by Marsha Dubrow
The new 876 Cafe on Connecticut Avenue near Van Ness Street is offering an “Escape to the Tropics” from June 11 through June 16 to celebrate Caribbean-American Heritage Month and the restaurant’s formal, but oh so casual, opening.
A major enticement: the 876 menu was created in partnership with Jamaican celeb chef Oji Jaja, who has worked at three Ritz-Carltons in Jamaica and in Florida, and was personal chef to Tom Cruise when filming “Knight and Day” in 2010.
The 876 Cafe chefs are Michael Wallace, from Montego Bay, Jamaica, and Michael Robertson, of Jamaican descent. Co-owner Moreen Wallace is also from Montego Bay, and co-owner Ron Johnson is of St. Kitts descent.
The thoroughly Caribbean spot, open for about two months, has garnered mostly positive online reviews. Here’s a sampling:
Named for Jamaica’s 876 country code, the restaurant is surely irie (“EYE-ree”, definitely not “eerie”) — Wi-fi included.
876 Cafe, 4221-B Connecticut Avenue, N.W., near Van Ness Street, Washington, D.C., Tel: (202) 244-4717, Fax: (202) 244-4749. Open daily 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.