Located adjacent to Hotel Washington’s first-floor lobby, Fireclay features an 80-seat dining room in a relaxed, elegant atmosphere, with windows boasting sky-high views of the busy streets of downtown D.C. The freshly remodeled space also features an Argentine-style grill and two wood stone ovens in full view for guests to see the chefs at work. Fireclay will join Hotel Washington’s dynamic roster of dining concepts, including The Patio, Lobby Bar and Vue Rooftop, an artfully designed restaurant and cocktail lounge offering unparalleled views of the White House and Washington Monument.

The culinary architect of Fireclay, Chef Lopez-Albarracin, brings a wealth of experience to the new operation and will oversee all aspects of its menu creation and culinary offerings. Chef Lopez-Albarracin was most recently part of the team at D.C.’s Ben’s Next Door Restaurant as Executive Chef and Assistant General Manager, and he was formerly the Executive Chef at iPic Theater Experience under three-time James Beard Award Winner, Sherry Yard. “Cooking with fire is a beautiful thing, because although flavors stay consistent for each dish, the flames are unpredictable, creating a unique texture profile with each bite,” says Chef Lopez-Albarracin. “It was the way food was prepared for centuries, and there’s something poetic about knowing that this is perhaps the food’s most authentic flavor.”

A few of Fireclay’s stand-out menu selections include the Wagyu New York Strip Steak, a wood-grilled, eight-ounce steak served with clarified butter steak fries and charred broccolini, the Orange Duet Salad, a combination of navel and blood orange, burrata, ‘mâche’ lettuce, heirloom tomato, basil and Pedro Ximenez Sherry Vinaigrette, Tuna Crudo, an ash-crusted yellowfin tuna, avocado mouse and crispy carrot slivers, and Bone-in Prime Cut Pork Chop with baked, scalloped sweet potato and granny smith apple slaw.

Not to be outdone, the beverage program at Fireclay also ‘flames’ to please, with its signature drink, ‘Kingston Old Fashioned,’ designed for guests to enjoy a true handcrafted smoked cocktail. Each of Fireclay’s drinks, in fact, features an element of smoke and fire, whether it’s the charred rosemary in the Amalfi Rickey, made with Bombay Sapphire gin and lime, or the smoked salt on the rim of the Fumosa Paloma, made with Mezcal, blood orange and grapefruit soda.

To learn more about Fireclay, visit www.thehotelwashington.com/washington-dc-restaurants and follow @HotelWashingtonDC on Instagram. Fireclay will be open Tuesday through Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m. Reservations are available via Tok here.