Washington has it pretty good when it comes to bars and restaurants, and the rest of the country finally caught on this year. With that said, there’s always room for improvement (and it’s not likely people will cease complaining about the scarcity of New York pizza or proper bagels anytime soon). With the beginning of the year a logical time for reflection, here’s a short list of what we hope to see change about the city’s restaurant scene over the next 12 months. For the curious, here’s what we hoped for last year.
ENOUGH WITH THE $$$ COCKTAILS: Cocktail prices are getting out of control. Sure, D.C. has lots of great bars, and good ingredients and bartenders command high prices, but the trend of cocktails that cost more than most appetizers or small plates is getting ridiculous. It used to be that $14 was at the high end of the cocktail price point, but most people hardly bat an eye at that any longer. A pair of pre- or post-dinner drinks can now easily run more than $40 after tax and tip is factored in. We can only hope that bars find a way to make good drinks that are also affordable. Not everything needs to be served in a vintage glass or be on fire. Sometimes you just want a good drink without the pomp and circumstance. It would be nice to see more places in the model of newcomer Service Bar (926 U St.), which offers an all-day, every-day $7 drink menu alongside its more expensive options.—Travis Mitchell
VEGETARIAN: 2016 was a banner year for vegan offerings in D.C., not that Shouk, HipCityVeg, or Fare Well wanted to announce themselves as such (preferring “plant-based cuisine” or some other description). I don’t mean to be ungrateful here—they’re awesome and I have particularly enjoyed Shouk and 3 Twisted Sisters’ incredible vegan burger—but, uh, can we get some vegetarian spots, too? Ones that supplement all those delicious veggies with (real) cheese and make omelettes that don’t involve sad egg substitutes. Where is D.C.’s equivalent of NYC’s Dirt Candy? Who will import the veggie Japanese offerings of San Francisco’s Cha-ya? How do we get ourselves a decent, low-key vegetarian spot like Los Angeles’ Elf Cafe? Can someone open up shop and just cook from one of Yotam Ottolenghi’s cookbooks? Until then, my heart and stomach will continue to belong to the incredible vegetarian tacos at Chaia. —Rachel Sadon
MORE ICE CREAM: Yes, D.C. has Dolcezza‘s gelato (otherwise known as magic in frozen form). Yes, there’s a handful of creameries, including the notable Moorenko‘s in Silver Spring and the two locations of Jubilee Ice Cream. And yes, there are still some surviving frozen yogurt bars. But you can never have too much ice cream. And in my humble opinion, D.C. needs more ice cream shops. More with a dozen solid homespun, hand-dipped flavors and unusual concoctions. Take a hint from Ohio-based Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, which ship nationwide with flavors like goat cheese-cherry ice cream. There’s also room for more epic sundaes, definitely something booze-infused, and the sweetness of baking waffle cones wafting through the air.—Kate Stoltzfus
SOMEONE, BRING ON THE SCANDINAVIAN FOOD: There aren’t many cuisines that go unrepresented in D.C., but the food of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway have been largely left off the menu. And there is much more to it than Swedish meatballs and lingonberries (thanks, Ikea). Dishes involve elk, cured fish, salmon, mustard soup, hearty vegetables (especially potatoes), and rye bread. They are typically cooked with ingredients like dill, sour cream, caraway, and plenty of vinegar-based preparations. Scandinavian food is great for cold, dark winter nights. One of the only options, Domku, closed this summer after 12 years of serving Scandinavian and Eastern European dishes in Petworth. So it’s time for someone else to take the plunge. Compass Rose (1346 T St. NW) serves a Danish “smorrebord” with cured trout, dill-caper remoulade and rye bread, but there is room for so much more. Someone, please take up the cause. Philadelphia’s Noord is a great example of what Washington sorely needs.—Travis Mitchell
BATCHED AND BOTTLED, TO GO: These days, you can get just about anything your heart desires to go, and bottled cocktails have also showed up on menus around the city. So what about combining the two? Whether it’s a daily punch or a creation that needs a little more shaking and stirring, I’d be game for cocktail bars that let you order a bottle of several servings to drink from the comfort of home or to bring to a dinner party. Don Ciccio & Figli offers bottled cocktails in its tasting room on Saturdays, but there’s room for plenty more.—Kate Stoltzfus
A FULL-FLEDGED TIKI PALACE: When Martain Cate passed between the carved, life-size tiki statues that guarded the entrance of the Capital Hilton Trader Vic’s in 1994, he had no idea that 15 years later he would become the owner of Smuggler’s Cove in San Francisco, the most acclaimed tiki bar in modern times. In its 1950’s heyday, a tiki bar was truly an escape from the modern world. Since D.C.’s Trader Vic’s closed in 1995 there’s been several attempts to revive “Polynesian pop” in the city. The shot-lived Hogo, last year’s opening of Archipelago, the tiki cocktail menu at Farmers Restaurant Group spots, and the Jack Rose tiki bar are the oases in the urban desert. Yet I’d still like to see a full-blown tiki palace on the scale of The Kahiki Supper Club in Columbus, Ohio. It would be a towering pagoda with rain rooms, waterfalls, 40-foot tall Easter Island statues and fabulous cocktails alongside a true-to-life Asian cuisine menu more grand than Trader Vic’s could have been. It’s not likely to happen, but a guy can hope.—Nathan Wilkinson
MORE EAST-OF-THE-RIVER COFFEE SHOPS: D.C. has no shortage of awesome indie coffee shops. I should know because I keep a growing list of more than four dozen shops that I’ve visited over the past few years. And while my coffee shop explorations have consistently taken me everywhere from the H Street Corridor to upper Northwest, I’ve made far fewer journeys east of the Anacostia River. Yes, there’s Big Chair Coffee and Grill, Art-Drenaline 365 Cafe, and a forthcoming Busboys and Poets—all in Anacostia. But a handful of spots is not enough for the roughly 144,000 Ward 7 and 8 residents want to grab a cup of joe or sit in a cafe and talk to neighbors without traveling far from home. — Christina Sturdivant
A METRO SOLUTION FOR EVERYONE: It’s no secret that restaurant workers stand to be heavily affected by the two-year service cuts approved in December by Metro’s Board. This summer will bring the end of SafeTrack but the continued cuts to late-night service mean fewer safe, affordable options for the bartender going home bleary-eyed after a late shift, and for the prep cook readying options for the Sunday brunch hordes. Although the approved cuts were the ones preferred by low-income riders, and Metro has boosted late-night service on some bus routes, it’s not clear that money will materialize for the agency’s more comprehensive night bus plans. There’s no easy answer to Metro’s woes. It’s probably wishful thinking that officials will come up with a way to balance long-neglected track maintenance with the needs of workers that count on Metro most. But that’s what wishlists are for. —Carmen Drahl
