Critic Tom Sietsema lists the 7 restaurants that are his current Awash in green tile and fringed parasols from Bali, its become my new favorite landing spot in the countrys most famous inn. The Best New Restaurants in D.C., June 2022 - Eater DC Need a getaway? May 13, 2020 11:24. Suffice it to say, the deftly charred fish and luxurious potatoes would make their masters proud.). The flat, crisp-chewy cakes blossom with a dollop of red pepper jelly. Co-owners Gerald Addison and Chris Morgan went through 50 iterations of jerk chicken before they found their ideal. Crispy potatoes stuffed into pillowy housemade pita is a lot of carbs almost too much fun. Is it still good?, [Three Blacksmiths invites more to the table]. His rib-eye, for instance, hails from Seven Hills in Virginia and enjoys a salt cure before its pan-roasted and served with two terrific toppings: a puree of herbs and a whip of hollandaise and brown butter. The Indian oasis, 32, looks like a million bucks following a makeover this summer that kept memories of the original club design a dining room carved into zones of privacy, a white piano that gets tickled Thursday through Saturday while offering new art (love the 3-D dancers) and a color scheme that changes with the light (silver on my evening visits). The smooth filling revels in nutmeg, ginger, vanilla and orange, albeit in amounts that let the sweet potato shine. Airbnb could be forgiven for recruiting the all-day, modern American restaurant on Capitol Hill. Few chefs have more fun getting us to eat our vegetables than Rob Rubba, whose (mostly) plant-based tasting menu is a garden of good eating in Shaw. Entrees $25-$47 (for the signature duck). The $8 appetizer is familiar and finessed, just like so much of the rest of Rutas handiwork at the youngest restaurant in the realm of the prolific Ashok Bajaj. Summer beans and julienned peaches are slicked with a dressing of chile oil, lime juice and sesame seeds, plus some crunch courtesy of dried shallots and garlic. Tom Sietsema's fall dining guide countdown: Hitching Post is No. 1 The front will feature a rotisserie and 60-seat bistro. New to the list: Cinco Soles, for glistening ceviche in Columbia Heights, ghost kitchen Spicebird, for fiery chicken out of Malaysian eatery Makan, Morgana, for Italian-chic vibes in Adams Morgan,. Kudos to the restaurant for keeping most wine bottle prices below $30. Lettuces, shishito peppers and cardoons are a given. His sentiment is mine as I unwrap steamed pork dumplings, as supple and juicy as Ive had them in the restaurant, and devour a fiery kimchi teeming with shredded Brussels sprouts and crisp apple. No matter where you settle, youll find a menu framed by what farmers and growers are sending chef Neal Wavra, who co-owns the property with his wife, Star. But the white rice is enjoying plenty of attention from chowhounds, too. Open for indoor and outdoor dining. We try to create joy, says Silverman, whose team excels at awesomeness. Ill be with you in a moment this restaurant might disappoint you. No barriers to entry; ADA-compliant restroom. Dinner Tuesday through Sunday, lunch Wednesday through Friday. The Top 10 Restaurants of 2020 No. Maybe it was the cloud of garlic I inhaled when I cracked the lid of the buttery sauteed shrimp. Indoor seating only. Her contribution. Imagine smoky green beans and shishito peppers tossed with buttermilk, chile paste, sesame oil, garlic a rousing kitchen sink of recruits. The reaction to the restaurants news was so heartwarming, the owners began taking steps to buy themselves at least another six months or so. Seafood? Moses Krishnarajan and Venkatesan Krishnan (Laura Chase de Formigny), Brussels sprouts and apple kimchi (Dixie D. Vereen), Terrine of rabbit, olives and eggplant (Deb Lindsey), Chef Jeeraporn Poksupthong (Scott Suchman), Wine director Alissa Diaz talking with diners (Scott Suchman), Chef Frederik De Pue (Laura Chase de Formigny), Mannequins in the dining room (Laura Chase de Formigny), Flauta with jamon (Laura Chase de Formigny), Roast chicken and sides (Laura Chase de Formigny), Spicy jumbo shrimp with snap peas (Deb Lindsey), Eggplant lasagna and other dishes (Deb Lindsey), Mannequins in the dining room (Deb Lindsey), Burrata agnolotti and chicken to go (Scott Suchman), Chef David Deshaies with his daughter, Vikki (Dixie D. Vereen), To weather the pandemic, restaurants reinvent themselves, again and again. Never mind that the signature twice-fried chicken, accompanied by sweet-spicy gochujang and Alabama-style white barbecue sauce, is