Lucille’s takes tips from the golden age of steakhouses. | Schamu Machowski + Patterson/rendering Lucille’s slides into the soon-to-close Bistro Bis later this fall Critically-acclaimed D.C. chef and restaurateur Matt Baker is getting into the steakhouse game for the first time this fall with the opening of Lucille’s Modern Chophouse on Capitol Hill. The newly announced project, situated on the ground floor of the Kimpton George Hotel (15 E Street NW), replaces pioneering chef Jeff Buben’s Bistro Bis. The 26-year old French standby has no closing date as of yet, but Lucille’s has ambitious plans to debut inside by Thanksgiving. “It’s a new market, neighborhood, and genre for us that we haven’t tapped into yet,” says Baker, whose citywide 101 Hospitality group is comprised of Michelin-starred American restaurant Gravitas, French-influenced Michele’s, all-day cafe Baker’s Daughter, and catering company CMB at Home. Lucille’s will give meats the dry-aging treatment in a new locker on full display in the dining room. The plan is to showcase four or five cuts at any given time, including Japanese and Texan wagyu along with a domestic prime beef program. The hotel’s landlord Pebblebrook Hotel Trust reached out to Baker a year ago about replacing Bistro Bis, and his chophouse plan came to light later. “There’s a lot of history with Bisto Bis’ clientele. It meant a lot to be considered for it,” says Baker. Michele’s/Facebook Chef Matt Baker turns to his Houston roots to develop a delectable, koji-cured double smash burger at Michele’s. Lucille’s, in short, will serve the kind of food he likes to eat. “I love a nice steak dinner at its core,” says the Houston native, who recalls dining out four times a week for the meaty meal. “Chophouses are always something nostalgic for me.” Twice-baked potatoes, a dinnertime staple in Baker’s household, will also make an appearance. Capitol Hill is already home to power spots like Charlie Palmer Steak and Monocle, but Lucille’s strives to be “more than just a traditional D.C. steakhouse,” he says. The modern American menu combines his New Mexican roots, Texas upbringing, French training, and Singaporean experiences. The “chophouse” category is relatively untapped in D.C., especially after Penn Quarter’s District Chophouse closed this spring after a 25-year run. Openers include a Singapore chili crab salad with crispy garlic, ginger and Thai basil; a raw bar section filled with oysters, chilled lobster, and shrimp cocktail; and a wedge salad engineered with Point Reyes blue cheese. On the mains front, looks for braised beef short ribs; grilled Iberico pork loin with piperade and salsa verde; and a spice-crusted lamb rack joined by cucumber-mint salad and riata, plus Key Lime pie for dessert. Schamu Machowski + Patterson/rendering The mezzanine level at Lucille’s. Schamu Machowski + Patterson/rendering The wood-heavy space will be revised with an open kitchen. Lucille’s will also import some familiar favorites across Baker’s portfolio. The best-selling smash burger at Michele’s downtown, which is also in a hotel, will make an appearance in some form or fashion. As will a variation of its French onion soup as an homage to Bistro Bis. In Ivy City, Gravitas’ prix fixe menu features tuna sashimi staples; at Lucille’s, the raw fish dish will be translated into an appetizer trio. Each sashimi component will be “based off a place I’ve lived in my adult journey,” he says, which includes stints in Japan and South America. A handsome marquee out front will lead the way into a throwback space reminiscent of the glamorous Rat Pack era, when steakhouses rose to fame. Lucille’s name nods to both actress Lucille Ball and his own daughter, Lucy. Baltimore-based Schamu Machowski + Patterson is putting together the new look. Large sliding windows offer indoor-outdoor seating at the bar, and the refresh also calls for sleek lighting accents, decorative bookshelves, artwork, and reupholstered banquettes. The 139-room boutique hotel, located two blocks from the U.S. Capitol, is an iconic stomping ground for tourists, locals, and politicos alike. Creating nooks and partitions between banquettes will offer its high-brow clientele — congresspeople, media, and lobbyists — the attractive element of seclusion. Lucille’s will also make good use of its existing wine cellar. “Bistro Bis’s French wine list always had a strong following — we want to bring that back and lean into that some more,” he says. A new martini cart will pour vodka-and-gin variations tableside, joined by roving drink enhancers like caviar and shrimp cocktail. The goal is to open before Thanksgiving, when CMB at Home deals with a surge of annual demand. The pandemic-born takeout arm keeps getting “bigger and bigger” every year, he says, with upwards of 300-plus turkey orders for the holiday. Baker’s brick-and-mortar portfolio will continue to expand next year, when his anticipated Mediterranean wine bar Non Se debuts some time in the first or second quarter within the Union Market district (300 Morse Street NE). He says he took an extended R&D trip to Sicily in June to source dish ideas, plates, and glassware. Schamu Machowski + Patterson/rendering Navy-toned bookshelves will showcase mid-century greats like Godfather actor Marlon Brando.