Hang Out With the Social Set: Columbia Heights Hosts an Intimate New Spot

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IT SEEMS ONLY fitting that the chef, restaurant manager and owners of the new Columbia Heights restaurant Social have been friends for years. Owners Scott Hammons, Tim Korzep and AJ Guy; restaurant manager Joseph Norton and chef Michael Clements met while working at Kimpton Hotels Helix, Rouge and Topaz, before deciding to open their own spot.

Social features small plates, and everything is designed for sharing, so there are three plate sizes — intimate, social and gala. The space is furnished with cozy couches, and there's an intimate bar perfect for catching up with friends. The dining room is designed like a family room, and photographs on the wall of are of the owners' friends.

"We also put a TV up here to add to the family room aspect," Norton said. "We're going to show old or silent movies, since we want it to be unobtrusive."

Clements, who comes from northern California, spent three and a half years in New Orleans, and the menu's Southern influences are apparent — look for spicy "mud bug" beignets made with crawfish, barbecue shrimp and bread pudding. But Clements, who has also cooked at Tonic in Mount Pleasant, says the menu is "non-regional."

"Some items on the menu are things I've done for years and been hits where I've worked, like fish tacos and ribs," he says. "I've always cooked from the heart, and I love to eat, but I try not to go over-the-top too fancy or too middle of the road."

Besides Creole influences, there are Asian-inspired dishes like Vietnamese pulled pork sliders, along with other sliders — crab cake, meatball and short rib.

Pastry chef Kristine Bender, who has made desserts at Citronelle and Olives, makes plates like blackberry polenta bread pudding.

The range of tastes is appealing in a culturally diverse area like Columbia Heights, and with the addition of brunch last week, Social seems to be turning into a great gathering place for the neighborhood.

» Social, 1400 Meridian Place NW; 202-797-1100. (Columbia Heights)

Written by Express contributor Amy Cavanaugh
Photos courtesy Jonathan Zuck