Washington, D.C
William Simons of Albi is The MICHELIN Guide Washington, D.C. 2024 Sommelier Award Winner
Congratulations to William Simons of One MICHELIN Star Albi, MICHELIN Guide Washington, D.C. 2024 Sommelier of the Year winner, presented in partnership with Franciacorta!
Meaning “my heart” in Arabic, Albi is inspired by heartfelt flavors originally cooked by Chef Michael Rafidi‘s grandparents, who immigrated to the U.S. from Palestine. Brilliantly complementing the hearth-fired cuisine, Advanced Sommelier (CMS) William Simons serves as the restaurant’s wine director, overseeing a selection filled with fantastic gems.
In his role, Simons balances a sense of education and fun. The menu is sprinkled with historical anecdotes like early winemaking in Armenia, as well as wine quotes from people like Freddie Mercury. He tells guests, “Sauvignon Blanc can be a bit like George Clooney when he was on The Facts of Life, and he was gawky and awkward. But when we blend it with sémillon, now you’re dealing with George Clooney from Oceans Eleven.”
We spoke with him to learn more about his wine list and his own wine journey.
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How were you introduced to the world of wine?
My joking answer is that I read too much Jack Kerouac in high school. Despite reading about traveling hobos, I didn’t drink any wine until I was 18. The first wine I had was Beringer White Zinfandel. Nowhere to go but upward from there.
I was working in restaurants. I developed a reputation among my friends as the guy that knew about wine, but I felt I had a significant degree of imposter syndrome, which drove me to reading. I got hooked on the confluence of place and culture and history, and it grew from there.
A lot of reading and working in restaurants, and then I got thrown into the deep end at a pretty serious wine shop in New York. In retail, you get to taste more broadly than you do in most restaurants, because you have to try to be all things to all people.
Albi has a reasonably large wine list at around 300 bottles, but in a retail shop, that would be tiny. There’s a lot of exposure that comes along with that. I worked in wine retail for years. I made the move back to restaurants and started working the floor as a sommelier and pursuing some certifications, because I moved cities and my resume didn’t mean all that much.
Rey Lopez / Smoked & Infused
Could you tell us more about your wine list at Albi?
We have a global wine list that disproportionately favors wines that feature notable textures and acidity, smokiness to complement things off of the hearth.
We certainly list Lebanese, Palestinian, Cypriot, and some Syrian wines. But we don’t focus on those exclusively. We say, what are the flavors that make sense with this cuisine? What are the textures that make sense with this cuisine?
In some ways, we have a lot of liberty. If a person goes to a French or Italian restaurant, they tend to have a solid understanding of what they’re going to drink. Here, people walk through the door without any real preconceived idea of what they should be drinking, because it’s not a cuisine that they’re used to thinking of with wine.
In the Arabic-speaking world, you have a period of roughly 400 years of de facto prohibition under the Ottomans, and winemaking continued as a personal endeavor. People could make wine for their own consumption, but as an industry, it basically ceased to exist.
As the industry returned, it was largely under the tutelage of the French, so the wine culture that evolved was largely geared toward a French palate and arguably not geared toward the cuisine of the region. This is one of the areas where vitis vinifera originated and certainly where it proliferated under the time of the Phoenicians, yet a disproportionate number of wines are French varieties imported in the late 1800s and early 1900s – cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah, sauvignon blanc, and chardonnay.
We offer wines from all different producers in Lebanon (where the most are able to be found) of the old guard French varieties and Bordeaux styles, as well as the new guard. [For the new guard], there are winemakers in the region asking, what does an authentic Lebanese wine look like without French influence? Older winemaking techniques like amphora, indigenous varieties.
Rey Lopez / Mersel & Co
Do we see sustainability on your wine menu?
Pretty much exclusively. I shy away from using the word natural for Albi’s wine list in particular, for a lot of reasons.
