by senior contributor Brendan Kownacki
Photo credit: Daniel Swartz – REVAMP
Washington’s social strata has a new place to see and be seen. While D.C. power players have long crowded stuffy, buttoned-up steak houses for work and for play, there’s a new kid on the block, and this is “not your daddy’s steakhouse.”
Enter STK, a new concept in the way people dine that opened on Connecticut Avenue last week bringing a decidedly festive spirit that is anything but buttoned-up.
The restaurant burst onto the scene at the end of last week with a party that drew the attention of anyone within a steady radius.A line wrapped the block, full of eager guests waiting to get a peek at how the eatery would build out its DC locale as compared to their other outposts in London, Miami and Las Vegas, to name a few.
Models kept the line entertained deep into the evening as a massive crowd filled the restaurant in search of cocktails, sumptuous bites and dancing to the thumping music that echoed through the dining room. The restaurant is a hybrid of the modern steakhouse and chic lounge; there will always be music and mood lighting and classic dishes like steak that comes in small, medium and large sizes, “to appeal to every appetite.”
STK is about more than food, there is definitely an emphasis on the atmosphere and the ambiance that you get with every step you take inside and out. The event attracted a lot of local notables including business leaders, members of the media, creative types, former athletes and even former assistant to the President, Reggie Love. The party didn’t stop there though, guests danced late into the night and were surely talking about it the next day when folks flocked for a table on the first official service.
If the first few days are any indication, the restaurant will never be light on star-power. Saturday night, pitcher Gio Gonzalez of the Washington Nationals stopped by for cocktails with a small group of select media and friends to celebrate the beginning of the new MLB season. Gio said he’s excited for this season and emphasized its always going to be about trying to top the last year. “The National League is awesome, but it’s not easy” he said about the matchups the team will face this year.
After a few days with a sore shoulder, Gonzalez said he’s feeling good and has been working his arm and expects to start during Tuesday’s game in Houston. He said that it will be “leadership on different parts of the field” that carry the Nats far this season and that he’ll do his part to lead from the mound and help bring out the best in other players.
Gio Gonzalez and friends – Photo credit: Brendan Kownacki
Gonzalez was enjoy the vibe for his weekend and leads the restaurant into its first full week of service with a number of notable names already on the slate to crowd the dining room this coming week when The Creative Coalition (TCC) plans to host its annual benefit dinner at the restaurant during the festivities for the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner. TCC always drives a strong delegation of talent who advocate for the arts. This year’s expected guests include Jeffrey Tambor (“Arrested Development”), Dean Norris(“Breaking Bad”), Cheryl Hines (“Suburgatory”), Emile Hirsch (Into the Wild), Mae Whitman (“Parenthood”), and Constance Zimmer (“The Newsroom”) and more.
Many folks worry when restaurants try and transplant themselves into the DC environment from spots like Los Angeles because the cities are so vastly different, but as long as STK stays focused on their vibe and their attention to customers, there is no shortage of people looking for a sexy and social place to stop in for a drink or a meal.
