Welcome to three new restaurants offering traditional American, Mexican and Mediterranean fare. Shake Shack (800 F Street), the New York-based burger chain, opened in Downtown today in space once occupied by Spy City Café in the International Spy Museum Building. Judging by the crowd, Downtown diners anticipated the self-described “modern day ‘roadside’ burger stand” and its tempting menu of burgers, fries, hot dogs, frozen custard, shakes, and other delectable morsels. Ready to sample the wares? The hours of operation: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Sunday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to midnight on Friday and Saturday.
MXDC (600 14th Street) and Decanter (923 16th Street) both opened last week. MXDC is the new concept by celebrity chef Todd English and restaurateur Aziz Safi, of Panache fame. The Mexican restaurant serves small plates and family-style dishes—including guacamoles, salads, quesadillas and tacos filled with the likes of pork belly, confit duck and grilled octopus—and offers more than 100 different tequila drinks. MXDC, located in two-level open space once occupied by Galileo III, is now serving dinner but plans to expand service soon.
Decanter’s the place for anyone craving Mediterranean-influenced dishes. Its menu features delectable dishes and flavors from the South of France, Spain, Turkey and Italy, and more than 2,000 wines. The restaurant is located in the St. Regis Hotel, having replaced Adour, the award-winning, French-American restaurant. Equipped with several dining alcoves, Decanter’s temperature controlled wine vaults are a dining room centerpiece—so you can ogle, chow down and drink all at the same time. And, get this: Washingtonian magazine reports that one of the first couples to dine at the restaurant ordered a flatbread and a $1,400 bottle of Chateau Haut-Brion, a famed, first-growth French wine.