In what could be this fall’s most highly anticipated opening, the sleek and sexy Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House will open its doors in a week, bringing the highest level of hospitality to CityCenterDC.
We snapped Del Frisco’s Restaurant Group CEO Mark Mednansky with general manager Ann Thibert after an employee pep talk. In a city saturated with steak houses, Ann says Del Frisco’s Double Eagle will stand out because of service. “We hire people who can anticipate guests’ needs before they even have to ask,” she says. “Our goal is swarming hospitality.”
Ann visited 3-10 DC restaurants per day over the past few weeks to pinpoint what Washingtonians expect. “This is a young, powerful city and every diner has an agenda,” she tells us. “They need to get in and out and onto the next social engagement.” She expects the restaurant’s business lunch to be popular. For $25, diners get an appetizer and an entrée, like filet medallions (pictured) or Bay of Fundy Salmon served with crab hash and lobster tomato jus.
A decadent dinner menu featuring dishes like steak and lobster for two ($160) is deserving of a wow-worthy wine list. They carry 1,200 labels. Wine director Chris Clark showed us an $8,000 bottle (granted it was six liters). The Darius II Cabernet Sauvignon was the only one produced in 2007, making it impossible for anyone else to offer it. They also have Bordeaux wines dating back to 1982 and close to 50 wines that earned 100-point ratings from Robert Parker. The doors open to the public Friday, Sept. 19 at 11am.
