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.

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'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.

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 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 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.