The Hot Seat

We grill four celebrated DC chefs on what to eat and where to sit as they fire up their searing new concepts this summer.

Cathal Armstrong
Virtue Feed and Grain, Opened June 8
Does this restaurant reflect your Irish heritage? It’s an American tavern, but it resembles what has happened to pubs in Ireland. After the smoking ban, a lot of them moved toward food to lure people in. What will we taste here that we can’t get elsewhere? Kidney braised in red wine, as mentioned in Ulysses by James Joyce. How about at the bar? We have “hoptails”—cocktails focused on beer. What’s the inside like? Lots of reclaimed wood, pool tables, dartboards, Donkey Kong, PAC-MAN. So where’s the best seat? At the corner of the bar next to me. 106 S. Union St., Old Town, virtuefeedandgrain.com

Enzo Fargione
Elisir, Opening Late August
Why come? Teatro Goldoni was a great jump start for me. This bridges classic cuisine with revolutionary cuisine. It’s a tasting menu only at dinner—eight or 12 courses. Give us an example. Smoked goose liver with balsamic vinegar gelato; ricotta cavatelli pasta with smoked lobster and white truffles. Will we see you? There’s a semi-open kitchen with an observation deck and HD cameras feeding monitors in the restaurant. Where should we sit? In one of the three tables across from the kitchen. 427 11th St. NW, elisirrestaurant.com

Mike Isabella
Graffiato, Opened June 23
After Zaytinya and Top Chef, what can we expect? The kind of place where my friends can come by. Italian small plates, all wines by the glass, cans of beer, Prosecco on tap. So it’s casual? It’s very industrial—old paint, concrete floors and ceilings. There’s a pizza bar, a charcuterie bar, open kitchens. What should we order? My grandma’s gnocchi with pork ragu. It’s what I grew up with. And roasted chicken thighs with pepperoni sauce. Best seat? Any of the 12 seats around the wood oven. That’s where you’ll see me working. 707 Sixth St. NW, graffiatodc.com

RJ Cooper
Rogue 24, Opening in August
A $170, 24-course tasting menu, but it’s in a former garage. That’s different. I could open a midrange place in Dupont, but that’s not me. We want to do the unexpected. What’s the experience going to be like? I don’t want to have a real bar. It’s more like a salon or living room. You’ll get your first two cocktails there, then move to the dining room, which has a mixology station and three large kitchen “islands.” There are lots of surprises in the food. What’s the best table? Every table is within 15 feet of the chef. The media took the chef out of the kitchen, so that’s what we’re doing. 922 N St. NW, rogue24.com