Poplar
Day 1: 5-Course Foraged-to-Fork Tasting Series
Opened in 2025 in Brightwood Park, this unusual eatery hopped right onto Resy’s “Hit List”. Poplar, whose name derives from the tulip poplars of Rock Creek (you know, those very tall trees that attract all sorts of delicious wild mushrooms), offers an inventive menu that emphasizes mushrooms and other foraged goodies, as well as directly sourced sea and farm items. Executive Chef Iulian Fortu graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and spent a summer working at the acclaimed Noma restaurant in Copenhagen before training at the Puglia Culinary Centre in southern Italy. He is also a professional forager and purveyor to many notable fine restaurants in DC, including Reverie, Oyster Oyster, Bresca, and The Dabney. At Poplar, he is delighting diners with dishes like melon gazpacho, stuffed Indian eggplants with Calabrian sauce, blue crab aquachile, chicken skewers with corn and oyster mushroom succotash, and a luscious chocolate cake with Madeira plums and hazelnuts. Here’s a restaurant that is the opposite of same old/same old, and it is awaiting our discovery. We hope you’ll be able to join us!
About the Host:
Iulian Fortu
Executive Chef
A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Chef Iulian Fortu first honed his craft at the acclaimed Noma restaurant in Copenhagen and at the Puglia Culinary Centre in southern Italy before returning to the US for his culinary career. A professional forager, he is purveyor to many notable fine restaurants in DC, including Reverie, Oyster Oyster, Bresca, and The Dabney, in addition to his role as Executive Chef at Poplar.
The Lineup
All courses will be individually plated. This menu will be Shellfish, Peanut, Tree Nut & Mushroom Free. For a list of restrictions/allergies Chef is accommodating, click here.
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Seasonal Aguachile
habanada paw paw marinade, carrot crispies
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Jersey Tomato Salad
parmesan garum, wild greens
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Badger Flame Beets
eggplant mole, spicebush porcini crumble
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Iberico Pork Steak
blackcurrant sauce, chanterelle mushroom
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Candy Cap Mille Feuille
caramelized fig, smoked rum sauce
Poplar
701 Kennedy St NW
Washington, DC 20011
More Event Info
Dietary Restrictions Accommodation Policy:
Due to the large-format nature of this event, all accommodation requests must be Added To Your Profile, or Emailed To Us no later than 72 hours before the event. Requests submitted after this date will not be accommodated. Additionally, Poplar will only be accommodating certain dietary restrictions/food allergies, and they are unable to make menu adjustments based on distaste for specific ingredients/flavor profiles.
See below for guidance on whether or not they will be accommodating your restriction. Or, if your restriction is not represented below, Contact Us prior to booking tickets for guidance.
- Vegetarians: There is White Fish in Course 1 and Pork in Course 4. Substitutions will be provided.
- Pescatarians: There is Pork in Course 4. Substitutions will be provided.
- Gluten: There is Gluten in Course 5. Substitutions will be provided as long as cross-contamination is not an issue.
- Dairy:
- Cheese: Cow's Milk Cheese is in Course 2. Substitutions will be provided.
- Milk/Cream: Cow's Milk is in Course 5. Substitutions will be provided.
- Shellfish: This menu is shellfish-free.
- Fish: There is White Fish in Course 1. Substitutions will be provided.
- Eggs: There are cooked eggs in Course 5. Substitutions will be provided.
- Peanuts: This menu is peanut-free.
- Tree Nuts: There are walnuts and cashews in Course 3. Substitutions will be provided.
- Alliums: There are Alliums in Course 1, Course 2, Course 3 and Course 4. Substitutions will not be provided.
- Mushrooms: There is Porcini in Course 3, Chanterelle in Course 4 and Candy Cap in Course 5. Substitutions will not be provided.
- Soy: There is soy in Course 1, Course 3, and Course 4. Substitutions will be provided.
Handicap Accessibility:
Have Additional Questions?
Check out Event FAQs or Contact Us for assistance.
