Dōgon by Kwame Onwuachi — Restaurant in Washington

If you are in the Washington DC area and you desire a fabulous meal consider Dogon by Kwame Onwauchi. Located inside the Salamander Hotel, everything about the location, the restaurant and the menu says superior. Sis and I decided that my vacation to visit her this year would be a time to splurge on ourselves with often desired culinary experiences. We’ve been following Kwame’s career for a while, but this was our first opportunity to experience his culinary genius. And genius it is! We started our meal with small plates to share and we ordered Coco Bread that was served with a sorghum butter. I forgot to ask what kind of flour the buns were made with, but I’m certain it wasn’t wheat,at least not only wheat. Since we like a little spice in our food we decided to also order the Peppa Sauce condiment. It was spicy hot, but we have trained tongues. With that we had Ben’s Bowl which was a shredded lamb patty, glazed with a tamarind sauce atop a chickpea curry. The square patty was lightly breaded and fried crisp, but the lamb was well seasoned, tender and succulent. My taste buds stood at attention immediately! We Also ordered Hoe Crab, which was crabmeat sautéed with herbs and spices that are probably native to the West African cuisine, but unrecognizable by me. It was served with small hoe cakes to pile the crab atop and drizzle with an Aji Verde sauce that came along side. Crispy, tender with the sweet taste of the sea that comes from fresh seafood. Better than good! But the knock out dish for me was the BBQ greens. If you go there and you don’t order anything else, order the (collard) greens. They were melt-in-your-mouth tender in a beefy BBQ broth that contained strips of beef bacon, roasted garlic and capellini onions. I’ve had good greens in my life, (as a matter of fact, sis and I cook really good greens) but I’ve tasted nothing that compares to these. We ordered two large plates that there was no way we could eat so we had them packed to go. Tomorrow for lunch we will have the Branzino with the Callaloo, crispy zucchini and Coconut muscle curry that accompanies it. Along with that we will have the Berbère Roasted Chicken and Jollof Rice that we also ordered. Once we’ve dined on them I will update this review. Sometimes there are things that just can’t wait and I wanted you to have this review just in case you are nearby and can make a reservation for this unique experience before you have to leave town. But, be forewarned, this is not an experience for the budget conscious. Be prepared to treat yourself and know that your wallet will be a bit lighter when you leave. But the experience will be well worth it. Bon Appétit!

Part2 - Unfortunately, we had to reheat our mains the next day when we had them for lunch. The integrity was still there for the chicken. The fish suffered a little from the second process, but nothing destroyed the flavor of either. The berbère marinade on the chicken was heavy and ultra flavorful. I’m certain the marinade and low heat owed to the fact that the chicken remained moist and flavorful. The only thing that really did not translate well for the fish was the skin. The flesh was still flaky and moist and the muscle curry sauce made up for the lack of skin. Fabulous! The zucchini strips were no longer crispy, but the coating was mellow with the flavor of coconut (was that flour) and the vegetables were tender. The peas and rice accompaniment tasted as if cooked in coconut milk with a small amount of dessicated coconut added for texture. I’m only guessing here, but that’s what it tasted like to me. I cannot say enough, do not pass up on this experience if you can fit it into your budget. You will not be...

Dōgon by Kwame Onwuachi was simply amazing. I have been depressed since May when I could not go to his other award-winning restaurant Tatiana in NYC despite having a very coveted reservation, but the drive from Richmond on this visit definitely made up for it. I loved so much about this restaurant including it being nestled in the Salamader Washington hotel (lobby smells amazing), beautiful interior design with a celestial touch, moody lighting and lots of textures, the artwork is beautiful throughout the hotel and I enjoyed seeing so many coming to enjoy great food and drinks. This is definitely the hottest reservation in town and we got in the first month in operation, just a few weeks after the September 9th opening date. The restaurant showed no signs of being a newcomer and everyone had their sea legs.

The way I would approach the menu is to think of it as shared tapas style. Each dish is meant to be shared and you will get a taste, but if you order multiple dishes you will have a fulfilling and filling experience and a culinary journey of layered flavors and the highest quality ingredients. The restaurant was also vegan accomodating which was very nice!

