Chef Victor Albisu opens his first restaurant Del Campo today in Chinatown. Grab a caipirinha at the bar at 5 p.m., then snag a table at 5:30 p.m. when the dining room opens.

The South American-influenced restaurant focuses on grilled meats and traditional street foods. Look out for house specialties like surf and turf empanadas with wagyu ribeye and lobster; grilled veal sweetbreads with lobster, chopped favas, and citrus salsa criolla; and smoked Iberico pork chop with burnt garlic pearl vinaigrette and yuca. Albisu also pays homage to his Peruvian roots with ceviches, crudos, and a wide array of grilled skewered, and fried meats. Check out the full dinner menu here.

The hottest seats in the restaurant (formerly home to PS7’s) will likely be the nine-seat Asado Bar in the middle of the dining room, which overlooks the open kitchen and grill. Albisu will cook up three different prix-fixe menus that include boards of meat or vegetables. The restaurant will begin accepting reservations for the bar in a few weeks.

For something a little more casual, head to the bar for grilled chicken liver toast, grilled beef antichucho, or a chivito sandwich with wagyu sirloin, ham, mortadella, provolone, and fried egg. The drink menu includes a long list of South American wines, with some decanted in traditional Argentine ceramic carafes. There are also classic cocktails like pisco sours, margaritas, and mojitos, as well as some more creative concoctions that utilize the grill, like the “Yin & Juice” with grilled grapefruit juice.

Del Campo is only open for dinner right now. Lunch service will begin in a few weeks.

Del Campo, 777 I St. NW; (202) 289-7377; delcampodc.com

Photo by Greg Powers