Minibar by Jose Andres
Four Things to Know About the New Minibar

Right now, you might be staring down the last bit of a grilled cheese from a food truck. And that’s fine, really. But we’d like a moment to talk about the exact opposite of that. Namely, Minibar by José Andrés, which has just thrown open its new doors in Penn Quarter. Herewith, four key things to know.

It is not tucked away in another restaurant.
No longer just a six-seat bar in one of his restaurants, this is 3,000 square feet of stand-alone beauty in the former Zola Wine & Kitchen space. Which now can accommodate... 12.

You can’t just breeze in here and start demanding olive oil bonbons.
You’ll have to wait a month to get in, and dinner for two will set you back a car payment. So, you know, wait until the third date.

You’ll have to move around. But not too much.
You and said date will start out in a small lounge for your first drink (think mezcal cocktails in the form of ice balls). From there, it’s on to the two oak bars for dinner, where chefs toil in front of you over your 20 courses like the Foie Bomb and the Pillow of PB&J. After that, into another lounge for coffee, dessert and cordials.

You don’t have many decisions to make.
Basically, just pick one of four beverage pairing options. Hint: hard to go wrong with “The Celebration,” which focuses on bubbly.

Oh, and one more thing: they don’t deliver.