Albi's open kitchen is even more open now. Photograph by Hawkeye Johnson. Chef Michael Rafidi is arguably at the top of his game. His Navy Yard destination Albi recently ranked number one on Washingtonian‘s 100 Very Best Restaurants list, and Rafidi won the prestigious James Beard Award for “out standing chef” last year. But Rafidi still sees room for improvement. So, he closed Albi for a couple weeks—it reopens today with an elevated look and slightly expanded menu. Rafidi is also leaning into his heritage and now branding the restaurant more specifically as Palestinian rather than Levantine. “It’s a personal restaurant. It’s my first restaurant. It was meant to be the food of my youth and the food I grew up eating,” says Rafidi, whose grandparents came from Ramallah. “Calling it a Middle Eastern restaurant, Levantine restaurant just didn’t feel right.” Albi’s version of kibbeh naya, which can be made with lamb or yellowfin tuna. Photograph by Rey Lopez. The revised a la carte menu includes more of Rafidi’s takes on the traditional Palestinian dishes he grew up eating. For example, maklouba, which translates to “upside-down” in Arabic, is a crisp-topped rice dish typically made with chicken and vegetables. Rafidi’s version embraces the Mid-Atlantic with Maryland crab and “every spring vegetable you could think of,” he says. A new dish on Albi’s menu: rabbit shish barak, or dumplings. Photograph by Rey Lopez. Another dish called bazella is traditionally a pea stew that you eat over rice. Albi will serve a classic version of the stew alongside a smoked bone-in beef rib with tomato, burnt onions, and English peas—plus Rafidi’s grandma’s rice. Also look out for shish barak, tiny rabbit dumplings baked in the wood-fired oven with a yogurt sauce, then topped with spring onion and chili crisp. Meanwhile, Rafidi is looking to personalize the five-course (plus snacks) “sofra” menu—it’s now $165, up from $145. Rather than a traditional tasting menu, the kitchen will customize the experience based on what guests want and what seasonal specialty ingredients are on hand. That means two tables right next to each other might end up with different meals on the same night. “The sofra is really welcoming someone to your house, and we’re just cooking for you,” Rafidi says. “Every sofra is a little bit different. It’s more spontaneous. If you want to eat more vegetables today, we’ll make sure you have more vegetables in your meal. If you don’t want to eat a single vegetable, we’ll make sure you don’t have any vegetables.” The bar also has a few additions, including a greater focus on the anise-flavored spirit arak. The restaurant will offer arak bottle service with a ceremonial-style tableside presentation. Meanwhile, sommelier William Simons says they’re refining and expanding the wine list with a storybook-like menu that delves into indigenous grape varietals or profiles of winemakers. What was previously Yellow cafe is now the lounge at Albi. Photograph by Hawkeye Johnson. The private dining area, which previously housed Rafidi’s Yellow cafe, has been converted into a lounge, where guests can grab a drink before dinner or pop in for some light bites. The bar room has also been revamped with new custom-tiled tables and a mirrored bar back, and the room has been rearranged so no one has their back to the kitchen hearth. While bar seats are still for walk-ins, the tables can be reserved, and you can get the full menu throughout. All tables have a view of the hearth in Albi’s revamped dining room. Photograph by Hawkeye Johnson. The main dining room now has a warmer, more intimate vibe with yell0w floor-to-ceiling curtains, round white oak and walnut tables, and embroidered artwork from Palestinian-American artist Jordan Nassar. The restaurant has always had an open kitchen, but now it’s even more so. Every barrier between the tables and kitchen has been removed, so everything seamlessly flows together in one room. Meanwhile, the room as a whole is darker and moodier, and tables are individually lit to create “little intimate islands,” Simons says. They’ve also upgraded the sound system and tried to improve the acoustics, so you can both hear the music and have a conversation. “We’re transforming the space, but it really is the same Albi,” Rafidi says. “We’ve upgraded.”The post DC’s Top Restaurant Albi Just Got a Makeover first appeared on Washingtonian. ...read more read less