Le Bernardin Alum Introduces Shaw to His ‘Restaurant and Champagne Lounge’

The self-styled restaurant and champagne lounge globetrotting chef Malik Fall has been working on for nearly two years is now officially open in Shaw, even though not quite everything is perfectly in place at the two-story establishment.

A host at the latest arrival over by the Walter E. Washington Convention Center tells Eater that valet parking won’t be available at 1230 Restaurant and Champagne Lounge until at least next week (there’s a private lot just down the block). Opening the doors proved challenging enough for a hospitality crew that had hoped to pop celebratory bottles with family and friends last year.

Fall, an alum of dining meccas Le Bernardin in New York City and Restaurant Guy Savoy in Paris, is sticking with high-end cuisine for his debut in D.C.

The opening menu reads like a greatest hits of new American dining: duck confit; grilled octopus with cannellini beans; seared tuna with fingerling potatoes; Amish chicken with Napa cabbage; and roast branzino with piquillo peppers are all represented.

Photo: 1230 Restaurant and Champagne Lounge

Photo: 1230 Restaurant and Champagne Lounge

No word on how many sparklers are already flowing on site — the plan was to collect over 100 varieties of bubbly — but adventurous types can find out starting tonight.

The kitchen is expected to remain open until 11 p.m., while the bar is projected to pour drinks until 1 a.m.

Status: Certified open. 1230 Ninth Street NW; website.