D.C. Restaurant Experts Call Out the Most Exciting and Infuriating D.C. Food Trends of 2022

Pursuing an Eater custom, we asked a group of restaurant critics, journalists, bloggers, and industry execs to weigh in on the calendar year in food stuff. Their answers to an annual “Year in Eater” survey will be discovered in several posts this month. Upcoming up, answering the dilemma: what was the most enjoyable — or most infuriating — neighborhood restaurant trend of 2022?

Tom Sietsema, Washington Post food critic: Most fascinating: support quickly added to checks. No a lot more math right after supper! Most frustrating: all the bewildering other expenses tacked onto payments.

Ann Limpert, Washingtonian government foodstuff editor and critic: Infuriating: that some dining establishments have evidently neglected how to serve little plates, and targeted visitors-jam your desk with every little thing you’ve preferred, all at once. Lesson discovered: you have to buy as you go. Also, the not-so-subtle rushing of diners via their foods. So lots of dinners this yr felt like they had been on rapidly-ahead. Not that I required to sit around for like, a few several hours, but I also really don’t want to tuck into dessert at the 45 minute mark.

Jessica Sidman, Washingtonian food stuff editor: Certainly, there ended up developments this 12 months, but had been they thrilling? Celeb chefs are arriving en masse (once more), espresso martinis keep on to be hyped, meals halls keep coming, “speakeasies” look to be back again, support charges are all over the place, every thing got really, genuinely high priced. Can not say I’m fired up.

I’ll converse about an infuriating craze. For the document, allow me say that I am not really from QR code menus. They’re great. No matter what. Definitely. But I do imagine some locations make the experience even even worse with QR codes trapped to the table that have gotten sticky and gross. Or it’s so dark your cell phone does not want to examine them. I’ve been to at least two dining establishments this calendar year that had spotty cell services, so you experienced to log into their wifi networks with a password to get to the menu. 1 of the spots had a truly very long, complicated password and I saved typing it in incorrect. I finished up just borrowing my dining companion’s mobile phone to examine the menu. Why, just why.

Tigerella

Lori Gardner, Been There, Eaten That blogger: For the “exciting” development: there ended up a ton of openings this year and for the most part, DC area dining looks to be thriving again. And this is not infuriating, but bewildering: it is important that restaurant personnel are compensated reasonably, but assistance prices furthermore advised tips and other surcharges are puzzling to numerous diners.

Anchyi Wei, Anchyi Adorned blogger: I really like observing the “food hall” concept getting extra reputation, and pop-ups like Gap in the Wall at Tonari and Casa Kantuta are generally pleasurable! I also value that dining places are getting a lot more proficient about dietary constraints.

Rick Chessen, Rick Eats DC blogger: Butter boards are infuriating but not certain they caught on plenty of to be called a development. I’m also not fond of the plant-based pattern of veggies striving to imitate proteins – e.g., a purple beet shaped to appear like filet mignon or a slice of watermelon on rice pretending to be tuna nigiri. Guaranteed, the initial trompe l’oeil can be enjoyable, but at the time you choose a bite, your taste buds will not be content with your eyes for around-promising what was coming their way.

Angie Duran, Women of all ages of Wine co-founder, director of operations for Duo Team and at Bottles Wine Yard: Be sure to never buy a “Negroni. Sbagliato. With Prosecco” from me. On the other hand, observing very low-ABV continuing to increase and not gradual down in the city would make me truly delighted. The previous couple many years staying “mindful” is pushed in each individual part of our life, becoming capable to find it and enjoy it within just beverages easily is good. Shout out to Exhibit of Fingers.

Missy Frederick, Eater metropolitan areas director: I’m regularly amused by all the nostalgic cocktail developments that Eater DC editor Tierney Plumb has carried out these types of a good work chronicling: blue curacao, Intellect Erasers, espresso martinis (I know this 1 kicked off ahead of this yr), and so forth. Request: bring again your Grasshopper cocktail riff, Jane Jane! I was also delighted sufficient by the sites carrying out Reserve It!-style personal pizzas to buy a pan for myself off E-Bay.