HotelChatter

The Restaurant
Rising star chef Damon Gordon is at the helm. Gordon earned his culinary chops most recently at the Ivy Hotel’s Quarter Kitchen Restaurant in San Diego; previously he built his resume at spots like Ono at the Hotel Gansevoort, Alain Ducasse’s Mix, and Miami’s Blue Door at the Delano Hotel. At Plume, the menu will focus on upscale American offerings. Think steak tartare, chilled tomato consommé, hot passion fruit soufflé. Everything we tried was delightful — and even better, not overly worked. Gordon's take: He cares more about making delicious food than following trends. In other words, don’t come to Plume expecting superfluous foams. (Yay!)

Wine pairings will be big, thanks to a 5,000-bottle cellar and a sommelier snapped up from the embattled Greenbrier. Seating will be under a 1923 vaulted skylight that’s been meticulously restored. A hand-painted silk wall covering of Monticello in a “360-degree sepia-toned landscape mural” will set the tone. Or, diners can reserve the chef’s table in the kitchen, which is nestled between the pastry chef’s station and a very top-notch custom oven.

The Bar
Quill’s highlight is fine cocktails. Barman Alex Holzer comes from the esteemed La Pergola in Rome and will be making his own bitters, brewing tonic water, and using herb-infused alcohols. (We tasted a very refreshing kumquat cocktail that pretty much ensures we’ll go back for more.)

The Jefferson proudly states their goal of “reintroducing the art of cocktails” to Washington. Our only real bone to pick with that is that, well, a few excellent DC mixologists have already been doing that for the past couple of years. Not sure if that’s just a marketing tool or a sign of blinders to what’s been brewing while the Jefferson renovated.

Quill’s walls will be covered in a collection of 18th-century maps that track Jefferson’s wine journey through France, Germany and Italy. On nice days, an adjacent outdoor terrace will be open for bar (and cigar) service.