About DC Restaurant Openings
A guide to the newest places to eat and drink.
Techo Palma, 606 Florida Ave., NW
The Shaw neighborhood staple El Techo has returned under the name Techo Palma, now featuring a combination of Mexican and Mediterranean dishes, a bar focused on tequila and mezcal, and live plants hanging from the ceiling meant to transport guests to the coastal city of Tulum.
“I want you to feel so comfortable that you feel like you’re in your living room, but you’re getting good food and drink at the same time,” says owner Daniel Joseph Hatem.
Hatem described El Techo, which closed in December after almost a decade of operations, as the “anchor” of the block in Shaw, which has become a nightlife hub, with the wildly popular Eebee’s Corner Bar right next door. Hatem says he was inspired to bring “new life” to the space by the impact the former bar had on the neighborhood, so he brought in mixologist Jacob Simpson and executive chef Rafael Delaro of Minetta Tavern and made them partners in the business ahead of their Cinco de Mayo opening.
“I couldn’t let it go back to the landlord and let someone else come here and do something else,” Hatem says. “I wanted to keep the neighborhood going.”
Hatem said he and his team crafted the menu to maintain traditional Mexican flavors with dishes such as mole wings and birria tacos with Oaxacan cheese, as well as chicken croquetas topped with a verde aioli. But he also sought to bring aspects of his Lebanese heritage to the menu, with lamb ribs with a smoked eggplant puree and fire roasted carrots in a harissa glaze.
Simpson—who previously served as bar manager at Bar Chinois, a French-Asian fusion hotspot in Mt. Vernon Triangle—heads the agave spirit-based bar, and he says the narrow focus of the bar allows them to focus on doing “two or three things really well” and get creative to match the tropical vibe of the space.
The bar menu features signature cocktails like Jarritos, a mandarin Blanco tequila-based drink topped with a raspberry hibiscus foam, and El Padrino (the Godfather), made with mezcal, hazelnut, and guajillo bitters.
“I wanted to do a menu that would make people feel like they have their toes in the sand,” Simpson says.
Hatem said the decor, which includes tropical plants, drapery and lamps dangling from the ceiling, hand-carved mandalas on the walls and murals of Tulum-inspired foliage, along with the electronic music thumping through the speakers, was inspired by his extensive travels to South America.
Hatem says making members of his team like the chef and mixologist partners in the business was important to him because he wanted their compensation in the business to reflect the contribution they make to running the establishment.
“I believe that if you have talent and you want them to take care of their own place, they need to feel ownership,” he says.
