Albi’s new smoked duck mujadarra (aged duck breast and tamarind-glazed leg, served with duck fat fried rice and garlic yogurt). | Rey Lopez Chef Michael Rafidi’s wood-fired marvel resurfaces in Navy Yard with a fresh new look, ad-libbed tasting menu, and Palestinian iden tity Five years in, D.C. chef Michael Rafidi — behind growing Levantine cafe Yellow and hot new rooftop bar La’ Shukran — says his most personal project yet is finally what he always envisioned it to be. After a two-week break, Rafidi’s critically acclaimed Navy Yard restaurant Albi reopened on Tuesday, April 1 with various menu and design changes — starting with a relocated entrance. In addition, Rafidi puts his Palestinian-American heritage on full display like never before. With the revamp, Albi’s ownership no longer identifies as a Levantine restaurant, but as a Palestinian one. Hawkeye Johnson Famed Palestinian-American artist Jordan Nassar’s tapestried landscape hangs in the new entryway. Going full-on Palestinian was always part of the plan, he says, explaining Palestine best captures the culinary “crossroads” of its Levant region that includes Syria, Israel, and Lebanon. If anyone can carry this off, it’s Albi. Following its 2020 debut, the restaurant has solidified its stance as one of the most decorated restaurants in the U.S: Albi was named one of Eater’s best new restaurants in 2021 and scored its first Michelin star a year later. Rafidi currently holds the top culinary title in the country, winning the 2024 James Beard Award for outstanding chef. (The newest class of 2025 JBA finalists, by the way, were just announced today.) Albi — which is Arabic for “my heart” — continues to honor Rafidi’s family roots in Ramallah, his grandparents’ home cooking, and his mid-Atlantic upbringing in Maryland to deliver modern interpretations of Arabic cuisine. Diners have two options for how to order. One is a la carte and the second is the Sofra menu. It’s here where we see the biggest changes: There is no set menu. Based on an Arabic word meaning “a table set for you,” what used to be a somewhat-improvised chef’s tasting dinner is now a fully spontaneous, five-course spread ($165). Each surprise Sofra course showcases the “best ingredients we have in house” from its farms and fishermen, he says. “It depends on how guests want to eat that night — more meat, more meat; or more small bites and a drinking-and-hangout experience,” says Rafidi. Hawkeye Johnson Albi’s reconfigured dining room levels off views into the open kitchen. Rafidi says the menu is still “85 percent” of what Albi has always been in terms of the core items and the structure. A hearth remains the star of the show, tasked with grilling all sorts of meats, seafood, and vegetables. Best-selling dips, meze, and meaty mains aren’t going anywhere. Returning favorites include wood-fired sfeeha, fattoush, barbecued lamb kebabs cooked in a separate coal-fired oven, burnt eggplant baba ganoush, yellowfin tuna kibbeh naya, and sourdough pita with potato — a prime vessel for various renditions of hummus, like one built with Maryland crab, beans, sunflower shoots, celery, and spicy green chile (tatbil). The local crustacean also makes an appearance in a tabouli alongside trout steamed in grape leaves. A refined a la carte menu includes new dishes such as long rib bazella, lamb kibbeh naya, and mish mish quail kebab. Under the reboot, he’s especially excited to finally introduce Palestine’s national dish — crab rice Maqluba. Translated to “upside-down” in Arabic, the baked-to-order classic features “every spring vegetable you can think of,” he says. Right now that includes sprouted cauliflower and smashed green tomatillo, plus new potato, dill seed, and chiles. The $65 order, meant for two or three, takes 45 minutes to prepare. Rafidi continues to collaborate with R&D chef Patrick Pervola and chef de cuisine Samuel DeMoya in the kitchen. Rey Lopez The new rabbit shish barak (dumplings stuffed with ground rabbit meat with a garlic-chile crunch, sugar snap peas, and garlic yogurt). Rey Lopez Crab malfouf (cabbage stuffed with Egyptian rice and smoked green garlic on crab fat labne). Rey Lopez Sfeeha (lamb meat pie with toum and lemon). Rey Lopez Pastry chef Alicia Wang, whose Michelin-starred credentials include Kinship and Métier, sends out a made-to-order knafeh with brown butter, pistachio, and kumquat sorbet. Vet D.C. bar director Alex Bookless draws on regional influences to whip up a vibrant Nana Moneish made with golden arak, fresh mint, lemon, and cracked ice and a za’atar martini. Anise-flavored arak from Palestine, Lebanon, and Jordan is also available by glass or bottle. Director of operations and wine Will Simons continues to spotlight a stellar selection of established and rising producers in Lebanon and Palestine, but this time, the list is organized by style rather than geography. Building upon Albi’s storytelling, he highlights winemakers’ profiles under playful categories named for cultural and musical references (think The Godfather and Freddie Mercury). And beverage pairings for the Sofra meal also take a tailored approach. Rey Lopez Kibbeh naya with Shenandoah lamb arrives with garden goodies, ferments, mint, sumac onion, and pickles. Hawkeye Johnson Conversations also benefit from a perimeter of new floor-to-ceiling curtains to improve acoustics in the dining room. Rey Lopez The Yellow cocktail (Old Raj gin, Capitoline, vanilla, saffron-lemon oleo, and Topo Chico). Albi tapped Los Angeles–based Klein Agency to reimagine the look and flow of the restaurant. Guests now enter through the Saha lounge, which is where Rafidi’s hit all-day cafe Yellow once sat. Yellow-toned mood lighting, plush banquettes, and tiled coffee tables pay homage to its coffee, pastry, and pita predecessor. From there, guests encounter a newly expanded bar area full of mirrored backsplashes and tiled high-tops before finally entering the sprawling dining room, where two dedicated “hearth” tables offer a front-row view of the show. “[The renovation] was a logistical challenge but once we set a date and hit start it was a sprint to the finish,” says Rafidi, admitting he’s had a “busy year,” to say the least. In 2024, Rafidi’s citywide reach expanded big time, opening a morning-to-night flagship for Yellow cafe in Union Market and his lively, “habibi funk” rooftop oasis La’ Shukran up top. Dinner service runs Tuesday to Sunday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. (1346 4th Street SE). ...read more read less