Chef Tim Ma’s New Restaurant Inside Eaton Hotel Is Opening This Month

D.C. just got a first look and taste of what to expect at downtown’s anticipated Eaton hotel, which will now no longer feature a bar program curated by Columbia Room co-founder Derek Brown.

Kyirisan chef Tim Ma’s name of his new first-floor restaurant, American Son, was revealed during an invite-only film screening and pre-opening party at its future rooftop bar and events space on Wednesday, August 8. His second D.C. restaurant is projected to open the same time the 209-room hotel arrives in late August at 1201 K Street NW.

At American Son, Ma plans to showcase what “comfort food” is to him, “redefined through a globetrotting lens,” according to intel his team provided to Eater. Also expect a “heightened focus” on vegetables. Stay tuned for more details on Ma’s restaurant, which can be accessed from the lobby and a separate entrance off the street. Its interior is being kept under wraps for now, and guests were asked not to photograph any lobby-level areas at the pre-opening event.

A first look inside its modern rooftop space this week reveals a jungle of potted palms and succulents, soaring exposed ceilings, colorful mosaic art partially imported from Italy, and a spacious outdoor wooden patio with views overlooking K Street NW.

Getty Images for Eaton Hotel

When Eaton starts to debut later this month it’ll be without Derek Brown, who announced his initial involvement in the project last fall. A partner on the Eaton project tells Eater he recently pulled out of helming the hotel’s lobby-level drinking den, expected to be accessed James Bond-style through a library. His latest Drink Company venture, Shaw’s pop-up bar Wubba Lubba Dub Pub, just delayed its opening by a week to Thursday, August 16 to fine tune some details. Eater reached out to Brown for comment on his departure.

In addition to the TBA bar, rooftop music venue, and American Son, the Eaton property will also house an urban farm, radio station, juice bar, coffee shop, and wellness center with yoga, meditation, and holistic programs. A 20,000-square-foot co-working club with room for about 300 members, dubbed Eaton House, which will be added later on, as well as a cinema.

The multi-use complex comes from humanitarian Katherine Lo, whose father runs luxury hotel operation the Langham Hospitality Group. The Yale grad calls her growing global brand — dubbed Eaton Workshop — “a platform for social change and talent in the neighborhood,” aiming to unite artists and activists under one roof. D.C. and Hong Kong are its first sites, with more on the way on the West Coast.

Getty Images for Eaton Hotel

Eaton’s dream hospitality team also includes former members of Sydell Group (behind the Line Hotel in Adams Morgan).

• Tastemakers Tim Ma and Derek Brown Add Local Flavor to Next-Generation D.C. Hotel [EDC]