When we crave a thick, bloody steak, this is the place that leaps to mind. Not that there aren’t lots of other options, but we prefer restaurateur Michael Landrum’s for its value, its warmth, and its scale. This is a steakhouse for the common man.
The loud, bare-walled dining room might be off-putting if it weren’t for the great deal you’re getting. Heaping sides of mashed potatoes and creamed spinach come free. Sommelier Mark Slater has bulked out the wine list, which abounds in obscure finds and bargains.
What to get: Sherry-spiked crab bisque; blackened scallops with garlic; crab royale, broiled and finished with sherry-shallot butter; Cowboy Cut, a nearly two-pound bone-in rib eye; Steak Bertolucci, a New York strip with bone marrow; hanger steak; chocolate mousse.
Open daily for dinner. Moderate.
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.
