At restaurants such as this lively Penn Quarter wine den—where a call for a reservation is usually answered, “We have tables at 5 or 10:30”—it’s not uncommon for the food to slip. Management is pulling double duty, overseeing the white-hot Estadio in Logan Circle, but judging by a recent knockout meal—from a well-balanced Root cocktail toveal sweetbreads with pickled mushrooms, grapes, and a poached egg—the team is doing well. Even the simplest dishes, such as a side of cauliflower with mint and tahini, confirm that the customers who pack the place aren’t there just for the scene.
This article appears in the August 2011 issue of The Washingtonian.