apt to cool down en route. Note that Saravan "Sam" Krishnan and his brother Venkatesan, or "John," also put in time at the now-dark Udupi Palace in Takoma Park, and ask for a dosa. Drinks show up quickly. Fortunately, theres plenty of flavor, too. Who doesnt want more litchi salad with sausage and habanero in their lives? Voila!, for sure. Tom Sietsema spotlights 48 DC-area restaurants, including his 10 favorites. Wheelchair users can enter through a side door; ADA-compliant restroom. The forest-green spinach kofta next to the dusky gold aloo gobi alongside the shocking red paneer chili begged for a frame. Eat out with any frequency and you cant help but notice changes on the restaurant scene wrought by the pandemic. [Dauphines pays respect to New Orleans with top-notch cooking and cocktails]. Of course, it was made there. In the News - Blend 111 It can get nightclub-loud some nights, and servers have a tendency to check in like nervous new parents. The restaurant takes heat requests seriously. Indoor seating only. The mind-set shared by all Aaron Silverman restaurants: "The food has to be craveable," says the visionary behind Roses Luxury, Pineapple & Pearls and Little Pearl on Capitol Hill. 42461 Lovettsville Rd., Lovettsville, Va. Dinner Thursday through Saturday, brunch weekends, monthly Sunday supper. A mouthwatering "reuben" that swaps in shaved celery root for corned beef, and velvety shrimp curry, tingling with galangal and lemongrass, is my idea of a stellar double-feature. The ancient grain salad unites golden couscous and nutty black quinoa beneath a cover of sliced sunchokes and pickled cucumbers, a construction amplified by dressings that veer from hot to sweet to tangy. Dean's Cake House. Takeout via Toast. Have you heard? Im most drawn to fish here, although the plump pork chop, brined in baking spices, is mighty impressive. The tip of the iceberg finds chicken smoked over tea leaves, cigar-length pork potstickers, crisp cabbage ignited with Sichuan peppercorns, and nugget-size steamed spareribs, coated in soft rice crumbs seasoned with five-spice powder. Ahn combines arborio rice and pecorino cheese as deftly as any Italian chef, but makes his risotto singular with the help of dashi instead of chicken stock and diced boiled abalone as the featured attraction. Dinner Wednesday through Sunday. Save. My vote goes to Daru, whose black-and-glass door commands attention with concentric white rings inspired by Himalayan mandalas and a welcome written in Sanskrit: The guest is god. What was originally conceived as a watering hole was, because of the pandemic, rethought as more of an Indian-ish dining establishment. Lentils, cracked wheat, chicken and warm spices add up to a fabulous golden porridge. A thali is a lot to take in. Dedicated to the good life, in all respects, Oyster Oyster leads the pack. Which it is, despite some trimming of the drinks and wine lists and a format switch. Truth in advertising. The pandemic has caused a spike in restaurant takeout containers and the environmental damage that comes with them. On the upside, that just gives me more excuses to return. Eye-openers include kinche boiled cracked wheat finished with clarified butter and beef stew mixed with torn injera. Rajoos lighter-than-usual biryani is another standout, with rice thats faint red, from chile powder, and deeply flavorful, thanks to a ginger-garlic paste. Ask Tom: Rants, raves and questions on the DC dining scene Soups, including a subtle beef broth, come with a choice of thin or wide noodles; the latter, made with the wheat common in northern China, are rolled out in-house. In the hands of chef Yuan Tang, the familiar is still fabulous, Three-course dinner $75 per person, a la carte entrees $25 to $43. Dinner daily, brunch weekends. "How can we make it work? Besides, his melt is built with tuna confit, housemade mayonnaise, thick Pullman bread and Gruyere, which bubbles after a moment under the broiler. Deshaies says he doesnt like to see blank spaces in his takeout containers. No barriers at the entrance; a lift in the bar allows access to the main dining room. Hill sweats the details. Owned by Alex Manfredonia, who brings fine dining experience from San Francisco, Vin 909 has the reception down pat. Over summer, diners thrilled to a rainbow of tomatoes served with what tasted like herbed ricotta but turned out to spring from pumpkin seeds, and a round of watermelon plied with chile-hot peanuts, shiso and a hidden local oyster sharpened with ginger vinaigrette. Wisely, Barry Dindyal kept Al and