The pork meatballs are as fiery as ever, salads are created with the season in mind (cucumber tossed with cashews, smoked pecorino and chiles made summer more bearable), and dessert is as considered as everything that precedes it. 111 Church St. NW, Suite 101, Vienna, Va. Dinner daily, lunch Tuesday through Friday, brunch weekends. Dean's Cake House. Throw in some folk music and some murals from far away, and its easy to think you are, in fact, in a Himalayan roost. The signature is packaged in what looks like a pizza box and comes with instructions for reheating the cheesy raft at home and finishing it with an egg yolk, butter and zataar spice. The amount of food in the $80 spread for two could easily feed another two mouths. [Remember Blend 111? Il Pizzico is all heart. Concerned reservation holders reached out to me when they heard that the warmhearted owners behind the Rappahannock County dining destination, chef John and Diane MacPherson, sold it in August to another couple, chef Jake and Sara Addeo. The restaurant takes heat requests seriously. My current fascinations include crisp spring rolls bursting with shrimp, pork, wood ear mushrooms and taro root a truly filling filling a strapping stew of sweet potato noodles, sour mustard and squiggles of pork, and (new to the lineup) cumin lamb skewers. Its called unconventional for good reason. The white tufts run red with raspberry coulis when pierced with a fork. Quality is matched by quantity. Wells Silverman and team seem to have sweated every detail. The long line outside the cute bungalow has us worried when we pull up before its doors open for dinner. Lentils, cracked wheat, chicken and warm spices add up to a fabulous golden porridge. Owner Mike Friedman says, our goal is to make it feel as normal as possible to eat in his Italian-leaning restaurant in Bloomingdale. The owner says hes doing one thing right. Pastas $24-$30, wood-fired entrees $28-$39. Four-course menu $95 per person; a la carte bar menu $28-$33. 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. Entrees with mass appeal (smoked meat, grilled fish and vegetables) that average $20, sides included? In a small strip mall, the facade is nothing to look at. " Success springs from dish after dish in a dining room patrons share with a fleet of mannequins helping to enforce social distance. His page-long "Manhattan Project" allows imbibers to mix and match spirits, vermouths and bitters to create one-of-a-kind versions of the classic cocktail. Customers tend to acknowledge the assembly on the porch when they walk up the stairs, and Anita Baker and Marvin Gaye have a way of loosening up the audience much like the $4 beers and $6 cocktails on Monday, when happy hour stretches from 4 p.m. to last call. Did I mention the crab cake sandwich is all about the crab and the lemon cake is pure sunshine? The lush uni, meanwhile, is plucked from Santa Barbara, Calif. Hiroshi presents the treasure with a dab of wasabi and a tiny quail egg. Dinner Tuesday through Sunday, lunch Wednesday through Friday. 6 reviews $$ - $$$ American Steakhouse. Takeout and delivery via DoorDash and Uber Eats. "I dont want to be stingy," says the chef. 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 dishes sound familiar but ooze flair. Spring for the sweet lumps of crab scattered over a tangle of linguine stained black with squid ink. Indoor seating only. But were trying not to steer away from the principals original ambitions, chiefly heightened comfort food., [Like a good neighbor, Pennyroyal Station is there for you], He and his colleagues are doing an ace job of hiding any obstacles. Takeout and delivery via Door Dash, Grubhub, Uber Eats and the restaurant (range is within three miles, minimum of $50, $10 fee). Try it with the citys best collard greens and sweet-sticky plantains, and swoon away. No takeout or delivery. The owners earth-to-table philosophy is based in part on her wide-open pantry. Maple panna cotta with caramelized hazelnuts is the definition of sublime. The restaurant keeps a ramp for navigating the high step at the entrance, but not the stairs leading to the second-floor dining room and patio. 