100 Very Best Restaurants: #77 – The Imperial

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It’s pretty much a given that you’re going to drink well in this mod dining room from the owners of whiskey mecca Jack Rose. The Adams Morgan newcomer boasts a vast collection of vintage spirits as well as good low-proof cocktails (try the sherry Negroni). Chef Russell Jones’s French-meets-Southern menu is just as much a draw. Carolina Gold–rice risotto comes topped with uni, while throwbacks such as oysters Rockefeller and beef Wellington are excellently revived. Moderate.