100 Very Best 2017Chef Tarver King’s modern cuisine contrasts starkly with the
creaky charms of this rural inn,filled with oil paintings of leafy
landscapes and wooden booths with brass plaques bearing the names of
regulars. Bridging the two is a warm staff that guides guests through
inventive dishes such as pungent curried broccoli and crunchy leeks
sweetened with apple purée as well as cerebral desserts including
deconstructed Black Forest cake and butter-corn ice cream with sponge
cake, cashews, brown butter, and thyme. When it comes to wine, skip the
bottle and turn to the menu’s daily by-the-dish pairing suggestions from
sommelier Neal Wavra.
Don’t miss: Puffed rockfish with
kale mayo; tomatoes with green-tea salt; smoked beef-rib loin with
potimarron-squash purée; braised pork shoulder with sweet-potato-and-miso
purée; chocolate torte with hickory syrup, grilled mochi, whiskey
gelée, and peanut ice cream.
Open: Wednesday through
Saturday for lunch and dinner, Sunday for brunch and dinner.
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.
