Things To Do
|
Newsletter
|
Fraylife+
|
Fraylife+
  • Play

    Play

    • A Beginner’s Guide to Soccer
    • You Spin Me Right Round: D.C. Roller Skating 101 in 2021
    • Leading the League: The WNBA’s Natasha Cloud on Breaking Barriers + Inspiring D.C.
    • Spring Has Sprung: 10 Ways To Get Outside in the DMV
    • Play Week Combines Games + Social Impact
    • High and Go Seek Illustration
    • O Captain, My Captain: Washington Spirit’s Andi Sullivan
  • Life

    Life

    • Local Entrepreneurs Infuse CBD into Wellness
    • 19 Entrepreneurs Shaping D.C.’s Cannabis + CBD Industries
    • Upcycling in D.C.: Transforming a Culture of Consumption
    • The Green Issue: Experts + Advocates Make Case for Cannabis Legalization + Decriminalization
    • The District Derp Story
    • Grassfed Media Champions Cannabis Clients
    • Nat Geo Explorer Gabrielle Corradino on Plankton, the Anacostia + Conservation
  • Eat

    Eat

    • The State of Takeout in the District
    • A New Twist on Food Delivery: MisenBox
    • Next-Level Home Dining Experiences in D.C.
    • Foxtrot Market Is Officially Open for Business in Georgetown
    • Food Rescue + Assistance Programs Fill the Gaps in a Pandemic Food System
    • Hungry Harvest Helps to End Food Insecurity
    • Notable Summer Bar + Restaurant Reopenings to Try this Spring
  • Drink

    Drink

    • Pandemic Drinking: Derek Brown Leads the Way to Low-ABV Future
    • D.C.’s St. Vincent Wine Creates Covid-Conscious Experience
    • A New Way to Binge: Sobriety Anchors Business + Being for Gigi Arandid
    • King’s Ransom + The Handover in Alexandria Celebrate a First Year Like No Other
    • Wines of the World Are Just Around the Corner
    • Open-Air Drinking + Cocktail Delivery Changes in the DMV
    • Denizens Brewing Co.’s Emily Bruno: Brewing Change for Community + Industry
  • Culture

    Culture

    • The Artistry Behind D.C.’s Cannabis Culture
    • The Best Movies of 2021…So Far
    • The Survival of the Brutalist: D.C.’s Complicated Concrete Legacy
    • Plain Sight: A Street-Front Revolution in Radical Arts Accessibility
    • A Touch of Danger in Shakespeare Theatre Company’s “Romeo & Juliet”
    • Artgence + Homme: Where There’s Art, There’s a Story to Share
    • 21 D.C. Makers + Curators to Follow
  • Music

    Music

    • Emma G Talks Wammie Nominations and the D.C. Music Community
    • J’Nai Bridges: A Modern Mezzo-Soprano in a Changing Opera Landscape
    • Punk Legends The Go-Go’s Talk Four Decades of Sisterhood, Resilience + Zero Fucks Given
    • Ellen Reid “Soundwalk:” Exploring the Sonic Landscape at Wolf Trap
    • SHAED Releases First Full-Length Album in a “High Dive” of Faith
    • Obama + Springsteen Present “Renegades”
    • Christian Douglas Uses His “Inside Voice” on Pandemic-Inspired Debut Album
  • Events

    Events

    • Play Week 4.17-4.25
    • Midnight at The Never Get 4.30-6.21
    • Cannabis City Panel Presented by BĀkT DC + District Fray
    • Browse Events
    • DC Polo Society Summer Sundays 5.9
    • National Cannabis Festival’s Dazed & Amused Drive-In Party
    • Vinyl + Vinyasa 4.30
  • Fraylife+

Fraylife+
DelFest 2025: Music and Mountains Make Magic Again!
Spring ’25 Spirit Week: Spring Break
People gathering for Union Market's outdoor movie series.
The Complete D.C. Outdoor Movie Guide
Play Free This Summer: Here’s How to Score Big with a Fraylife+ Membership
Get Ready for the 2025 Maryland Craft Beer Festival in Frederick
Johns Hopkins Peabody Performance Series 2025
Home » Articles » Eat » ‘Check, Please! DC’ Knows Which Doors to Take

Eat

Illustration: Courtesy of Check, Please! DC

‘Check, Please! DC’ Knows Which Doors to Take

Share:

October 16, 2017 @ 12:00am | Michael Loria

It was 4 a.m. in Montreal and of course, I had no idea where to go. My partner led me to an unmarked door on an unremarkable street, and inside we found a booth and a bottle already waiting for us. Boom – a restaurant in secret, right there hiding in plain sight from folks who only discover restaurants through the local papers or – gulp – Yelp. 

Now, I don’t think Check, Please! DC will do as much to seduce viewers as my partner leading me into the unknown, but you’ll still find gems that may charm your significant other. In fact, the show will lead viewers into potentially uncharted territory, though you won’t know where until October 18 when it premieres on WETA TV 26.

Check, Please! DC is the DMV iteration of the series, which first aired in 2001 in Chicago and has since spread to other markets like San Francisco. The premise of the show flips the formal approach to restaurants on its head. Critics don’t come on the show and recommend spots; instead, locals come on and share places that you would never have heard of otherwise. It’s this diversity of places that the show’s host, Rose Previte, takes the most pride in.

“You’re not just going to hear about new 14th Street restaurants or The Wharf,” Previte says. “You’re going to hear about holes in the wall in Northern Virginia. You’re going to hear about crab places in Annapolis.”

Previte is a local restaurateur and owner of 2017 Rammy Award-winning Compass Rose in the 14th Street Corridor, and the soon-to-open Maydan on Florida Avenue. Before hosting the show, Previte felt she knew the DC restaurant scene, but even she’s discovered a slew of unearthed spots through her guests. And like almost all of her guests, Check, Please! DC is Previte’s first TV appearance. The transition, she says, “scared [her] to death.”

She first heard of the program when the producer came into Compass Rose and personally asked her to audition. The visit took her by surprise, but her initial hesitation was put to rest when the producer explained that the job called for little more than talking about food and DC restaurants, which is already how she spends the majority of her time.

As for me, my two concerns for the show were that 1) the places recommended would be too expensive; and 2) the unsung spots of suburban strip malls would remain overlooked. However, these were put to rest while watching a sneak peek of the first episode. I won’t have to dip into my savings for dinner tonight, and I can trust that I will see banh mi or Korean BBQ on the show at some point. As for that place in Shaw, I guess I’ll just wait for my birthday and hope my parents are feeling both fancy and generous (c’mon, Mom and Dad.) 

The first six episodes of Check, Please! DC’s first season kick off on Wednesday, October 18 at 8 p.m. on WETA TV 26. Each episode features three new guests, each of whom will offer their go-to spot in the DMV area. The show is still searching for applicants to appear in the second half of season one, scheduled to air in early 2018. For more information, click here.

Share with friends

Share:

Related Articles

<h3>No Articles</h3>
COMPANY
About United Fray Team Hiring: Join Our Team!
GET INVOLVED
Become A Member Corporate Wellness Contact: Media Pitches + Advertising Inquiries
EXPLORE
Eat Drink Music Culture Life Play Events Calendar
OUR CITIES
Washington D.C. Jacksonville Phoenix United Fray
Sign Up

Get the best of D.C. delivered to your inbox with one of our weekly newsletters.

Sign Up

© 2025 District Fray – Making Fun Possible.