Minetta Tavern DC

Over 700K Burgers Later, NY’s Acclaimed Minetta Tavern Nears Its D.C. Debut | Eater DC

"Three long years after first announcing the lease, the longtime Greenwich Village tavern finally swings on Tuesday, December 10 in a gritty Union Market district alleyway (1287 4th Street NE). Originally a bar that served literary greats like Ernest Hemingway and Ezra Pound back in 1937, the restaurant started a new chapter in 2009 under its current owner; his polished takeover "instantly got a glowing New York Times review." The high-end tavern, with Parisian flair, became best known for a Black Label burger that many New Yorkers will gladly pay $38 for; the owner told Eater, "Since we opened in 2009 we’ve sold just over 724,000 Black Label hamburgers. One customer in particular is responsible for eating 2,000 of them. (Not all in one night. Over the course of nearly 15 years.)" The chefs behind the original recipe ran other kitchens for the owner before going on to open Tribeca sensation Frenchette. On why he chose D.C., he recalled being "obsessed with paintings" two decades ago and taking monthly train trips to the National Gallery of Art and the Phillips Collection: "I did this religiously for two years. Although I saw little else but museums, I loved D.C. and always wanted to spend more time here." He also described the personal aftermath of a health crisis: "In 2016 I suffered a stroke that left my body semi-paralyzed and my voice in tatters. I was so depressed that I lost all sense of purpose. For better or for worse, the only thing that gives me purpose in life is building and operating restaurants." Regarding the D.C. edition specifically he said, "The menu will be 75 percent the same as the New York iteration. The interior will look 90 percent the same. The exterior is quite different because the New York site is located on one of the busiest streets in the Village and the D.C. site is located on a beautiful deserted alleyway in the Union Market area. (I much prefer the deserted alleyway location.)" He also uses Instagram as a primary means of communication since the stroke: "Instagram — which I loathe 70 percent of the time — then became my voice." - Tierney Plumb