Degrees Bar & Lounge at the Ritz-Carlton
3100 South St. NW
★★★★★
$$$

With Parent and Family Weekend just around the corner, Georgetown hotels will soon be full of eager Hoya families ready to explore the District. But every Parents’ Weekend, students are constantly faced with the dilemma: Where should I take my parents to eat? The perfect place to dine this weekend might just be at the very hotel where your parents are staying.

Located at 3100 South St. NW, the sleek and swanky Degrees Bar & Lounge at The Ritz-Carlton, Georgetown is a hidden gem delivering fun fusion food sure to satisfy parents and students alike.

I decided to dine at Degrees after the ill-informed decision of taking a walk to the waterfront with a friend on a very, very hot day. Exhausted from the heat, my friend and I resigned to eating somewhere nearby. However, we were bored with the usual restaurants on the waterfront that Georgetown students frequent so often. We wanted something new, so after a few searches on Yelp, we came across Degrees, which boasted an impressive four out of five stars. Intrigued, we decided to make the short trek over to The Ritz-Carlton, Georgetown.

Upon our arrival, we were very politely greeted by the hotel concierge, who escorted us to Degrees. The lighting was dark and intimate and the decor was modern and sleek, perfectly suited for a casual evening out. The space featured a medley of seating — bar stools, high tables and chairs, lower dining room style tables, as well as couches with coffee tables. It was early in the evening, so the restaurant was mostly empty, with the exception of a few well-dressed hotel guests who sat at the bar, sipping cocktails and watching the football game on the hanging TVs.

We were immediately seated at one of the dining tables and promptly served water and bread, courtesy of our very efficient waiter. The menu featured international cuisine, but all with some sort of cross-cultural, fusion-inspired twist. Korean tacos ($14), French onion soup dumplings ($8) and blue crab croquettes ($16) sounded fun, unusual and intriguing. Our waiter informed us that the restaurant served small plates fit for sharing, so my friend and I decided on the artisan charcuterie board ($18), the Ramen Sliders ($12) and the aforementioned Korean tacos.

The charcuterie board (serrano ham, herbes de Provence salami, sopressata, Spanish chorizo, cornichons, whole-grain mustard, sliced baguette) featured an assortment of meats and cheeses that would have stood well enough individually but were even more fantastic when paired together.

The ramen sliders — traditional beef sliders served with buns made out of pan-fried ramen noodles instead of bread — were served with hoisin sauce and Sriracha aioli and were simply out of this world. The ramen noodle buns added an unexpected crunch to the burger that regular bread simply cannot achieve.

And finally, the Korean tacos delivered a similar East-meets-West flair — warm corn tortillas filled with braised galbi short rib, pickled jicama and sesame slaw flavored to perfection. My friend and I were so impressed with our meal that despite our full stomachs, we decided to order dessert, settling on the Georgetown s’more, a delicious deconstructed s’more with smoked vanilla marshmallow and homemade graham crackers.

Degrees is headed by The Ritz-Carlton, Georgetown Executive Chef Quang Duong, who immigrated to the United States in the 1980s. Before being named The Ritz-Carlton, Georgetown executive chef in 2007, Chef Duong worked at various Washington, D.C. luxury hotels and restaurants, such as The Westin, Nicholas Restaurant in The Mayflower Hotel, Citronelle, Ana Hotel, The Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City, The Willard Intercontinental Hotel, The Hilton Old Town Hotel, Eurasian Harbor Restaurant and The Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C. During his impressive cooking career, Duong has been lauded with many culinary awards, including the prestigious International Award of Excellence as one of the Best Chefs in America. Duong is known for the incredible quality of dishes, using only the freshest seasonal produce and best ingredients.

So if you’ve got parents coming this weekend — and better yet, if they’re staying at The Ritz-Carlton, Georgetown — head on over to this hidden hotel lobby restaurant for an exciting and inspiring meal you won’t regret. Degrees is open for dinner from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., but remains open during early morning and afternoon hours throughout the day, serving a variety of menus for hotel guests and M Street walk-ins.