Little New Orleans

Michele’s Opens in the Eaton Hotel | Eater DC

"Named for the chef’s late New Orleans–native mother, Michele’s opened at the Eaton Hotel as Michelin-starred Matt Baker’s smart, upscale restaurant where diners are greeted with a standing canapé: a warm artichoke velouté dusted with black truffle powder that Baker says was the last dish he cooked for his mother. Much of the menu draws on Baker’s Houston upbringing and his ties to New Orleans, with dishes that explicitly reference those influences: a hamachi crudo that takes cues from tacos al pastor (encrusted with Tajín, tossed in a guajillo pepper vinaigrette and finished with compressed pineapple, avocado mousse, dehydrated corn nuts, onion mojo, and fresh cilantro); a fried whole fish served with nuoc cham, greens, steamed rice, and crispy garlic reflecting Vietnamese contributions to Gulf Coast dining; barbecue carrots reimagined from New Orleans–style barbecue shrimp with Worcestershire, spices, and lemon; and a silky crawfish linguine studded with Louisiana crawfish and dressed in crabe nage, lobster butter, brandy, and tarragon. Baker’s French training remains the backbone of the kitchen, evident in a hearty pork crepinette (ground pork emulsified with pork fat and warming spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, star anise, and sage, wrapped, seared, and glazed in pig trotter jus with rosemary). The restaurant emphasizes careful sourcing across the board, features an expansive 10-seat marble-topped raw bar offering regal seafood towers, classic caviar service, and locally sourced oysters (with an 18–20 course raw-bar omakase to launch soon), and rounds out the menu with desserts from pastry chef Aisha Momaney, including sour cream cheesecake, chocolate mousse, and a bananas Foster ice cream sundae. The 3,000-square-foot, 124-seat dining room mixes cobalt blue and neon pink with new artworks by Naomi Whitestone and Emon Surakitkoson and a double-sided glass wine display; a 32-seat partially enclosed “streetery” for all-weather outdoor dining will debut later this year. Michele’s is open Wednesday through Sunday for dinner, with brunch to follow later this winter, and Baker says he’d prefer no strict label beyond “an upscale restaurant by Chef Matt Baker that has really fucking good food.”" - Stephanie Carter