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Updating the Eater Heatmap, Where to Eat Right Now

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More often than not, tipsters, readers, friends and family of Eater have one question: Where should I eat right now? Restaurant obsessives want to know what's new, what's hot, which favorite chef just launched a sophomore effort, where to sip the cocktail of the moment. And while the Eater 38 is a crucial resource covering old standbys and neighborhood essentials across the city, it is not a chronicle of the 'it' places of the moment. Thus, we offer the Eater Heatmap, which will change often to continually highlight where the foodie crowds are flocking to at the moment.


This time around, we say goodbye to DGS Delicatessen, Union Market and Taylor Charles Steak & Ice to make room for The Rye Bar, GBD and the newly renovated Art & Soul. Daikaya's entry has been updated to reflect the newly-opened izakaya.

01/3/2013: Added Hogo, Range, Taylor Charles Steak & Ice
02/7/2013: Added Ambar, Mari Vanna, Table
03/7/2013: Added Daikaya, Beuchert's Saloon, Barmini
04/4/2013: Added GBD, Art & Soul, The Rye Bar (and Daikaya's izakaya)

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Hogo is The Passenger's Tom Brown's temple to rum, with a wide selection and a number of tiki-inspired drinks. The menu changes depending on what chef is in the kitchen, but dishes are currently Hawaiian influenced.

Bryan Voltaggio's ambitious new restaurant specializes in the whole animal, with a grill station, raw bar, pizzas, a bakery and more. The spacious restaurant also includes a huge bar and a retail market, and is packed with industry talent in everything from mixology to charcuterie.

Table is the first of two restaurants from chef Frederik de Pue. The Shaw neighborhood spot has a Belgian-influenced menu with dishes such as frogs' legs, and attention to detail everywhere, including menus handwritten in pencil.

The ambitious Ambar, from Ivan Iricanin and partner Richard Sandoval, provides a modern perspective to Serbian cuisine. Housemade Rakia, a Balkan liqueur, is a particular draw.

Mari Vanna

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New Russian restaurant Mari Vanna has made a splash in Dupont Circle, with celebrity sightings, homestyle food, a clubby third floor, and "secret keys" for regulars.

Daikaya

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Daikaya's ramen shop, which specializes in Sapporo-style ramen, drew lines out the door since its opening, and now its upstairs izakaya, which opened in late March, is creating plenty of buzz. The Japanese restaurant is from partners Daisuke Utagawa, Katsuya Fukushima and Yama Jewayni. The izakaya boasts unique small dishes, such as the frozen sashimi dish ruibe, traditional items such as onigiri rice balls, a wide selection of Japanese whiskeys, and a sake bomb made with a spherical ball of sake.

Beuchert's Saloon

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Still in its soft opening phase, Beuchert's Saloon's design pays homage to the speakeasy that the building used to house. The restaurant specializes in carefully-made cocktails and farm-to-table cuisine, and chef Andrew Markert used to work at PS7's. It's the neighborhood place Capitol Hill has been waiting for (literally) — folks patiently line up to grab a bar stool at the new joint.

barmini

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The experimental cocktail lab inside Minibar by José Andrés has been booking up as soon as its first reservations became available for Feb. 15. The bar puts a molecular spin on classic cocktails, offers a peek into sister restaurant Minibar and serves up unique bar snacks such as Thai Chicharrones. Prices are more accessible than Minibar's $225 per person tab, too.

Art and Soul

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Art Smith's restaurant within the Liaison Capitol Hill hotel has gotten both a new look and a new menu since its recent renovation. Dishes include seafood gumbo and pickled eggs, and the design manages to be both classy and rustic. This spring will bring roasts on the restaurant's patio.

The Rye Bar

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The Rye Bar is the cocktail destination within D.C.'s newest luxury hotel, the Capella in Georgetown. The restaurant got some early press for its high-priced $22 Manhattan, but sets itself apart with its artisan ice program, cocktail aging and selection of rare rye whiskeys. The hotel's adjacent restaurant is The Grill Room.

