John Shields: 'D.C. Is 100%'; Starr Picks Le Diplomate Chef

This past week, The Washington Post highlighted the wave of nationally recognized out-of-town chefs opening restaurants here in Philly, and now, we're happy to return the favor and dish on some upcoming Washington, D.C. projects that have serious Philly ties.

John Shields—who once ran the kitchen of the critically-acclaimed Town House in the backwoods of Virginia—confirmed to Eater that he made the final decision to open his new restaurant in Washington, D.C. instead of Philly. "It's 100% now," Shields told Eater. "We've seen a bunch of spaces, now we just need to figure out which one works for us aesthetically. It's all coming together."

Super restaurateur Stephen Starr announced that Adam Schop will be the executive chef of Le Diplomate, the 200-seat French restaurant he's opening in Washington, D.C. Slated to cut the ribbon in late March at 1601 14th St. NW, Le Diplomate is Starr's 30th food concept since opening his empire in the mid 1990s. Schop's resume includes Nuela in New York and Zinc Bistro in Scottsdale. It's worth noting that Schop beat out more than a dozen other chefs for the gig.

· All John Shields Coverage [~EPHI~]
· All Stephen Starr Coverage [~EPHI~]
· Stephen Starr's Le Diplomate To Open in March [WaPo]