Adrienne Carters Southern theme fried whiting and $14 lamb chops enjoy a serious constituency, after all while expanding the menu to include the Indian food Dindyal grew up eating. His cooking is careful and consistent. The calm presence in the open kitchen? It takes skill and good timing to achieve jjolmyeon with the desired chewiness. Lunch and dinner Wednesday through Sunday. The bowl packs in seafood and country ham along with seemingly a bushel of vegetables, in a broth made rich with a quartet of stocks. To taste her tender pork shoulder, sharp with ginger and the beneficiary of a curry paste made from scratch, or her zesty chicken and glass noodles presented in banana leaf, is to experience some of the best Thai food around. Every meal should start with the simply billed pineapples bites. Only in July did Flamant reopen for dining, and then with a four-course, $75 tasting menu. Breakfast, lunch and dinner Wednesday through Sunday. Wrought iron stretches over the part of the main dining room where charcuterie boards and seafood platters are whipped up, and a jungle of plants around the perimeters lends lushness. The pastas are mostly rolled out right here; the specials shake up the routine. I envision many more meals in whats become my choice Chinese spot in the region. Say amen to the velvety collard greens (best splashed with hot sauce), mashed potatoes flecked with red bits of peel, and creamy mac and cheese. The chef gives chicken the everything bagel treatment, except that the entrees crunch comes as much from dried, crumbled chicken skin as the usual seeds and garlic. 2020 Fall Dining Guide by Tom Sietsema The original article can be read here 'Surrounded by the sun' is the name and the setting I rediscovered a chill pill this summer that doesn't involve a prescription. The headliner says customers of his late Palena raised their eyebrows when he put a hamburger on its list. Il Pizzico translates to English as the pinch, as in pinches of different flavors of Italy, says Livia. A year like no other calls for a different dining guide. Its all as luscious as it looks. Im crossing my fingers, looking for four-leaf clovers, rubbing rabbits feet and booking more time here. Fun is a side dish here. Service seems to be in a free fall as dining room staff have left the industry in droves, theres a chance youll be asked for proof of vaccination when you show up for your reservation, and good luck finding somewhere to eat early in the week or late at night. For 2020, I aimed for a mix of cuisines, locations and price points -- per usual -- but added to my . Wheelchair users can access the restaurant and the restrooms via a ramp and an entrance in the back of the building. Email special orders (omakase, etc.) Tasting menu $60. Dinner Wednesday through Sunday. Indoor and outdoor seating. Delivery Friday via website. Indoor seating only. Kinship makes it easy and safe to sup indoors, planting flowers on unoccupied tables as a way to keep diners socially distanced. The white tufts run red with raspberry coulis when pierced with a fork. Quality is matched by quantity. Indoor and outdoor seating. But I was doing the same thing. Corn might be stuffed into pasta and arranged on a piney cream sauce; local beef is sliced over charred shishitos alongside a brushstroke of mustardy Diane sauce. Indoor seating only. Moniss obsession with pizza goes way back and results in 16-inch sourdough pies spurred to greatness by long and slow fermentation and the fact that the chef bakes each sturdy round himself. Cheesecake requires some explaining at the table, too. Duck confit slipped into triangular pasta, fried to a light crisp and served on a spoonful of fontina sauce merits a return engagement. Lunch Tuesday through Friday, dinner Wednesday through Sunday. Three Blacksmiths invites more to the table. The fetching chowda packs in fistfuls of clams whose shells collect smoked bacon, grilled sweet corn, diced potato, crisp scallions and hot cream. Dinner Tuesday through Saturday. Expect a serious wine list, an herb-packed hamburger, pistachio cake for dessert and cosseting service. Tom Sietsema has been The Washington Post's food critic since 2000. Ahn delivers. A stack of high chairs in the dining room rolls out the welcome mat for young families, and the patio has grown in the past year or so from several outside tables to space for 80 diners. The spring in the chefs step could be the reality that this year, the venues 43rd, is its most successful ever; an average of 60 people are on a wait list each night. 