It used to be that the words “theme restaurant” conjured up images of indoor rainforests, big celebrity partnerships and mediocre food, or a trip to Epcot. It almost always included kitschy decor, service that was more like a performance, and food that was likely frozen. These days, however, some big names with some serious food pedigrees have gotten into the theme restaurant business.

Chicago Chef Grant Achatz, of Alinea fame, started Next, a restaurant that changes its concept every three months — with themes ranging from Thailand to Paris in 1906 to the vaguely named “Childhood” — and has been both popular and impossible to get into. The concept will extend even further when they begin selling season tickets.

Closer to home, Jose Andres launched America Eats Tavern, taking the space that was once Cafe Atlantico and turning it into an homage to the history of American dining, albeit with some mixed results.

Further up the way in Penn Quarter, Chef Peter Smith turned PS 7’s into an Italian trattoria for one night only — twice.

All of that is to say that the theme restaurant seems to have grown up a bit. The concept has more weight, sophistication and allure than it previously did. And now D.C. is getting another themed eatery.

The Federalist, located in The Madison Hotel just blocks from the White House, is aiming to draw inspiration from the past — the very, very past. The restaurant’s menu focuses on creating food that has the spirit of the Enlightenment and, more specifically, Thomas Jefferson, who was known as being quite the epicure (and also a noted opponent of Federalism). But, politics aside, Jefferson was a known fan of good food and drink and is credited as being the first president to host state dinners.

The Federalist seeks to re-imagine Mid-Atlantic cuisine of Jefferson’s time and interpret it for the modern palate while using many of the region’s stellar producers. If all of this sounds a bit lofty and like it could slip back into the realm of kitsch, it’s worth noting that the restaurant has hired Harper McClure as its chef de cuisine. Formerly a sous chef at Vidalia, McClure was most recently cooking as the executive sous chef at Marcel’s, Robert Weidmaier’s award-winning French restaurant and long-time staple of the District’s fine dining scene.

McClure clearly has the pedigree for the project and the menu features a number of items that look enticing: rum-braised duck leg, crispy-skinned rockfish, and a cider-braised pork belly. There are also a number of items on the menu that clearly conjure images of food from the time of the Founders: veal and cabbage pie, a syllabub with stewed apricots, and beef tartare served with “hardtack.” What will be interesting to see is how well the restaurant can remain faithful to the 18th century dishes while still keeping them relevant to the modern palate.

But perhaps the distant time period the menu seeks to evoke becomes an advantage. While it’s easy to criticize a theme restaurant’s poor interpretation of Thai or Italian food since good examples of those cuisines are easily found, the 18th century is much more removed. We can only hope that the food will make good use of the many local ingredients featured on the menu and that the poor servers won’t be forced to wear 18th century garb or recite passages from The Federalist Papers.

The Federalist
1177 15th Street NW
(202) 587-2629
Hours:
Monday – Thursday: 11:30 a.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Friday: 11:30 a.m. – midnight
Saturday: 10:30 a.m. – midnight
Sunday: 10:30 a.m. to 10:00 pm.
Metro: Farragut North, McPherson Square