100 Very Best 2017
100 Very Best 2019It’s a sign of the dining times in Washington that you can head to Ballston and find a Spanish feast fit for adventurers: prized pata negraham or briny gooseneck barnacles, scallops roasted on the half shell and house-made Albariño vermouth. Co-owners Josu Zubikarai—who opened DC’s Taberna del Alabardero—and Javier Candon share the pleasures of their native Spain beyond ubiquitous tapas, though communal dining remains the wisest tactic. Some of the best dishes are made for a crowd, such as crackly-skinned suckling pig carved tableside and classic paella with braised rabbit, duck, artichokes, and saffron-infused bomba rice—crunchy bottom and all. Expensive.
Also great: Crab cocktail with salsa rosa; revuelto (mushrooms with shaved foie gras and egg); steak tartare; Grandma’s Vegetable Stew; goxua dessert (layered sponge cake, custard, berries).
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.
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.
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.
Kristen Hinman has been editing Washingtonian’s features since 2014. She joined the magazine after editing politics & policy coverage for Bloomberg Businessweek and working as a staff writer for Voice Media Group/Riverfront Times.
