100 Very Best Restaurants: #7 – Bresca

Pork belly with tarte tatin

About Bresca

cuisines
American
Location(s)
1906 14th St NW
Washington, DC 20009

Tomato with burrata? Foie gras with brioche? “Been there, done that,” you might think. But at this brass-lined restaurant, Ryan Ratino is turning dining tropes into destination dishes. Take that brioche—it shows up not as toast but as a fluffy steamed bun, accompanying seared slabs of duck liver and dates. Also impressive: Ratino’s handle on an array of influences. A recent dinner moved from a lamb ragu that channeled a trip-worthy osteria to a broccoli pierogi that hat-tipped Ratino’s native Ohio. Order widely—and expect a surprise around the corner. Expensive.