Georgia Brown’s, a go-to for South Carolina Lowcountry cooking downtown since 1993, reopens Friday, November 6, for the first time since D.C. temporarily shut down on-site dining in March. The comeback includes an interior renovation that took three months and a revamped cocktail menu designed by the team at a trendy sibling bar. There are also a couple new seafood dishes, a whole red snapper (fried or grilled) served with dirty rice, and a crab-stuffed calamari appetizer.
A new bar menu full of cognac and whiskey comes from the team at Residents, the all-day cafe in Dupont Circle that sends out oat milk lattes alongside espresso martinis. At Georgia Brown’s, a new “Kansas City Shuffle” works with bourbon, Aperol, Madagascar vanilla, grapefruit, and lemon. Parent company Capital Restaurant Concepts is now run by Residents co-owner David Nammour, whose dad was part of Georgia Brown’s opening team.
Along with dine-in and some outdoor seating, takeout for food and drinks will be available from an online menu. In-house delivery has a five-mile radius from 950 15th Street NW. Some things haven’t changed a bit, with longtime best-selling orders of buttermilk fried chicken, fried green tomatoes, shrimp and grits, and Carolina gumbo. Wavy bronzed ceiling strips, made to look like grand oak trees stretching over Southern streets, also stayed put. Its popular Sunday brunch returns November 8.
In other news...
- Montgomery County is poised to tighten reopening rules for restaurants to stem the spread of COVID-19. County executive Marc Elrich issued an executive order, subject to a vote from the County Council, that would roll back capacity limits at restaurants from 50 percent to 25 percent while cutting off dine-in alcohol sales at 10 p.m.
- The family behind Baked & Wired reopened La Betty, its American comfort food restaurant in Mt. Vernon Triangle, this week with online ordering for takeout and a tweaked menu. La Betty now has two types options for roasted half chickens (herby or jerk) and puts its standout chicken schnitzel in a sandwich. Reliable wedge salads, glazed ribs, twice-baked potatoes, and cheesecake are still on the menu.
- The Adams Morgan strip just welcomed a new family-run taqueria called Kachis Tacos & Cantina (2307 18th Street NW).
New #AdamsMorgan Opening: Kachis Tacos & Cantina! This family-run restaurant offers traditional Mexican food inspired by their Abuela. The owners moved to the United States to proudly live the American Dream & we couldn't be more excited to welcome them to the neighborhood. pic.twitter.com/ebbI3zxlvu
— Adams Morgan BID (@AdMoBID) November 4, 2020
- After much controversy over whether it qualified, the Line hotel in Adams Morgan finally received a tax abatement that exempts future property taxes of up to $46 million over 20 years.
- Carlie Steiner, the D.C. mixologist who closed Petworth’s Pom Pom due to the pandemic, is doing a liquidation sale of her own coupes and crystal stemware — with free cocktail recipes, depending on the glass.