Ike Allen

Point Reyes Station, Washington, D.C., United States

Assistant Editor at Washingtonian

Assistant editor @washingtonian; former staff reporter @pointreyeslight

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Articles

Here Are the Restaurant and Bar Industry Finalists for DC’s 2025 RAMMY Awards

1 week ago | washingtonian.com | Ike Allen

Food Peruvian tasting room Causa and neo-bistro Lutèce were big winners in last year’s RAMMYs, the awards presented by the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington. This year, the minds behind them returned to the limelight. Pascual—the popular modern Mexican restaurant from the Lutèce team—nabbed nominations for best new restaurant, manager of the year, and chef of the year.
A James Beard-Winning Indian Restaurant from Asheville is Coming to DC

3 weeks ago | washingtonian.com | Ike Allen

Chai Pani, 1325 Fifth St., NE. Though they’d never met until a few years ago, Meherwan Irani and Vishwesh “Vish” Bhatt have a lot in common. Both are Indian-born chefs and adoptive Southerners, and they struck up a friendship immediately. Irani owns Chai Pani, a fun, funky Indian street food restaurant that won many accolades in Asheville before expanding to the Atlanta area.
The Hot List: April

3 weeks ago | washingtonian.com | Ann Limpert |Jessica Sidman |Ike Allen

Ann Limpert joined in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
Your Guide to Eating and Drinking Inside Nationals Park

4 weeks ago | washingtonian.com | Anna Spiegel |Ann Limpert |Ike Allen |Jane Godiner

We’ll always have peanuts and Cracker Jack, but at Nationals Park, fans can proudly sing “buy me some dumplings and roti tacos,” too. The Nationals have partnered with a deep bench of local food and drink vendors to bring exciting, global flavors to the stadium in Navy Yard. Whether you’re in the mood for a classic frozen cocktail or a chilaquiles sandwich, there will be plenty to pick from, including 11 new food stops, when the ballpark opens Thursday, March 27.
“Be Careful How You Talk to Us”: Trump Appointee Gets an Earful in Anacostia

4 weeks ago | washingtonian.com | Ike Allen

Sitting in a meeting room at Martha’s Table in Anacostia yesterday, interim US attorney Ed Martin seemed like quite an outsider. The Trump appointee, a former Stop the Steal activist from Missouri, has already done plenty to alienate the city where he’s now the top prosecutor: he’s vowed to defend DOGE, fired January 6 prosecutors, and threatened Georgetown University over so-called “DEI” education.
Eat Your Way Through Koreatown-in Maryland

1 month ago | washingtonian.com | Ike Allen |Evy Mages

Think of the DC area’s “Koreatown” and you might picture the veteran bulgogi houses of Annandale or the burgeoning scene in Centreville. Together, they make up one of the great Korean food destinations this side of Seoul or SoCal. But our region has another Koreatown, too: a constellation of strip-mall businesses along a stretch of Route 40 in Ellicott City.
10 DC-Area Restaurant Openings We’re Excited About This Spring

1 month ago | washingtonian.com | Ike Allen

Bird SongThis spring, Thai chef Kitima Boonmala will bring khao soi, garlicky sen lek, jungle curry, tapioca dumplings, and spicy boat noodles—thickened with beef blood—to the Chevy Chase DC space formerly occupied by Blue 44. It’s a collaboration between Boonmala and the owners of Little Beast, the nearby restaurant that hosted one of the chef’s many noodle pop-ups.
Neighborhood Guide: Where to Eat, Shop, and Play in Middleburg

1 month ago | washingtonian.com | Ike Allen

Just west of Dulles, the greater Middleburg area, in the heart of Virginia’s horse country, feels a world apart from DC. The town and the surrounding Piedmont landscape, with their patchwork of wineries, 19th-century stone houses, and single-lane country roads, seem transported from a previous era, even as the region has witnessed recent development. Here we spotlight the best new restaurants, shops, and activities worth a trip.
Stephen Starr Resurrects a Storied Hotel Restaurant One Block from the White House

1 month ago | washingtonian.com | Ike Allen

Getting Washingtonians excited about the pageantry and glamour of politics might be a tough sell at the moment. But Stephen Starr is trying. The Occidental, his much-awaited revival of the storied 120-year-old Willard Hotel restaurant, opens Wednesday, March 5, bringing Cold War-era dishes and cold martinis to a longtime power lunch spot that had seen better days, but once entertained presidents and generals.
NPR Music Guru Bob Boilen Has a New Tiny Desk

1 month ago | washingtonian.com | Ike Allen

News & Politics Takoma Radio is a small station located in a suburban storefront. One recent morning, radio personality Bob Boilen was in the broadcast studio doing his usual thing, playing music for listeners who’d gotten to know him over his 35-year career at NPR. Boilen is best known for co-creating and hosting the popular Tiny Desk Concerts series, which has hosted more than 1,200 artists, including huge names such as Taylor Swift, Usher, and Adele.