100 Very Best 2017
100 Very Best 2019What’s good for an affordable date night? This svelte, candlelit Afghan bistro. Chef/matriarch Shamim Popal’s roots spread from Germany to Afghanistan to DC—fitting for the international crowd that cozies up to wooden tables for tender leek dumplings, stuffed flatbreads, and sumac-spiced meats. She defies preconceptions about her native cuisine—that it’s heavy and meaty—and offers several lovingly prepared vegetable and grain dishes (baked eggplant with minty yogurt, velvety spinach sabzi). Head to the sultry subterranean Darbar for cardamom-spiced Manhattans and live music on weekends. Moderate.
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.
