Admin Admin Admin Admin

Thrillist: Where to Order Takeout and Delivery in DC Right Now

We are entering multiple months of DC doing its part to stem the spread of the coronavirus. Even as restrictions loosen to allow outdoor dining, most restaurants continue to rely heavily on takeout and delivery. And DC has enforced a cap on fees from third-party delivery companies in order to give restaurants more of your financial support. (Ordering from restaurants with their own delivery operations will continue to be the best option, when available.)

As for takeout and delivery, there are options out there for all budgets -- from fast-casual pizza to Michelin-starred Italian cooking and twists on Chinese takeout favorites. Even local beer and spirits can be ordered to your doorstep. Here are some of our favorite DC-area businesses offering delivery, along with menu picks to help with ordering.

Read More
Admin Admin Admin Admin

Washingtonian: How Washington’s Dining Scene Will Change—Explained by Those Who Know It Best

What will the Washington dining landscape look like when lockdowns lift, the virus (hopefully) fades, and life returns to some semblance of normalcy? How will customers have changed? What kind of businesses are most likely to rebound? We asked people all across the restaurant industry—chefs, owners, real estate brokers, accountants—for their predictions.

Read More
Admin Admin Admin Admin

Washingtonian: 4 Chefs Share Their Secrets for Upgrading Instant Ramen

How do you turn instant ramen—which has long been the ultimate budget-food cliche (c’mon, did you really survive on it for all four years of college?)—into something more memorable than just a sodium bomb with some curly noodles? Not only is it possible, it’s pretty easy.

“Adding elements to instant ramen is all about speed,” says Danny Lee, the chef/restaurateur behind DC Korean restaurants Anju and Mandu, plus the fast-casual Chiko. “You need to have everything prepped and ready, because once you start cooking the noodles you have a small window before they will become overcooked and bloated.”

Read More
Admin Admin Admin Admin

Washington Post: Miss dining out? Try one of these recommended restaurants for takeout or delivery

This is an unprecedented time for restaurants and beverage producers, who’ve seen their business models upended in a matter of days. To survive, they’re getting creative: Michelin-starred kitchens now offer curbside carryout, while breweries are taking deliveries into their own hands. Meanwhile, chefs increasingly view delivery apps as a lifeline. When your fridge is looking a little bare, or you can’t think about cooking after a day of working from home, here are local businesses looking for some support.

Read More
Admin Admin Admin Admin

The New York Times: 10 Reasons Washington Is a Great Restaurant City

Truth is, District of Columbia restaurants are far more interesting than that, and have been for a long time. The vibrant scene now attracting attention rose on a foundation built by members of a culinary deep state, and a diverse constellation of restaurants that have flourished here.

Read More
Admin Admin Admin Admin

Washingtonian: Chiko Kicks Off Crab Week With Singapore Chili Crab and a Crabby Brunch

Chiko chef and co-owner Scott Drewno has been prepping for crab week since launching the crustacean-filled event last year at “fine-casual” restaurant’s Capitol Hill flagship.

“It’s like Shark Week, only better,” says Drewno, who wants to dispel the notion that crab feasts are only for those 90-degree dog days. “As the season gets cooler, the crabs get fatter, and the flavor is really amazing as it gets later. We always associate crabs with summertime … so the original idea was we wanted to crack some crabs later in the season.”

Read More
Admin Admin Admin Admin

Washingtonian: The (Ranked!) Top 15 New Places to Eat Great Cheap in Washington

Chefs Scott Drewno and Danny Lee recently expanded their Chinese-Korean fast-casual beyond its Capitol Hill flagship to Dupont Circle (and San Diego). High energy and bold flavors, along with cold beer and booze, make both counter-service restaurants worthy dinner destinations. The new shop has longer hours, with lunchtime rice bowls, a mean bulgogi hoagie (think Korean steak-and-cheese), and, at brunch, XO shrimp-and-grits and bloodies. Great any time: fiery lamb noodles and that now-famous chopped brisket with furikake-buttered rice.

Read More
Admin Admin Admin Admin

Washingtonian: 5 New Brunch Spots to Try Around DC This Weekend

Head over to the new location of this modern Chinese-Korean spot in Dupont on Saturday or Sunday for the new brunch from chefs Scott Drewno and Danny Lee. Feast on dishes such as “orange-ish” chicken and waffles, biscuits and Szechuan-spiced sausage gravy, or XO shrimp n’ grits. Brunch cocktails like bloodies and mimosas go for a wallet-friendly $5.

Read More
Admin Admin Admin Admin

Washington Post: Chiko brings its delightful mashups to Dupont

(Good/Excellent)

Just like the original fast-casual attraction on Capitol Hill, it’s a little Chinese, a little Korean, and wholly delectable. Co-owners Scott Drewno and Danny Lee have another hit on their hands with their Dupont Circle spinoff, which benefits from all the learning that took place on Barracks Row. (Groups have more room to maneuver.) The exercise will be familiar to fans, who can count on pork and kimchi pot stickers and cumin lamb stir-fry, but also some fresh ideas: cold noodles slicked with chile oil and crunchy with roasted peanuts, and a riff on shrimp toast that pairs wedges of crisp buttered ciabatta with springy diced shrimp in XO sauce. Dunk, dunk away.

