Inside Elena James, Chevy Chase’s New All-Day Venture From Familiar D.C. Names

Elena James finally opens up in Chevy Chase on Friday, December 6 — five years after restaurateurs Colin McClimans and Danilo Simic came up with the idea to do a quintessential neighborhood spot (8551 Connecticut Avenue, Chevy Chase, Maryland). Famous for the more high-end Nina May by Logan Circle and Opal on the D.C. side of Chevy Chase, the executive chef and longtime mixologist originally set out to create an all-day restaurant when they began their small D.C. empire in 2019.

“We wanted to do something that had a high level of hospitality in food and in service and in beverage, but we felt, from being in fine dining, that that didn’t necessarily have to come with white tablecloths and with the setting that comes with fine dining,” McClimans told Eater. Nina May and Opal ended up becoming special occasion-coded places, but the two owners originally planned to have an all-day cafe in Nina May and learned how to adapt to to-go orders there during the pandemic.

Elena James fully realizes that idea, with breakfast and lunch options that can be ordered for takeout come mid-December as well as snacks and hefty entrees for a classy dinner, plus kid’s menu favorites like homemade dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets.

“Danilo and I both have kids, so we talked a lot about what those experiences are like and what you really need from those restaurants in order to make it a less stressful process for the parents,” McClimans explained. “And how you meld that with people that don’t have kids, to try to make a really inclusive space, a really fun restaurant.”