In a city of constant change, the restaurant industry is no exception. Reeling from inflation and Initiative 82 on tipped minimum wage, the industry still managed to thrive, delighting diners of all stripes. In no particular order, and in a highly subjective list, these are a few of the top stories that hit hardest in the D.C. food and drink scene in 2024.
Her Diner Rises
When one diner door closes, another diner door opens. After 25 years as an LGBTQ and Adams Morgan landmark, Duplex Diner ended its run.
On July 31, Duplex Diner owners Mark Hunker and Jeff McCracken closed the bar-restaurant and soon announced the potential for a new location in Rehoboth Beach, Del. The duo purchased the spot in 2014 from previous owner and developer Erich Hirshfield, who initially launched Duplex Diner in 1998.
The Diner’s general manager, Kelly Laczko, quickly moved to take over the location, imbuing it with a refreshed spirit while maintaining nods to the community-centric atmosphere beloved in the past, and giving it a new name: Her Diner. Laczko, along with wife, Kethida Laczko, improved the interior with a vibrant, modern facelift that built on the industrial-chic vibe of Duplex.
Laczko also kept a menu mainstay: the (In)famous, beachy squeezes most popular in lemon, as well as orange and grapefruit. Tater tots and meatloaf also remain, as well as some beloved events, like weekly trivia and drag shows. She’s dedicated one of the bathrooms to Beyonce; the rest of the restaurant is dedicated to her customers grateful that the Diner has been reborn.
Political Patties Falls
Another gay bar closure did not have as felicitous of an ending. Last summer, Dirty Goose, a tri-level bar on U Street, closed after eight years. Co-owners Justin Parker and Daniel Honeycutt also run nearby Shakers. Dirty Goose became a nightlife mainstay, first focusing on martinis and cocktails, and later moving to DJ sets, dancing, and a rooftop popular on weekends. “Goose,” as it is popularly known, had a strong impact: it started a mini-nightlife trend at the corner of 9th and U Streets, as Kiki opened soon after, followed by Shakers.
In its place, however, was not another gay bar. Owners Sydney Bradford and Andrew Benbow opened a bar called Political Pattie’s in September just a few days after Goose closed in an attempt to fashion a sports bar – bipartisan watering hole. Reaction was swift: first for taking over the space of a popular institution, then painting over its rainbow with a donkey and elephant, as well as for bad-pun, politically themed cocktail names. The bar never overcame the internet’s backlash and nationwide bad press. It closed less than three months later, in December. As of press time, the space remains vacant.
A Starr is Born – Again
Stephen Starr continues his romp through the D.C. restaurant scene. Starr, based in Philadelphia, owns one of the most popular restaurants in the city, Le Diplomate. The tireless restaurateur has since opened several additional concepts, including El Presidente and St. Anselm. This year, Starr debuted Pastis, a near-copy of the French, celebrity-focused restaurant in Manhattan. It completes a Union Market trio of Starr restaurants, where the aforementioned two are located. Pastis was co-produced by another New York-based restaurateur, Keith McNally, who opened a separate new restaurant in December of this year, Minetta Tavern.
Starr, however, was not done dotting the District with destinations. Partnering with celebrated West Coast-based chef Nancy Silverton, the two refashioned the former Dean & Deluca space on M Street into the Italian destination of Osteria Mozza (there is another location of Osteria Mozza in LA). Silverton here has taken the helm of the giant, gilded, two-story space, fronted by a specialty market and centered around a circular marble bar from which drinks and cheese will flow.
Starr, with two restaurant openings this year, has his hands full, but is not yet done: Starr is set to soon take over and reopen The Occidental downtown.
Rafidi Rules
The Yellow Brick Road is paved with pastries, hummus, and sumac for Michael Rafidi, the award-winning chef of Michelin-starred Albi and bakery Yellow. This year, Rafidi opened the upstairs-level La’Shukran in Union Market, a neo-Bistro inspired by a bit of Beirut and a bit of the 1960s. With fewer than 40 seats, it’s an intimate lounge with DJs dropping beats from across the Arab world, and mixologists pouring innovative concoctions featuring Levantine ingredients like arak and sumac. Dishes run from hummuses to escargot to date-barbecued mushrooms. Rafidi’s Yellow cafes are open in Georgetown and the ground floor below La’Shukran. The Union Market location just launched “All the Kebabs”, an afternoon-evening menu of pitas, mezze, and yes, kebabs, to complement the morning-time pastries. Rafidi continues to push beyond boundaries in his exploration of savory, sweet, and drinks from the Middle East and beyond.