In this week’s City Paper cover story, authors Ally Schweitzer and Michael J. West offer “a guide to not mismanaging” the historic city-owned and recently refurbished Howard Theatre.

One step in the right direction: serving food and alcohol—-“gobs of it.” In the article, managing exec Steven Bensusan boasts, “There are other venues in the market where you can sit down and see shows and eat, but the quality here is going to be far beyond anything that D.C. has currently.”

Signing celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson of Red Rooster and widespread TV fame was “a huge get,” the authors note, adding, “but the menu he’s crafted for the Howard sounds awfully familiar: shrimp and grits, short ribs, fried catfish. Diners could walk a few blocks and get very similar stuff at Eatonville or Ben’s Next Door.” Local chef Aaron Flores, formerly at Finn & Porter at The Embassy Suites Convention Center, among other places, will be the one actually running the kitchen.

Check out the full menu below:

DINNER MENU*

APPETIZERS
Red Caesar Salad                             13
Market Greens                                 10
Smoked Salmon Frisee Salad                         14
Crab Cakes with Curry Sauce and Roasted Tomato             18
Tomato Soup with Avocado Cilantro Pesto                 9
BBQ Duck Breast Salad                         15
American Charcuterie Plate                         18
ENTREES
Mac n’ Greens                                 19
Blackened Catfish, Cow Peas, Corn Salad                 24
Herb Crusted Salmon, Butternut Squash Puree, Fennel Salad         29
Shrimp and Grits, Grilled Fennel and Tomato                29
Fried Chicken, Buttermilk Mashed Yukon Gold Potato and Greens    24
Braised Short Rib, Sweet Potato Hash, Pickled Cucumber         35
T Street Steak Frites, Berbere Béarnaise, Herb Fries             32
The Howard Burger, Benton Bacon, Local Cheddar             18
Coconut Lentils, Roasted Mushroom, Cauliflower             19
DESSERT
Apple Pie, Cheddar, Cinnamon-Vanilla Sauce                 8
Chocolate Cake, Red Velvet Cream                     8
Fruit Salad, Mango Sauce, Coconut Sorbet                 8
Banana Bread Pudding, Spiced Caramel Sauce                 8

*EDITOR’S NOTE: After the original version of this post went live, a rep for the Howard Theatre reached out to advise Y&H that the listed menu prices initially provided to us were not finalized. The blog item has been updated to reflect a more recent version of the menu. For instance, the Caesar salad, originally listed at $17, is now $13, and the desserts, initially priced at $12 a pop, are now $8.