2013, we hardly knew ye. Fortunately, we got to know the new restaurants, bars, pubs and beer gardens that you brought. And know them well. Here’s a look back.
Four years ago, we had no breweries. Then, breweries that kegged and canned. We were getting somewhere. But now, we’ve got breweries with bars, where you can get pickle-brined chicken and tots smothered in gravy. Yup, our beer has finally arrived.
Following the lead of Garden District, two new beer gardens—the German-focused Dacha and the American-centric Bardo—proved that a few picnic tables and a mobile keg trailer can go a long way. And both have plans: Dacha for all-season drinking, and Bardo for its own brewing operation.
When the history of donut consumption in DC is written, 2013 will be seen as the year everything changed. First, Astro showed up with its crème brûlée donuts. Then, the ChurchKey folks gave us GBD. Finally, another Ted’s Bulletin brought fresh donuts to 14th. Hey, that gives us a book idea...
It was the best thing to happen to Capitol Hill since PACs: a no-reservations, ultra-eclectic urban farmhouse with black-pepper-infused gin, strawberries in the pasta and old refrigerators behind the bars. Just as our forefathers intended.
For their next act, husband-and-wife cocktail savants Derek Brown and Chantal Tseng turned up with a... sherry bar. After a few raised eyebrows, you were stopping in to check out amontillados. And even if you weren’t converted, hey, there’s a great gin and tonic on tap. And ham.
Take a former steakhouse chef of Peruvian origin. Let him play with fire. Watch what happens. Namely, this Penn Quarter spot where nearly everything on the menu—yes, vegetables and cocktail lemons, that means you, too—got grilled, charred or smoked.
First there was Posto on 14th Street. And it was fine. But this year brought Ghibellina and its cut-them-yourself pies. Then Etto, with its house-milled flour, followed by Piola, with its 50-odd kinds of pizza. And finally, G, with its nightly Italian tasting menus. Now, the question “Where are we going for Italian?” has an easy answer.
