Gravitas Review — Ultimate DC Dining

One of our favorite restauranteurs in Washington DC is Chef Matt Baker. As of February, 2022, he’s opened two DC restaurants and two boutique cafés that all feature great food and a team of workers who are second to none. The flagship restaurant of Chef Baker’s empire is the One Michelin Starred Gravitas and I’ll be reviewing our most recent dining experience here.

Our first visit (2021)

The first time we experienced Gravitas was for a corporate holiday event at the end of 2021. This wasn’t a typical night with the Michelin Stared Chefs Tasting Menu, but instead it was a restaurant filled with drinks and a large spread of incredible food (including an amazing caviar tasting station) all from the same Michelin Starred team. With three levels (the uppermost being an outdoor rooftop bar/lounge) there was plenty to keep us occupied as well as fed.

We loved the atmosphere, the creativity from the beverage team and the service was as good as any top flight restaurant we’ve ever experienced. Several standout members of the staff really made our night special and we vowed to return to experience a normal dinner service. Unfortunately it took a year before we made good on that promise.

Several dishes for a corporate holiday event

Our Second Visit (2022)

With all of the amazing restaurants to try in Washington, DC it took us more than a year to return to Gravitas for a real dining experience. One of our favorites of 2022 was another restaurant from Chef Matt Baker called: Michele’s (a full review is in the works). Dining at Michele’s reinforced what we felt about Chef Baker’s establishments - that he seeks out an incredible staff and they love working for him.

We eventually did return to Gravitas to experience the full Michelin Starred chef’s tasting menu in December of 2022 and it more than lived up to our memories from 2021. Best of all, we immediately saw several faces we recognized - and a few even recognized us. This is the kind of staff consistency that we love to see at Ultimate DC Dining and it’s a strong indication of a well managed restaurant. Because we were there on Christmas Eve our good friend, and beverage director for Gravitas, Judy brought us Champagne to get our night started.

We have a saying at Ultimate DC Dining: every truly great meal should begin with an unexpected bite “courtesy of the chef”. The soup at Michele’s is legendary and I’m happy to report that our meal at Gravitas also started with a small plate of bites that worked as a perfect introduction to the meal that was to come.

Gravitas amuse-bouche - compliments of the chef

Bread is another area where Gravitas (as well as at Michele’s and Baker’s Daughter) stands out from the competition. The bread is just incredible.

Caviar Service (optional supplement)

Another one of our sayings is: you can tell a lot about a restaurant by how creative they are with their caviar service. Again the team at Gravitas was up to the task with a number of options for caviar which included an incredible array of accompaniments that showcased the chef’s creativity and understanding of what makes a great caviar service.

The Gravitas caviar service accompaniments

Beverages

Of course every great meal needs great beverages to go with it and when we saw our friend Mike working the main level bar we asked him to use his imagination to whip up a few cocktails for us.

Whenever we get to know great chefs or bartenders we always like to give them a great deal of freedom to create for us. On this night Mike asked a few basic questions (what alcohol to you prefer, do you like fruity drinks, etc.) before disappearing back to his bar to let his imagination go wild.

Between bartenders like Mike and the leadership of Judy and Sommelier, Angelo, there is some serious talent working the beverage department of Gravitas. Here’s a look at what Mike created for us:

Both drinks were exactly what we were looking for - but neither of us remember exactly what they were called (or what was in them).

the Tasting Menu - First Course

Unlike a typical night at Gravitas we were treated to a unique chefs tasting menu that was served for Christmas Eve guests. It began with a winter vegetable salad (Baby Radish and Carrot, White Wine Vinaigrette, Goat Cheese Espuma) and Yellowfin Tuna Sashimi (Soy Vinaigrette, Shaved Jalapeño, Black Vinegar Aioli, Crispy Shallot). The Tuna Sashimi was absolutely magical!

Second Course

Our second course was an amazing Cotechino (Stewed Beluga Lentils, Butter Spinach, Foie Gras, Glazed Apple, Calvados Jus) along with Seared Scallops and Pork Belly (Blazed Brassicas, Lobster Emulsion, Celery Root Pureé).

We don’t traditionally go for foie gras, but the combination of glazed apple, calvados jus, butter spinach and stewed beluga lentils was spectacular.

