The rooftop of Sly. {Photograph} by Kimberly Kong.
Sly. 222 M St., NE.
Seven years after Marcus Samuelsson’s year-old Nationwide Harbor restaurant closed its doorways, the movie star chef is again to the DC space—this time, with three deliberate restaurant ideas at the Morrow Lodge in NoMa.
The primary of those ventures to open is Sly, positioned on the Morrow’s rooftop and boasting 360-degree views of town’s skyline. Samuelsson, an eight-time James Beard Basis Award winner, Chopped choose, and the identify behind iconic New York Metropolis eating places like Pink Rooster Harlem and Metropolis, has decked out the brand new area in wealthy, jewel-toned hues. The seafood-focused international dishes characteristic most of the similar colours—a celebration, he says, of DC’s “vibrancy.”
“Wherever you’re on the earth, you’ll hear Washington, DC talked about on daily basis,” says Samuelsson. “With politics as an anchor additionally comes an unbelievable range.”
In an effort to underscore this range, meals choices at Sly, spearheaded by DC culinary veteran and Chopped champion Anthony Jones, have origin tales from all around the map. Anticipate tuna tostadas with a gently spicy walnut salsa macha, doro wat empanadas served with aji amarillo, and an nearly croquette-like crab cake with kohlrabi-apple slaw. Lots of the menu objects come garnished with colourful roughage (assume slices of watermelon radish and loads of microgreens) and served atop banana leaves.
The cocktail menu additionally embraces fusion flavors. Standouts embody the “Previous Soul,” Sly’s tackle an old style with berbere and mole, and the “Electrical Sly” with tequila, passionfruit, and spicy “hearth” tincture.
“I needed there to be lush, drinkable cocktails,” Samuelsson says. “When it’s 85 or 95 levels, you need one thing gentle and fast.”
Samuelsson says that each the menu and the ambiance of Sly will differ significantly from his subsequent Morrow idea, Marcus DC. This brasserie, additionally helmed by Jones, will spotlight native elements emblematic of Samuelsson’s Ethiopian and Swedish identities. Whereas Sly will boast lighter fare, fruity cocktails, and native DJ Afrobeat units, Marcus will “food-driven” and “all about craftsmanship.”
“When you concentrate on a rooftop bar, it’s unpretentious and enjoyable,” he says. “Downstairs might be a full-on restaurant with ambition and deliciousness. Sly has its function, and Marcus has its function.”
The eating places change these from Masseria chef Nick Stefanelli, who operated Le Clou within the Morrow. Extra particulars about Marcus DC, in addition to a cocktail lounge and personal occasion area within the lodge, are forthcoming. Within the meantime, Sly is now open on daily basis from 7 AM to 10 PM.
