Bourbon Steak: Indulgent Dining in a Sociable Setting
By • April 14, 2022 0 3518
A swank steakhouse with a modern bent in the heart of Georgetown, Bourbon Steak at the Four Seasons Hotel is a premiere destination for anything from a celebratory dinner to a power lunch or an afternoon break. After all, this is Michael Mina’s ideal of a modern American steakhouse. Its leather-padded comfort, expansive seating and spacious dining room invite relaxed enjoyment of clever drinks and well-crafted specialties. The classy bar is frequented by a high-end clientele.
Spring brings an inviting new lunch menu offering steaks and salads with creative accoutrements. Executive Chef Robert Curtis, who grew up nearby in Maryland, has cooked in notable kitchens locally and abroad. His menu is inspired by this region’s bounty. Farm-fresh vegetables, like beets, are smoked and seasoned with Baharat and Zhug, the Middle Eastern spice mix and hot sauce, respectively, along with toasted seeds and orange confit. Carrots are transformed by roasting and seasoning with tahini, za’atar and a garlic crumble. The steaks, burgers, chicken and fish entrees each have distinctive, flavor-forward vegetable accents. Examples are spring vegetable panzanella and crispy lentils with the roasted chicken or the house-made turkey burger enlivened by guacamole, pepper jack cheese and harissa aioli.
Chef Curtis confirms that steak and burgers are the most popular dishes on the menu. Well-marbled (60/40 fat/protein) steaks are sourced from Japanese Wagyu sources in Kagawa, Hokkaido and Miyazaki. Steaks are also sourced from ranches in Australia, and the U.S. A wood-fired grill using Virginia oak, birch and maple woods gives the meats a distinctive “campfire” taste. The long-cooked mushroom accompaniment to steaks features butter, mirin, sherry vinegar and white soy to add a sweet, salty, acidic touch. Curtis’s inventive touch with salads, sides and accompaniments ensures that what he calls the “power lunch of salad and a protein” (steak, salmon, shrimp or chicken atop one of the salad choices) offers excitement on the plate. Dinner offers additional indulgences like roasted foie gras and a decadent lobster pot-pie.
The bar is known for its inventive, spirit-forward cocktails. Engidawork Alebachew, who heads the program, is excited about the new spring cocktails. They feature bright, citrus flavors, Japanese spirits and botanicals. The names, like the drinks, are bold and cheeky. There’s a “Honey Do List” (featuring honeydew melon) and a “Shai Time” (a tea-based drink using a thyme tea). It’s worth quizzing the bartenders about the cocktails and their monikers.
The charming Four Seasons courtyard patio is one of Georgetown’s loveliest spring secrets. Seasonally transformed with blossoms and greenery, it’s a lovely haven for a meal, afternoon drinks and snacks or evening rendezvous. The new lunch menu makes the option even more intriguing.
Bourbon Steak is located at the Four Seasons Hotel at 2800 Pennsylvania Ave. NW.
Classic drinks and smokes at the courtyard of Bourbon Steak.
Truffle rolls and spicy French fries at Bourbon Steak. Courtesy Bourbon Steak.
The courtyard at the Four Seasons for Bourbon Steak.
A new dessert: Smoked s’mores, composed of graham streusel, milk chocolate hazelnut brittle, marshmallow fluff, milk chocolate mousse, hot fudge and and toasted marshmallow ice cream. Courtesy Bourbon Steak.