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. Patrons can still find filet mignon and lobster chowder longtime draws on the menu but Walsh has asked the servers to ditch their ties, and Johnson, the former chef de cuisine of the late Volt, is helping to fill seats with seared scallops, which at a May meal arrived dappled with a froth of buttermilk and staged with a green garden of asparagus, peas and fava beans. Comforts abound. Every neighborhood should have an Elle. And its no big deal when an elderly woman pauses at the entrance, struggling to find the mask she swore she stowed in her purse. Im nervous, he says. Indoor and outdoor seating. 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. Expect a serious wine list, an herb-packed hamburger, pistachio cake for dessert and cosseting service. Takeout also available via phone. We're counting down Post food critic Tom Sietsema's Top 5 restaurants in and around Washington for 2022 over the next two weeks, highlighting one restaurant each weekday until Tom's full. 2941 Fairview Park Dr., Falls Church. "Thousands of tweaks later," she emails, "it seemed like the right time to debut to the public." The restaurants smart service with a smile feels like old times. The singular sensation at Frankly Pizza! Seize the chance to taste a role model. Suffice it to say, the deftly charred fish and luxurious potatoes would make their masters proud.). Their answers to an annual "Year in Eater" survey will be revealed in several posts this month. On my last visit, a young woman spent a course or two rearranging drinks and food for some close-ups. Takeout, no delivery. Heat lamps and blankets are the new endearments at this beloved Italian fixture in CityCenter. Proof of vaccination required for indoor dining. 6395 Seven Corners Center, Falls Church, Va. Takeout via website, phone or DoorDash. How are you, Jesse Miller? Dinner Tuesday through Saturday. Make room as well for the water spinach, softly crunchy and punchy with chiles and garlic sauce. See the big domed oven inside? If youre looking for a jar of snapper cheek mixed with miso paste, your search can stop here. Highlights from recent pickups include melt-on-the-tongue king salmon sushi, restorative snapper broth with a delicate fish cake, and colorful bara chirashi, half a dozen or so cuts of fish "scattered" like jewels on a bed of sushi rice. Takeout and delivery. Hospitality makes a good case for supporting Swahili Village, too. Everyone I take falls in love with the experience. Langhorne says the next chapter is all about refinement: not doing as much as before, but doing everything better. Voila!, for sure. In true izakaya fashion, the menu, illustrated with Sekis doodles, leans to snack-size plates meant to be washed back with drinks. Jon Krinn at Vienna's Clarity is serving up quality three-course dinners (e.g., lamb bolognese pasta, sea scallops over vegetables, and tiramisu) for $35, brioche cinnamon rolls baked by his. We hope people feel that love. We do, we do! Corduroy Outside dining during the pandemic often means traffic and pedestrians in the background. The roomy, unisex restroom thoughtfully includes Braille type near the entry. Its been tough, says the chef and co-owner of one of the brights lights in arty Mount Rainier. Customers asked for breakfast and chef-owner Tsehay Beferdu delivered, with a menu offered daily until noon. A dinner from this big-hearted restaurant, whose seating now spills onto the street, is almost guaranteed to result in tonights midnight snack or tomorrows lunch. To look at ssam is to take in a rainbow. A lot of guests have opinions about vegetables, based on unpleasant experiences with say, canned mushrooms or overcooked asparagus, says Rubba. Dinner as an evolving experience in Annapolis, Tasting menu $75; entrees $46 to $54, serving two. 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. Indoor seating only. Theres no other food like this in Washington. singles are more interested in a potential someones vaccination status. See what I mean? Proof of vaccination or negative test required for indoor seating. This is the Inn, after all. Count on bold flavors, as on one nights Provenal, a special trumpeting capers, olives, juicy sungold tomatoes and salami slices practically thin enough to read through. Takeout and delivery via DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber Eats. 