In a small strip mall, the facade is nothing to look at. The pandemic has wreaked havoc on the restaurant industry. The bottom line at the restaurant: Make it delicious and pretty and give customers a sense of value, whether its one bite or a platter, says Silverman. 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. Everyone I take falls in love with the experience. (You can count on the restaurateur, a fan of wines from Burgundy and the Loire Valley, to steer you to something special.) The candles on the tables are oyster shells filled with wax. ) The Philippine hot spot closed in April and reopened in June, although for takeout only. Check out the swordfish kebab, cooked over coals and painted with a sauce made vibrant with green chiles, cilantro, caraway and more. Reservations required for indoor dining; patio first come, first served. Chances are, youll like whatever De Pue and team whip up. No delivery. Layer on citrus peel and green olives, and suddenly youre hungry for "Casablanca." The most Belgian of them all, though, is a waffle chocolate, served with white chocolate whipped cream and chocolate sauce. On the upside, that just gives me more excuses to return. [Expect a warm welcome and dazzling dishes at Kinship in Shaw]. 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. A warm Persian treat moves in near the convention center. Save. A sniff of the air clean, hot oil is a siren call to anything fried: crisp silvery smelts, maybe, or soft-shell crabs, sweet of meat, served with ponzu sauce for dipping and as delectable as any Ive had this year. 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. Wheelchair users are asked to call ahead so a ramp can be set out at the door; ADA-compliant restroom. Power lunches, cocktails and Afghan dumplings: Washington, D.C., deservedly earns reputation for world-class cuisine By Patti Nickell Tribune News Service Jan 14, 2020 at 7:34 am Expand. (Scott Suchman for The Washington Post). Anywhere else, the chile-fired lamb kebabs might be a signature; here, they go unfinished only because the rest of the food is so compelling. 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. 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. Your wish is their command. Tacos are fashioned from herbed Indian flatbread and jackfruit lit with chile paste and lemon juice a vegan draw if you opt out of the sour cream base. Diners are sent into the night with treats for tomorrow granola, zucchini bread that in some cases never make it home. Harding insisted we stay for dessert. New head chef Samuel Meoo, 27, is behind the whole chicken, brined in a host of goodies ginseng tea, Sichuan peppercorns, ginger, honey then air-dried for a day, roasted, lacquered and gussied up with so many colorful flowers, its as if the chicken encountered a ticker-tape parade en route to the table. The most fanciful finish is coconut ice cream showered with wok-roasted peanuts, strewn with threads of egg yolk sweetened with simple syrup and dropped off in a coconut shell. Baan Siam, whose handsome dining room I cant wait to spend time in once its safe, goes the extra mile. I just wanted to do one thing as good as I can, says the chef. 6395 Seven Corners Center, Falls Church, Va. Takeout via website, phone or DoorDash. Takeout and delivery. Eighteen months into the global crisis, the people who feed us away from home wonder how much resilience they still need to muster. Bajaj wanted to drop the restaurants time-consuming thalis; budget-minded patrons will be happy to see that the fetching little feasts, presented on fancy platters and priced for $30 or less, have, unlike dark wood or depictions of the Raj, stuck around. The pastas are mostly rolled out right here; the specials shake up the routine. The chefs point: People want food thats familiar right now. A thali is a lot to take in. ) The ambiance feeds me as well as the kitchen. What we are drinking is a weekly-changing page of recommendations, and if you guess the grape behind the current mystery wine, you get half off the price of the glass. 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. As before, the smell of smoke from a wood-stoked oven seduces you the moment you step inside the wood-and-brick interior. The hallmark four-course menu was shortened to three dishes, and the entrees became larger and more familiar. Fear not, fans. 