Foggy Bottom’s burgeoning restaurant scene just got an exciting jolt thanks to James Beard Award-winning restaurateur Ellen Yin. a.kitchen+bar inside AKA Washington Circle marks her first DC restaurant and combines her popular adjacent Philly restaurant and cocktail bar into a single space. “[Foggy Bottom] is gorgeous and there weren’t that many restaurants here,” Yin says. “I felt it would be a great location and opportunity.”
For those unfamiliar with Yin’s legendary career, her flagship Philly restaurant Fork was a pioneer in the local farm-to-table movement, and the restaurants she’s opened in the city since remain among the most popular today.
a.kitchen+bar retains the focus on natural wines and seasonal American plates from the Philly originals, but you can expect a distinctly DC take on the menu here.
Read on for what that means at a.kitchen+bar, and make a booking on OpenTable.
What to eat
Executive chef Eli Collins has divided the menu into three sections with one focused entirely on seafood and the others spotlighting smaller and larger plates that are all about showing off local, seasonal ingredients.
Start with the fruits de mer plate full of plump oysters, an herby scallop crudo, and more. “When I think of the Chesapeake, I definitely think of seafood,” Yin says. And pair it with crispy oyster mushrooms that can be dunked into sunchoke miso aioli on the side, a favorite of Yin’s on the Philly menu, too. “I can never not order the crispy oyster mushrooms,” she says.
Keep building on the meal with some of the French-inflected favorites Collins has become known for in Philly, like fluffy gougères with Comté cheese and black pepper. The locally sourced rockfish that comes with braised white beans and turnips stands out among the larger plates.
What to drink
The wine selection at the Philly original helped it nab a James Beard Semifinalist nod in the Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages category this year. Expect that same focus on acclaimed natural French wines, and choose between 12 options by the glass and 50 bottles curated by wine director Frank Kinyon.
There could be an expanded menu with more local collaborations in the future. “Being in the Washington market just opens so much opportunity in terms of access to different types of purveyors and smaller producers,” Yin says. There are also more than a dozen cocktails, beers, and non-alcoholic drinks to choose from.
Where to sit
For a romantic evening, start at the bar or one of the cocktail tables before a full meal in the dining room, Yin says. During the day, the restaurant is bathed in light thanks to massive windows and an open layout. “There are plants hanging from the window overlooking New Hampshire Street creating a feeling that you’re secluded from the street,” Yin says.
There are also larger tables, including a round table for six, that are ideal for office workers in the neighborhood. “If you’ve been to a.kitchen [in Philadelphia], you kind of know what to expect,” Yin says. “a.kitchen+bar in DC is a completely different experience, not just in terms of the food, but also in the quality of the experience.”
Christabel Lobo is a food and travel writer based between Washington, DC and Abu Dhabi. Her work has appeared in publications including Insider and Lonely Planet, among others.
