Chef Peter Chang and his daughter Lydia Chang debuted an upscale, contemporary Chinese restaurant in the Dupont Circle, and it’s attracting critical praise for a menu that is experimental and ever-changing. A fixture on the menu is the roast duck, featuring a bird that is marinated, blanched, air-dried, and tea-smoked. Each duck takes two-days to prepare, so only a limited number are available daily, and they usually sell out. In addition to dinner service, Chang Chang offers a lunch special on weekdays that includes a bento box-style meal with rotating sides paired with a choice of entree. On weekends, the restaurant offers Saturday and Sunday brunch with a spread that marries dim sum favorites with brunch cocktails.
How to book: Via Tock
Doro Soul Food infuses traditional American soul food with Ethiopian flavors. Helmed by Ethiopian-born, French-trained chef Elias Taddesse, the menu features fried and char-grilled chicken at various spice levels from mild (naked) to hot (berbere) and very hot (mit mita). He’s best known for his wildly popular fried chicken sandwich, but the restaurant also offers vegan tenders and sandwiches made from jackfruit and pea protein.
Restaurateur Rose Previte (Maydan and Compass Rose) recently opened Kirby Club as a gathering place for celebrations. It’s a restaurant concept that harkens back to her childhood in Ohio, including her time spent in Lebanese-American social clubs. The menu revolves around kebabs, a universal love language shared across multiple countries in the Eastern Mediterranean. Guests can order a la carte or opt for a “Kebab Shindig,” a full-blown party with one of each kebab on the menu plus dips and spreads like havuc, a seasonal carrot dip with garlic and lemon, or Bessara, a spread made of fava beans, tahini, and cilantro.
At the end of the Red Line in Montgomery County sits this taco truck, parked in the Glenmont Shopping Center to offer an extensive taco menu, including mouth-watering birria tacos. While tacos are the star of this menu, you’ll also find excellent tortas, quesadillas, nachos, and pozole, as well as sides like elote and desserts like strawberries with cream.
At this Levant-inspired restaurant, most of the food comes from the coals of the hearth, like prawns with harissa garlic butter and smoked chicken with corn succotash and pepper tahini. For a more intimate affair try the “Sofra” experience—a semi-improvisational tasting menu from chef Michael Rafidi that you’ll enjoy seated directly in the kitchen for an intimate view of the hearth. If you can’t make it for dinner, check out the sister bakery and cafe, Yellow, which doles out flaky pastries, pita sandwiches, and tahini caramel brownies all day in Georgetown.
Located between Union Station and Chinatown in the new Capitol Crossing development, Bar Spero is the eponymous concept from the Michelin-starred chef behind Reverie, Johnny Spero. Don’t be fooled by its billing as a bar, the restaurant serves a seafood-centric menu inspired by destinations near and far—from the Mid-Atlantic to Basque Country. Menu highlights include imported Spanish turbot and pork from Autumn Olive Farms in the Shenandoah Valley, as well as a raw bar, and most dishes are cooked over the open flame. Meanwhile, guests can also choose from a tightly curated wine list, regional beers on tap, craft cocktails, and a wide selection of vermouths.
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