New York Accents for a D.C. Steakhouse

Dramatic columns will set the scene at the new J & G Steakhouse. (Rendering courtesy of the W Hotel)

Washingtonians don't have much longer to wait to sample the handiwork of the acclaimed New York chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. With the July 8 opening of the J & G Steakhouse at the new W Hotel coming up, I chatted with the chef to learn how he's planning to distinguish the Beaux Arts-style restaurant from myriad beef suppliers around town.

For one thing, he'll be packing his appetizer list with bestsellers from his restaurants in Manhattan, including foie gras crème brulee and uni toast with yuzu juice from the four-star Jean-Georges.

The chef told me about his ideas for the property, formerly the Hotel Washington, during a phone conversation to announce the appointment of Philippe Reininger, 48, as chef de cuisine at his latest steakhouse.

Reininger, a veteran of four Ritz-Carlton hotels from Boston to Naples, Fla., was an easy choice, says Vongerichten, who counts 22 establishments around the world. "We're from the same region"-- Strasbourg, France -- and we've both worked for some of the same chefs," including Louis Outhier at the late L'Oasis, one of the few restaurant in southeast France to garner three Michelin stars.

Reininger's currently getting better acquainted with his boss's restaurants in New York, and he plans to relocate to Washington in the next week or so. In addition to the signature steakhouse, he will be responsible for the new hotel's room service, banquet and wine bar menus.

-- Tom Sietsema