Stephen Starr's vintage-glam reinvention of The Occidental is here
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Power booths at the glitzy new Occidental. Photo: Courtesy Birch Thomas
Washington is packed with historic venues, but glitzy dining rooms where tuxedoed waitstaff unveil "pheasant under glass" and flambé bananas foster tableside felt extinct — until today, The Occidental's grand debut.
The big picture: Restaurateur Stephen Starr has been on a two-year opening spree in D.C. — El Presidente, Pastis, and new VIP magnet Osteria Mozza — but he's often dished to us about the one that excites him most:
- This glamorous reinvention of The Willard hotel's 1906 power spot (long faded) overlooking the White House.
"I think the time is right for it," Starr tells Axios. "It's a grown-up place. It feels intimate."
- And while the menu is studded with spendy luxuries like caviar service and ribeyes, "The food isn't challenging — you can just eat here," no tweezers or deconstructions involved.
Dig in: While few may remember the time when glazed Virginia ham steaks with pineapple were popular, the menu is full of lesser-seen throwbacks like that, lobster Newburg or steak Diane — plus some revived Occidental classics like oysters beurre blanc or lamb chops with mint jelly.
- Cocktails lean nostalgic too, whether memories drift back to icy cold martinis — here shaken until glacial with manzanilla olive brine and sea salt — or cosmos mixed with Grand Marnier.
Between the lines: Starr noticed a post-pandemic hunger for nostalgia. Even his oldest Philadelphia restaurants, whose sales once waned, "started doing crazy business. People wanted to feel comfortable and go to places they remembered."
- The Occidental, Starr says, "is for everyone, Democrats and Republicans," towing the statesman line of many restaurateurs opening in D.C. (Mozza has welcomed all stripes – the Obamas, Jeff Bezos, and as of Monday night per restaurant sources, the Bidens).
The vibe: 19th-century dazzle. Designer Ken Fulk, behind the vintage-glam looks of Carbone Miami and ZZ's Club, channels The Occidental's glory eras in the multi-tiered space.
- That includes an Art Deco-style bar boasting a black-and-white marble floor and grand piano. A clubby main dining room outfitted with crystal chandeliers, potted palms and jewel-toned booths for both privacy and people watching. And a modish whiskey lounge tucked away upstairs.
One element that isn't throwback: the bill.
- A tony vibe and prime downtown location come with prices to match, with most apps in the high teens to low $30s and entrees in the high $30s to low $70s.
The intrigue: Most Starr restaurants serve a signature dish (e.g., Le Dip's burger, St. Anselm's axehandle ribeye). The owner's bet here is on the salt-crusted prime rib served au jus with creamy horseradish. Or pheasant presented under a smoking cloche with braised thigh, seared breast, and foie gras.
That said, smaller indulgences may win. We have our bets on the buttery, brick-size "giant hash browns" anointing every table during a pre-opening service.
- Also, pretty slices of Champagne cake or coconut chiffon, served on custom china, that you can chase with grasshopper mochas — the 1960s answer to espresso martinis.