Read More
Admin Admin Admin Admin

Washington City Paper: The ‘Wiching Hour: CHIKO’s Bulgogi Hoagie

The CHIKO team has finally figured out a way to turn up the flavor of a cheesesteak, which can get quite boring after a few bites. A salty-sour combination of melted cheese and fermented cabbage cuts through the rich beef and makes your mouth pucker while you chew. Fortunately, the beef is tender enough that you won’t have to exhaust your masticating muscles.

Read More
Admin Admin Admin Admin

Eater DC: What to Eat at Nationals Park in 2019

The Washington Nationals open the 2019 Major League Baseball season at home tomorrow, which means hungry fans in D.C. will have a first chance to taste a handful of new options at the ballpark. This year, the team has emphasized a connection with local restaurant groups, notably Medium Rare, Chiko, and Hank’s Oyster Bar.

The organization has also ramped up technological capabilities for ordering through deals with delivery service Caviar, which has a stand offering remote ordering through its app, and handheld credit card terminal Square, which will allow roving hawkers to accept credit cards and Apple Pay or Google Pay.

Read More
Admin Admin Admin Admin

Eater DC: Chiko Opens Its Dupont Location With a Fresh Spin on Shrimp Toast

Chiko co-owner Scott Drewno promises that the second D.C. location of the inventive Chinese and Korean counter won’t stray far from the dishes that built up its following for the past year and a half.

After officially opening with a Valentine’s Day prix fixe last night, Chiko’s Dupont Circle spot will welcome walk-ins for dinner tonight with a menu that’s “about 75 percent” the same as the original in Capitol Hill, Drewno says.

Read More
Admin Admin Admin Admin

Washington: Modern Chinese-Korean Restaurant Chiko Opens in Dupont on Valentine’s Day

Chopped brisket bowls and “orange-ish” chicken are coming to Dupont Circle next week as Chiko opens its next DC location on February 14. Chefs/co-owners Scott Drewno (formerly of The Source) and Mandu’s Danny Lee bring their respective Chinese and Korean cooking experiences to the modern menu, which will differ in a few ways from the Capitol Hill flagship.

Read More
Admin Admin Admin Admin

Eater DC: Chiko’s Revamped Tasting Counter Treats Customers Like Royalty

Chiko co-founders Danny Lee and Scott Drewno wanted to do something completely new with the tasting menu at their award-winning Asian counter in Capitol Hill, which is to say they wanted to cook pancakes fit for a king.

The chefs debuted a new royal menu this week for their four-seat prix fixe, introducing two large format dishes — one Chinese and one Korean, of course — taken from the regal kitchens spanning as for back as the late 1300s. Both of the new dishes include an Asian wrapper.

Read More
Admin Admin Admin Admin

Washington City Paper: You Can Now Eat CHIKO While Cheering On the Caps and Wizards at Capital One Arena

CHIKO’s growth spurt continues, this time at Capital One Arena. The casual restaurant that made its debut on Barracks Row in 2017 specializes in clever, comforting dishes that pull from both Chinese and Korean cuisines. Founders Danny Lee, Scott Drewno, and Drew Kim are excited to bring a selection of dishes to the sports and entertainment venue starting Friday night.

Read More
Admin Admin Admin Admin

Eater DC: The Kitchen Counter Isn’t the Only Way to Be Wowed at Chiko

SlidingSliding into one of the four seats right on top of the frenetic kitchen at Eater DC’s editor’s choice for Game Changer of the Year remains the most exciting way to experience most of what modern Asian eatery Chiko has to offer.

But co-founder Danny Lee wants everyone to know that it’s not the only way to be a part of Capitol Hill’s experimental dinner spot.

Read More
Admin Admin Admin Admin

Washingtonian: 100 Very Best Restaurants: #25 – Chiko

ome of the year’s most thrilling cooking can be found on a metal tray at this new-breed fast-casual spot from chefs Scott Drewno and Danny Lee, who follow a host of chefs around the country who have embraced the quick-grab genre. First, you order at the counter—load up on the Korean and Chinese stews, rice bowls, and noodle dishes (most leftovers keep beautifully, and you’ll want them). Then grab a picnic table and go to town. Inexpensive.

Also great: Marinated clams; “half-a-cado” salad; chicken spring rolls; rib eye and rice cakes; cumin-lamb noodles; kimchee stew; chopped brisket over rice.

Read More
Admin Admin Admin Admin

Washingtonian: Restaurant Review: Chiko

The last time I ate Scott Drewno’s food was a year ago at the Source, Wolfgang Puck’s haute-Chinese dining room in Penn Quarter, where Drewno spent ten years leading the kitchen. I was tucking into a $79 roasted duck for two and playing an is-that-or-isn’t-that game with my dinner companion as we stared at someone who looked a lot like Nancy Pelosi.

Read More