100 Very Best 2017Chef/owner Jeff Black’s popular Palisades destination is many things. A standout fish market offers such delicacies as wild hake (you can even have it cooked to order by the kitchen). At the bar, locals gather for oysters and golden fish and chips, while the dining room provides a finer-dining experience. The roster of old favorites is long, from clam-packed chowder to bouillabaisse. Still, experimentation is rewarded. Chef Mike Huff embellishes plates with creative pastas such as brown-butter gnocchi with potato-crusted fluke. Big spenders can splurge on caviar service to start, but save room for dessert—especially butterscotch pot de crème, on the menu since day one. Expensive.
Also great: Wood-grilled sardines; fried clams; cavatelli with scallops; blue cod with bacon; banana coconut cream pie.
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.
