Congratulations to chef Victor Albisu and the Del Campo team, who represent Washington this year as one of Esquire’s Best New Restaurants in America. The “grand South American restaurant,” as the men’s magazine calls it, lands among other highly rated spots such as Brooklyn’s the Elm and Boston’s Blue Dragon.
Food and travel correspondent John Mariani gives plenty of credit to Albisu’s first venture, raving that the menu “tastes as if it were prepared because you came to visit.” Favored mentions include ceviches, street food snacks like meatballs, and the chivito. (We would have liked to see Mariani try to tackle the monster sandwich like these guys.) The grilled meat platter is the reported all-star, proof that “if the Peruvian food trend in the US—which has been about to become a trend for a couple years now—needs a leader, Del Campo is it.”
Washington restaurants didn’t make it onto Esquire’s list last year, but that didn’t stop Mariani from naming Roberto Donna Chef of the Year—which stirred up a storm of controversy. Given the current state of politics in Washington, we’re glad for one less conflict.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