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. Your best meal could be in a parking spot or dining pod, Dinner entrees $24 to $36, tasting menu $77 (not available for takeout). Its easy enough to do when you order a "tour of the world to go" from Compass Rose, the little restaurant with the big heart and the best way I know to cure any wanderlust. This years survey of my favorite restaurants, my 22nd annual fall dining guide, is a reflection of how the pandemic has changed me, too. Heavy glass doors precede the foyer; ADA-compliant restrooms. Diners are instructed to mix the ingredients with a nearby sauce based on gochujang so that each bite delivers the taste equivalent of a little bugle blast. Sietsema reported being so overwhelmed with flavor that he felt like waving his napkin in surrender. The talent behind the ice cream, Ben Brunner, is the reason I broke up with Jenis this year. No restaurant fed me more often, or better, throughout the pandemic than French chef David Deshaiess whimsical tribute to American comfort food near the convention center (hence the name). Takeout also available via phone. Im talking banquettes the shade of marinara sauce, Sinatra on the soundtrack, chianti in straw-swaddled bottles and herby hot garlic bread presented with a four-cheese dunk. That shatter you heard is a pork belly skin in Rockville, Sandwiches, bowls and combination meals, $7 to $13. Law-Yone asked the hotel kitchen staff to make a dish they would typically cook for themselves, nothing fussy. Fernandez wants staff and customers alike to be safe, so just one customer at a time is allowed inside the snug storefront. Lechon, its richness best cut with the house vinegar sauce, is by no means the sole attraction. Takeout and delivery via Door Dash, Grubhub, Uber Eats and the restaurant (range is within three miles, minimum of $50, $10 fee). (The tortillas spring from fresh masa and a hand press.). No barriers to access, but the restroom is snug. The server has been on board since Frankly Pizza! Ramps near the patio allow entry into the restaurant, which is equipped with ADA-compliant restrooms. The best D.C. restaurants: Tom Sietsema's 2021 favorites - Washington Post Their engagement is likely to grab your attention, too. Lunch weekdays, brunch weekends, dinner Monday through Saturday. The back will showcase eight private dining rooms with varying seating capacities, each with a custom-tailored menu and a view of a second kitchen. But fans in summer and heaters in winter let patrons enjoy the chefs surprises, year-round, in the great outdoors. Indoor seating only. Any concerns I had about a successor were erased by a July dinner consisting of nine small courses that seemed to channel much of the new chefs rsum. No delivery or takeout. Open now : 09:00 AM - 4:00 PM. "The wine is gone by midnight. Order some avial, batons of steamed banana, carrots and the Indian vegetable called drumsticks in a golden cloak of shredded coconut, curry leaves and yogurt. 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. The fetching chowda packs in fistfuls of clams whose shells collect smoked bacon, grilled sweet corn, diced potato, crisp scallions and hot cream. Wheelchair users should call ahead so a ramp can be set up at the door and seating at the kitchen counter can be arranged; ADA-compliant restroom. Anyone who has been to the Patiernos restaurant might also know it as tranquil and tempting. The heart of Spanish Diner, for me, is a category of dishes toasting our grandmas cuisine, everyday food you might find in casual dining establishments or in the home of a conscientious Spanish cook. Meaty rockfish teeters on a bed of corn and diced cuttlefish, circled in a sauce coaxed from peanut butter and shellfish broth. Food lovers will appreciate the restroom doors. Schooled to be a priest, Onyona has his waiters watch how the food is made before they become guides, and the effort pays off at the restaurant. To look at ssam is to take in a rainbow. Its missing in a lot of places these days, but Muchas Gracias is a poster child for inattention. This winning mom-and-pop no longer does takeout, and wine pairings have gone the way of Novak Djokovics winning streak on the tennis court. Major talent has stepped into big shoes at this road-trip-worthy restaurant in Loudoun County, where Vincent Badiee replaced Tarver King last November, following Kings news that he planned to open a place of his own in the area. We thought wed have more figured out by now, he says of operating a restaurant during the pandemic. And yet, its always about the crust, says Linn. The entree is textbook perfect, down to a hedge of mustard-sharpened salad greens. The interior feels as alive as the man behind the menu. Takeout, no delivery. 