Arts & Entertainment
Best of Gay D.C. XIII: Dining
Winners from the Blade’s readers poll
To see the winners of the Washington Blade’s Best of Gay D.C. readers poll in other categories, click here.
Best new restaurant
Barcelona
Runner-up: Rose’s Luxury
Barcelona (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
In the heart of the booming 14th Street N.W. corridor near Logan Circle is Barcelona, an always-bustling spot that has one of the largest outdoor seating areas in the neighborhood and a classy-yet-low-key vibe on the block between Q and R streets. Part of a chain, the restaurant, under the direction of Executive Chef John Critchley, features mostly tapas but has a few entrees as well. Many are Spanish-inspired (e.g. spiced beef empanadas or potato tortilla) but not all. It opened October 2013. (JD)
Barcelona Wine Bar & Restaurant
1622 14th St., N.W.
202-588-5500
Best Date Restaurant
Floriana
Runner-up: Le Diplomate
Floriana (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
Best Wine Bar
Dito’s Bar at Floriana
Runner-up: Cork
Dito’s Bar at Floriana (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
The perfect date night is planned for you at Floriana. Authentic Italian food, like butternut squash ravioli and lasagna, can transport any date from D.C. to Italy. Stop by Dito’s Bar for a drink to complete the romantic evening. All you have to do is show up. (MC)
Floriana
1602 17th St., N.W.
202-667-5937
Best Dessert
Curvy Mama Pies
Runner-up: Cake Love
Curvy Mama Pies (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Never grab a grocery store pie for the party again. Curvy Mama Pies’ online ordering service can have your pies ready in 48 hours. Try old favorites like “The Best Apple Pie Ever” and pumpkin pie or step outside the pie box and try “Aztec Chocolate Chess” or “Sweet Potato Bourbon.” (MC)
Curvy Mama Pies
Bethesda, Md.
301-717-3010
Best Boozy Brunch
Level One
Level One (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
1639 R St., N.W.
202-745-0025
Runner-up: Freddie’s Beach Bar
Best Chef
Jamie Leeds (Hank’s Oyster Bar)
Runner-up: Jose Andres (Jaleo, Oyamel, etc.)
Jamie Leeds (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
Long-time out restaurateur Jamie Leeds adds another accolade to her long list. In Washington since 2002, she opened the first Hank’s Oyster Bar in 2005 and now has locations in Capitol Hill and Old Town Alexandria in addition to its Q Street location just off 17th Street, N.W. If you’re into oysters, competitor Pearl Dive Oyster Palace on 14th, is undeniably great, but Hank’s always has a bounty of nirvana-inducing selections from a bewilderingly far-flung group of locales that are always mind bogglingly fresh. D.C. oyster heaven doesn’t get any better than this. (JD)
Hank’s Oyster Bar
1624 Q St., N.W.
Washington
202-462-HANK
1026 King St.
Alexandria, Va.
703-739-HANK
633 Pennsylvania Ave., S.E.
Washington
202-733-9171
Best Late Night Restaurant
Amsterdam Falafel
Runner-up: Annie’s Paramount Steak House
Amsterdam Falafel (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Don’t let your standards slip just because it’s after hours. Fresh falafels are made to order here with 21 sauces and toppings to choose from. Customize the fries as well with dressings and sauces like Dutch mayo or homemade peanut sauce. (MC)
Amsterdam Falafel
1830 14th St., N.W.
