Cuisine: The name is a hedging of bets from one of the world’s culinary superstars; this is no more a steakhouse than Citronelle is a diner. That’s not to say you can’t get a porterhouse—just that you’d do well to forgo the slabs of beef; the pleasures of Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s 27th restaurant are to be found in the casual brilliance of the soups and salads, in the note-perfect preparations of fish and seafood, and in the kitchen’s mastery of detail, which transforms otherwise familiar-sounding dishes into quiet masterpieces.
Mood: The soaring, white-walled space summons a classic old European hotel, minus the formality—a sophisticated and relaxed setting for meals attended by some of the best, most professional servers in DC.
Best for: A meal of elegance and refinement that, unlike many big-ticket restaurants working at a similarly high level, won’t soak you.
Best dishes: Perfectly shucked chilled oysters on the half shell; delicate corn ravioli with an iridescent basil purée; seared tilefish; one of the most gorgeously fried calamari dishes we’ve ever tried; rewarding renditions of crabcake and burger; poached peach with pistachio ice cream and Champagne sabayon; molten chocolate cake, as designed by the man who invented the dish.
Insider tips: Downstairs is the Cellar, a low-ceilinged bar and cafe where you can sample the restaurant’s excellent wine list and enjoy a number of the same dishes served upstairs.
Service: ••••
Open Monday through Friday for lunch and dinner, Saturday and Sunday for brunch and 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.
