The MICHELIN Guide announced its 2020 selection for D.C. restaurants and four more were named among the ones deserving one star.
According to the MICHELIN Guide Washington, D.C. 2020, released on October 1, a total of 18 businesses are starred and four of these are newly added.
Gravitas, Little Pearl, Maydān and Sushi Nakazawa are the new one-starred restaurants of the nation’s capitol.
“Our inspectors are especially impressed by the range and diversity of cuisine in Washington, D.C., which reflects Washington’s culture as a global crossroads for governments and travelers,” Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the MICHELIN Guide, was quoted as saying.
“Of the four new one-star restaurants recognized in the 2020 guide, two are contemporary, one Middle Eastern and one Japanese, all offering rich and unique dining experiences and high-quality cooking,” he added.
The guide stated that 130 restaurants that appeared in the MICHELIN Guide Washington, D.C. represented 36 cuisine types.
Gravitas, one of the new one-starred D.C. restaurants, stood out with its “impressive series of creative, astutely composed dishes offered by chef Matt Baker.” The place, located at 1401 Okie St NE, is specifically recommended for social gatherings or intimate meals.
Little Pearl, with chef/owner Aaron Silverman at the helm, becoming a one-starred restaurant was not surprising at all, as Silverman is also behind (one-starred) Rose’s Luxury and (two-starred) Pineapple and Pearls, as well. Little Pearl offers an evening tasting menu featuring seven to eight courses for less than $50.
Maydān (at 1346 Florida Avenue NW) which opened two years ago earned one star for its “skill and vision to cook consistently on an impressive hearth.”
Sushi Nakazawa, which is also among the new one-starred restaurants, is the D.C. branch of a New York City sushi restaurant. “Worth a stop, this intimate and elegant restaurant offers a laser focus on quality, seasonality and technique, thanks to the vigilance of chef Daisuke Nakazawa,” the guide said.
The entire list of MICHELIN Guide Washington, D.C. 2020 is as follows:
Three Stars
The Inn at Little Washington
Two Stars
minibar
Pineapple and Pearls
One Star
Bresca
The Dabney
Fiola
Gravitas (NEW)
Kinship
Komi
Little Pearl (NEW)
Masseria
Maydān (NEW)
Métier
Plume
Rose’s Luxury
Sushi Nakazawa (NEW)
Sushi Taro
Tail Up Goat