202-232-6200
Best Coffee Shop
Soho Tea and Coffee
Runner-up: The Coffee Bar
Ditch the Starbucks and try a specialty coffee at Soho Tea and Coffee. Drinks with fun names like Hello Gorgeous Macchiato and Betty Boop, white or dark chocolate mixed with coffee, make this not your typical coffee shop. (MC)
2150 P St., N.W.
202-463-7646
Best Rehoboth Restaurant
Dos Locos
Runner-up: Purple Parrot
Drinks at Dos Locos (Photo courtesy Dos Locos)
Whether you’re looking to watch a game with friends at the bar while downing the renowned margaritas or in need of a family-friendly place for dinner, the gay-owned Dos Locos delivers. There are seasonal specials (don’t miss the pumpkin margarita), tequila tasting dinners, inventive entrees (we love the duck quesadilla) and unbeatable specials (like the $20 pitchers of sangria on Saturdays). (KN)
Dos Locos
208 Rehoboth Ave.
302-227-3353
Best Caterer
Chef Patrick
Runner-up: R&R Catering
Chef Patrick (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Best Pizza
Matchbox
Locations vary
Runner-up: &Pizza
Spicy Meatball Pizza at Matchbox (Photo courtesy Matchbox Food Group)
Best Burger
Duke’s Grocery
Runner-up: Shake Shack
Duke’s Grocery (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Inspired by East London corner cafes, Duke’s Grocery provides a casual environment. The menu changes daily based on which ingredients, sourced from local purveyors, are fresh and seasonal. The burgers, like all other dishes, are made from scratch. (SMH)
Duke’s Grocery
1513 17th St., N.W.
202-733-5623
Best Baltimore Restaurant
Woodberry Kitchen
Runner-up: City Café
Woodberry Kitchen (Photo courtesy of Woodberry Kitchen)
Woodberry Kitchen is celebrating seven years in business and it’s still impossible to get a table without a reservation. Woodberry was an early proponent of the now-ubiquitous trend of farm-to-table cuisine. Chef Spike Gjerde is a James Beard semi-finalist as is the bar program. Woodberry supports sustainable agriculture, using ingredients from the Chesapeake region in its New American dishes. The success helped spawn a hot new spot, Parts & Labor, a butcher shop and restaurant, but there’s nothing like the original. Just make a reservation. (KN)
Woodberry Kitchen
2010 Clipper Park Road, #126
410-464-8000
Best Food Truck
D.C. Empanadas
Runner-up: Red Hook Lobster
D.C. Empanadas at the Human Rights Campaign’s ‘Chefs for Equality’ event on Sept. 24, 2014. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
D.C.’s only mobile gourmet empanada truck takes great care to provide hand-made delicacies using only local ingredients. A wide variety of beef, pork, chicken and vegetarian options rotate daily. Check Twitter @DCEmpanadas for the truck’s location. (SMH)
D.C. Empanadas
703-400-5363
Best Cheap Eat
District Taco
Runner-up: Stoney’s
District Taco (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
What originated as a food truck in 2009 now serves the community in four locations in and around D.C. The Yucatan-style tacos are simple, healthful and made from quality ingredients and served in environmentally friendly packaging. (SMH)
District Taco
703-560-0369
Best Farmer’s Market
Eastern Market
Eastern Market (Photo by AgnosticPreachersKid; courtesy Wikimedia Commons)
225 7th St. S.E.
202-698-5253
Runner-up: Dupont Circle FRESHFARM Market
Best Steak
Ray’s The Steaks
Runner-up: Ruth’s Chris Steak House
Satisfy that steak craving at Ray’s The Steaks. A New York strip, filet mignon or one of their butcher cuts is guaranteed to hit the spot. Their beef is all aged in house and cuts butchered daily for the ultimate tasting experience. (MC)
Ray’s The Steaks
2300 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, Va.
703-841-7297
Best Donut
Winner: District Doughnut
Runner-up: Krispy Kreme
Caramel apple streusel, maple butter pecan, apple cider and the list goes on for the donut flavors you can try here. The flavor schedule changes daily so be sure to come back again and again to indulge in something new. (MC)
District Doughnut
749 8th St., S.E.