1825 14th St. NW. And an unpredictable supply chain means ingredients you might expect to find arent always available. [Frankly Welcome to Carusos Grocery, which takes its name from a store Babins long-ago Sicilian relatives operated in Baton Rouge and revels in old-fashioned details. Red Hen rocks. Takeout also available via phone. Limiting the number of guests to 100 or so a night means a happier staff and more precision on the plate, he says. Yes, please. Patrons opting for inside tables are separated from other parties by yellow curtains; come cold weather, Clarity is expanding to the second floor of the building, where a bunch of private offices will become dining pods. Krinn says, "I want to be the best part of someones day." One of the best vegan memories in recent months is the chefs Blue Ridge bowl with local vegetables and basmati rice, over which a server pours an amber liquid that tastes like the distillation of a garden with a whisper of ginger. Since his Greek standard-bearer opened in 2003, he has been tinkering with pies, says his wife and business partner, Anne Marler. Dinner as an evolving experience in Annapolis, Tasting menu $75; entrees $46 to $54, serving two. Details cloth napkins, Rancho Gordo beans, guacamole that relies on super-creamy Mexican avocados enhance the grazing. Wheelchair users should call ahead for a ramp at the entrance; ADA-compliant restroom. A familiar name to local diners, he was briefly at Pembroke in Dupont Circle ("not the right fit") but better-known for his time at Le Diplomate, where he served as chef de cuisine, and before. Best restaurants in the D.C. area: Tom Sietsema's favorites in August That shatter you heard is a pork belly skin in Rockville, Sandwiches, bowls and combination meals, $7 to $13. The patio treats customers to a mural abloom with flowers and incorporating local architecture. 1513 Antioch Rd, Andalusia, AL 36421. Then the coronavirus started dominating headlines, and he was forced to rein in anything more ambitious than survival. To eat either entree, delivered by servers who look after you like most honored guests, is to understand whats kept the doors open all these years. A salad showcasing white flower mushrooms prompts an anecdote about the last trip the owners took to Myanmar, three years ago. Confused about tipping these days? Im logging on to Jaleos website for tips on how to make paella a la Andrs. Indoor and outdoor seating. Youre reminded youre in wine country with a list that reads like a bible yet has fun with the subject. Having experienced the chefs food both as takeout and on Annabelles patio, I have to say I prefer the latter on a fair night on china in Dupont Circle, at a table enclosed by a white fence, with a cameo by the gracious Bajaj. Lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday. Wheelchair users can enter through a side door (off the parking lot on the left); ADA-compliant restroom. Sietsema reported being so overwhelmed with flavor that he felt like waving his napkin in surrender. So I asked experts how to minimize it. Open in. Ditto Annies Paramount Steakhouse and the Hitching Post, which remain prized members of my collection of D.C.-area classics. If youre the kind of customer who appreciates eye contact or acknowledgment it takes seconds to say Good evening. "I dont tone it down for anyone." So are frost grapes, wild chamomile and pawpaw. The boards multiple parts span magenta pickled radishes, bronzed garlic that spreads like butter, white steamed rice and red ssamjang, the thick and spicy paste made with garlic, onion, sesame oil and more. No restaurant can be all things to all diners, but I like how this one goes right for the hugs. Additional salutes are in order for lemony crab linguine garnished with sliced celery, a French twist on Peking duck (its confit, of course) and brunch offered daily. [The Restaurant at Patowmack Farm, under a new chef, calls for a road trip]. Dinner Tuesday through Sunday, brunch weekends. Meals unfold in a dining room dressed with paintings from Addis Ababa and offering live entertainment on Thursday (Ethiopian jazz) and Saturday (traditional music). "Roasted potatoes," on the other hand, sound routine; a reduction of chicken stock and red wine finds them going, going gone. Pastry chef Olivia Green keeps pace with Tang by offering an elegant chocolate tart packaged up with lemon chantilly, cherry compote and pistachios, and a slice of English-inspired Bakewell tart with garnishes of blueberries and cornflake "crunch. Since spring, when I wrote about how much