Capella Georgetown opened up last April in a pretty prime piece of real estate. The luxury hotel gutted and now occupies what used to be the Trial Lawyers Association Building at 31st Street NW along the C&O Canal. I might have noticed its narrow, hedge-lined patio if I spent more time jogging the towpath, but the tucked away property is far from the average local’s radar.
The Georgetown hotel, the first American outpost of the small and relatively new brand, caters to high-end out-of-towners. Rooms start at around $500 a night and rise from there. There’s a resident stylist, making Capella one of two hotels in the country, I’m told, to retain such services. A Washington Ballet package that includes a walk-on roll in The Nutcracker is one of the unique experiences among the exclusive and unique opportunities available for guests. In another local partnership, graduate students from the University of Maryland are brought in for a regular occurring Constellation dinner series, which is open to everyone. Dinner is followed by a trip up to the rooftop for hot chocolate and stargazing through a massive telescope purchased for the events.
Approaching a year on the scene, Capella has been making efforts of late to attract guests not staying at the hotel overnight to make their way through the hotel’s restaurant, The Grill Room. The restaurant was probably the most high-end to welcome diners for RAMW’s Restaurant Week. While the menu was limited, it showcased an enormous cut of smoked duck breast with a sweet honey glaze and crispy skin.
This week, The Grill Room will work with local chefs and purveyors to offer a three night Pork Cook Off.
DCist was invited to a preview of their pork weekend, which begins this Thursday night and continues Friday and Saturday. The Grill Room’s Chef Jacob Esko will be joined by John Manolatos of Cashion’s Eat Place and the chef from Capella’s Cabo San Lucas location to create two five-course tasting menus. Each course features pig, even the desserts which include bacon or fig and prosciutto ice creams. Swine is provided by Bev Eggleston, the sustainable farming crusader behind Eco-Friendly Foods who is also throwing his hat into the kitchen ring with a pork shank ravioli on one menu, an asparagus dish with slices of his iberico americana on the other. We’re guessing Esko is helping him out with the accompanying asiago foam.
The showcase will underscore the philosophy of snout to tail and sustainable eating that the participants follow. Cashion’s Eat Place’s Manolatos is a long time subscriber of ordering whole animals from Eggleston’s farms. “It’s nice to get out there and do stuff and let people know between the farmer and the chef doing it together,” Manolatos said.
“People ask what our long-term goal is. It’s basically creating more of us in each region before farmers are zero,” posits Eggleston. “Do we eat to fill our fill tank or do we eat to find our social relevance, our place? The thing that makes us feel like stewards, not just consumers.”
On Thursday, guests will choose between the two full menus, both $95 per person for their five courses. The chefs and Eggleston will be on hand cooking and interacting with guests. On Friday and Saturday, dishes may be ordered a la carte. Reservations can be made at OpenTable or by calling the restaurant.
The Grill Room
Capella Washington D.C.
1050 31st Street NW
Washington, DC 20007
202-617-2429
