French-influenced Michele’s, the hip Eaton hotel restaurant run by critically acclaimed D.C. chef Matt Baker since 2021, suddenly shut down on Thursday, January 22, after being seized by the D.C. government for alleged tax-related issues (1201 K Street NW). The lobby-level hangout was pad locked with chains and banned from conducting any sales inside, per official city signage posted on the door, and remains closed today. Its reservation portals remain active, however. Baker is no stranger to financial woes, with his one-Michelin-starred Ivy City tasting room Gravitas getting slapped with a sales suspension notice by D.C.’s Office of Tax Revenue a year ago. The liens were later resolved. Baker, who also runs all-day cafe Baker’s Daughter inside the Eaton, also made unsavory headlines last March, when his social media habits of reposting inflammatory rhetoric tied to immigrants and the recently fired federal workforce came to light; he later apologized, saying “I never intended to hurt this city or its people.” Eater reached out to Baker for comment on the suspension of service at Michele’s, and D.C.’s Office of Tax Revenue plans to send us a statement today. It remains unclear what the future holds for Lucille’s Modern Chophouse, his first-ever steakhouse that was originally slated to debut on the ground floor of Capitol Hill’s Kimpton George Hotel last spring. Snowy discounts in the nation’s capital With up to 10 inches of snow projected to blanket D.C. starting Saturday night, a slew of restaurants are unleashing snow day specials. One fun one is El Tamarindo’s Storm Kit set ($49), featuring six pupusas or tamales, two sides, and an agua fresca, available for takeout or delivery from its Adams Morgan address. Restaurateur Daniel Kramer’s D.C.-wide portfolio (Duke’s Grocery, Problem Child, Gogi Yogi) offers boozy hot chocolates and espresso martinis at a deep discount ($8) from Saturday to Monday. Neighborhood Restaurant Group’s portfolio (Shorty’s, the Roost, the Sovereign, Bluejacket, Rustico) also has a bunch of specials in store. And Whitlow’s warms up its Wharf and U Street customers with $10 beer-and-shot combos and a Rumpleminze-spiked Frostbite Fighter cocktail for $9. Compass Coffee’s hopeful bidder revealed Washington Business Journal continues to closely follow Compass Coffee’s ongoing drama, with the Friday news that European chain Caffe Nero is the “stalking horse” bidder that was previously mentioned in its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing this month. Per WBJ, the proposed takeover of the embattled company, which recently announced the closure of 10 DMV-wide stores, is priced at $2.9 million.  Celeb sightings at D.C. restaurants It was a who’s-who this random winter week in D.C., with everyone from a Bravolebrity to a Walking Dead actor spotted dining around town. Jon Bernthal, a D.C. native who’s set to star in anticipated summer blockbusters the Odyssey and Spider-Man, ate at Georgetown’s decades-old Italian mainstay Filomena. And Real Housewives of Salt Lake City castmember Angie Katsanevas, a salon owner who was here to advocate for franchising rights on the Hill, co-hosted a Thursday night event at — where else? — Bar Angie in the West End, which is run by fellow Greeks. She apparently dined at D.C.’s new Ned’s Club during her visit, too. And Eater spotted 60 Minutes correspondent Bill Whitaker enjoying a glass of wine at the Fairmont hotel’s lobby bar on Thursday night. He also carved out time for a meal at nearby Indian standout Rasika. ...read more read less