There’s no star news to report quite yet, but Michelin announced this morning that four more restaurants will join its DC guide. The additions include two Adams Morgan spots: eclectic comfort food restaurant Rye Bunny and Paris-inspired wine bar Maison Bar à Vins. Italian small-plate-and-pizza joint Bar Del Monte in Mount Pleasant and Colombian-inspired Elcielo Bistró in Union Market (the next-door sibling to Michelin-starred Elcielo) also made the cut.
The restaurants are simply designated as “recommended” for now. Stars and Bib Gourmand designations will be revealed on December 14 at a ceremony in New York. Michelin added no new starred restaurants to the DC guide last year.
The DC Michelin guide currently lists 20 starred restaurants, plus the Inn at Little Washington (which was demoted from three stars to two stars last year). However, the list is not completely up to date: one-starred Gravitas has been closed since January despite chef Matt Baker’s attempts to revive it, and the Washington Business Journal reported this week that DC’s tax office has scheduled an auction to sell fine wines and premium furnishings it seized from the restaurant.
The Michelin news comes on top of a flurry of national recognition this week. Rye Bunny joined Palestinian fine-dining restaurant Albi on the New York Times’ list of its 50 favorite places to eat in America right now (along with the Chef’s Counter at Burnt Hill Farm in nearby Clarksburg, Maryland). Meanwhile, Food & Wine named Causa and Maru San chef Carlos Delgado and Perry’s chef Masako Morishita among its Best New Chefs in America, while Marcus DC was named among Travel + Leisure’s 25 best hotel restaurants in the world.
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind DC’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.