Ok, technically GBD's grand opening is Friday, but the restaurant has already generated ample buzz with its pop-up events around town, as well as its soft opening parties this week. Neighborhood Restaurant Group's collaboration between pastry chef Tiffany MacIssac and her husband, chef Kyle Bailey, specializes in doughnuts and fried chicken. Brioche and cake doughnuts are available in unique flavors such as grapefruit campari, and there are also fun snacks such as fried chicken skin and bao-style chicken buns. Greg Engert has created a special craft beer list for the restaurant, too, with 19 drafts.

Hogo

Hogo is The Passenger's Tom Brown's temple to rum, with a wide selection and a number of tiki-inspired drinks. The menu changes depending on what chef is in the kitchen, but dishes are currently Hawaiian influenced.

Range

Bryan Voltaggio's ambitious new restaurant specializes in the whole animal, with a grill station, raw bar, pizzas, a bakery and more. The spacious restaurant also includes a huge bar and a retail market, and is packed with industry talent in everything from mixology to charcuterie.

Table

Table is the first of two restaurants from chef Frederik de Pue. The Shaw neighborhood spot has a Belgian-influenced menu with dishes such as frogs' legs, and attention to detail everywhere, including menus handwritten in pencil.

Ambar

The ambitious Ambar, from Ivan Iricanin and partner Richard Sandoval, provides a modern perspective to Serbian cuisine. Housemade Rakia, a Balkan liqueur, is a particular draw.

Mari Vanna

New Russian restaurant Mari Vanna has made a splash in Dupont Circle, with celebrity sightings, homestyle food, a clubby third floor, and "secret keys" for regulars.

Daikaya

Daikaya's ramen shop, which specializes in Sapporo-style ramen, drew lines out the door since its opening, and now its upstairs izakaya, which opened in late March, is creating plenty of buzz. The Japanese restaurant is from partners Daisuke Utagawa, Katsuya Fukushima and Yama Jewayni. The izakaya boasts unique small dishes, such as the frozen sashimi dish ruibe, traditional items such as onigiri rice balls, a wide selection of Japanese whiskeys, and a sake bomb made with a spherical ball of sake.

Beuchert's Saloon

Still in its soft opening phase, Beuchert's Saloon's design pays homage to the speakeasy that the building used to house. The restaurant specializes in carefully-made cocktails and farm-to-table cuisine, and chef Andrew Markert used to work at PS7's. It's the neighborhood place Capitol Hill has been waiting for (literally) — folks patiently line up to grab a bar stool at the new joint.

barmini

The experimental cocktail lab inside Minibar by José Andrés has been booking up as soon as its first reservations became available for Feb. 15. The bar puts a molecular spin on classic cocktails, offers a peek into sister restaurant Minibar and serves up unique bar snacks such as Thai Chicharrones. Prices are more accessible than Minibar's $225 per person tab, too.

Art and Soul

Art Smith's restaurant within the Liaison Capitol Hill hotel has gotten both a new look and a new menu since its recent renovation. Dishes include seafood gumbo and pickled eggs, and the design manages to be both classy and rustic. This spring will bring roasts on the restaurant's patio.

The Rye Bar

The Rye Bar is the cocktail destination within D.C.'s newest luxury hotel, the Capella in Georgetown. The restaurant got some early press for its high-priced $22 Manhattan, but sets itself apart with its artisan ice program, cocktail aging and selection of rare rye whiskeys. The hotel's adjacent restaurant is The Grill Room.

GBD

Ok, technically GBD's grand opening is Friday, but the restaurant has already generated ample buzz with its pop-up events around town, as well as its soft opening parties this week. Neighborhood Restaurant Group's collaboration between pastry chef Tiffany MacIssac and her husband, chef Kyle Bailey, specializes in doughnuts and fried chicken. Brioche and cake doughnuts are available in unique flavors such as grapefruit campari, and there are also fun snacks such as fried chicken skin and bao-style chicken buns. Greg Engert has created a special craft beer list for the restaurant, too, with 19 drafts.

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