Cranes

Cranes is a one-star Michelin restaurant offering Spanish-Japanese Kaiseki from Chef Pepe Moncayo. Offering seasonal tapas, desserts and bento omakase menu, we went for Winter Restaurant Week. Closest Metro is Gallery Place.

Sushi Nakazawa

Sushi Nakazawa is a one-star Michelin star restaurant located next to the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in downtown Washington, DC and serves a Nigiri-sushi exclusive omakase menu consisting of approximately 20 pieces of nigiri. The fish and shellfish is sourced globally, with a special focus on Japan. The menu is priced at $180 at the sushi counter with the same menu available in the dining room for $150.  Closest Metro is Federal Triangle.

Proto Fish Restaurant

Proto Fish Restaurant is recommended by the Michelin Guide and a popular place for celebrities. Established in 1886, the restaurant is located in the heart of Dubrovnik's historical core at the intersection of the Široka and Vara streets.  We dined here on the second level for our final dinner.

Alinea

Alinea, located in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago, is one of only 14 restaurants in the U.S. to earn the coveted Michelin 3-Star rating that offers a unique, multi-course tasting menu experience. Alinea has been universally praised for its innovative approach to modernist cuisine. It has been named the Best Restaurant in the World by Elite Traveler, the Best Restaurant in North America by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, and the Best Restaurant in the U.S. by Gourmet and Business Insider.

El Cielo

El Cielo is located in La Cosecha in the Union Market District of NOMA and offers a fine dining tasting menu that is a tribute to Colombian cuisine.  Recently receiving one Michelin star, you should expect whimsical experiences like Chocotherapy where you wash your hands with chocolate and enjoy it through all 5 senses. By combining ancestral and avant-garde cooking techniques, Colombian fruits and vegetables and local ingredients, Chef Juan Manuel Barrientos tells a story through the menu.

Jônt

Jônt is a newly two-Michelin starred restaurant from Chef-Owner Ryan Ratino of Bresca located downstairs. The team of young and inspired chefs are taking down the walls between kitchen and guests to immerse the diners in a progressive multi-course tasting menu in the pursuit of dynamic flavor profiles. The meal will challenge the seasons, navigate beyond the limits of time and break with tradition— getting playful with process and tricky with techniques at the intersection of place and possibility. Closest Metro is U Street.

Rose's Luxury

Rose's Luxury is the newest restaurant to open along Barracks Row and has already gotten a lot of attention within the first weeks.  Chef Aaron Silverman's menu focuses around small plates and is broken down into a few straight forward categories such as cold dishes, pasta, and grilled items, with two family-style entrees also available.  Many of the dishes are either vegetarian or can be prepared as vegetarian-friendly. Seating is available on a first-come, first-serve basis and with this current hot buzz, expect wait times to be a little while.  Closest Metro is Eastern Market.

Little Pearl

Little Pearl occupies the former carriage house of the Old Naval Hospital, the Civil War-era property that was transformed six years ago into the Hill Center, an arts, cultural and education facility. From the team responsible for the Michelin-starred Pineapple and Pearls and Rose's Luxury, Little Pearl offers pastries, sandwiches and gelati by day in its coffee shop, and snacks that pair with boutique wine when it transforms to a swanky wine bar at night.  Closest Metro is Eastern Market.

The Dabney

Chef Jeremiah Langhorne serves Mid-Atlantic cuisine at The Dabney - a rustic spot set in a former row house in Shaw's Blagden Alley. "Dedicated to the flora, fauna and fermented products of the Mid-Atlantic" the restaurant showcases locally foraged and farmed ingredients from across the region with design elements from the chef's hometown of Charleston, SC. Closest Metro is Mt. Vernon Square.

Pedro Lemos

Pedro Lemos opened doors in 2009 and since the beginning became one of the most prestigious restaurants in Porto. In 2014, they received a Michelin star - becoming the first in the city. Located in Foz, one of Porto's most beautiful and emblematic historical neighborhoods, in a house classified as architectural heritage. They believe that a gastronomic experience is only complete when accompanied by good wine. The wine cellar is a reflection of their passions and path, from the icons to small and unknown producers from north to south of the country, as well as international wines. The selection is judicious with exemplary service.  We enjoyed our final dinner in Portugal here.

Belcanto

Chef José Avillez offers a unique gastronomic and sensory journey with contemporary Portuguese cuisine in a sophisticated setting that takes us on a journey in time, from Chiado's old romantic past to the future. With two Michelin stars and currently #42 on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants List, Belcanto is located at Lisbon's historic center, offers an attentive, welcoming and discreet service, and an extraordinary wine selection that showcases some of the best Portuguese wines as well as other celebrated international references.

