Hotel Review: InterContinental Washington D.C. – The Wharf
Drinks at the Nook
The hotel’s fitness center is very well equipped but the majority of my workout during my three days at the property resulted from extensive walks around both the Wharf area as well as visits to nearby sites such as the Spy Museum.
DINING
At Kith and Kin, Chef Kwame is offering rustic Afro-Caribbean cuisine that he explains, explores the legacy of the African diaspora. The kitchen offers breakfast, lunch, dinner and 24-hour room service, and the chef took the position after a rather public failure of his own restaurant, the Shaw Bijou, which closed after it abruptly ran out of money and its investors pulled the plug.
At Kith and Kin at the InterContinental, he was told he could cook whatever he wanted – and that’s where the magic of a unique dining experience begins, in a dining room bathed in warm gold, cream, and black tones offering floor-to-ceiling windows looking out at the waterfront.
The kitchen pays homage to his family’s roots in Jamaica, Louisiana, Nigeria, and Trinidad, with such dishes as the goat roti he enjoyed at his Trinidadian grandparents’ home in New York – it was rich with chunks of braised goat shoulder and spiced crispy potatoes – and the jollof rice, a staple in Nigeria, served at Kith and Kin with crab and aged rib eye with homemade curry powder.
There’s the Wagyu Short Rib Soya, a spicy meat skewer popular in West Africa, and the Creole spice-infused Mom Dukes Shrimp.
My second meal from Kith and Kin was breakfast, served in my room, the morning I was to check out, as I didn’t have time to go down to the breakfast buffet. The food arrived sufficiently hot, the thick slabs of bacon were satisfying, the eggs well prepared, and the accompanying potatoes tasty.
I didn’t have time to try the Watering Hole, an outdoor bar along the waterfront, but I did make it up to Waves, the property’s rooftop bar, to take in the view while enjoying a drink. The Nook – between the hotel’s two grand staircases – is a surprisingly quiet place to sit, chat, and drink and it can also be used for small private events, as well.
BOTTOM LINE
With elegant rooms, a warm and helpful staff, and unique dining options, the InterContinental Washington D.C. – The Wharf nails it. The hotel feels worlds away from the hotels that are closer to K Street and Dumont Circle and indeed is truly a breath of fresh air in the city’s hottest new district.
THE DETAILS
InterContinental Washington D.C. – The Wharf
801 Wharf St. SW
Washington, D.C. 20024
Tel. +1 202 800-0844
www.wharfintercontinentaldc.com
(Photos: Accura Media Group)
