Tonight, Washington, D.C.'s selection saw the addition of two new One Stars—Mita and Omakase at Barracks Row—and a new Green Star for Oyster Oyster.
Courtesy of Chefs Tatiana Mora and Miguel Guerra, Mita brings with it a plant-based Latin American tasting menu. With international influences from Brazil to Bolivia, the food here is filled to the brim with original textures and flavor.
Omakase at Barracks Row, on the other hand, features a one-of-a-kind omakase experience consisting of Japanese imports and mouthwatering sushi.
Below, we go over everything you need to know about Washington D.C.'s newest Stars, what to order, and everything in between.
New One Stars
Mita
Cuisine: Vegetarian
Latin American cuisine, only plant based. That's the premise behind this contemporary space set in the Shaw neighborhood. It's tasting menu only, but short and long formats ensure a fit. Chefs Tatiana Mora and Miguel Guerra share their creative spirit here, where influences span from Brazil and Bolivia to Colombia and dishes sport originality. A basket of arepas is a fun dish featuring a variety of textures and flavors with tasty sauces like guasacaca, cashew sour cream with chili oil, and butter made of chontaduro. Watermelon crudo with fermented carrot in a cucumber leche de tigre sauce is inventive and bold, while a slice of mushroom terrine wrapped in greens with layers of potato delivers on umami, bite after bite.
Omakase at Barracks Row
Cuisine: Japanese
Chef Yi "Ricky" Wang, who trained under Chef Nakazawa before running a series of pop-ups, is now settled in at this counter, located up a set of metal stairs in an industrial-chic space. Take special note of the paintings that line that staircase—they're nods to a longstanding tradition of fishermen brushing their catch with ink and pressing it into rice paper—and you may be presented with a similar piece at your meal.
Chef Wang's omakase features a few otsumami, perhaps poached sweet shrimp in a smoked Maine uni sauce, before progressing to nigiri. It's all impressive, from the Boston surf clam finished with kumquat kosho to the hay-smoked Spanish mackerel sourced from the Carolinas that's bold but balanced. Musk melon with strawberries imported from Japan is a satisfying finale.
Three Stars and Green Star
The Inn at Little Washington
Cuisine: American, French
Two Stars
Jônt
Cuisine: Contemporary
minibar
Cuisine: Contemporary
One Star and Green Star
Oyster Oyster
Cuisine: Vegetarian
One Star
Albi
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Bresca
Cuisine: Contemporary
Causa
Cuisine: Peruvian
Elcielo D.C.
Cuisine: Colombian
Fiola
Cuisine: Italian
Gravitas
Cuisine: Contemporary
Imperfecto: The Chef's Table
Cuisine: Latin American
Kinship
Cuisine: Contemporary
Little Pearl
Cuisine: Contemporary
Masseria
Cuisine: Italian
Métier
Cuisine: Contemporary
Pineapple and Pearls
Cuisine: Contemporary
Rania
Cuisine: Indian
Reverie
Cuisine: Contemporary
Rooster & Owl
Cuisine: Contemporary
Rose’s Luxury
Cuisine: Contemporary
Sushi Nakazawa
Cuisine: Japanese
Tail Up Goat
Cuisine: Contemporary
The Dabney
Cuisine: American
Xiquet
Cuisine: Spanish
Hero image: Rey Lopez / Mita