Sababa

Sababa is a Hebrew slang word meaning "great or cool" and can express enthusiasm and satisfaction. Sababa comes from the Arabic word tzababa, which means great or excellent in spoken Arabic. Like the name Sababa, Israel's food has its roots in both Jewish and Arab cuisine. Sababa's menu offers a small plates and large plates menu to encourage guests to sample the large variety of cultural influences on the cuisine of Israel as well as a full wine bar that offers wines from around the world including Israel, Lebanon, the Mediterranean. The design of the restaurant evokes the port of Tel Aviv with Mediterranean tiles on the floor and sails on the ceiling and the lounge area boasts a unique Bedouin-style tent with community tables.  Closest Metro is Cleveland Park.

Loiseau Rive Gauche

Loiseau Rive Gauche is a one star Michelin restaurant located 10 meters away from the National Assembly, in the 7th arrondissement of Paris.  Boasting an elegant and cosy ambiance, the cuisine marries brilliantly tradition and modernity. A few different seasonal tasting menus are available, and for our first dinner in Paris, Kieth and I chose the 8 course meal with wine pairing for 135€ per person.

Librije's Zusje

Librije's Zusje is a two-starred Michelin restaurant located in the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Amsterdam, Netherlands.  Executive Chef Sidney Schutte will take you on a vibrant culinary journey with his distinctive and contemporary use of ingredients from around the world blended with the finest produce from local farmers. We enjoyed a seven-course chef's menu is available for 158€ with an optional wine pairing for another 82€.

Gravitas

Gravitas, located in Ivy City, comes to us from chef-owner Matt Baker who has done stints at minibar, Brasserie Beck, and Occidental Grill.  Here at Gravitas diners can experience customizable four- through seven-course tasting menus. Menu offerings change frequently and feature the very best seasonal ingredients, where vegetables are given equal attention and care.  Closest Metro is NoMa-Gallaudet.

Maydān

Maydān tells the story of owner Rose Previte's travels, from Tangier to Tehran and Batumi to Beirut and brings the communal "town square" to DC.  Featuring dips, spreads, salads, condiments, roasted and grilled meats, and seafood coming together in unison, the centerpiece of every table is the bread.  Made to order in Maydān’s clay ovens, the bread brings the meal together and bread brings people together. Closest Metro is U Street/Cardozo.

Michelin Round Up - Washington, DC

In 2017, Michelin first came to Washington, DC to rank restaurants for its prestigious list, and in 2018, each of the restaurants listed in the first DC red book received a follow-up visit from the tire company's anonymous team of inspectors.  DC remains the only U.S. city Michelin rates that doesn’t have a three star restaurant. Both New York and San Francisco have six restaurants apiece with three stars, while Chicago has two. There are only about 100 restaurants worldwide with three stars.  Maybe one day... Keith and I have been fortunate enough to have dined at all listed so far on the DC list.  Find our round up below.

Métier

Métier offers a seven course tasting menu plus pre-dinner hors d'oeuvres at $200 per guest (service is included).  A wine pairing is also available at $145 per guest.  Owned by acclaimed Chef Eric Ziebold and partner Célia Laurent, Métier is a small, intimate Michelin star restaurant seating only 36 guests that is tucked into the lower level of a historic brick building dating back to 1907.  The building also houses Kinship, the sister restaurant that offers an approachable à la carte menu. Both restaurants offer creative and contemporary American cuisine with a continued dedication to hospitality. Closest Metro is Convention Center.

Plume

As the recent recipient of one star from the prestigious Michelin Guide and the only Forbes five star rated restaurant in DC, Plume at The Jefferson hotel serves as an elegant backdrop to the artistry of the award-winning culinary team. We sat at a cozy nook as we savored classic dishes using traditional techniques and seasonal ingredients that are inspired by the harvest from Thomas Jefferson's kitchen gardens at Monticello. Closest Metro is Farragut North.

minibar

minibar by José Andrés, a two Michelin-starred restaurant, is a study in avant-garde cooking where each bite is designed to thrill the senses by pushing the limits of what we have come to expect - and what is possible - from food. The creations combine art and science, as well as tradition and technique, to deliver an imaginative and progressive tasting menu, offered at a communal setting for up to 6 guests. The menu price is $275 per person (excluding beverage, tax and gratuity). Beverage pairing options are available. Closest Metro is Gallery Place.