D.C.’s Hottest New Restaurant Resides Inside a Pilates Studio | Eater DC

"Marrying a pilates studio with a restaurant, this Union Market district newcomer unites flavors from Mexico, Bulgaria, and Japan under chef Josa Maldonado’s seasonally evolving, vegetable-obsessed menu. Launching dinner service on Saturday, September 20, the first sit-down project from Iva and Alex Gotzev channels Maldonado’s Michelin-starred past (Pujol, the French Laundry, Jatak) into inventive reimaginings of family-style dishes from his Mexico City roots: smoked-and-pressed striped bass with guajillo adobo, farmhouse cheese, and a yellow corn tortilla is Maldonado’s take on a quesadilla, while Virginia pork shoulder spiced with anato, red onion, and habanero reinterprets Yucatán’s cochinita pibil. Japanese inflections run throughout—seaweed helps flavor the mole (paired with potato miso, chicken skin, and greens), kombu provides depth to branzino, and cranberry bean shoyu seasons zucchini alongside Parmigiano-Reggiano—while Balkan nods appear via acorn flour breadcrumbs and imported feta and yogurt crème fraîche. The industrial-styled dining room sits within the i5 Union Market building and shares space conceptually with a mezzanine Toolbox pilates studio, echoing the name’s Greek roots (balance and mental health) and a prescribed eating sequence—vegetables, then fats, then protein, then carbs—for a lighter but full finish. Expect the menu to shift with the calendar: Garden (May–September) spotlights fresh produce and fermented elements; Forest (October–February) leans into umami mushrooms and gamier meats; and Sea (February–May) highlights Chesapeake Bay seafood. Cocktails by Susheria alum Christopher Carpousis honor Bulgaria’s apricot export, and the wine list spans Italy, Mexico, and Bulgaria, with dish descriptions pared to just ingredients to preserve surprise." - Lulu Chang