January 2007: 100 Very Best Restaurants

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Reviewed by Todd Kliman , Ann Limpert , Cynthia Hacinli

Buttermilk biscuits and Champagne cocktails meet at Jeff Buben's flagship restaurant, which pays tribute to both modern and classic Southern cooking.

Vidalia

1990 M St., NW
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-659-1990
Fax: 202-223-8572

Cuisines:
American, Southern, Modern

Opening Hours:
Mon,Tue,Wed,Thu:
Evening: 05:30 PM - 10:00 PM Mon,Tue,Wed,Thu,Fri:
Afternoon: 11:30 AM - 02:30 PM Fri,Sat:
Evening: 05:30 PM - 10:30 PM Sun:
Evening: 05:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Wheelchair Accessible:
Yes

Nearby Metro Stops:
Dupont Circle
Farragut North

Price Range:
Very Expensive

Dress:
Business Attire

Noise Level:
Chatty

Reservations:
Recommended

Special Features:
Party Space

Parking:
Valet

Website:
Click here to open in new window.

Best Dishes
Mint julep; smoked golden trout with roasted-onion purée and steelhead roe; braised pork cheeks with red cabbage, hot pickle vinaigrette, and cracklings; pumpkin soup with chestnut-filled agnolotti; shrimp ’n’ grits; Southern cassoulet; apple-cider doughnuts; lemon chess pie.

Reader's Rating:

3.3 out of 5

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No. 11: Vidalia

There’s something quintessentially Washington about a businessman in a gray suit devouring a gravy-smothered chicken-fried steak. The Southern roadside diner staple is done just right—pounded thin, battered lightly, and gussied up with a poached egg, braised collards, and mashed potatoes so buttery they’re yellow.

The dining room, all frosted glass and shades of coffee and sage, might be one of the buzziest power-lunch spots in town, filled with diners who find refuge from experimental cooking in a soothing plate of shrimp ’n’ grits. But there’s more to Jeff Buben’s Vidalia than upscale Southern comfort. Talented chef de cuisine R.J. Cooper cures his yellowtail in molasses, and the mildly sweet squares are a lovely departure from the richness elsewhere on the menu. Carolina brook trout with fingerling hash and frothy brown butter sounds heavy, but the slender filet tastes as if it just leapt out of the water. He’s even updated the five-onion soup with onion “glass”—a purée of onions and sherry vinegar baked into a sheet.

Lemon chess pie made from an old Junior League recipe remains the sweetest finish, modernity and lightness be damned.

Charlie Palmer Steak

Komi

Reader ReviewsWrite your own review

um, no.

lmitchell1981 — June 26, 2009 8:08 PM

really, what's the big deal about this place????

I was drawn to the chalkboard sign outside, which read 'Three Course Lunch $19.90.' Who wouldn't want to eat a three course lunch for under $20 at one of DC's 'finest restaurants'????? Maybe More ...

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Layers of an Onion

cs2aq — March 8, 2009 9:40 AM

From outside Vidalia looks unimpressive, but I discovered the setting is far more comfortable than the outside indicates. The lounge is most inviting. Low couches beg to sunk into after a long day at work. The dinning room is more formal, but More ...

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Innovative & well balanced food

AlexandrianFoodie — February 23, 2009 8:53 AM

If Vidalia's food & service are to entice new customers during Restaurant Week, it worked. Food was well balanced & innovative. The goat rouladen was amazing with layers upon layers of flavor. Shrimp & grits had nice flavor though the shrimp was a More ...

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