With an opening treat, caviar service and two courses consumed this was quickly becoming a whole lot of food. Thankfully the pace was very accommodating.

Seared Scallops and Pork Belly at Gravitas

Third Course

For our third course we were treated to an incredible Linguini with Uni Cream (Parsley Pureé, Steamed Mussels, Red Chili, Garlic Breadcrumbs) and an awesome Hand Rolled Gnocchi (Poached Lobster, Roasted Squash, Sage Beurre Rouge). We loved both of these pasta plates and had a difficult time calling one better than the other. The Gnocchi was the second best I’ve ever had (bested only by the incredible Gnocchi by Chef Aaron Silverman at his 2 Michelin Starred Pineapples & Pearls) and that is saying a lot.

Fourth Course

It was time for our entree’s and we had three choices (four if you include the A5 Wagyu Supplement for an extra $90). All of them sounded incredible, but we settled on the Honey Lacquered Duck Breast (Chestnut Pureé, Frisbee, Cherry Jus) and the Milk Poached Chicken Breast (Fennel Pureé, Cabbage Choucroute, Pommes Gratin, Cognac Jus).

Both entree’s were perfect. I rarely order duck (for me there’s a very fine line between perfect and awful when it comes to duck) but I’m so glad I did. It was perfection. And the Milk Poached Chicken was another highlight of our night.

Fifth Course

There were several deserts available at the end of our night but we decided to share the sticky toffee pudding (Chantilly, Caramelized Pear, Ginger Ice Cream) and take home our selection of entrapments. They even put a special message on our plate:

Conclusion

As our night was winding down we spent some time enjoying one last adult beverage and talking about where Gravitas would slot in to our top ten list. At the time I’m posting this review, Gravitas landed at number 4 - the highest ranking of our Michelin One Starred restaurants.

Gravitas was in an extremely close battle with Roses Luxury for our number 4 spot - but we were feeling the Christmas spirit on that night. Both Gravitas and Roses Luxury are amazing restaurants with staffs that are some of the best in the DC area but on this night Gravitas was just slightly ahead due to the personalized attention we received from the moment we arrived to the end of our night. Chef Matt Baker has found the perfect combination of atmosphere, staff and food to keep us coming back whenever we can.

Cost

The five course Chef’s tasting menu runs $165/guest (February, 2022) and for the two and a half to three hour experience we feel it’s worth every penny. For those looking to elevate their experience they offer Sommelier wine pairings, caviar service and a white or black truffle supplement (when available).

Note - elevations mentioned in this review are subject to change without notice.

Reservations are recommended

RATINGS

We have a tradition at Ultimate DC Dining of eating out at a supremely nice restaurant on Christmas Eve. For 2022 we kept the tradition going by booking a night at Gravitas - on the day after my wife, Deb, and I got married.

We had an incredible night at Gravitas that was filled with incredible food, creative drinks and superb service. For our Ultimate DC Dining ratings we scored Gravitas as follows:

Food Rating - 5 out of 5

Chef Matt Baker is one amazing chef who we put in our top five when it comes to our favorite DC area chefs. The creativity of each dish, and freshness of the ingredients, added up to some of our favorite dishes we’ve had. Special mention goes to the beverage team for ensuring that each dish always had an amazing pairing available.

Experience Rating - 5 out of 5

The entire staff of Gravitas lived up to our high expectations and we were delighted to see so many familiar faces from our previous visit. When a restaurant keeps their best servers, chefs and beverage team together the overall experience will almost always be top shelf.

Photo Rating - 4.5 out of 5

The photos you can create at Gravitas are great with the food plated perfectly for an Instagram post. The only thing holding them back from receiving all five of our photo rating stars was the complicated lighting (which was a bit dim and threw several complicated shadows on our plates) and the lack of amazing food subjects that we see from Pineapples and Pearls or minibar. That being said, if you’re an instagram foodie then you’ll love your time at Gravitas.

FINAL SCORE - 14.5 OUT OF 15

We loved our Gravitas experience and feel they more than deserve their one Michelin Star. The food and staff are top notch and you’ll definitely get some killer pictures to remember your visit.

Gravitas

Our first visit (2021)