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. Our reward was a moist wedge of vanilla-fragrant cake sweetened with blackberry cream cheese frosting. Competitors should check out the high bar he maintains in his own lair, where the meatless attractions include kale nachos, shiitake-filled batons of phyllo and tiptop chop, a sumptuous mound of shredded kale, quinoa, slivered almonds, pomegranate seeds and carrots rising from a plate of garlicky hummus. His lightly pickled wild sardines, served sashimi style, are from Hokkaido, Japan, noted for the freshness of its seafood. Chef Eric Ziebolds takeout is worth the travel. Katherine excels at sweet endings. In her native Laos, cabbage is used as a scoop and a cover. Sixty dollars gets you 10 courses, served on a banana leaf. Of course, it was made there. Takeout via Toast. His buttermilk-brined, paprika- and mustard-warmed fried chicken is all-American and definitely noisy, its crunch explained by the use of potato and corn starches. The stew, dak jjim, is just a few ingredients, including Korean red chile flakes, but oh, what a sight and oh, what a mom! Il Pizzico translates to English as the pinch, as in pinches of different flavors of Italy, says Livia. In Italian, Girasole translates to both "sunflower" and "surrounded by the sun." The entree is textbook perfect, down to a hedge of mustard-sharpened salad greens. No takeout or delivery. Indoor and private outdoor seating. served its first pie and makes an ace ambassador, asking strangers where theyre from and letting them try as many of the beers on tap as they want. The cafe Yellow adjacent is just as great for coffee and wonderful baked goods. A server delights in explaining how the block of white cornmeal mash absorbs whatever it touches and can be used to scoop up other bits of food. The self-taught chef says his flavors are going to be Korean even if his techniques are otherwise. Chicken liver mousse appears as creamy tufts on shards of toasted bread, along with bits of roasted peach that signal summer. The decade-old restaurant has fun with its wine list, a liquid romp around the world. The entrees sidekicks buttery, pull-apart biscuits, a slaw as bracing as a cold shower on a hot day prove the chickens equal. No barriers to entry; ADA-compliant restroom. Open for indoor and outdoor dining, delivery and takeout. Last winter, Blend 111 served meals in a parking lot turned Andean outpost. Owner Michael Biddick promises the return of the attractive heated space, along with one of my prized pandemic purchases from any restaurant: $12 blankets woven from cotton and recycled fibers. It would be just as easy to fill up on a refreshingly tart striped bass ceviche; crisp masa cakes paved with inky black beans and pickled onions; ultrasmooth corn pudding steamed inside a poblano pepper, or one of the truly special specials from Christian Irabin, the Mexican native and former Oyamel cook whose mission extends to supporting local farms and immigrant workers. Dont eat meat? Dinner Tuesday through Sunday, brunch weekends. A request for tej produces a lovely honey wine made by a local producer. [Shake up your dinner routine with a (short) road trip]. The forward-thinking Thamee responded to racial injustice by promoting Black and Brown producers and adding a 30 percent charge to checks to support staff health care and profit-sharing. Brunch finds a strapping plate of huevos rancheros that fits braised pulled pork in with the eggs, black beans and corn tortillas. No on-site seating. I have, and it is. On the upside, that just gives me more excuses to return. Time for someone else to enjoy one of the best meals of their week. Dinner daily, lunch weekdays. But if theres one dish I never leave off an order, its crispy fried jasmine rice tossed with scallions, cilantro, peanuts, coconut and fried tofu meatless and marvelous. Design and development by Clare Ramirez. Entrees $25-$47 (for the signature duck). 