The dining room at the upcoming Kith and Kin. (Photo by Rey Lopez)
Chef Kwame Onwuachi’s first foray into the D.C. restaurant world was both brimming with potential and doomed from the start. Now, the chef and owner behind the divisive The Shaw Bijou (1544 9th St. NW) is ready to get back in the game—this time with clear eyes and renewed perspective.
Onwuachi will open Kith and Kin this coming fall inside the Intercontinental Hotel (801 Wharf St. SW), coming to the new Wharf Development. The 96-seat Kith and Kin will pay tribute to Onwuachi’s family and culinary upbringing on African, Creole, and Caribbean cooking.
“I have grown to cherish these beautiful cuisines throughout my life and I want guests to feel like they are dining in an extension of my home the second they walk through the doors at Kith and Kin,” Onwuachi said in a media release.
Onwuachi has a diverse upbringing. He spent a couple early years of his life with his grandfather in Nigeria between growing up in the Bronx and visiting and living in New Orleans. He hopes Kith and Kin can expand diner’s horizons with dishes like peel and eat Gulf shrimp with Abita beer, citrus, and roasted garlic; curried goat roti with dal puri and tamarind chickpea puree; berbere-rubbed ribeye with red bean sofrito, and more.
The restaurant bills itself as being “upscale casual,” with entrees expected to fall between $12 and $26, family-style dishes from $22 and $65, and cocktails between $13 and $17.
That all points to Onwuachi learning from his miscalculations at The Shaw Bijou, where the former Top Chef contestant’s high-price $185 tasting menu gained acclaim but ultimately struggled to resonate with city residents. It lasted only a few months before closing in January 2017.
“I took some much needed time to step away, reflect, travel, and dig deep into my past and heritage in search of what I wanted to do next in regards to my culinary career,” Onwuachi said.
Kith and Kin is expected to open in October, though no date has been set. Intercontinental hotel will have full ownership of the restaurant. Back in March, Onwuachi said he planned to open two restaurants in the coming years. So perhaps Kith and Kin is not the last D.C. will see of him.
