Gordon Ramsay Fish & Chips

Two of the United Kingdom’s most revered exports—classic combo fish and chips and mega chef Gordon Ramsay—descended upon DC this fall. Gordon Ramsay’s Fish & Chips is a playful, fast-casual spot at The Wharf, the city’s buzzy mile-long waterfront destination. 

The curated menu homes in on the essentials: cod in a crunchy batter paired with fries or tucked into a naan wrap. There’s also fried shrimp and fried chicken—what else could you want out of the fry basket? Fries can come decorated (they call them “dirty”) with fun garnishes like bacon, chorizo and jalapeno. 

Dessert is not an option, it’s a must: the Sticky Toffee and Biscoff shakes are thick and creamy and the perfect sweet ending. 

Le Clou At The Morrow Hotel

Le Clou, an homage to classic French cuisine by chef Nicolas Stefanelli, debuted this fall in The Morrow Hotel, the new lifestyle hotel in Northeast DC’s 3rd Street District. 

Stefanelli is best known for his Michelin-starred Masseria, which recently was named as one of the Best Italian Restaurants in the World. Though he’s become a local star for cooking the food of his family lineage—Italian (Masseria and Officinia) and Greek (Philotimo, set to reopen in 2023)—Stefanelli honors his schooling in French technique with Le Clou.

Using the legendary text “Le Répertoire de La Cuisine” by Théodore Gringoire and Louis Saulnier as his guide, Le Clou takes a more stylized, modern approach to France’s signature dishes, like escargot, frog legs and lobster thermidor. 

The Morrow, Curio Collection by Hilton, is brought to life by Trammell Crow Company and MetLife Investment Management, and exudes a distinctly elevated hospitality offering to the greater NoMa neighborhood. In early 2023, the sultry lounge, Vesper, and rooftop bar, Upstairs at the Morrow, will fully turn The Morrow into NoMa’s favorite hangout.

L’Avant-Garde

L’Avant-Garde’s opening brings iconic French glamor to Georgetown this season. From Fady Saba, known for the eclectic cocktail bar L’Annexe, just next door, and Giles Epié, who was the youngest ever Michelin-starred chef in his native France, L’Avant-Garde’s appeal is in the details. From the Old World wine list to the pitch-perfect butter board— and service with a French accent—it all comes together to turn L’Avant-Garde into a destination restaurant. 

Epié’s storied career includes everything from a nod as Best New Chef by Food & Wine Magazine, to cooking for everyone from Al Pacino to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, to running the kitchen at the Turtle Bay Resort, a 5-star luxury hotel in Oahu, Hawaii.

Housed within a quintessential historic Georgetown row-house, L’Avant-Garde is filled with irreplicable historic features such as ornate wood-burning fireplaces and hardwood floors. The moody, dimly-lit space starts with entering through a wooden vestibule, which opens to a luxurious bar area featuring burgundy leather bar seating. A collection of spirits, many of them classic French apéritifs, are the stars behind the zinc-wrapped bar, where a pulsing soundtrack of deep house music and soft jazz covers sets the tone. 

It’s the night out we’ve all been waiting for. 

Ellington Park Bistro

Inspired by iconic European neighborhood bistros and named after Duke Ellington Park located across the street, Ellington Park Bistro is the perfect complement to the newly designed space of The St. Gregory Hotel. Chef Frank Morales turns French classics new with a nod to global flavors. 

Morales was a fixture in the city in the early aughts, helming the kitchen in some of the most rarefied and trendy dining rooms in the city. His resume includes time at the Oval Room, a quintessential power-dining spot, plus Zola, named “Washington’s hottest new restaurant” by The New York Times and awarded three stars by the Washington Post, in 2003. During his reign at Zola, he also ran catering operations at the International Spy Museum when it was the splashiest museum in the city. Ahead of his time, Morales led Rustico with a modern American menu to match the Alexandria, Virginia’s restaurant eclectic beer menu, a decade before American beer became the juggernaut it is today.

Originally from New York, Morales also cooked in his hometown at Union Pacific, as sous chef under Rocco DiSpirito, and at the legendary Le Cirque. Ellington Park Bistro is his fitting return to French cuisine. 

The menu dives deep into French classics, presented with a wink of global influences. Entrees include artfully updated classics such as a bourguignon with a potato puree; Arctic char sided by lime-pickle swiss chard and a carrot-ginger reduction; Amish chicken with a barley risotto; bucatini tangled with chestnuts in a mushroom ragu; and a wagyu smashburger next to duck fat fries.  

Blurring the line between a destination hotel and a neighborhood restaurant perfectly situated between Dupont, Downtown and West End, Ellington Park Bistro offers a local-friendly plat du jour ranging from a duck confit to a bouillabaisse to New York strip au poivre. 

Tying it altogether are the signature cocktails—by industry vet Taha Ismail—named after Ellington’s greatest hits.