home. | Photo courtesy of Moon Rabbit.
Moon Rabbit
Washington, D.C.
Kevin Tien was forced to close the original location of Moon Rabbit at the InterContinental Hotel last year, but reopened this concept in Northwest D.C. in January with a new menu that offers “a sweeping journey through Vietnam.” Happily, Tien was able to retain about 90% of the original dining room and kitchen teams, including pastry chef Susan Bae.
CLOSING:
Chicago’s Korean concept Parachute is closing later this month, though owners Beverly Kim and Johnny Clark are reportedly planning to renovate and reopen as a different concept, and they are looking for a larger spot to reopen Parachute. The two also own Anelya.
In Dallas, the family-owned Lawry’s The Prime Rib is shuttering after 40 years, due to a change in ownership of the building. That closure will leave only two locations of Lawry’s in the U.S., the original in Beverly Hills, Calif., and one in Las Vegas. Lawry’s has been dishing up tender rare beef since 1938.
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