is lost without restaurants, a number of favorite dining destinations have closed for good. Not into crab? The sight of a tall hamburger being ferried through the long and narrow dining room has me rethinking my order, a thought dismissed as I tuck into tender hanger steak lapped with green peppercorn sauce. Count on crisp fried chicken, a shrimp curry that pulses with ginger and side dishes of distinction. An elegant riff on a gin & tonic arrives in a glass the size of a globe which didnt stop anyone from the last drop. The pandemic prompted this Italian charmer to take reservations for the first time in 31 years. No barriers to entry; ADA-compliant restroom. Stick around for Rochelle Coopers desserts, a favorite of which is her ritzy twist on smores, its honeyed meringue teased into little flames.. From my flower- and linen-dressed table next to a koi pond in the tented garden, I marvel at the honey-lit interior rooms and the focused attention one dapper gent pays to his female companion. "They drive 30 minutes for takeout, each way. I miss the arty dining room, but not the crowds that packed it. A garland of ingredients that suggest salad Nicoise finds a spread of smoked trout replacing the traditional tuna. Langhorne says the next chapter is all about refinement: not doing as much as before, but doing everything better. Frederik De Pue initially responded to the pandemic by opening a market based out of his restaurant and selling high-quality ingredients, such as LeBlanc hazelnut oil and Creekstone steaks, along with prepared meals. End dinner with a show: baked Alaska, as flamboyant as Mardi Gras when its meringue dome is ignited at the table. The beauty of American cooking? Proof of vaccination required for indoor dining. The constant here is consistency. Best Restaurants 2021: Sfoglina . Dressed with scarred walls, white brick and live plants, the space is home to servers who bring, say, a bowl of rice carpeted with folds of dewy salmon, pea shoots and pineapple puree bibimbap scattered with raw fish and aptly introduce the shimmering beauty as Instagram-worthy. When guests asked for more vegetarian options, Anju responded with dishes including wangmandu, big crisp dumplings fattened with Impossible Meat and finished with a racy chile crunch. Ask Tom: Where to celebrate a Sunday anniversary, take a Indoor and outdoor seating. The diners lively, art- and plant-stocked dining rooms are bridged by a long stretch of bar, my preferred place to eat and drink when Im not enjoying Deshaiess happy meals at home, that is. Takeout, no delivery. The fish slick with olive oil, fragrant with cardamom and fiery with mitmita does what the chef, Senait Mimi Tedla, intends: It makes you feel good, she says of her enlightened version of the Ethiopian classic, whose flames typically come from spiced butter. Nowhere else in town will you find finer kashk badenjoon or ghormeh sabzi. History reimagines ratatouille as a summery salad garnished with a savory sorbet. [Get your Maryland crab fix at the Point Crab House, along with ace service and a water view], Indeed, the Point is a crab lovers bonanza, where you can enjoy the main event as a dip, atop toast, steamed to order or mixed with mayonnaise, lemon juice and hot sauce and presented as a broiled cake. Surprise! Shrimp cooked just enough to warm the seafood are paired with Israeli couscous and a vivid sofrito. That hasnt stopped staff from ferrying food to customers on the second-floor dining room or chef Jocelyn Law-Yone, 68, from storytelling. I think Washington remains one of the best places to dine in America. Plenty in his restaurant, a luxe extension of his Seven Reasons on 14th Street NW, will make you glad to be there. But the restaurateurs are doing a four-star job of helping us navigate the pandemic with life rings including pizza and ice cream at Happy Gyro. Theyre being trained by some of the best in the business, foremost chef-owner Patrick OConnell, who has something fun to talk about as he chats up patrons: a bakery-cafe across the street in what used to be the hamlets post office (look for a late October launch) and a dreamy glass conservatory. I dont want to miss a dish in the lot. Fritto misto suspends steaming cod and red snapper in rings and balls of tempura, a golden catch finished with Fresno chiles. Your wish is their command. The setting at Patowmack Farm 40 acres owned by restaurateur Beverly Morton Billand is beautiful and practical. In Italian, Girasole translates to both "sunflower" and "surrounded by the sun." Dinner and lunch