"Michelin-starred chef Nicholas Stefanelli has already flexed the Italian (Officina, Masseria) and Greek (Philotimo) halves of his heritage. For his latest culinary feat in D.C., Stefanelli leans into his classically-trained French foundation with the debut of Le Clou. Situated off the lobby of The Morrow Washington DC, Curio Collection by Hilton, Stefanelli’s modern spin on a French brasserie seats 75 across a gilded dining room dotted with swirled marble tables and sleek leather booths. The French feast at day-old Le Clou calls for abundant seafood towers, frisee salads, Hudson Valley foie gras, escargot, frog legs, steak frites, French onion soup, and delicate trout. Stefanelli shows off the first winter black truffles of the season in a veal sweetbreads dish alongside cauliflower and sauce gribiche. Le Clou’s chef de cuisine Nico Cezar, who worked with Stefanelli at Masseria and (now-closed) Bibiana, was most recently cooking at Tonari." - Tierney Plumb