One is that it just doesn’t mean anything. When the conversation around natural wine got started, the main focus was on the idea that producers cared about the land, that they took a multigenerational view of their obligation to place. They were stewards of the Earth. Certainly, all of the producers that we have on the list at Albi adhere to that idea. They’re mostly family-owned, mostly smaller operations. An overwhelming majority farm organically, whether they’re certified or not.
How has your taste in wine changed over time?
The things that I look for in wine have been largely consistent over time. I favor acidity and freshness and elegance over power.
I had a brief dalliance with big, high-octane wines, just because when I was exposed to them, I had never tasted anything like them before, and so I was fascinated by them. But then, personally, I find them a little bit exhausting. It’s a chore to try and drink a wine that’s fighting you with alcohol and tannin. So, freshness and elegance and a sense of place have always been things that I’ve looked for.
Once I started to get really interested in wine, Burgundy was the first place that really spoke to me. The combination of complexity and simplicity that it has in that it’s “just two grape varieties.” There’s still this incredible variation within it.
Rey Lopez / Philokalia
What’s the biggest misconception about being a sommelier, or wine in general?
People don’t know just how much time you spend in front of an Excel spreadsheet. I love inventory, cataloging, counting bottles, digging into spreadsheets, and organizing things. But at the same time, we do get to taste wine and talk about wine and pursue what we’re passionate about.
The misconception I worry about most is trust. We talk about servers and captains being guest advocates, but there often is a perception that sommeliers are just there to make the sale. Any good sommelier should be interested first and foremost in pairing wine to the guest at the table and developing that trust in that relationship with the guest.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to be in a position like yours?
Take your time. I came into working in wine before the Somm craze and before the documentaries that made the certifications household names.
For me, taking my time was something that was viable because it was the older model of the industry, where it was based a little bit more on the idea of an apprenticeship. In the kitchen you still see it. You don’t take a test that says you’re a sous chef. They have to work their way into the role.
Chart your own path, whatever that is. Find a place that works and make it your own, or don’t. Move around, gain experience, work other places while you’re young and still can. There’s a lot of different avenues to get there.
Hero image: Hawkeye Johnson / William Simons
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The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit overruled a lower court ruling on Wednesday, allowing US President Donald Trump’s deployment of National Guard in Washington DC to continue for now.
The three-judge panel reversed US District Judge Jia Cobb’s November 20 decision, which disallowed Trump from deploying troops to DC to help control crime in the city. Cobb’s opinion and order state that the District was unable to perform its duties with the intrusion of the National Guard troops, holding that “the balance of equities and public interest weigh in the District’s favor.”
The appeals court disagreed with Cobb’s decision, stating that the president may prevail in his argument that he “possesses a unique power” to deploy troops in the nation’s capital. The court’s reasoning centered on the fact that DC is a federal district, stating:
Because the District of Columbia is a federal district created by Congress, rather than a constitutionally sovereign entity like the fifty States, the Defendants appear on this early record likely to prevail on the merits of their argument that the President possesses a unique power within the District—the seat of the federal government—to mobilize the Guard under 32 U.S.C. § 502(f). It also appears likely that the D.C. Code independently authorizes the deployment of the D.C. Guard.
This action was initially brought by DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb in August after Trump deployed around 2,300 regional National Guard members to patrol the city. In the months since, Trump has also deployed National Guard troops to other major US cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago and Memphis. The court’s ruling calls into question the constitutionality of Trump’s deployment of troops in US cities other that the nation’s capital in the future.
A spokesperson for Schwalb said in a statement that this was not the end of the fight against the deployment, stating, “This is a preliminary ruling that does not resolve the merits. We look forward to continuing our case in both the District and appellate courts.”
Washington, D.C
The Weekend Scene: Bounce to a huge inflatable park and more around DC through Dec. 21
This weekend is your last for Christmas shopping! We’ll share some unique markets worth checking out, both in the highlights and in our list of bonus events at the bottom of this page.