Tuesday through Sunday. It's the Year of the Noodle. Delivery via Caviar, DoorDash, Uber Eats and Skip the Line. Lately, Im crushing on slender maccheroni tossed with crumbled braised goat, green olives and lemon zest. Owner Mike Friedman says, our goal is to make it feel as normal as possible to eat in his Italian-leaning restaurant in Bloomingdale. Mezze $16-$25, shareable entrees $52-$65. No utensils necessary, chowhounds know; the extra scrolls of spongy injera in your order are all the scoops you need. Superb 47 Reviews 4.3. Indoor seating only. Reservations required for indoor dining; patio first come, first served. Fans can rest assured that the original details remain in place and that the new hosts have no plans on making any changes, says Jake Addeo, who last cooked in Washington at the Occidental and Bibiana. If the service is a touch more hesitant these days, well, that applies to a lot of restaurants now. rather than working. Lunch and dinner daily. To order alcohol with your meal, use GoTab. The entree, accompanied by a carton of couscous and slivered almonds, was sufficient to become lunch for two thereafter. The owners of the citys best Korean restaurant are also behind the popular, fast-casual Chiko. And I cant imagine a Nepalese meal without momos. From this longtime visitors perspective, 2021 will be remembered as one of the most mouthwatering. The second is a world-class stew coaxed from fistfuls of herbs cooked down to a thick green bog and completed with tender morsels of beef and kidney beans. Mesghali sweats the details. Takeout and delivery. Kenya native and self-trained chef Kevin Onyona poured $2 million into transforming a basement dining room (the one-time Vidalia) near the corridors of power into an upscale African statement. Unclaimed. Pastas $24-$30, wood-fired entrees $28-$39. Indoor and outdoor seating. Now and then, the chef offers a taste of the food his mother made back in his native Sicily. As never before, says Seki, I have to say no now and then. No barriers to entry, but wheelchair users might need assistance with the two front doors; ADA-compliant restrooms. ) The Philippine hot spot closed in April and reopened in June, although for takeout only. Diners who forget to specify get the dish, often eaten rare, cooked medium. Chennai Hoppers Indian Restaurant | Gaithersburg, MD Dinner Wednesday through Saturday, brunch weekends. Berbere, the Ethiopian spice blend that torches whatever it touches. Ive saved the best for last. Sandwiches are iffy. Waves of yellow draw eyes to the ceiling and, as at Jaleo, glass-topped foosball tables double as dining spots. A request for tej produces a lovely honey wine made by a local producer. The tomato sauce a touch sweet, a little tangy comes from an old family recipe; the bacon is made in-house. A host offers her a fresh shield from a basket inside, where shes led to her reserved table and handed how quaint a menu with a cloth-and-vinyl cover. Aaron Silverman, the visionary behind one of the most beloved dining destinations in Washington, says, Were not in the restaurant business, but the business of making people happy. Sure enough, dinner at Roses Luxury commences with light-but-luscious focaccia offered with housemade ricotta and accompanied by the kind of music you wouldnt mind as background to your life. Mac and cheese gets finished with Parmesan breadcrumbs, and the braised greens served with smoked tomatoes sting with the juice of pickled Fresno chiles. Diners choose a centerpiece (chicken, lamb, goat, wild boar, potato-cauliflower curry), which is positioned on a long wooden board with a changing vegetable, buttery black lentils, baby spinach sauteed with ginger, garlic and cumin seeds, plus a bite of dessert. Datta, responsible for the 12-seat bar, counts time at Elle, Columbia Room and the esteemed Rasika West End, where he met Sundas, the former tandoor chef there. . Know that the signature steamed mussels still come in a double pot, with a thatch of crisp fries in a newspaper-lined, copper-colored vase. Not only is the food unlike anyone elses, its packaged as if it were a gift right down to a note card inviting you to listen to a curated playlist. (334) 427-1696. Going in, even hot heads might want to ask for medium spice. Takeout and delivery. This is the Inn, after all. Indoor and outdoor seating. You can still sit inside the handsome bungalow. A surplus of eggplant might translate to see-through fried slices, drizzled with honey and toasted almonds an elegant appetizer with the crowd appeal of potato chips.