Exclusive: Full-service Lucky Danger, mahjong bar coming to Penn Quarter
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Kung Pao chicken at Lucky Danger. Photo: Scott Suchman for The Washington Post via Getty Images
Good news for Lucky Danger fans: chef Tim Ma is opening a full-service version of his popular carryout in Penn Quarter early next year.
Why it matters: Ma will have room to think outside the takeout box and explore his Chinese American heritage in the roomy restaurant (formerly The Partisan).
Flashback: Ma's a fine-dining veteran whose restaurant, Kyirisan, closed right before COVID.
- He launched Lucky Danger as a pandemic ghost kitchen in D.C. and then Arlington, specializing in comforting carryout classics like kung pao chicken, dumplings and lo mein.
Zoom in: In addition to a core takeout menu, the new spot at 709 D St Northwest will have a sit-down dining room where Ma will serve shared plates and large-format dishes like Peking duck or the Chinese prime rib specials he's run at Navy Yard restaurant Any Day Now.
- Ma is also planning a cocktail bar, and will transform the back room into a mahjong parlor where his father will teach lessons. The duo were previously involved in Arlington's mahjong-lounge Sparrow Room, which closed.
- "My elders take mahjong very seriously," Ma tells Axios. "They won't play with us kids because we're not good enough."
Between the lines: While "Americanized Chinese" food has been stereotyped as low-quality or not-gourmet-enough, Ma is among a new generation of chefs celebrating — and yes, elevating — the cuisine in its own right, while sticking to its roots.
- Ma came up with the concept after his family was honored in the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History exhibit, "Food: Transforming the American Table." His uncle's NYC restaurant, Paul Ma's China Kitchen, was featured, and Ma and his family shared stories of how Chinese food developed in America.
What's next: Ma, always busy consulting and partnering, has a few more projects that are set to open before year's end.
- Taco Cat, a classic and fusion taqueria, will open in Western Market Food Hall serving breakfast, lunch and happy hour.
- Kata DC, an Asian tapas and cocktail bar, will open in partnership with The Burns Brothers group in Penn Quarter.