Minetta Tavern’s best-selling Black Label burger is a patty of aged ribeye, skirt steak, and brisket slathered with clarified butter and caramelized onions. | Corry Arnold Famed restaurateur Keith McNally explains the backstory behind the expansion — and why there won’t be a third Three long years after first announcing the lease, Greenwich Village’s legendary Minetta Tavern finally swings open one week from today in a gritty Union Market district alleyway (1287 4th Street NE). Originally a bar that served Italian food to literary greats like Ernest Hemingway and Ezra Pound back in 1937, Minetta Tavern started a new chapter in 2009 under McNally’s watch. The polished takeover instantly got a glowing New York Times review. Corry Arnold Antique lamps and wooden beams frame Minetta’s white-tablecloth dining room in D.C. Over the years, the high-end tavern with Parisian flair became best known for the Black Label burger that many New Yorkers will gladly pay $38 for. That includes one hardcore regular who’s ordered thousands to date, McNally tells Eater. The chefs behind the original recipe ran other McNally kitchens before going on to open Tribeca sensation Frenchette. The Minetta flagship off MacDougal Street is also a classic New York spot for people-watching over martinis and steak frites, as tourists and regulars jockey for seats, particularly at its cozy front-room bar. McNally already has ties to Minetta Tavern’s latest neighborhood. He and fellow East Coast hospitality magnate Stephen Starr reopened celebrity-packed Pastis in fresh NY digs in 2019, and a second D.C. edition recently followed, with McNally taking on more of a consulting role there. The bold British entrepreneur, long dubbed the “inventor” of downtown Manhattan’s dining scene (and who also has a reputation for social media controversy), is behind perennially packed places like French brasserie Balthazar in Soho and West Village trattoria Morandi. His first foray outside of NY will directly compete with St. Anselm, Starr’s long-standing steakhouse that sits on the same block. Corry Arnold Minetta’s dry-aged côte de boeuf for two is presented atop roasted marrow bones alongside a gem lettuce salad. McNally comes to the nation’s capital without the incoming president he hoped for. On Election Night, just one month before Minetta Tavern’s anticipated due date, the diehard Democrat promised all Balthazar tables a free bottle of Taittinger Champagne if VP Kamala Harris had won. The somewhat-random reason for putting a Minetta Tavern in Washington in the first place dates back 20 years ago, during a time McNally was “obsessed with paintings.” So much so, he’d take the train to D.C. once a month just to visit the National Gallery of Art and the Phillips Collection. “I did this religiously for two years. Although I saw little else but museums, I loved D.C. and always wanted to spend more time here,” he says. And now he very much is, frequently sharing Minetta Tavern’s construction progress and opening updates with his 132,000 followers on Instagram — a tool he uses to communicate ever since a devastating stroke caused speech limitations. The Big Apple-based bigwig recently connected with Eater over email. Eater: Tell me about why you’re excited to bring Minetta Tavern to D.C., and why was our city the best fit for its second location? Keith McNally: In 2016 I suffered a stroke that left my body semi-paralyzed and my voice in tatters. I was so depressed that I lost all sense of purpose. For better or for worse, the only thing that gives me purpose in life is building and operating restaurants. Because I’ve always enjoyed the seriousness of D.C., I thought I should open my most serious restaurant here. But after D.C. I’ve no intention of building another Minetta in another city. Two is more than enough. Corry Arnold Minetta’s grilled Island Creek oysters with pancetta, Fresno chile butter, and panko breadcrumbs. Name the best meal(s) you’ve had in D.C. as of late. When I’m building a restaurant it’s impossible for me to eat out without getting massively depressed. Every restaurant I eat in — even a truck-stop dinner — seems like a Michelin-starred restaurant when I’m building a new place. How do you see the incoming political administration change affecting the restaurant industry as a whole? I became terrifically sad when Harris lost the election, but there’s no point in dwelling on it. Time to move on. And by moving on I mean keeping my open mind about the forthcoming government while at the same time strenuously fighting for democracy and women’s rights. How has Minetta Tavern evolved — as well as stayed the same — since you took over 15 years ago? I’ve never trust the word ‘evolved’ since a girlfriend — who was secretly fucking her life coach — claimed she’d ‘evolved’ in the past year and now wanted to break up with me. I believe Minetta Tavern has ‘developed’ into a more interesting restaurant over the years. I think the food is better now than it’s ever been. And by better I really mean more consistent. But that’s entirely due to chef Laurent Kalkotour. Corry Arnold Minetta Tavern D.C. largely differentiates itself from the flagship with Lucy Mercer Bar, an upstairs Champagne-and-caviar lounge named after Franklin D. Roosevelt’s mistress. Describe your most memorable night there so far. The only nights that stand out for me are the disasters. What makes your burger so popular (and worth its price point)? Approximately how many have been sold under your watch? Since Minetta opened in 2009 we’ve sold just over 724,000 Black Label hamburgers. One customer in particular is responsible for eating 2,000 of them. (Not all in one night. Over the course of nearly 15 years.) How will the D.C. edition be different (looks, menu wise, etc.) from the iconic original? The Minetta D.C.’s menu will be 75 percent the same as Minetta in New York. The interior will look 90 percent the same. The exterior is quite different because Minetta NY is located on one of the busiest streets in the Village and Minetta DC is located on a beautiful deserted alleyway in the Union Market area. (I much prefer the deserted alleyway location.) Corry Arnold D.C.’s Minetta Tavern largely resembles the old-school original with checkered flooring, slick red booths, caricatures, and hand-painted vignettes. You’re very active (and entertaining) on IG. Your detailed recaps of service and customer thank-you notes from that same day offer a rare look inside the industry. How do you manage to find the time to post and why is it important/beneficial to you as an owner? Depends how much serious work I have to do. I’m the world’s biggest procrastinator. The more serious work I have to do, the more time I spend on Instagram. I’m not on Instagram to promote my restaurants. I’m on Instagram because a stroke eight years ago left my voice shot to pieces. Instagram — which I loathe 70 percent of the time — then became my voice. Plans to do the same here? Absolutely. Name some of your favorite celebrity customers of all time. And the worst? Please feel free to comment on that James Corden fiasco... My favorite customers are categorically not celebrities. They’re naturally shy customers who pluck up the courage to enter a busy, bustling restaurant like Minetta in New York. Any potential plans to also bring a Balthazar or Morandi to D.C. down the line? Absolutely not! Minetta’s salads showcase the likes of lobster, celery remoulade, grapefruit, avocado, and Champagne vinaigrette (left).