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“No one else is doing what we plan to do,” says José Andrés in a new cartoon video touting his soon-to-open vegetable-focused fast-casual restaurant, Beefsteak. Although there’s no word yet on the exact opening date for the Foggy Bottom spot, Andrés reveals more specifics about his ambitions for Beefsteak and the bowl-based menu.
Vegetables—as many as you want, prepared fresh in front of you—come first. Grains (quinoa, rice, couscous, orzo) form the base of the bowl. Sauces—”America loves sauce!”—will include spicy tomato, green herb pesto, yogurt, and miso, while toppings will range from roasted pumpkin seeds to crispy shallots to crispy seaweed. Dressings like lemon and olive oil or soy sauce and olive oil will also be available. And if you want meat, they’ll have that too, along with proteins like smoked salmon, egg, or half and avocado.
Andrés is obviously looking far beyond one location. “I want to one day soon feed millions a day,” he says in the video.
And he is certain it will work. Why? “My team and I, we have fed millions of people in our restaurants over the past twenty years, and every day, every day, they request more and more vegetables,” he says. ” I know that what American needs and America is not able to find are more restaurants where vegetables are at the heart.”