Food

100 Best Restaurants 2009: Jackie’s

No. 78: Jackie's

Cuisine: Eclectic American cooking that seduces with its sense of fun and whimsy but wins with its seriousness and execution.

Mood: Equal parts urban warehouse and boho nightspot. Every detail—bustling open kitchen, DayGlo-pink pillows, flashing movies—speaks to dinner as theater.

Best for: Diners who don’t want to drive downtown for big-city dining.

Best dishes: Asian-style pork riblets; miniature Elvis burgers with pimiento cheese; mixed-greens salad with warm Camembert; “nostalgia plates” that have included skillet-fried chicken and house-made German sausage and sauerkraut; roasted duck breast with red-wine glaze.

Insider tips: Co-owner and passionate oenophile Patrick Higgins has put together a surprisingly good list of Rhône reds and also offers a deal on several high-priced wines.

Service: ••½

Open Monday through Saturday for dinner, Sunday for brunch and dinner. Moderate.

>> See all 100 Best Restaurants 

Ann Limpert
Executive Food Editor/Critic

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.