Aged duck bomba rice at Arroz. (Photo by Greg Powers)
Mike Isabella is one of the most versatile chefs in D.C., having shown a knack for tackling a host of different cuisines from Italian cooking at Graffiato to Mexican bites at Pepita and Greek plates at Kapnos. Next on his list is Arroz, a Spanish- and Moroccan-inspired concept opening today for dinner inside the Marriott Marquis hotel (901 Massachusetts Ave. NW). It will be the hotel’s first full-service restaurant outside its sports bar, High Velocity.
Arroz joins a talented group of Spanish restaurants in D.C., most notably Jaleo by chef José Andrés, who Isabella calls “the godfather of Spanish cooking.” For his part, Isabella promises that Arroz will be a refined take on a Spanish restaurant—one that digs into the flavors of the region while going beyond just a serving tapas and sangria.
“There’s not really many classic dishes on the menu,” he says. “You’ll get the Spanish flavors, just different style cooking techniques than they would use classically in Spain.”
Diners can expect to find more upscale composed dishes like rabbit terrine, chermoula lamb ribs, and grilled octopus with chickpea puree and saffron potatoes. Larger appetites can dig into a 28 ounce bone-in ribeye ($78) with harrissa butter, spring onions, and patatas bravas (the only place the Spanish favorite appears on the menu). There are also several options of large bomba rice dishes (sort of a paella by another name), including Maryland crab ($52) and aged duck ($49) variations. Lunch and brunch service will follow later this spring, and a tasting menu is also planned.
Still, Isabella points out that Arroz will have aspects of what people have come to expect in Spanish restaurants, including ham and cheese plates and tortilla and a serious beverage list with lots of Spanish and international wines, and cocktails like gin and tonics ($13), sangria ($10), and other house specialties ($15).
The kitchen will be overseen by executive chef Michael Rafidi, who most recently cooked as executive chef at Michael Mina’s RN74 in San Francisco and also has experience at the now-closed Noma in Copehagen.
And as far as feeling any pressure of keeping up with José Andrés (Isabella served as executive chef at Andrés’ Zaytinya for years), he says he’s not focused on trying to follow in any footsteps.
“I’m not going to compete with that,” he says. “I think a lot of people thought Kapnos was going to be similar to Zaytinya when I left. But it’s totally different.”
Arroz’s location inside the Marriott Marquis will no doubt draw in hungry crowds from places who don’t have as much exposure to Spanish cooking as District residents. But with opening day here, Isabella is confident the restaurant and its cooking will appeal to a broad group of diners.
“It’s food that people love to eat, “he says. “It’s flavors that I love to eat.”
Arroz is located at 901 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Open for dinner starting March 27. Hours are 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. from Thursday to Saturday.