- Weekend weather: Saturday will be chilly, but sunshine on Sunday will bring a little more warmth. Here’s the forecast.
The ‘DMV’s largest indoor bounce park’ jumps into Maryland
Family pick
Funbox Bowie
🔗 Details
Boasting the “DMV’s largest indoor bounce park,” Funbox jumps into Bowie with $4 tickets just in time for kids to get some energy out over winter break.
Funbox opens today, and the $4 grand opening deal runs until Dec. 28 (it also includes birthday parties starting at $99). Typically, it costs $22.95 to bounce.
Tackle a 23-foot slide, obstacle course or the battle beam where competitors tussle with soft tubes while wearing nonslip socks.
Holiday highlights
Free & family-friendly
Late hours for Season’s Greenings
Thurs., plus Dec. 23, 30 and Jan. 1
🔗 Details
The U.S. Botanic Garden’s Dino-Mite! holiday display is open until 5 p.m. daily through Jan. 4 (except Christmas Day), but you still have a few chances to visit during extended hours.
Tomorrow and on four other evenings, the Garden will stay open until 8 p.m. Live music plus food and drink vendors make it a cheap date night option.
Free pick
12 Days of Joy with Art to Go-Go
Through Dec. 22, Historic Anacostia
🔗 Details
Head to Anacostia to get in on 12 days of art, go-go, joy – and shopping!
Local businesses are hosting events like poetry readings, live music, games and classes every day of the week. Pick up a Joy Pass and visit over 15 participating businesses to find “Drops of Joy,” including discounts and neighborhood adventures, around Anacostia.
Drop into the UMOJA Market between noon and 8 p.m. to find small vendors selling giftable items from hand-painted journals to chocolate bars. You’ll find it at 2323 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave SE. Check the website for special events, including Selfies with Santa on Saturday (make sure to sign up in advance)!
Free pick
Union Station’s Main Hall Holiday Market
Through Sat., 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Northeast D.C.
🔗 Details
Whether you’re coming or going from Union Station, the holiday market in its majestic main hall is worth a stop.
Shop from over 40 local shops, artists and makers while enjoying live music.
Free pick
ROCK’N’SHOP
Sat., 2-6 p.m., Black Cat
🔗 Details
The Black Cat’s annual holiday shop says it’s one of the longest-running in D.C. You’ll find a mix of local crafters, record dealers, shops and junk sellers as DJs provide a great soundtrack, the Black Cat says.
Family-friendly
Christmas Illuminations at Mount Vernon
Sat. and Sun., Mount Vernon, $28.80-$58 (free for kids 5 and under)
🔗 Details
Fireworks over the Potomac River and sparkling lights make George Washington’s former estate a festive destination for the whole family.
You can meet George and Martha Washington, talk to Revolutionary War soldiers at the winter encampment, take a picture with Aladdin the Camel, plus play games and dance for an 18th-century celebration.
Mount Vernon recently reopened the first and second floors of Washington’s mansion after a $40 million renovation, and Christmas Illuminations visitors can be among the first to step inside.
Family-friendly
The Dad Games
Sun., 3-7 p.m., The St. James in Springfield, $5 suggested donation
🔗 Details
The whole family is invited for an afternoon of games and challenges testing dads’ skills with Legos, trash can basketball, golf and more (bad jokes not included).
The organizers say you don’t need any training – just show up and try to win prizes up to $250!
Family-friendly
Arlington Drafthouse Holiday Movie Festival
Sun., Arlington, $10 (adult)/$5 (child)
🔗 Details
The Arlington Drafthouse theater is showing Christmas movies of all stripes – from “It’s A Wonderful Life” to “Die Hard” – through Dec. 23.
On Sunday, you can grab a ticket, then come and go all day for a full day of classics like “Home Alone” and “Miracle on 34th Street” before the fest ends with holiday horror “Krampus.”
