About Seasonal Pantry
By day, this 240-square-foot, shelf-lined slice of Shaw operates as a market—chef/owner Daniel O’Brien sells his own preserved fruits and rillettes and prepared foods such as pot pie and mac and cheese. Wednesday through Saturday evening, he pushes together two butcher-block tables and stages an enchanting five-to-seven-course dinner, gossiping with guests about the local dining scene as they sip on wines shared from glass carafes. The cooking is uncommonly clean, allowing ingredients such as smoked fish, fresh ricotta, and thick slabs of pork belly to shine. Don’t miss: There’s a new tasting menu every other week, ranging from $90 to $130 and including wine—recent standouts have been potato soup topped with smoked hake; raviolini stuffed with ricotta and sprinkled with amaretto cookie crumbles; pork belly and clams; and chocolate-chip cookies. Open: Wednesday through Saturday for dinner. Very expensive.
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.
