The hottest new spot in Washington, D.C. focuses on the traditional heat-packed cooking methods of northern Thailand, while still using local ingredients from around the DMV. Alfie’s , from chefs Justin Ahn and Alex McCoy, started as a pop-up in Petworth in 2017 before traveling around the world , serving diners in New York and London. This year, the restaurant put down permanent roots in a Georgetown alleyway. The co-owners led us through a day in the new kitchen, preparing everything from hand-cut green papaya in som tam salad to the limited-quantity Thai steak frites with a massaman curry peppercorn sauce.

In the video, the kitchen team breaks down rib-eye steaks for their take on a steak au poivre, which they only make five of each night. The steaks are carefully seared for each order, with the au poivre massaman curry sauce is finished in the pan with the leftover beef fat. Classic “bar fries” are served up with the massive 26-ounce rib-eye.

Elsewhere in the kitchen, another chef carves green papayas.…