America Eats Tavern

Now defunct, this brilliant Washington, DC José Andrés restaurant evolved from a temporary location in Penn Quarter to new spaces, first in Tyson’s Corner, Virginia and then in Georgetown, where it significantly changed its menu and focus before closing. It started life as an edible museum of American food in the nation’s capital, and ended its run as something more mainstream and less ambitious.

The original pop-up was dedicated to the history of American cuisine, opened in tandem with an exhibit at the National Archives, and celebrated long-forgotten recipes and trends from colonial and turn-of-20th-century sources – all updated with Andrés plating and other touches. Vermicelli-style Mac and Cheese, sous vide Buffalo Wings, and Peanut Soup were just a few small plate highlights, while classic and distinctive American cocktail recipes (milk punch, anyone?) from the past 200 years were similarly resurrected and spotlighted.

Planned only for a one-year stint, it remained open for an extra six months in its first location before relaunching inside a Ritz-Carlton in mid-2014, adding a limited, hotel-like breakfast service to stripped-down versions of the original lunch and dinner menus.