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. Theres no more fetching kitchen in town than the open one at Albi Arabic for my heart surrounded by a mural of characters holding hands. Comforts abound. Check. "Asian food travels well," says co-owner Danny Lee, whose mother, Yesoon Lee, the traditionalist in the kitchen, is staying home for the duration of the pandemic. Leave it to the disciple of the late great Michel Richard to make fabulous meatloaf, striped with sriracha and enriched with gruyere; and fried chicken, its golden goodness gilded with a granny gravy flavored with morels then to see that the dishes are just as appealing in a takeout container as they are at a table in the restaurant. How you can help restaurants - The Washington Post Takeout and delivery. Cedric Maupillier concedes he wasnt getting a lot of traffic at his contemporary French-American outpost in Shaw even before the pandemic bounced customers from his dining room. Takeout, no delivery. Cubes of fish cooked with onions, garlic and rosemary demonstrate the chefs passion for Mediterranean flavors (in another life, she cooked in Israel). Takeout via Toast or phone. Have you heard? The front will feature a rotisserie and 60-seat bistro. Same for dominoes of roseate local beef accessorized with grilled broccoli, burned eggplant and a dollop of ketchup, brilliant with red pepper. 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. Lunch and dinner Wednesday through Sunday. Lamb chops are marinated overnight in garlic, Greek yogurt and green chiles elements that insert themselves into every nook and cranny of the meat and acquire a shower of crushed pink peppercorns after they leave the grill. Confused about tipping these days? New to ugali? Novak Djokovics winning streak on the tennis court. Youre not going to get the usuals here, says the chef. Hence his fascination with fermentation throughout the menu. Takeout via Toast, Caviar and DoorDash. 202-765-0500. gypsykitchendc.com. Patio seating. The dry-fried lamb has diners breaking out in sweat and smiles, as the juicy morsels are fueled with red chile pepper, powder and oil. Desserts chocolate mousse, floating island, profiteroles run to the classic. No takeout or delivery. Craft features halibut poached in olive oil and decked out with a panko crust. Possibly it was the sting of the orange gazpacho, poured from a slender plastic flask, or the broad metal pan used to ferry the seafood-scattered paella from Penn Quarter to my doorstep. Whatever the detail, takeout from Jaleo, among my hall of fame picks, places me back in the dining room, alive with color and energy in happier times. Ditto. Hope for sweet-and-sour eggplant on crostini. Each spoonful tastes like a day at the beach. Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema entertains your dining questions, rants and raves. Reliability is a hallmark of the restaurants, where the shredded pork and mustard green soup is as delicious and restorative as I remember it back when Facebook was in its infancy, and the shaved dry bean curd, pungent with cilantro and crunchy with peanuts, remains a prized snack. Imagine smoky green beans and shishito peppers tossed with buttermilk, chile paste, sesame oil, garlic a rousing kitchen sink of recruits. At long last, Albi gets to the heart of Levantine cooking, For exceptional Korean food, book a table at Anju, fresh from being named one of this years best new chefs by Food & Wine. Indoor and outdoor seating. The result is skin thats crisp throughout and improved only with a bit of the chefs jerk sauce, whose heat sneaks up on you like an O. Henry ending. When we marvel at the staffs efficiency, a host tells us, We have lots of little corners to seat people, including a rear enclosed patio with a two-stool chefs counter that looks into the pizza-making operation. Happily, the four-course tasting menu that diners can design for themselves remains a staple of one of the citys most creative restaurants. "I dont tone it down for anyone." A special pop-up becomes a permanent fixture, Entrees $17 to $21, $49 for family platter. Proof of vaccination required for indoor dining. Go now, and you build your own adventure by ordering two dishes from a roster of some of the most novel food around. The dishes sound familiar but ooze flair. Entrees $19-$45; prix fixe $79, wine pairing $49. 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. A former cook at Oyamel, Irabien has partnered with the neighboring Bucks Fishing & Camping and Comet Pizza to establish a business with the mission of helping local farms and immigrant workers. The taco hovering an inch above the rest, short rib birria, starts with a mole chocolate, chiles and enough allspice and cinnamon to channel Christmas in the air and ends with a glorious heap of soft beef, set off with crimson dragonfruit, on your plate. Specials can be spectacular. The first is an appetizer of fried mashed eggplant, bright with mint and sweet with fried onions. 