Reston Gastropub Makers Union Makes a Big Splash in D.C., Starting With the Wharf | Eater DC

"At the Southwest Waterfront I found Makers Union’s shiny D.C. edition, a 3,550-square-foot, pet-friendly tavern decked out with aquamarine-tinged banquettes, brass lighting, exposed brick, floor-to-ceiling accordion doors and a neon-lit “get nauti” sign. The big bar highlights six D.C. breweries on draft (plus the house light lager), a dizzying list of whiskeys and bourbons, and cocktails like a Makers Maple Old Fashioned and rum punch. The all-day American menu starts with Nashville hot chicken tenders, New Zealand lamb lollipops dunked in spicy harissa, Virginia oysters, and broccoli-and-cheddar soup, and lets you augment the popular cavatappi mac-and-gruyere with lobster or crab; there are poke and pesto grain bowls, handhelds such as a char-grilled Creekstone Farms burger with bacon and a prime rib French dip, and signature items like “Warren’s fine” fried chicken and cheddar waffles slathered with bourbon maple syrup. Anchoring dinner is a 42-ounce tomahawk ribeye for two with garlic butter, salad, two sides and shared dessert ($150), while surf-and-turf and mains range from chili-lime rainbow trout and Devils Backbone beer-battered fish and chips to butternut squash and scallop risotto and Moroccan-style Impossible kebabs. Weekend brunch brings the Reston original’s unlimited, family-style favorites—Maryland crab cake Benedicts, breakfast nachos, smoked salmon lox, and cornflake-crusted French toast—with $25 bottomless mimosas available." - Tierney Plumb