It’s an era when even pricey restaurants are embracing foods formerly consumed on La-Z-Boys. Sometimes the results are magic. Other times not so much. Here’s a sampling from across the spectrum.
1. Potato chips with osetra caviar
Cost: $80.
Inspiration: Chips and sour-cream dip.
Major upgrade: Caviar from the Caspian Sea.
Where: Kinship, 1015 Seventh St., NW.
2. Twice-loaded pierogi
Cost: $8.
Inspiration: Potato skins.
Major upgrade: The dumplings are stuffed with cheese in addition to the traditional potato-onion mixture, then topped with bacon and sour cream.
Where: Marble & Rye, 2501 Columbia Pike, Arlington.
3. Bone-marrow tots
Cost: $12.
Inspiration: Tater tots.
Major upgrade: Short rib, Irish cheddar, and bone marrow.
Where: Bonfire, 1132 19th St., NW.
4. Pepperoni pizza rolls
Cost: $7.
Inspiration: Totino’s pizza rolls.
Major upgrade: House-made pepperoni, fontina, and ricotta.
Where: The Partisan, 709 D St., NW.
5. Cereal-milk soft-serve
Cost: $5.
Inspiration: A bowl of corn flakes.
Major upgrade: Whole milk steeped with corn flakes and brown sugar, then given a spin in an ice-cream maker.
Where: Momofuku CCDC, 1090 I St., NW.
This article appears in our July 2016 issue of Washingtonian.
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.
