Reverie Rises From the Ashes With a Striking New Shou Sugi Ban Look

Reverie, Georgetown’s treasured tasting room in Washington DC that was forced to go dark in August 2022 after suffering extensive fire damage, makes its long-awaited comeback to D.C.’s Michelin-starred dining scene later this month.

Chef Johnny Spero’s resurrected flagship, hidden in a cobblestone alleyway since 2018 (3201 Cherry Hill Lane), maintains its same one-star status achieved just months before flames ravaged the fine dining destination. At the completely rebuilt restaurant, modernist meals stretching 16 courses long continue to draw culinary influences and techniques from Nordic countries, Japan, and Spero’s native Maryland.

“We don’t want to start over; we want to continue where we left off,” he says, of the seafood-centric reboot. “We say Reverie’s trashy but classy — we take food seriously but give the guests a great time.”

Reverie 2.0’s revised look takes a dramatic turn, swapping slick white-and-blue subway tiles for a completely recalibrated palate full of pitch-black shou sugi ban finishes that literally reflect on the reason it closed. Columns around the dining room are wrapped in torched wood, a Japanese preservation technique that speaks to Reverie’s resilience. A sophisticated floor comprised of large charcoal-colored slabs replaces a light wooden pattern.

Spero happily reports his shiny new granite countertop passed his so-called “Duke’s of Hazzard” slide test: being able to successfully deliver dishes all the way across the 20-foot showstopper.