Show summary Hide summary
Georgetown’s restaurant scene grows denser this week with two new Ten Five Hospitality venues opening at the corner of M Street and Wisconsin Avenue: a 60-seat grill on the ground floor and a velvet-clad supper club upstairs. The arrivals, which begin service Friday, June 26, bring a high-profile chef and a heavy dose of theatrical dining to a historic stretch of the neighborhood — changes that will reshape late-night and steakhouse options in the area.
A historic room dressed for the Gilded Age
The ground-floor dining room occupies a 150-year-old brick building that once housed the St. Elmo’s Fire–era Third Edition. Ten Five’s team stripped and rebuilt the space, commissioning London and Los Angeles designers to create a low-lit, clubby atmosphere with oak paneling, leather banquettes, and brass fixtures. The room is intentionally intimate — about half the size of the company’s usual restaurants — aiming for old-world formality rather than fast-paced dining.
Hamptons restaurants draw summer crowds: where to book a table today
Chicken dinners: 14 bold twists to end your same-old meals
At the helm of the kitchen is Tim Hollingsworth, a James Beard–recognized chef who trained under Thomas Keller and held senior posts at Per Se and The French Laundry. His approach here leans on familiar, hearty preparations — roasted birds, steaks and classic sauces — but executed with refined technique and a Mid-Atlantic ingredient set.
What’s on the menu
The menu blends upscale raw-bar offerings with time-tested grill dishes. Seafood towers, East- and West-coast oysters and caviar sit alongside comfort-driven plates and theater-ready preparations meant to pair with an extensive wine list.
- Raw bar: oysters, Maine diver scallops, jumbo Mexican shrimp, chilled seafood towers.
- Small plates: beef tartare with piquillo and Basque chiles; roasted bone marrow with endive marmalade.
- Grill and mains: Berkshire pork chop with rosemary-honey-garlic glaze; koji- and pepper-rubbed prime rib; côte de boeuf and A5 wagyu options.
- Comfort with a twist: roasted chicken with vin jaune sourced from LaBelle Patrimoine; a playful fish-sticks-and-caviar dish in the upstairs lounge.
- Suppliers: produce from Lancaster Farms Cooperative and beef from family-owned Brandt Beef in California.
Upstairs: a supper club with theatrical intent
Above the dining room is an independently operated lounge with a separate entrance. Named Bernadette’s, the space channels postwar European supper clubs — think velvet drapery, a grand piano and close-set tables — and is intended as an evening destination for dinner, drinks, and live music.
Management describes Bernadette’s as “dinner with a little theater.” The menu there intentionally mixes elevated fare with approachable items: chicken liver mousse, a wagyu cheeseburger, prime rib French dip and steak frites share the slate with more playful offerings that bridge fine dining and late-night comfort.
Julian Cox, a James Beard–nominated bartender, oversees drinks across the venue’s multiple bars. Expect creative riffs on classics — a martini with Castelvetrano olive oil, tea-forward Old Fashioneds, and citrusy mezcal cocktails with a spicy kick. The wine list spans roughly 400 labels from France, Italy, Spain and the U.S.
| Venue | Days | Hours | Live Music |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oak Room | Tuesday–Sunday | 5:00–10:30 p.m. (brunch coming soon) | No regular schedule |
| Bernadette’s | Wed, Thu, Sun; extended Fri–Sat | 5:00–11:00 p.m. (Wed/Thu/Sun); to 2:00 a.m. Fri–Sat | Live music Thu–Sat (initial schedule) |
The operation also includes an ivy-covered garden patio tucked behind Bernadette’s, intended as a quieter, seasonal bar area that the team likens to small central-London courtyards.
Ten Five’s managing partner Dan Daley, a Georgetown alumnus who returned to the D.C. area recently, says the company often finds a building first and then designs a concept around the site. The Oaks Room/Bernadette’s project follows that formula — paying particular attention to the neighborhood’s historic fabric while delivering a contemporary dining program.
For the local dining landscape, these openings arrive amid a wave of new steakhouses and multi-concept venues in Georgetown, including recent arrivals that have expanded options for late-night drinking and high-end meat-focused menus. Ten Five’s next confirmed move is a lease on the long-vacant RiRa space on M Street, signaling more change to come in the corridor.
Why this matters now: the two openings add both daytime and late-night capacity to a compact, historic neighborhood and bring a nationally known culinary name to Washington’s dining scene — a combination likely to shift where Georgetown residents and visitors choose to eat, drink and linger this summer.
Florida shooting outside McDonald’s kills man after driver attacked while eating in car
Best-selling vodka revealed: budget brand outsells Grey Goose and Ketel One
