Take a First Look at Saint Stephen’s Menu, Opening This Week in Germantown

James Beard Award-winning chef RJ Cooper rolls out his new restaurant Saint Stephen in Germantown on Wednesday, March 6 in the former short-lived home of Mop/Broom Mess Hall (and, yes, Kuchnia & Keller).

Cooper is continuing with Mop/Broom’s current staff and space, adding intimacy through dimmed lighting, dripping candles, darker coats of paint, and large curtains to section off private dining. The branding by BRND House leans on Cooper’s affinity for rock n’ roll, motorcycles, and tattoos.

Saint Stephen’s name comes from a Grateful Dead song, and a press release promises new “rock and roll vibes” for the new Germantown restaurant at 1300 Third Avenue N.

Calling the menu a blend of “modern gastronomic cuisine and late night bar fare,” Cooper’s Saint Stephens menu debuts with small snacks like soft-boiled hen eggs with anchovy, lemon breadcrumbs, and togarashi. There’s also burrata, oysters, and hamachi. Plates, the largest section of the menu, range from beet and goat cheese agnolotti to a cheeseburger.

Larger format dishes include redfish, Rohan duck, and a 90-day-dried dairy cow ribeye that each serve 2-4 people. A dedicated section to macaroni and cheese offers choices of plain goat cheese and cheddar, or upgraded versions adding city ham and peas, or Alabama jumbo lump crab and bay spice into the mix. Sides include hakurei turnips, morel mushrooms, and fries.

A tasting counter experience featuring a daily-changing whimsical multi-course menu is available with tickets purchased through Resy only, and costs 75 plus an additional 40 for beverage pairings.

Diners can expect nightly dinner service, weekend brunch, as well as eventual additions of a ham and oyster happy hour, late night menu, and patio service surrounding new lighting, mural, and a central bonfire pit. The large outdoor patio will host musician rounds, crawfish boils, and large-format beverages this summer.

See the full menu below.

Formerly the Executive Chef of Nashville’s Henley, Chef RJ Cooper’s career includes working under some of the nation’s most prominent chefs like Gunter Seeger at The Dining Room at The Ritz-Carlton and Eric Ripert at Le Bernardin in New York City. Upon moving to Washington D.C., Cooper ran the kitchen at Vidalia. 2007 was one of his most accomplished years having won the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic in 2007. In 2011, he opened Rogue 24 in Washington D.C., using a wide range of high tech equipment and modern cooking techniques. Chef RJ Cooper also opened Gypsy Soul in in 2013 in Fairfax, VA. He did brief stints in Charlotte and Atlanta before calling Nashville home.

• Chef RJ Cooper Is Taking Over Mop/Broom For His Latest Project [ENASH]