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| Top of the Gate at The Watergate Hotel |
From our friends at the Watergate Hotel...
The Watergate Hotel Announces Dual Restaurant Concepts, 1960's-Inspired Whisky Bar and Chic Rooftop Lounge
Under the direction of Executive Chef Michael Santoro, The Watergate Hotel unveils robust food & beverage program
Following an extensive $125 million renovation by Euro Capital Properties, The Watergate Hotel will be home to four distinct restaurant and bar concepts when doors open this spring. Situated just steps from The Kennedy Center near Washington, DC’s chic Georgetown neighborhood, The Watergate Hotel will offer an array of gastronomy and libations on property to appeal to the world’s most discerning travelers and Washingtonians alike.
Euro Capital Properties tapped seasoned Executive Chef Michael Santoro to create menus for the hotel's restaurants, bars, in-room dining, and meeting and event spaces. The Watergate Hotel will feature Santoro’s flavorful seasonal dishes, which are made using fresh, carefully sourced ingredients and modern cooking techniques. Chef Santoro brings more than ten years of hospitality experience to the table, having opened two hotels and six restaurants in six countries. He has worked in acclaimed Michelin Star restaurants including London’s The Fat Duck Duck and Mugaritz in Spain, as well as Andaz 5th Avenue in New York and DC’s Blue Duck Tavern.
“It is an honor to be working with the iconic Watergate Hotel,” said Michael Santoro, Executive Chef at The Watergate Hotel. “I am inspired by the hotel’s distinct history and I feel privileged to be reinventing the food and beverage experience for all of The Watergate Hotel's dining venues."
From a lively restaurant and fine dining concept, to an exclusive whisky bar and the hotel’s first-ever rooftop space with stunning views of the city landscape, the iconic hotel is poised to become one of DC’s top dining destinations.
For intimate occasions and sophisticated events, Kingbird restaurant will provide a luxurious setting, first class hospitality and a delectable tasting menu paired with an impressive wine list that celebrates some of the world’s best-known regions. Serving dinner Monday through Saturday from 5:30 - 10 PM, guests can select three courses for $80 or four courses for $95. Signature dishes, which highlight the best of American cuisine with a French twist, include English Pea Velouté with cuttlefish ravioli, Crispy Frog Legs, Roast Foie Gras grilled a la plancha over cherry blossom, and Toasted Rouget in bouillabaisse.
A lively, more relaxed three meal option is also available at Kingbird. With an energetic bar, contemporary dining room, and modern seasonally-inspired menu, guests and local residents can opt to eat in or dine al fresco on the restaurant's terrace day and night. Breakfast will be served daily from 6:30 - 10:30 AM, featuring light, farm fresh egg dishes, whole grains and heartier options like Maryland Crab Benedict and decadent Brioche Custard French Toast served Foster-style with rum caramelized bananas, candied walnuts and Chantilly cream. Lunch, from 12 - 2:30 PM every day, features fresh salads, seafood, crudo and tartare options to start. Entrées range from light Barbecued Sunchokes to steaks, chops and a Brisket Burger topped with caramelized onion, pickles, sharp cheddar and tomato-garlic aioli in place of ketchup, available with a side of Duck Fat Fries. For dinner, served nightly from 5-10 PM, delicacies range from Smoked Duck Breast, Roast Halibut and Scallops with Pork Belly, to prime steak and chop selections including a generous Dry Aged Ribeye and rich, marbled Japanese Wagyu Beef.
The dining room is outfitted with The Watergate Chairs, designed exclusively for the hotel by acclaimed designer Ron Arad to underscore the curvature of the building’s original architecture. The casual and fine dining spaces are separated by custom banquettes by Italian furniture craftsmen Moroso. In keeping with the lobby motif, the hotel's dining destinations feature warm red and bronze colors and an oversized metal bar where craft cocktails are shaken and stirred. The restaurants also feature outdoor seating with breathtaking views of the Potomac River, furnished with Moroso chairs in a palette of neutral colors.
Tucked within the hotel’s lobby, The Next Whisky Bar fuses historic Washington, D.C. with the modern vibrancy of the hotel. Destined to become a favorite rendezvous spot for Washington's elite, the space provides an exclusive location for high-caliber meetings or an intimate tête-à-tête. The whisky bar offers an expansive list of liquors, highlighting whisky, bourbon and rye from small batch producers and large distillers alike. To complement the fine spirits, a menu of salty and sweet snacks will be offered.