Sit back in theater seating, order food and drinks and enjoy an easygoing afternoon of holiday favorites.
Heads up, Commanders’ fans: Arlington Drafthouse will show Saturday’s game against the Eagles on the big screen. Admission is free!
Music Snob: Concerts and more
Patti Smith, 7 p.m. Friday, Lincoln Theatre, $68.40
Not a concert, but this book talk will rock. The icon of punk, prose and photography brings the new memoir of her fascinating life and career – “Bread of Angels” – to the historic Lincoln for discussion. Book included with ticket. Details.
The Max Levine Ensemble, 7 p.m. Saturday, Songbyrd, $18
D.C.’s premiere pop punk band celebrates its 25th (!!!) anniversary. Not as active as a couple decades ago, it’s not as easy to catch this politically minded District institution these days. Among the openers is excellent indie rock singer-songwriter Oceanator. Details.
The Owners, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Black Cat, $18.75
Last-minute shopping? Stop by Black Cat for The Owners’ record release show. The venerable punk venue’s owners – and a couple of longtime employees – used pandemic free time and their empty club to put together one of D.C.’s best bands. Catchy, energetic garage-punk paradise. Details.
More to do in D.C.
Holiday shows and winter activities“
“A Christmas Carol”: Through Dec. 31, Ford’s Theatre, $42+
Step Afrika!’s Magical Musical Holiday Step Show: Through Dec. 23, Arena Stage, $49+ (see website for discounts)
A Very Improv Holiday: Through Dec. 28, Studio Theatre
National Symphony Orchestra – Handel’s “Messiah”: Thurs. to Sun., Kennedy Center
Procrastinator’s Holiday Market: Sat., Kraken on Rhode Island Main Street, free entry
Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington – The Holiday Show: Sat., Lincoln Theatre, $68.40
“The Nutcracker” by The Washington Ballet: Through Dec. 29, Warner Theatre, $63.50+
Sculpture Garden Ice Rink: Daily through winter, National Gallery of Art, $12-$15 admission and $7 skate rental
Light Yards: Through Jan. 2, The Yards Park, free
Downtown Holiday Market: Through Dec. 23, F Street NW (between 7th and 9th streets), free
Winter Wonderfest: Through Dec. 30, Nationals Park, $29.50
ZooLights: Through Jan. 3, National Zoo, $9
Frosted at Franklin Park: Through Jan. 7, downtown D.C., free
Theater – “ho ho ho ha ha ha ha” with Julia Masli: Through Dec. 21, Woolly Mammoth, $49
“Elf on the Shelf”-themed holiday pop-up bar: Through Dec. 30, Morris American Bar, $15 non-refundable reservation fee
Everything else:
Washington Capitals: Thurs. and Sat., Capital One Arena
Washington Wizards: Sun., Capital One Arena
Comedy – John Mulaney: Thurs. to Sun., The Anthem
More to do in Maryland
Winter Lights Festival: Through Dec. 21, Seneca Creek State Park, $15-$25 per vehicle
Children’s theater – “Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins”: Through Dec. 22, The Puppet Co. Playhouse in Glen Echo, $16 per person
ICE! featuring The Polar Express: Through Jan. 4, Gaylord National Harbor, $41+
Garden of Lights at Brookside Gardens: Through Jan. 4, Wheaton, $13.99-$16.99 (free for kids under 5)
Theater – “Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas”: Through Dec. 28, Olney Theatre Center, $63+
Holiday Toast2Peace!: Thurs., World of Beer Rockville, free entry (donations encouraged)
Winter Fest (with Santa photos for dogs and humans): Fri., Sat. and Sun., Song Dog Farm Distillery in Boyds, free entry
BabyCat Brewery ugly sweater holiday party: Fri. in Bethesda and Sat. in Kensington, free entry
Cirque Dreams Holidaze: Fri. and Sat., MGM National Harbor, $41+
Merry Market: Sat. and Sun., 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Westbard Square in Bethesda, free entry
Hands on History – Festival of Lights: Sat., 10 a.m., Riversdale House Museum in Riverdale Park, $10
The Winter Jubilee: Sat., 1-4 p.m., Rockville’s Civic Center Park, $8-$10 (adult chaperones free)
