BLT Steak Reopens After 2-Month Remodel
Menu Selection Returns to Pre-Pandemic Options
BLT Steak, 1626 I St. NW, reopened Saturday, March 5, following a two-month renovation — the first makeover since it opened in 2006.
BLT Steak’s remodeled dining room. (Photo: Mark Heckathorn/DC on Heels)
D.C.-based Studio Saint’s design is lighter and brighter than the original space with earth tones of light to darker brown, tan and slate gray adding a more feminine touch. The interior is a celebration of food and its cultivation, from the marketplace to the modern bistro steakhouse. The new dining room incorporates organic curvature with linear geometries giving it a classic steakhouse meets contemporary Parisian bistro vibe.
A new lounge area features velvet sofas and marble-top tables. (Photo: Mark Heckathorn/DC on Heels)
There is custom millwork at the bar and wall paneling throughout the restaurant, along with sconce lighting. Faux saddle leather booths and chairs are paired with light wood tables in the dining room and herringbone wood floors. A new lounge space to the right of the front door features white-veined marble and wood tables with slate gray velvet sofas. The 16-seat bar is treated with more custom cabinetry and a zinc pewter-colored countertop.
The newly renovated private 13,000-square foot rooftop terrace directly overlooks the White House, the Washington Monument and the Jefferson Memorial and can host up to 250 guests. The dining room and bar spans 3,500-square-feet with 30 lounge seats, 16 bar seats and 90 dining room seats, while a private dining room can seat up to 30 people. A 40-seat outdoor patio is available during the spring and summer.
The 36-ounce, 28-day dry aged prime porterhouse steak for two with roasted garlic and maître de butter for $110.
(Photo: Mark Heckathorn/DC on Heels)
The restaurant closed after service on Christmas Eve. Managing Partner Jeff Kadish said everything was built off-site then assembled at the restaurant, which had been gutted except for the bar.
The reopening also brings back the restaurant’s full menu following a pandemic downsizing. “We’re 100 percent back to our full menu,” Executive Chef Michael Bonk told DC on Heels. Although the restaurant closed in March 2020 due to COVID-19 and briefly reopened around last Christmas, the entire kitchen staff has returned, including a sous chef who has worked there since the restaurant opened, Bonk said.
BLT Steak’s spring special, whole wheat cavatelli with beef tripe, chicerchia beans and tomatoes finished with parmesan bread crumbs and mint. (Photo: Mark Heckathorn/DC on Heels)
There will also be nightly specials based on what he can source locally. “We’ve had a problem sourcing, so the specials are based on what we can source on a regular basis from local farm,” Bonk said. Sources include Randall Lineback beef from Chapel Hill Farm in Berryville, Va. The menu also includes new spins on BLT classics, such as the burrata appetizer and the grilled tuna, braised short ribs and roasted chicken entrees.
Entrees, priced from $37-$135, feature USDA prime Black Angus beef, including a $110 porterhouse steak for two, and American, Australian and Japanese Wagyu. Appetizers range from $14-$29 and sides range from $12-$14.
BLT Steak, 1625 I St. NW, is open from 5-10 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 5-10:30 p.m. Saturday. It is closed Sunday and Monday. Lunch will resume as more workers return to downtown offices.