I most enjoyed the Coco Bread versus the Corn Bread which was also delicious, the Piri Piri Salad was refreshing, Mom Dukes Shrimp was flavorful and sauced well, the Charbroiled Oysters were delicious with a nice cheese encrust, the BBQ Greens were cooked down to perfection, I loved the Lobster Escovitch as well which was velvety and sweet, by far the Curry Branzino and it's accompanying sauce stole the show it was a sauce that would easily transfer to other dishes and the fish was cooked to perfection. I also loved the Wagyu Short Rib (Oxtails are served at Tatiana so it is a great alternative) which you could lettuce wrap or eat on its own. I took a Chicken and Jollof Rice dish home to try later. The Cherries and Cream dessert was surprisingly potent with a spicy kick, don't let the look of the dish hold you back from the amazing flavors. I also ordered the Rum Cake which was good but not as great as the Cherries. The cocktails were small but delicious signaling a premium bar program that celebrates high quality layers of flavor versus colossal watered down ice-filled colorful concoctions you may find at other places. The servers and staff were efficient, friendly and professional. Most appreciated was a triple reset of our plates and silverware and beautiful high-quality Grey napkins were a welcome departure from what has become and overlooked feature of exceptional service. It was never too noisy, and I found myself enjoying the ambient music of mostly 90s R&B songs as a steady stream of patrons came through. The restrooms were very clean, unisex and off-set through a metal door just past the open kitchen. Bravo and there will be an encore...

I had two prior reservations to Dōgon (one in October and one in January) that I had to cancel because I ended up traveling, so I’m glad the third time was the charm. As far as hotel restaurants, this is probably the best one I’ve been to.

When you enter the restaurant you are met with a beautiful metal curtain and chandelier that really emphasizes a luxury vibe. The hostesses were very nice and properly greeted us.

Walking to our seats, we noticed the lounge seating as well as the bar that has 8 seats. Table seating in the main part of the restaurant has tables pretty close together, which I am not a big fan of because of your proximity to other guests as well making it hard to get up from your seat if you need to go to the restroom, or when a server comes to take order for another table, they have to be pretty close (with the other convos and music going). It’s very dimly lit in there, so definitely bring your glasses.

Speaking of music, they have an excellent playlist of Black artists, like Alicia Keys.

Okay now to the food and drinks: My favorite wine is a Petit Manseng. It’s a Virginia wine that I’ve never found anywhere outside Virginia (including stores). When I saw it on the menu I had to order it. Our server gave me a taste of it first and it was delicious. Looking back, I should have bought a bottle. Sometimes it’s made sweeter and sometimes it’s not as sweet but I of course prefer the sweeter version and this one was. I loved it. My friend got a cocktail, it was the Flower Pot Punch, which is their play on a rum punch. She thought it was good.

We got the coco bread and Ben’s bowl (which is a crispy lamb dish). The bread was tasty and crispy lamb was just okay to us. Didn’t taste bad but was just there. When I go back, I’d like to try to charbroiled oysters or hoe crab instead.

Our mains were the Mom Dukes Shrimp and the Curry Branzino. The sauce was good on the shrimp but I think overall the actual shrimp lacked flavor. I think if the actual shrimp was seasoned and the sauce was added, it would have been exceptional. The curry branzino was a show stopper. If you don’t get anything else here, I think you have to get the curry branzino. Amazing flavor, cooked perfectly, it was just wow. Also the rice and peas that came with it was a main character. Rice is just usually there but this rice was the best rice I’ve had at a restaurant that didn’t have protein in it. It had a light hint of curry to it. Delicious!

The only true con of my experience was that the sauce from the curry seeped through my to-go container, because of the material of the box. I think whether I’m paying $20 for a meal or $120, I of course don’t want to see this happen.

Our server, Blake, was excellent, great to talk to, and was knowledgeable about the menu. Overall, I’d come back and look forward to on someone...