Children’s theater – “The Snowman and the Snowdog”: Through Jan. 4, Imagination Stage in Bethesda, $15+
The ‘Lego Menorah’ Lighting at Bethesda Row: Sun., Bethesda Row, free
More to do in Virginia
Holiday Bricktacular at the LEGO Discovery Center: Through Dec. 24, Ashburn, $24.99+
Elf Trivia at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema: Thurs., Woodbridge, free
Holi-DIY Crafting & Gift Making Workshop (Sat., 3-6 p.m.) and Family-Friendly Workshop (Sun., 3-5 p.m.), AR Workshop Alexandria, prices vary by project
Tequila & Mezcal Cocktail Making Class: Sat., La Prensa Tacos & Tapas in Sterling, $103.22
Holiday on the Farm: Fri. and Sat., Frying Pan Farm Park, $15 in advance/$20 at door
Christmas Illuminations at Mount Vernon: Sat. and Sun., Mount Vernon, $28.80-$58 (free for kids 5 and under)
Winter Wonderland at Burke Lake Park: Sat., 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Fairfax Station, $20 in advance/$25 at door
Holiday Train Rides: Through Dec. 21, Reston Town Center, $23.18
Want to know what’s up for your weekend? Sign up for The Weekend Scene, our newsletter about events, experiences and adventures for you and for your family around the DMV.
WASHINGTON – D.C. council members and transportation leaders met for hours on Wednesday to figure out the best way to get people in and out of the new Commanders stadium.
Planning starts:
We’re just about 14 months away from the start of construction, but the conversation about transportation is well underway.
Leaders repeatedly made it clear that this transportation plan isn’t just for Commanders’ fans on eight or nine Sundays — it’s for the people who live in these neighborhoods surrounding the stadium 365 days a year.
“Even folks who were opposed to the stadium early on, they know its coming so they want it to be successful,” D.C. Councilmember and Chair of the Transportation Committee Charles Allen said.
He says success means a smooth ride for fans and everyday residents.
“It’s not having tens of thousands of people driving cars here. It’s thinking about transportation. Get people on Metro,” Allen said.
“I can imagine there’s going be a lot of cars and people trying to park so being able to alleviate that is going to be a benefit to the community,” resident Olo Olakanmi told FOX 5.
Big picture view:
The D.C. Council hearing saw representatives from the D.C. Department of Transportation, WMATA and the Commanders, as well as ANC commissioners in neighboring communities.
Allen emphasized that this is more than just a stadium — they’re also planning 6,000 to 8,000 new homes, 20,000 people living in a brand-new neighborhood.
As of now, there are two parking garages planned for the Commanders Stadium, expected to hold about 6,000 vehicles. But when it comes to transit, there are several possibilities at play.
Dig deeper:
Metro would need major upgrades to use the Stadium Armory stop — likely including adding an entrance, elevator and expanding the mezzanine.
A new Metro stop could end up costing hundreds of millions of dollars and take years to build.
WMATA is getting $2 million from the District for planning. General Manager Randy Clarke said that the goal is to have 40% of game day traffic come from public transit.
But that could also include bus rapid transit lines moving people from Union Station to the stadium along the H Street corridor.
“I have confidence we’re all going to work together and everyone has the same goal here — to make this the best possible urban sports facility and mixed-used development in the country,” Clarke said.
The plan right now is to have shovels in the ground by March 2027 and construction complete by May 2030.
“We want to make this the most transit friendly stadium but also make sure all modes of transportation are optimized for folks to get there,” DDOT Director Sharon Kershbaum said.
So, a lot of these transit decisions need to be made fairly quickly.
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