Gravitas ✼
Location: Washington, DC
Visit Date: October 23, 2019
“Gravitas is a Modern American restaurant by Chef Matt Baker dedicated to seasonal cooking and sourcing from local farms and waters. Our menu showcases the bounty of the Chesapeake Bay watershed in thoughtful, delicious and beautiful dishes that aim to nourish and surprise.
Our tasting menu experience is accompanied by a program of fine craft cocktails and an expertly curated wine list. Each week, a limited number of 15-course tasting menus are available at our chef’s counter, offering parties of two a unique and intimate chef-driven experience.”
Fall Wine Maker’s Dinner with Hugh Davies
Food
Cod Belly Tempura | Mushroom Powder | Yuzu-Kosho Aioli
Crispy Herb Whipped Chèvre Cigars
Soy-Mirin Marinated Tuna Tartare Spoons
Tomatoes (Gravitas grown) | Uni | Bonito | Tangerinen Marigold | Dashi Connnsommé
Beet and Goat Cheese Doppio | Orange Zest | Brown Butter | Sage | Candied Kumquat
Ballotine of Squab | Roasted Lobster | Cauliflower Mushrooms | Sauce Soubise
Tasting of Beef: Slow Roasted Ribeye | Braised Beef Cheek | Olive Oil Whipped Potatoes | Chanterelles | Glazed Swiss chard | Red Wine Sauce
Cheese (La Tur) | Poached Apricots | Marcona Almonds | Pistachio Tea Cake
MICHELIN Guide’s Point Of View
“Chef Matt Baker is luring diners to Ivy City with this gorgeous spot, which transforms local products into thoughtful, modern, and deeply complex plates. Its décor pays homage to the industrial bones of the setting by way of exposed brick and stark white walls, softened by greenery; fine service and an inviting open kitchen simply add to the appeal. Diners are offered myriad choices for their five-course meal, replete with consistently impressive dishes.
Large appetites should put their faith in the chef and let him prepare a seven-course tasting, whereby sustainable ingredients are utilized to prepare items that are at once creative, astutely composed, and highly enjoyable. Dinner might kick off with lightly poached Chesapeake oysters, coupled with morels, ramps, and Madeira foam; or soy- and mirin-marinated tuna tartare spiked with lemon rind. Risi e bisi may then arrive, tucked with English peas, pancetta, and pecorino; while perfectly aged Wagyu ribeye, sprinkled with sea salt, is matched with truffle-mashed potatoes for ultimate decadence. Desserts, like a white chocolate buttermilk cake or raspberry lychee sorbet, display expert flavor combinations and will have you drooling for days.”
Page Last Updated: July 15, 2021