DC Chef to Open Spanish Restaurant in Mount Vernon Square

Attention D.C. foodies: A brand new Spanish restaurant is coming to the Marriot Marquis in Mount Vernon Square.

Washington, D.C. chef and restauranteur Mike Isabella -- the man behind the Kapnos restaurants and Mexican cantina Pepita -- announced Monday the approaching arrival of Arroz, which will be a Southern Spanish and Tangier-inspired restaurant. It will seat 246 and be located at 901 Massachusetts Ave. NW.

Arroz, which will open in early 2017, will offer both lunch and dinner as well as a weekend brunch. Dishes will be inspired by the cuisines of Valencia, Andalusia, Portugal and North Africa, according to a statement.

"My favorite thing about dining in Spain is the incredible variety of the cuisine," Isabella said in the statement. "Spaniards have strong regional identity and it shows in their food culture. You can enjoy paella in Valencia, then drive down the coast a bit and experience completely different flavors and ingredients. Not many U.S. restaurateurs focus on Southern Spain, Northern Africa, and Portugal. Those regions of the world heavily influence each other’s art, architecture and food, and those unique flavors are exactly what we are aiming to capture at Arroz."

Arroz is Spanish for rice, and Isabella chose the name because many of the dishes will feature different styles of rice, which is an important staple in Southern Spanish cuisine.

Spanish wines and cocktails like sangria will dominate the beverage menu. The design will be a "contemporary interpretation of Moroccan and Spanish architecture, motifs and colors," the statement notes.

Image via MikeIsabella.com