Chef Kwame Onwuachi Brings Star Power to Salamander DC

The hot new restaurant, Dōgon, anchors the hotel’s recent transformation, and makes it one of the most compelling places to stay in Washington right now.

I came to Salamander DC for the food. Kwame Onwuachi, one of the most talked-about chefs in the country, opened Dōgon inside the hotel, and it’s already become a destination in its own right. With good reason. His food is absolutely delicious and phenomenally creative. The Afro-Caribbean menu is personal to the James Beard Award-winning chef, with influences from his Nigerian, Jamaican, Trinidadian, and Creole roots. It also links back to the history of Washington through the story of D.C.’s late-1700s land surveyor, Benjamin Banneker, and his connection to the West African Dogon tribe. When you first enter, it’s through a chain curtain that acts as a reference to Banneker’s surveyor’s tools. My family and I ordered a mix of dishes that took us through the many flavors and textures of a meal that touches on myriad cooking traditions. We had a whole fish in coconut curry and plantain cakes, charbroiled oysters, Piri Piri salad, BBQ greens, bone marrow with jerk lamb…there was more; we ate a lot.

D.C. mixologist Derek Brown is making equally exciting cocktails behind the bar.

Onwuachi grew up between the Bronx and Nigeria, worked in kitchens from Eleven Madison Park to Per Se, and wrote a best-selling memoir before turning 30. He opened Dōgon after the success of Tatiana in New York, which quickly became one of the hardest reservations in the city. He trained in DC though, and launched restaurants here. Now, he brings his heritage back into the spotlight at SalamanderDC.

That’s the immediate draw, but staying at the hotel provides you the ideal DC cultural visit. It’s a quick stroll to the National Mall, the Tidal Basin, and the Wharf—so all the blockbuster sites. One morning we borrowed cruiser bikes from the concierge (available to guests) and rode past the Jefferson Memorial, then hit the many museums.  The hotel also has the Potomac River right in its backyard, giving guests access to a private path to the District Wharf, a mile-long stretch of eateries and stores.  And that backyard is a lovely, landscaped courtyard where one can watch the boats come in and out or dine alfresco on a nice starry night.

Salamander DC recently completed a property-wide renovation, which succeeds in creating an atmosphere that’s tastefully luxurious, culturally relevant, and extremely comfy. The lobby essentially acts as a fancy living room with generous seating and small tables for drink gatherings or just reading solo, lots of light, and thoughtful art. The suites feel calm with earthy colors and areas for relaxing that aren’t in bed, though the bed is super enticing. As is a soaking tub in the huge bathroom.

Of course, the new Salamander Spa is yet another very good reason to book a stay here. Spread across two levels, it has 14 treatment rooms, all the amenities, like sauna and steam room, an indoor pool, and clean products from Zents, BABOR, Knesko. My massage was glorious. The spa also offers a Cherry Blossom body ritual, which is fitting for DC where the gorgeous flowers dominate the mall in spring, and a cool Gharieni sound-wave therapy that uses acoustic vibrations for relaxation. These are treatments you won’t find elsewhere in the city.

Ultimately, Salamander DC combines three things you don’t often get together: easy access to the city’s best cultural sites, a relaxing, pampering place to return to after a day of touristing on your feet, and a restaurant you’d travel out of your way to eat in even if you weren’t staying overnight.

Photos courtesy of Salamander DC