Unlike Albi, Korean restaurant Anju had to dramatically pivot.
“Covid caused us to reevaluate every facet of our operations,” Chef Danny Lee told us. “We had to adjust from not offering any takeout, to only offering takeout, and now doing both. We’ve had to learn to be very flexible with staff schedules and availability and adjust our capacity at the same time.”
When it comes to more lowbrow restaurants, Lee recommends my favorite Adams Morgan takeout spot.
“Eastern Carry Out, located on the southern end of Adams Morgan. They make the best wings in the city. I take every out-of-town chef who visits D.C. there and they are always amazed.”
Read MoreSituated between Dupont Circle and Adams Morgan, Anju serves Korean bar food with a refined touch from the restaurant group behind casual hit Chiko. James Beard Award-nominated chef Angel Barreto leads a kitchen that plates up standouts ranging from pork and kimchi mandu (dumplings) and fried chicken with white barbecue sauce to a seafood fried rice bokum bap and seared ribeye galbi boards. Weekend brunches bring on breakfast sandwiches and a grit bowl that riffs on juk.
Read MoreRomance may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Washington, but the nation’s capital boasts a burgeoning, sexy food scene that’s just as diverse as the 700,000+ people calling it home. The days when stuffy steakhouses ruled D.C.’s dining landscape are over and the District teems with restaurants that attract established couples and young singles looking for love, hopefully in all of the right places. Here are nine of the most romantic restaurants in Washington, guaranteed to make you and your date swoon — regardless of your political affiliation.
Read MoreAfter a two year hiatus, the James Beard awards (aka the culinary Oscars), will return to Chicago’s Lyric Opera House on June 13. It wasn’t just the pandemic that caused the high-profile awards to take a pause. There were a myriad of other factors pertaining to diversity and inclusion—for instance, no Black chefs were included in the last slate of winners. An internal audit led to a rethinking of how the awards are conducted, and who gets to judge them.
Best Chef Mid-Atlantic: Anju’s Angel Barreto, also up for Best Emerging Chef, joins Centrolina and Piccolina chef/owner Amy Brandwein; Ruthie’s All Day proprietorMatt Hill; Albi chef/owner Michael Rafidi; Rooster and Owl chef/owner Yuan Tang; and former Cane chef Peter Prime. Carlos Raba of Baltimore’s Clavel Mezcaleria is also a semi-finalist.
Read MoreSadly, the D.C. Chinese Lunar New Year Parade, the annual parade through Chinatown, sponsored by the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association and the Mayor’s Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs, has once again been canceled.
Even without the parade, plenty of Year of the Tiger celebrations in D.C. are roaring on. From a three-course Korean dinner at Anju to a six-scoop ice cream flight at Ice Cream Jubilee, are all on offer to ring in the new year, which begins on February 1.
Read MoreWhen it comes to a comforting brunch bowl, chef Angel Barreto’s savory Korean rice porridge does the trick. The creamy juk is topped with pulled chicken, pine nuts, scallions, chili crunch, and a runny egg. Dine-in, takeout, and delivery.
Read MoreThe Korean new year celebration is a collaboration between Anju, Mandu and chef Danny Lee’s mother, Mama Lee, inspired by traditional Korean dishes. The prix fixe dinner, available during two seatings on Feb. 1, is priced at $100 per person, with an optional $40 beverage pairing.
Read MoreIt was a long and winding path back to a thriving restaurant scene this year in the District. We bundled up for a night out dining in mini greenhouses, rustic chalets and luxury yurts; and bulked up on to-go cocktails, pasta bowls and cheffy sandwiches. We welcomed long awaited new-commers like Daru, and the resurrection of Beuchert’s Saloon, while the kitchens of Anju and Convivial sustained us throughout.
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