100 Very Best 2019Splitting a menu among three cuisines—Filipino, Korean, and Thai—seems like a recipe for middling versions of each. But former Restaurant Eve owner Cathal Armstrong has created a triple threat. Red curry with blue crab is a bowl-scraping homage to Thailand, while a gochujang-marinated beef tartare solidly reps Korea. Our favorite part of the menu is the Filipino section, where the Irish chef shows off lessons from his Philippines-born wife and her family. Our go-tos: lumpia—crackling spring rolls—and pork belly glazed in house-made banana ketchup. Expensive.
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.
