Dakota Fine

Chef Jamie Leeds of Commonwealth Gastropub.

Dining Trend: More Meat on D.C. Menus

First, pork belly took over D.C. restaurant menus. Then, burger joints seemed to pop up on every corner. And somewhere in this mix, restaurants added in-house charcuteries—and not just the fancier dining establishments, but neighborhood gastropubs, too.

Upshot: There seems to be a lot of meat in Washington at the moment. Though as D.C. veteran chef Robert Wiedmaier of Marcel’s, Brasserie Beck and Brabo fame reminded me, “D.C. has always been a meat town.”

“What you’re seeing with the burger joints popping up everywhere and chefs doing the charcuterie is a trend in the culinary scene around the country,” explains Wiedmaier, who expanded Brabo in Old Town Alexandria to include The Butcher’s Block, its in-house charcuterie, a year and a half ago.

There’s a practical measure to this: Meat sourced from local farms just tastes better. Thus, the re-emergence of the technical craft of how chefs can create short ribs, sauce, sausages, head cheese, pâté or a rillette—and influence the entire menu.

Jamie Leeds, who brought us Hank’s Oyster Bar and, more recently, CommonWealth Gastropub, where she handles her in-house curing with a walk-in fridge built in a rental parking space below her restaurant on Columbia Road, is dedicated to purchasing local.

“I think it’s important for supporting the local farmer, and also, you can’t surpass the flavor and quality,” she says. It’s more expensive than commodity beef, and she has to charge more for it, which can be at odds with the moderately priced, good-value restaurant model she follows. But “people are getting more educated in the quality of their food, and they’re looking for something that’s locally sourced,” she says. The solution: Leeds has a couple of menu items that are grass-fed and local. (Grass-fed beef kabobs marinated in chili are a favorite.)

So, what about all the burger joints? There’s an easy explanation—fast food isn’t cutting it anymore. “We’re growing up in this country as culinarians,” says Wiedmaier.

And the pork belly, which is as ubiquitous as salmon: How did that happen? Well, according to Leeds, “It’s rich and delicious if it’s cooked properly.” That said, Leeds believes pork belly has had its day. But if pork belly is so 2010, then what’s next?

Well, the culinary pendulum might be swinging to the other side. Despite our current fixation on animals, Leeds has her money on the veggie family. “I think vegetables are going to be really hot. We’ll start seeing more interesting vegetarian items on menus across the board—and they’ll be incorporated into menus. It won’t be just an extra ‘put together a vegetarian plate’ kind of thing. It’s actually going to be part of the menu base.”

One thing’s certain: Our culinary options in Washington just keep growing.