Given high prices in general, some people are opting to let others do the cooking.Ĭarlos Delgado says he wanted to “build a new way of Peruvian eating,” and that’s exactly what he’s accomplished with two restaurants under one roof in Blagden Alley, Amazonia and Causa. Sign of the times: Americans spent 20.7 percent more at restaurants than they spent on groceries last year, Axios reported last month.

“We missed gathering,” says Rose Previte, owner of the spirited new Kirby Club in Fairfax, Va., where the demand for group bookings represents “a new appreciation” among diners. (Thank you, José Andrés, Peter Chang and others.)Īre dining rooms more crowded these days? It sure feels that way, judging from all the hard-to-book restaurants - and the din within. If you’ve been following my restaurant rounds in and around Washington, you know your ravenous guide has been eating a lot of baguettes, hoisting more than a few chopsticks and frequenting spinoffs of popular dining establishments. Here’s hoping you like French food, Asian flavors and brand extensions, because my spring collection of new places to eat brims with opportunities to taste the top trends of the past year or so.