202-350-0799
The fourth annual Equality Prince William Pride was held at the Harris Pavilion in Manassas, Va. on Saturday, May 17.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
The Washington Blade held its 18th annual Summer Kickoff Party in Rehoboth Beach, Del., on Friday, May 16. Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer spoke along with State Sen. Russ Huxtable, CAMP Rehoboth Executive Director Kim Leisey, Blade Editor Kevin Naff, and Clear Space Theatre Managing Director Joe Gfaller. The event raises funds for the Steve Elkins Memorial Fellowship in Journalism, which was awarded to AU student Abigail Hatting.
(Washington Blade photos by Daniel Truitt)
In some fowl fiction foreshadowing, a gay-owned chicken joint has come home to roost on U Street, taking a page from the chicken window subplot on the HBO show “Looking.”
Last Friday, Lucky Pollo – much more than just a takeout window – stretched its wings atop the busy nightlife corner of 14th and U Streets NW.
Behind the poultry production place is Zach Renovátes, a D.C.-based nightlife operator and managing partner of LGBTQ venues Bunker and District Eagle, as well as the LGBTQ event production company KINETIC Presents.
Renovátes opened Bunker in February 2023 and District Eagle in January of this year. Lucky Pollo is the third in his growing gay empire, though this time there are noshes.
“Lucky Pollo was meant to be fun and a little provocative,” Renovátes said.
Based around its Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken, Lucky Pollo is a quick-service restaurant boasting a small menu of poultry and sides. Renovátes says that the dishes are deeply rooted in Peruvian culinary tradition, “a playful experience alongside seriously good food.”
Lucky Pollo’s signature chicken is steeped in a dozen-plus-spice marinade for 24 hours. The meat is then slow-roasted, rotisserie-style, over oak-wood charcoal. Chicken options include quarter, half, and whole.
Helming the kitchen at Lucky Pollo is Chef Luis Herrera, who brings Peruvian recipes passed down through three generations, including his grandmother Laura’s original creations.
Beyond the full bird, the menu features Peruvian-inspired sides like yuca fries (“I personally love these,” says Renovátes) and fried plantains, as well as comfort classics such as mac and cheese and mashed potatoes, and bowls, wraps, and salads. Herrera oversees development of the multiple sauces (including staff favorite, the “secret green sauce”), crafted in-house using traditional Peruvian ingredients.
Lucky Pollo, in its streetside perch, is an independent concept from District Eagle, open to the public and staying open late (3 a.m. on weekends) to serve both nightlife guests and the wider U Street crowd hungry for late-night bites. However, just beyond the kitchen, tucked in the back lies a vintage 1950s candy machine—labeled “Out of Order,” which serves as the door leading to subterranean District Eagle.
Renovátes notes that when District Eagle is open, security staff will maintain a strict two-line policy, ensuring that those seeking meat to eat will not get entwined with those looking to gain access to District Eagle.
Lucky Pollo unites the need for sustenance with the idea of a bit of fortune, given its motto, “Get Lucky” and the whimsical brand mascot: a leather-booted chicken perched on a horseshoe. Renovátes and his District Eagle business partner had always been interested in opening a restaurant, and the Lucky Pollo space was indeed lucky: It already came with a functional kitchen. Plus, he says, the nearby fast-casual places around 14th and U streets “don’t offer a lot of quality options,” so opening the chicken spot “was a no-brainer.”
The space, designed by NYC creative Jasin Cadic, blends theatrical street-art-style vibes with Keith Haring-inspired wall prints, neon signs, and ceiling-hung chicken figurines —”some edgy, some sweet,” says Renovátes —creating an immersive, playful atmosphere. Lucky Pollo and District Eagle maintain separate amenities for their respective customers.
Lucky Pollo opened last week with a competition to devour a whole rotisserie chicken in the fastest time, with the winner earning $1,000 and a framed spot on the restaurant’s “Wall of Fame.” The opening also featured other games and prizes, and a full crowd spilling out the door.
“We want it to be a great place to eat, but also serve as a playful front for something completely unexpected.” Renovátes says.
On weekends especially, he jokes, the motto will be, ‘Come for the chicken, stay for the cock.’”
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