Jean-Georges Vongerichten
Last night the Buzz made its way through the soigné crowds gathered for the debut of the W Hotel, a glamorous reincarnation of the Hotel Washington, where we chatted with celebrated chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten about J&G Steakhouse and his other projects in the new venue.
Zagat Buzz: Had you been to Washington, DC, before you began this project? Why did you decide to open a restaurant here now?
Jean-Georges Vongerichten: Yes, I traveled here first as a tourist, and in 1988–89 to visit Jean-Louis Palladin at his Watergate restaurant. The Starwood group began this project some two years ago. I think that DC is ready for us. It is a great town with many talented chefs. There is such good local produce – right now, crabs and corn and peaches. Today we got the first peaches from Virginia. They are not quite ripe, so we didn’t put a dish using them on the menu yet.
ZB: Can you tell us about the decision to put your steakhouse concept in the hotel’s main dining room?
JGV: Actually, it is more of a grill than a steakhouse. But it is much more than that. The menu includes the best dishes from my other restaurants – like Jean Georges, JoJo and Spice Market in New York City, where I have 10 restaurants. I couldn’t open that many restaurants in DC, so I am offering the ‘best of’ those menus in the dining room. We want to appeal to many different kinds of customers – visiting businessmen, lobbyists and tourists as well as locals. We don’t want to be too much of an “occasion place” – more of a once-a-week spot. For example, the wine bar has a casual menu with charcuterie, cheese and a hamburger – simple things. And there are lots of different appetizers and entrees on the dining room menu.
ZB: The hotel’s roof terrace has legendary views of the White House and the monuments. What was your reaction the first time you went up there?
JGV: Wow, magnificent! I thought that my Spice Market dishes would be perfect for that special space. It is finger food, like samosas, which works well with people sitting at small tables for cocktails, little bites and the view.
ZB: You travel a lot. Do the cuisines of the countries you visit influence your menus?
JGV: When you travel, the diversity opens a whole new palate of flavor. After all, there are only so many kinds of meat, or even fish from different oceans. It is the spices and herbs in new combinations of ingredients, as well as new techniques that add variety. For example, when we opened in Istanbul, we learned about new flavors because spice merchants from many regions went to the market there. But most important is the true flavor of the ingredients. Now, people want to go back to the simple pleasure of the true taste of a fresh scallop or tuna.
ZB: How often will we be seeing you in DC?
JGV: I am here for 10 days, and then I will be back every month or so to refresh the menus.
– Olga Boikess