The space is seamlessly carved into the lobby by an undulating wall of custom whisky bottles, inside each is a custom label sculpted and stamped out of metal that bathes the space in a warm bronze glow. Arad says he “was inspired by the circular movements throughout the building and the waves of The Potomac River to develop distinct public spaces which flow seamlessly." Dark polished granite floors that gradually fade to a matte finish and espresso wooden blinds ground the winding whisky wall. To add a colorful accent and a nod to the hotel's retro past, Arad designed an exclusive custom rug featuring The Door's lyric that inspired the bar’s name, "well, show me the way to the next whisky bar.”
Set to be one of Washington, D.C.’s most desired outdoor destinations, the hotel’s first-ever rooftop lounge Top of the Gate is the perfect place for an after work cocktail or to host an exclusive event with the best view in town. Boasting 360-degree views of the river, the Washington Monument and the Georgetown waterfront, Top of the Gate will provide guests with a luxurious respite from the bustling city below. A menu of inventive signature libations and classic cocktails, paired with Asian street food, will be served in addition to a bevy of well-appointed amenities including bottle service, heat lamps and a fire pit.
The modern space is adorned with distinctive plants and lush greenery for a natural setting. Furnishings feature dark café colors and woven textural materials. Guests can enjoy a bird’s eye view of the city from the bar’s high top chairs, or relax on comfortable couches positioned throughout the area.
To accommodate early risers and night owls, The Watergate Hotel also offers in-room dining. Selections from the breakfast menu are offered from 6-11 AM along with hot coffee and espresso drinks, cold press iced coffee and signature Mango Mimosas, Bellinis and Bloody Mary brunch cocktails. A variety of seasonal soups, salads, sandwiches, select entrées and signature pastas, like Bucatini Cacio y Pepe and Grandma Maragliati’s Gravy, canestri topped with a generous ladle of meat ragout, are available all day from 11 AM - 11 PM. Daily dinner specials, dubbed “Chef Michael Santoro’s Dinner Favorites,” offer guests a chance to try something that is not offered on the regular menus. A children’s menu is available for families and desserts including Tiramisu Verrine with ganache, Frangelico mascarpone and coffee ice cream, Chocolate Ganache & Salted Peanut Brittle Mousse Tart and classic New York Cheesecake provide a sweet ending to a long day. For all-nighters, a Late Night menu with crave items including Steak Frites, truffled Grilled Cheese and Korean-style Fried Chicken Wings is offered from 10 PM - 6 AM.
For more information on The Watergate Hotel, please visit TheWatergateHotel.com.
About The Watergate Hotel:
Following an extensive $125 million renovation, The Watergate Hotel will once again open its doors to guests in March 2016. Leisure and business travelers alike will experience the revitalized bold mid-century modern design, blending classic elegance with the extravagance and warmth of a true luxury lifestyle hotel. Under the ownership of international real estate developer, Euro Capital Properties, the distinguished hotel features select interiors by illustrious designer Ron Arad along with intriguing sculptural furnishings from Italian designer Moroso. The Watergate Hotel boasts 336 stylish guestrooms, including six exquisite Diplomat Suites, 24 premier suites and two stately Presidential Suites, as well as 27,000 square feet of flexible meeting and event space, including a brand new ballroom and 10,000 square feet of outdoor terraces overlooking the Potomac River. Hotel guests and local residents alike will enjoy access to dining at Kingbird restaurant and its energetic bar, The Next Whisky Bar, and spectacular Top of the Gate rooftop bar and lounge with 360-degree views, in addition to the exclusive Argentta Spa and fitness facility, complete with a lavish indoor pool. The hotel is conveniently located near many of Washington, D.C.'s most popular destinations including The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, a mere one mile walk to The White House and National Mall, and in the near vicinity to Georgetown shopping, George Washington University, Embassy Row and the picturesque Dupont Circle. For more information, please visit www.thewatergatehotel.com.
About Euro Capital Properties:
Euro Capital Properties is an international real estate developer and hospitality management company, bringing design-forward properties such as The Watergate Hotel to major cities around the world. Headquartered in New York, the company's principal has developed and managed iconic properties in Paris such as L'Hotel du Collectionneur with Euro Capital Properties' sister company, The Gate Collection. A strategic partnership remains with the Paris properties.