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. In Annandale, wheelchair users can enter the restaurant via the right side of the building, which has a ramp. Grilled rockfish set on a shimmering pool of sungold tomato sauce and circled with brioche croutons and herbs arranged as if with tweezers was beautiful and luscious. We feel comfortable we can get to the other side, Tyler told me recently. Limited indoor seating (two stools at a counter). No bottle on the standing list is more than $43. Even though Im eating in the restaurants parking lot, beneath a tent, it feels like old times when Im handed multiple menus for dinner, drinks and smoked dishes from a new outdoor kitchen and Argentine grill. Chef-owner Jon Krinn addressed the pandemic by giving customers what they were accustomed to lots of options, expanded in spring to include a cigar "bar" to the side of Clarity and making frequent adjustments to his proactive strategy. No barriers to entry; ADA-compliant restroom. Think of your meal as the world tour of takeout, Kebabs $15 to $16, sides $5 to $8, Tigris tour dinner $70 (for two); seven-course Tour of the World dinner $90 (for two). One reason to order chicken here is to taste how good the products are from nearby Upperville and Warrenton. Save. Hang in there, Pennyroyal Station! ) The Philippine hot spot closed in April and reopened in June, although for takeout only. Sure, you can roast a chicken at home. So are frost grapes, wild chamomile and pawpaw. My visit featured grilled prawns and sweet scallops napped with two sauces one fruity with mango and raisins, another lobster bisque enriched with sun-dried tomato and staged with julienned snow peas that offered welcome crunch. Makeda, its name a reference to the biblical Queen of Sheba, is full of niceties. Just eat it and enjoy it! I wanted to tell her. Ditto Annies Paramount Steakhouse and the Hitching Post, which remain prized members of my collection of D.C.-area classics. 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. Superb 47 Reviews 4.3. Dinner Tuesday through Sunday, lunch Tuesday through Friday. Chances are, youll like whatever De Pue and team whip up. For proof, taste the cafes fresh local chicken sprinkled with herbs and slow-baked to succulence, or catfish dusted with cornmeal and flour and fried to a beautiful shade of gold. Keep Kinship in mind for date night or a special (small) gathering, but also for the occasional crowd-pleasing comfort, one night short rib enchiladas. Shrimp in a sassy "cocktail" of tomato, lemon juice, black pepper and ginger salutes Mexico while China feels closer with every forkful of crisp green beans blasted with chile paste and finished with yuzu juice. . Rooster & Owl is newly comfortable, thanks to a handsome front patio set with table lamps and a dining room that has replaced concrete floors with wood. 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. Luangrath prefers the texture and taste of fresh collard greens, which she puts to use as DIY wraps for lightly fried catfish, rice noodles and julienned ginger. The owners of the citys best Korean restaurant are also behind the popular, fast-casual Chiko. Delivery via Caviar and DoorDash. Takeout and delivery. The switch from a la carte limits waste and "creates an experience," says De Pue. Because of a step at the entrance, wheelchair users should enter via door to the left of the storefront; ADA-compliant restroom. Tangs food isnt just clever, its worth preserving for posterity. The kitchen treats people who dont eat meat like VIPs. 136 Paramount Park Dr., Gaithersburg, Md. Ingredients makes luscious use of a bumper crop of tomatillos from the chefs garden, the source of a sauce for a soothing, taleggio-stuffed arepa. ) The ambiance feeds me as well as the kitchen. My favorite green beans, deep-fried and strewn with pickled cabbage, come from this kitchen, as does my choice Hunan-style chow mein, springy noodles tossed with tender chicken and black beans and warm with jalapeos. Delivery via Skip the Line. With just four stools at the bar and no more than six seats on the sloped patio, this may be the hardest reservation in town right now. No barriers to access, but the restroom is snug. Indoor seating only. The new list also addresses the question the owner routinely hears Whats your favorite dish? with half a dozen favorites from over the decades. Beferdu uses the recipes she learned from her restaurateur-mother as a girl growing up in Addis Ababa and later showcased in a trio of hotels she ran in Ethiopias capital. 