Cuisine: Twenty-eight-year-old Adam Longworth, an alum of New York’s Modern American pioneer Gotham Bar and Grill, has steadied this kitchen with surehanded American cooking that shows off an atlas of influences.
Mood: With its shimmery wall of silk threads and baby-blue leather chairs, the renovated dining room—so big it’s usually easy to get a table—has a freshly swank look. A pianist who plays Thursday through Saturday adds to the charm.
Best for: Pre- and post-theater dining; business lunches; dinner with the parents.
Best dishes: Clam chowder with gnocchi and prosciutto; classic steak tartare topped with a chilled hollandaise “yolk”; spinach salad with bacon and goat cheese; seared halibut with lovely jasmine rice and coconut sauce; a Spain-inspired branzino with Serrano ham and olives; custardy banana ice cream.
Insider tips: Don’t overlook the cocktails. The bar features the talents of Mo Taheri, the charismatic bartender who’s been mixing Negronis in Washington for 20 years. He makes a mean Manhattan and passionfruit mojito.
Service: ••
Open Monday through Friday for lunch and dinner, Saturday and Sunday for dinner. Expensive.
See all of 2010's 100 Best Restaurants
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
