Cuisine: If only all neighborhood restaurants paid this much attention to the craft of cooking. Tony Chittum’s rustic comfort food is full of handmade details—the terrines, sausages, and pastas are prepared in-house, and many of the high-quality ingredients are from local farms.
Mood: One of Old Town’s most picturesque streets is the setting for this cozy restaurant, which achieves a tucked-away, boho feel with red velvet drapes and exposed-brick walls.
Best for: Dates in one of the cushy banquettes; eating at the bar; a spur-of-the-moment dinner; the excellent brunch.
Best dishes: Roasted scallops with leeks and a potato gratin; crusty fried oysters with fennel; roasted chicken with smashed grapes and kale; rockfish surrounded by clams and a light chowder; Maryland rib eye and short rib with blue cheese; seared duck with duck sausage and dirty rice; apple beignets with cider and apple sorbet; goat-cheese cake, at once rich and airy; profiteroles stuffed with rocky-road ice cream.
Insider tips: A weeknight happy hour, with $4 appetizers and discounted beer, wine, and cocktails, runs from 4 to 7.
Service: ••½
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.