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. Delivery via the restaurant ($3 charge within a two-mile radius). Indeed, some of the most bespoke takeout from the past seven months has come from Kinship, whose offerings embody the spirit of the restaurant, which the chef thinks of as "celebrating at the dinner table" with people you care about. (Even outside, or on the phone, Jaleo lives up to its English translation: commotion. His latest creations zesty crab and roasted coconut served beneath a rice crisp, soft duck patties made tangy with goat cheese and set on orange chutney should help fill the plush seats. Happily, the four-course tasting menu that diners can design for themselves remains a staple of one of the citys most creative restaurants. Sign of the times: Ziebold says the most popular category of all is Indulgence. Guests who couldnt travel during the pandemic are spending their vacation money on luxuries such as caviar, truffles, Japanese Kuroge beef and his signature lobster French toast breakfast for dinner for $38. Okra charred on the grill, paired with pickled fennel and eaten with a sumac-seasoned tartar sauce is detailed so passionately by a server, we bite then scrape our plate clean. Chef Nobu Yamazaki says the second-floor location "didnt feel safe" for in-person dining and probably wouldnt welcome back visitors until a vaccine becomes available. Indoor seating only. Takeout also available via website and phone. [Rasika veterans serve memorable Indian-ish food and drink at Daru]. Indoor and outdoor seating. A riff on bibimbap, the colorful Korean rice dish, swaps out rice for elastic wheat noodles (jjolmyeon) imported from the restaurants namesake city in Korea, arranged with a rainbow of cucumbers, carrots and onions plus tender sea snails instead of the traditional beef. Waves of yellow draw eyes to the ceiling and, as at Jaleo, glass-topped foosball tables double as dining spots. Some of the best gored gored in the area is found here; strips of filet mignon, so soft you barely need to chew, arrive in a spicy, brick-colored cloak of awaze, Ethiopias answer to hot sauce. P.S. Owned by Alex Manfredonia, who brings fine dining experience from San Francisco, Vin 909 has the reception down pat. january 2022 / 50 top italy. Same for the generously apportioned food, fussed over by chef Justin Moore. Maybe it was the cloud of garlic I inhaled when I cracked the lid of the buttery sauteed shrimp. Rutas menu is a master class in execution. Takeout via website, phone, Tock, Caviar or DoorDash. Consecutive doors at entrance; ADA-compliant restroom. A meal begins with complimentary sel roti rings of honey-sweetened rice bread accompanied by a bowl of fermented daikon, slick with mustard oil and tossed with mustard and fenugreek seeds. A lot of people have left the industry. Asked to sum up 2021, crucible is the first word out of his mouth. Ramps near the entrance and roomy restrooms make the restaurant wheelchair-friendly. Im equally enamored of the slender lumpia, stuffed with ground pork and shrimp; sisig, the funky and fiery stir-fry of pigs ears, headcheese, Thai chile, garlic and cane vinegar; the pale-green, super-moist pandan cake made by the chefs sister; and some of the best fried rice for miles, this bowl enriched with crab fat and longanisa, sweet sausage thats made on site and that Fernandez plans to sell. To keep things interesting for everybody, Kuya Ja is selling Filipino soup kits, featuring weekend specials (whole fried snapper with peanut curry) and offering the occasional kinamot. To order alcohol with your meal, use GoTab. The paintings of women with thanaka, a paste made from sandalwood bark, rubbed across their cheeks? Youre a light in the dark. Ziti stuffed with ricotta comes with a topping of bacon-y steamed clams and garlic toast: clams casino as a garnish. Cheesecake requires some explaining at the table, too. Tasting menu $75 Tuesday through Thursday, $85 Friday and Saturday. . Albi now counts two, the newest of which is a glass-enclosed rear patio that can seat up to 25 revelers. No takeout or delivery. Wheelchair users are asked to call ahead so a ramp can be set out at the door; ADA-compliant restroom. Lunch Tuesday through Friday; dinner daily. The texture is as much a selling point as the taste; different grinds of some of the seasonings add a pleasant crackle to the eating. Takeout via Tock or phone. Theyre labeled James (as in Beard) and Julia (as in Child). Kudos to the server who presents the menu as if his fingers were a frame and the list were worthy of one. No barriers to entry, although the small restroom is too snug