A traditional Korean glaze coats the short ribs, served with house-made kimchee and pickled cucumber salad. The dish is a nod to the many Annandale-area Korean joints of which Spittal is a fan
From pastry chef Nydea Aviles comes a sweet corn panna cotta: caramel corn, poblano crème, and a tortilla tuile.
Another sweet Aviles creation: Peaches & Cream, with stewed local peaches, pistachio shortbread, bourbon caramel, and whipped cream.
The restaurant recommends pairing the Leek salad—grilled pears, smoked onions, chèvre, and herb-cider vinaigrette— with the Blueberries Maryland cocktail: Maryland blueberries, rosemary, smoked maple syrup, Grand Marnier, and club soda.
Spittal says much of the menu references his cooking past—there are Southern-style dishes from his time in Lexington, Virginia, seafood from his stint at Aquagrill in Manhattan, and DC dishes like pork and beans.
The name “leek” is meant to reflect the natural interior (lots of wood and cool earth tones).
An bar menu will be available late in the evening.
Look for Leek to open in the last week of October.
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