In late March, Host Hotels & Resorts completed an $11 million renovation of the public spaces in the Washington Marriott Metro Center hotel, reconfiguring the former Regatta Bar into Fire & Sage, a 160-seat casual-dining restaurant. Designed by Baltimore-based interior design firm RD Jones, the 3,925-square-foot venue has Asian-accented contemporary decor, Brazilian cherry wood flooring, and large pendant lights.
Seating possibilities include tables with chairs upholstered in camel-colored leather, booths covered with sage-colored animal-print fabric, and cushioned bar stools at a 12-seat communal table. The central area of the space has an open kitchen and a black granite bar with part of its rear wall housing a glass-enclosed wine storage system.
Near the restaurant's lobby entrance and concealed by sliding glass doors, the eight- to 20-seat private dining room has a separate service entrance and 42-inch flat-screen TV. A semiprivate area in the rear of the space can accommodate 50 for a reception.
Executive chef Aaron Tootill’s menu emphasizes brick-oven pizzas as well as seafood, including oak-planked scallops and tea-smoked halibut. The bar offers more than 20 wines by the glass and pours regional microbrews on tap.
The hotel is above the Metro Center subway station.