Next up in the list of CityCenterDC milestones, which, let’s face it, we’ve been tracking obsessively: the luxury downtown D.C. development’s first restaurant, DBGB Kitchen and Bar from lauded New York chef Daniel Boulud, officially opens Friday.
But it’s not like Boulud is new in town. He began his U.S. career in D.C. as the chef for the European Commission in the 1980s, and the chef’s CityCenterDC restaurant has been in the works for more than five years.
Though the Michelin-starred chef and restaurateur made his name in New York — including, among others, at the original DBGB in lower Manhattan — he gets a gleam in his eye when he talks about the years he spent in D.C. in his 20s, working on Embassy Row as well as for famed chef Jean-Louis Palladin at Jean-Louis at the Watergate.
During an interview at the under-construction DBGB in late August — stay tuned for a longer profile of the Boulud in Friday’s print edition — the Lyon, France-born chef’s smile came out time and again as he recounted those years, which included hanging out at Nathan’s in Georgetown and La Colline on Capitol Hill, and palling around with the likes of Michel Richard, Francis Layrle — then chef at the French Embassy, now chef at La Piquette in Glover Park — and Yannick Cam. He also recalled coming back from New York to celebrate his 30th birthday with a meal cooked by Palladin, his mentor, at Jean-Louis at the Watergate.
So with so much love for D.C., what took him so long? Many chefs coming into the market say that until now, they didn’t feel D.C. was ready or that it had enough of a restaurant scene. Boulud, in contrast, said it was more about him.
“I was never really sure I was ready for it, as far as having the team to be able to do it,” said Boulud, who said he’s been getting offers to do restaurants in D.C. for the past 15 years. The location in CityCenterDC on H Street NW, right next to the development’s entrance, was also perfect, he said.
“It’s definitely an up-and-coming neighborhood where every development and transformation is of very high quality,” he said. He sees CityCenter as a draw for a sophisticated clientele, or, as he puts it, “civilized.”
“There are many neighborhoods in D.C. where people go out, but I think this will remain a bit of a civilized neighborhood,” he said. “I don’t think it’s going to be 14th Street, but I think a lot of locals here will appreciate that as well.”
Boulud seems to feel extremely beholden to the D.C. restaurant scene, acknowledging the high expectations he faces coming into the market. He will also be in good company in CityCenterDC: Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House will open there next week, and New York dynamo David Chang and prolific restaurateur Richard Sandoval both have planned concepts.
“Once the dust settles, everyone will have to show their colors and create their own niche,” Boulud said. “I think D.C. is an amazing city. It’s maybe the most international city in America and the most American city in America, so you have that super-compression of the two that’s so unique.”