to accommodate a wheelchair. Dinner Tuesday through Saturday, lunch Tuesday through Friday. Even soft-serve ice cream impresses us when its flavored with tahini caramel and delivered in a delicate glass tea cup. We marvel as a waiter removes the bones from a plate of Norwegian sole with the precision of a surgeon. Badiee, 33, previously cooked at Gravitas, Cranes and Fiola three different but impressive Washington, D.C., restaurants and in New York at such notable brands as Eleven Madison Park. Some of the inns classics arent publicized. Apple cobbler with marjoram ice cream? Executive chef Kristen Essig comes to Washington from the Big Easy, where she co-owned one of its most beloved restaurants, Coquette. Takeout and delivery. Lunch and dinner Wednesday through Sunday. (Yep, the Southern staple is vegetarian. Wavra says she moves the votives on the mantle only when nobody is there.. Imagine smoky green beans and shishito peppers tossed with buttermilk, chile paste, sesame oil, garlic a rousing kitchen sink of recruits. Reservations recommended via Resy. The fire in the red lentils? The girls got their wish, and Bethesda gained something special, in May: a restaurant with the exuberance of his original Spanish tapas draw, but also a greater selection of comfort foods, including a section devoted to eggs, one of the famous chefs many passions. Omakase is on hold, but Sushi Taro is still turning out gems. The owners publicly declared theyre in trouble in September down to our last four weeks, says Jill Tyler, hostess with the mostest at whats become the first place I think of on a rare night off from table hopping. Have you been? patrons asked me. Rutas roast chicken drew food lovers to his still-missed Palena in Cleveland Park. [On Capitol Hill, two ambitious restaurants debut from one thoughtful owner]. Share. Takeout also available via phone. Light pours through the windows, which take in a spacious patio outside. Indoor seating only. Youll want to swipe a bite of oh-so-soft lamb through a puree sparked with oregano, parsley, garlic, turmeric and red wine vinegar. And I cant imagine a Nepalese meal without momos. Definitive Laotian food is worth a return trip. Takeout via Toast, Caviar and DoorDash. The food, drink and hospitality even early in its game win your fandom. Indoor and outdoor seating for dinner; indoor dining not available for breakfast or lunch. Flat sidewalks lead to the dining areas, and ramps lead to ADA-compliant restrooms. APRIL 30, 2018 / Washington Post . Drinks show up quickly. 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. Arranging the takeout for a group portrait on my kitchen counter this summer, I was struck by the beauty of the spread. It helps that he retained his entire staff, who still went through two weeks of training before reopening the dining room in June. I dont care, says Smith-Davis, laughing at the memories of people trying to pass off her food as home cooking. Not to worry. One slice leads to another, and before you know it, you feel like youre the piggy which doesnt stop you from inhaling some butterscotch pudding before you waddle out. Need a getaway? Those chopped collards have lots of garlic, ginger and red onion going for them. The eating is soft-crisp and chewy. This memory maker rolls up with a cart carrying an enormous dome of spun sugar hiding progressively smaller replicas inside along with dessert and a salutation on a marzipan ribbon. The game-changer prefers to surprise customers and maybe change your mind.. Chocolate chess pie is a slice of heaven made possible with a coffee- and orange-flavored cream and candied ginger. Dont miss sous-chef Leena Alys Lebanese fried rice, a swirl of color and crunch, lentils and almonds, inspired by mujaddara. Indoor and outdoor seating ($100 for gazebo seating). 703-270-1500. Your wish is their command. Prefer to sit indoors, in view of the animated open kitchen or in a room that dates to the 1790s and is said to get visits from a ghost? A motherly server adds to the outing, revealing that the chicken wings are on the hot side and pork shoulder tacos are enough food for a family. The cooking places a premium on ingredients and technique rather than the chefs ego. Yes, the menu looks smaller than before, and the service skews young.

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