A Tribute to the Golden Age of Journey Takes Off Close to Reagan Airport

The booming National Landing neighborhood close to Amazon’s headquarters is gearing as much as welcome a pair of thrilling new eating locations this spring. Altitude is a wine bar, Italian-leaning restaurant, and vinyl listening lounge — a style having a second round D.C. — and its informal counterpart, Constellation, is an all-day cafe with pastries, single-origin roasts from D.C.’s Small Planes Coffee, craft beers, and a market promoting native items and snacks for the house or workplace. Constellation opens on Wednesday, May 20, and Altitude is scheduled to reach in June. They each come from the fast-growing Episcope Hospitality group.

The Altitude and Constellation— was created with the “golden age of travel and exploration” in thoughts — a play off its proximity to Reagan National Airport. The two-level venture (2011 Crystal Drive, Arlington, Virginia) sits proper subsequent to an incoming pedestrian bridge connecting Crystal City to DCA and the deliberate Virginia Railway Express/Amtrak rail station. A 330-room lodge can also be underway.

The gorgeous design attracts inspiration from an airplane wing cross-section. A hanging digital display of a real-time flight tracker oversees the midcentury-chic lounge space outfitted with brown leather-based sofas. “The planes are mesmerizing to watch,” says Episcope’s CEO David Morton. Aisle lighting paying homage to the cabin in a retro Pan Am airline line Altitude’s banquettes.

“I dare say, of our 20-plus restaurants across the country, Altitude might be one of the most beautiful rooms that we’ve ever been a part of,” Morton tells Eater, of the venture two years within the making.

In NYC, Episcope just lately added the Landing restaurant and bar and upper-level lounge, the Perch, to the shiny new mixed-use Penn venture hooked up to Penn Station. Tenants that work inside the 10 million sq. ft of the Penn District can take pleasure in two bars, an electrical kitchen, a Mediterranean menu, and an acre of out of doors area. In Chicago, it added related social hubs to the revitalized Mart complicated in River North.

Episcope has roots in National Landing already, having labored on the 2023 opening of all-outdoor meals corridor Water Park, which incorporates Water Bar and Crush Pizza. Altitude and Constellation are the primary ideas Episcope has developed from scratch in over a decade. Episcope can also be behind Daydrift, an almost year-old espresso shop-bookstore positioned a number of blocks away. “As an ‘old parent,’ Daydrift is like if one of your kids is sent to Berkeley. And Constellation is a little bit more NYU,” he says. Constellation begins the day with French toast, egg scrambles, smoked salmon on a regionally made bagel,
and breakfast burrito with house-made chorizo.

Of Altitude, Morton says, “You’re welcome to grab an album and put it in the queue, everything from British invasion to contemporary jazz.” Look for themed nights devoted to Elvis music lovers, as an illustration.

Leading the kitchen for each places are two alums from Michelin-starred Pineapple & Pearls, and its beverage director hails from the membership-only Ned’s Club throughout from the White House.

Crudo and house-made focaccia are a spotlight, together with whipped ricotta and heirloom tomato puree dips, cheese, and salami. Mains embrace all kinds of freshly made pastas, gnocchi, grilled branzino, and roasted half rooster.

Around 30 wine choices by the glass and 70 by the bottle be part of an inventory of cocktails like “Autodromo,” a spritz paying homage to Emilia-Romagna’s Formula 1 website, and a traditional New York bitter with an Italian twist.

The Arlington space’s marquee tenant, Amazon, just lately introduced plans to chop 14,000 company jobs, however these based mostly at HQ2 will principally be spared, per ARLnow. The nationwide hospitality administration firm was based by Morton in 2009 as DMK Restaurants and rebranded to Episcope in 2024. It focuses on up-and-coming city hubs rooted in contemporary motels, residential, and workplace developments.

The space round Amazon has continued to expertise an inflow of recent eating choices as of late, together with arrivals from the Peruvian Brothers, Bar Chinois, NiHao, and Flight Wine Shop, in addition to the opening of North America’s largest AC Hotel. Duke’s Grocery will quickly add a brand new burger stall at Water Park – its first foray into Virginia.