“Supra” Brings High-End Georgian Cuisine to Washington, D.C.
Review
When you walk into Supra, you are hit first with the smell of spices, not recognizably Georgian, but recognizably delicious. Then you notice the glass case full of fluffy white Caucasian hats (papakhi) and antique photos of Georgians on the walls. A few moments later, you pick up the strains of Georgian folk and popular music breaking through the sounds of clinking glasses and laughter with mouths full of bread and cheese. The interior is modern and smooth, mostly wood and glass, brightened by a wall of indoor plants. The Georgian flair is added in subtle touches, nodding to the country’s traditions rather than emulating them. In the open kitchen, the staff works feverishly to prep for the dinner service.
Supra opened seven months ago in the increasingly trendy Washington, D.C. neighborhood of Shaw. Husband and wife team Jonathan and Laura Nelms say it’s a family business. When they first scouted for an executive chef, they invited Malkaz Maisashvili down from New York City, where he was working at the time, to stay in their home and cook for tasting parties of friends and neighbors. Most of the restaurant’s investors are family members. Having previously lived in Moscow, the couple was familiar with Georgian food as some of the best in the former Soviet Union, yet tragically unknown in the United States. After a fairytale vacation to Georgia in 2011, the pair began to kick around the idea of a Georgian restaurant in the D.C. area.
Supra offers traditional Georgian dishes and innovations on old staples. They want to fulfill the cravings of die-hard Georgian food fans by serving up favorites, and to surprise those familiar with Georgian classics with new twists. They also feel a sort of mission, a calling, to educate the D.C. community about the cuisine and wine of Georgia.
The menu rotates seasonally. It showcases mostly traditional Georgian foods, prepared and served in a slightly new way, with few outrageous alterations. After a few months of being open, Supra found its sweet spot among customers. There are plenty of Georgians who frequent the restaurant, including the embassy personnel, alongside the culinarily curious who have never tried Georgian food.
All the wines on offer are Georgian, with a focus on natural and organic products. There is also a cocktail menu with chacha based drinks – many with a sprig of tarragon or walnut syrup. The semi-separate bar has its own menu, which offers unique small-plate creations inspired by Georgian flavors. The dessert menu is surprisingly robust for Georgian food, playing with nuts and fruits. Supra is also open for a creative brunch on the weekends, showcasing the amazing hangover-cure power of Georgian dishes.
I was able to try some of the dishes and can report that the quality of the food is incredible. On the sampler platter, the pkhali spread with white beans is something special, and I loved Maisashvili’s interpretation of a cold summer matsvnis (yogurt) soup. The khachapuri is airy and light and meat dishes are rich and greasy, with a more nuanced flavor palate than the average Tbilisi restaurant. Maisashvili is truly passionate about his work, saying he finds freedom in the kitchen, and Jonathan and Laura let him have full creative control at Supra. While I was visiting, the restaurant’s big front windows showed, surprisingly, an Amish man unloading a truck full of fresh produce – Supra’s regular delivery of locally grown veggies. Almost all the ingredients, apart from a few things imported from Georgia, are fresh and local.
When Jonathan and Laura decided to open the restaurant, Jonathan said he felt something like a movie producer – supporting, encouraging, guiding, but neither the lead in the kitchen nor on the operational side. A sort of Georgian evangelist, Jonathan returns regularly to Georgia for wine tours, and brainstorms with his kitchen team ways to introduce new concepts to the menu. Inspired by their favorite Tbilisi restaurants Café Littera and Shavi Lomi, Supra plays with visitors’ expectations as well as their taste buds in an attempt to honor Georgia’s long food history, not just its greatest hits.
Jonathan and Laura want to see Supra develop into a neighborhood staple but have also been bitten by the restaurant bug and are already discussing their next project idea – perhaps an alternative take on Georgian food. Jonathan says Georgia inspires him, that the country is cooler, funkier, and more ramshackle (in a romantic way) than other countries in Eurasia.
Georgians are known for their hospitality, but also for a love of tradition and resistance to change. Supra has, however, faced little pushback despite the liberties Maisashvili takes with some classic dishes. Supra satisfies cravings for classic Georgian food and introduces a few new dishes to love. A welcome, well needed addition to the Washington, D.C. restaurant scene, we hope Supra continues to serve up innovative takes on Georgian cuisine for a long time to come!
By Samantha Guthrie