100 Very Best Restaurants 2013: Eola

The five-course tasting menu at Daniel Singhofen’s Dupont Circle restaurant—there’s no à la carte option—begins with a series of amuse-bouches that can range from extraordinary to unremarkable but are always unique. A hot-pepper sorbet with peanuts dazzles, while a waffle cookie with mustard aïoli hardly registers. This high/low dichotomy sets the tone for dishes to follow: Deftly executed appetizers and pastas elevate rustic fare to delicious refinement, while entrées sometimes fall flat. Still, there’s much to admire in Singhofen’s inspired style, and with its swing-era soundtrack and throne-like chairs, the dining room is a lovely place to linger over some of the area’s most interesting food.

A daily offal menu highlights ears and brains, but a hearty vegetarian selection makes this a good option for meatless celebrations, too.

Don’t miss: Deviled quail eggs; winter-vegetable stew; coddled egg with barley and pesto; fettuccine with rabbit Bolognese; spaghetti with braised pork.

Open: Tuesday through Saturday for dinner. Expensive.