At a time when portions at some places seem to be shrinking, this chef-owned spot is intent on making sure you’re satisfied. But oversize doesn’t mean clunky–these dishes still manage to pull off refinement.
If the vertical garnishes and zigzags of sauces feel passé, the flavors alternate between spot-on renditions of classics–such as a cone of herb-and-cheese gougères–and forward-thinking innovations. Chef Dennis Friedman sometimes slips in an Asian accent, as with an elegant nori-wrapped tuna appetizer. The dining room isn’t exciting–the restaurant took over what was once Rock Creek, and renovations didn’t enliven it much–but there’s enough fun on the plate and in the cocktails.
What to get: Sweet-smoky duck-confit nachos; grass-fed sirloin burger at lunch; bison rib eye rubbed with cocoa nibs; sea bass over udon noodles; surf and turf featuring an outstanding petit filet mignon; crab cakes; prosciutto-studded Pig Brittle; root-beer float with house-made ice cream.
Open Monday through Friday for lunch and dinner, Saturday and Sunday for dinner. 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.
