Local restaurateur Jason Miskiri just brought downtown Silver Spring a polished breakfast spot with a morning-to-night lineup of American, Southern, and Caribbean-influenced fare. Look for cinnamon roll pancakes, lamp chops, mac and cheese, seafood or chicken fried rice, and bone-in oxtail and grits, plus a medley of daiquiris and Prohibition-era cocktails. Miskiri also runs Caribbean fast-casual Angry Jerk and The Society Restaurant and Lounge in Silver Spring.

Billed as Prince George’s County’s first chef’s table, Huncho House brings Hyattsville upscale fusion fare like deviled eggs with bacon jam and fried shrimp, sushi specials, 16-layer oxtail lasagna, creamy crab and jalapeno fettuccine, prime steaks, and cream corn brulee. After retiring from the NFL in 2012, chef and Maryland native Tobias Dorzon studied at the Culinary School at the Art Institute of Washington and in Sicily, led the kitchen at a fancy Houston restaurant, and won several Food Network competitions along the way (he finished third in Guy Fieri’s Tournament of Champions this year). His new 46-seat showpiece with a 10-top bar is decadently dressed with white flowers, Hermès plates and wall decor, and Italian leather furniture.

Colin McClimans and Danilo Simic, the culinary duo behind Logan Circle’s super-seasonal mainstay Nina May, just tacked on a Chevy Chase destination for fish, vegetables, and meats sourced from the American coastline. Situated in a converted row house, Opal puts a wood-fired oven to work to bake breads and roast all sorts of proteins. Menu highlights include ricotta dumplings with brown butter, squash, and Calabrian chiles; grilled red cabbage with hazelnuts and sweet and sour chili; and charred swordfish with a zesty citrus finish. A circular bar sending out smoked Sazeracs anchors an 80-seat dining room surrounded in stone and exposed beams.

For his sophomore project in D.C., Eater DC’s 2021 Chef of the Year Elias Taddesse remixes American soul food with remixes American soul food with East African spices at a tiny new carryout counter near Howard University. The anticipated follow-up to the Ethiopian chef’s acclaimed burger bar Mélange swings open with fiery pieces of fried or char-grilled chicken, black cumin cornbread, doro wat-spiced macaroni and cheese, and turmeric-tinged coleslaw, mashed potatoes drizzled with timiz peppercorn gravy, and collard greens braised with smoked turkey and Ethiopian spices. Open for takeout and delivery at 11 a.m. daily.

Chefs Chris Morgan and Gerald Addison (Bammy’s) reunite with beverage director Said Haddad to recreate the post-shift street foods and drinks they used to make during their days at Michelin-rated Maydan. Their new Lebanese stall in Union Market debuted in late October with grilled lamb kebabs, thinly-shaved beef shawarma, shish taouk, falafel, cheeses, salads, spreads, and pita-wrapped sandwiches topped with herbs, vegetables, and flavorful sauces. Yasmīne, named after Haddad’s beloved grandmother, also centers around pours of arak (a popular Middle Eastern distilled spirit). Arak “service” comes with add-ons like carrots with lemon and sea salt; Medjoul dates salted and seasoned with orange zest; and herbed mixed olives. The full bar also offers wine and cocktails.

Michelin-starred chef Nicholas Stefanelli leans into his classically-trained French foundation with the debut of Le Clou. Situated off the lobby of The Morrow Washington DC, Curio Collection by Hilton, Stefanelli’s modern spin on a French brasserie seats 75 across a gilded dining room dotted with swirled marble tables and sleek leather booths. Open for dinner service to start, Le Clou offers abundant seafood towers, frisee salads, Hudson Valley foie gras, escargot, frog legs, steak frites, French onion soup, delicate trout, and black truffle-topped veal sweetbreads. Roving Champagne, cheese, and brandy carts work the dining room and adjacent Lobby Lounge. Le Clou’s chef de cuisine Nico Cezar previously worked with Stefanelli at Masseria and (now-closed) Bibiana.

In November, the West End’s St. Gregory Hotel welcomed an elegant European bistro honoring D.C. music legend Duke Ellington, whose namesake park sits across the street. The 90-seat dining room opens with French onion soup, oven-roasted escargot swimming in absinthe butter, beef tartare mixed with caper berries and piccalilli, Maine lobster or bacon tartes, charcuterie and cheese boards, rotating crudo with grapefruit and shiso, and oil-cured tuna Niçoise salad. Veteran D.C. chef Frank Morales formerly cooked at downtown power spot Oval Room (now La Bise) and Alexandria’s modern American eatery Rustico.

Debuting at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, December 7, the team behind Georgetown’s acclaimed cocktail bar L’Annexe adds a sophisticated French brasserie next door that pays homage to Parisian nightlife. Renowned French chef Gilles Epié — the youngest chef to receive a Michelin star at age 22 (in 1980 at Le Pavillon des Princes) — was most recently at the helm of the five-star Turtle Bay Resort in Oahu, Hawaii, and the former Montage Beverly Hills before that. His star-studded Rolodex of political and celebrity guests include U.S. Presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton; French Presidents Emmanuel Macron and Nicolas Sarkozy; and Princess Diana, Bruce Springsteen, Sharon Stone, and Robert De Niro.

This sleek new restaurant for H Street NE aims to reimagine the history of the African diaspora through the lens of a fictional character named Alonzo Bronze. Owner Keem Hughley, a 15-year hospitality vet and native Washingtonian, plants the new project inside the former three-story home of Smith Commons. A 26-foot bar on the first floor offers a large cocktail menu with spirits from all over the world. Bronze’s dream team includes wine consultant Nadine Brown; Barmini alum and Hanumanh mixologist Al Thompson; and Brooklyn native and acclaimed Afro-Caribbean chef Toya Henry. Opening dishes include braised oxtail with pappardelle; coconut basmati and bamboo rice; kanpachi crudo; charred yuzu squid skewers; and a guava cheese doughnut.

The luxury 131-room hotel on the Wharf just flicked on its anticipated collection of dining establishments, all led by executive chef and W alum Barry Koslow. That includes Latin-leaning Flora Flora, an indoor-outdoor restaurant overlooking a pool deck (open for breakfast and lunch to start, with dinner coming soon); Moonraker, a luxe rooftop lounge serving sushi and Japanese spirits; and Bar Pendry, a lobby-level cocktail den decked out in gold and navy decor. Looking for a quick bite nearby? Consider fast-casual import Gordon Ramsay Fish & Chips.

The latest Middle Eastern marvel from Michelin-starred Maydan and Compass Rose owners Rose Previte and Mike Schuster debuted in the Fairfax’s Mosaic District last month. The inviting menu kicks off with homemade breads and spreads (hummus, grilled red pepper, olive-walnut); snacks and sides (turmeric rice, an escarole and red cabbage salad, and pickled vegetables); and all sorts of kebabs, combo plates, and picnic-style platters. At the bar, za’atar from local Palestinian purveyor Z&Z gets infused into gin to make a uniquely dirty martini. Egyptian-American executive chef Omar Hegazi comes with a background running Egyptian chain cafe Zooba in New York City and working as sous chef at Bourbon Steak in Georgetown and Zaytinya in Texas.