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. It can get nightclub-loud some nights, and servers have a tendency to check in like nervous new parents. What we do is cook what we eat at home, says Rai. Eye-openers include kinche boiled cracked wheat finished with clarified butter and beef stew mixed with torn injera. He grew up watching his mother cook the food of their homeland and was raised to pick and choose the best of Korean and American cultures. Takeout and delivery. A salad showcasing white flower mushrooms prompts an anecdote about the last trip the owners took to Myanmar, three years ago. The kitchen treats people who dont eat meat like VIPs. Superb 47 Reviews 4.3. This years showstoppers included chanterelles wrapped in country ham and presented as tempura, lobster mousse cloaked in savoy cabbage and staged like a comet tail, and a small chocolate globe with a center of hazelnut mousse that ran yellow with persimmon sauce when cut with a spoon. I miss the arty dining room, but not the crowds that packed it. 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 and outdoor seating. We marvel as a waiter removes the bones from a plate of Norwegian sole with the precision of a surgeon. Like before, the courses are restrained, and sharing them is encouraged. Ultimately, farm-fresh ingredients and creative ways to show them off add up to meals you hope to repeat sophisticated cocktails and chocolate tart with salted caramel included. The food is both recognizable and wonderful, and vegetarians are treated like most honored guests. For the full Anju experience, you have to try something from the childhood of co-owner Danny Lee, whose mother and business partner, Yesoon Lee, is behind the great comfort of braised chicken thighs, onions and potatoes in a cloak that looks like lava as it bubbles away on the table. Going into Amy Brandweins warmhearted osteria and market, I always know I can count on seeing a few regulars. Pizza! I want to be the change, she says. For the full Anju experience, though, you have to order aged kimchi. Lunch Tuesday through Friday, dinner Wednesday through Sunday. Yet her time at the late Kinkeads in Washington should encourage diners to explore crisp diver scallops, arranged in summer on an orzo salad with artichokes, roasted fennel and sweet garlic. Reservations required. Light pours through the windows, which take in a spacious patio outside. It helps that he retained his entire staff, who still went through two weeks of training before reopening the dining room in June. The most striking dish of the night arranged grilled broccolini around a cool-with-mint salad of summer peas and pickled shallots. A ramp leads to the entrance, where a wheelchair user might need help with double doors; ADA-compliant restrooms. Just because youve been grounded during the pandemic doesnt mean you cant travel. He previously worked for the Microsoft Corp., where he launched sidewalk.com; the Seattle Post-Intelligencer; the San Francisco Chronicle; and the Milwaukee Journal. Takeout also available via website and phone. 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). Takeout also available via phone. 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 whole menu is back in play, and its still fantastic. Try the dumplings filled with shredded cabbage, carrots and potato, each bite improved with a swipe through roasted tomato sauce. Proof of vaccination or negative test required for indoor dining. After discussing their favorite spots (both new and old), the dining experts get specific on the. Which reminds me, theres no better place to be a regular. Indoor and outdoor seating. 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. Lettuces, shishito peppers and cardoons are a given. Indoor seating only. An earlier illness found the self-described mad scientist researching food that would restore his health. While the siblings have in common hospitality and great things in glasses, Revelers Hour is the more relaxed of the two, a model pasta and wine bar in a room thats dark as a movie theater but illuminated with candles and surrounded by wine. Same for the generously apportioned food, fussed over by chef Justin Moore. Bobby Jones, the chef and co-owner of one of Marylands prize crab destinations, says his seafood restaurant 10 miles north of Annapolis was inspired by long-ago summer family gatherings at his grandmothers little creekside rancher on Kent Island. A recent visit found us in the middle of what felt like a nightclub loud music, busy bartenders but still serving food thats very much the personal expression of its muse. In only a few cases did I venture inside to eat, where noise has gone the way of handshakes and communal tables. Takeout Tuesday through Sunday, no delivery. The slice of blue cheese bordered with berry jelly on one side and savory shortbread on the other is more cheese course than dessert and I love it. [For exceptional Korean food, book a table at Anju].