Owned by the Great American Restaurants group, this swank Shirlington Village spot fizzes with energy. The deco-cool space is cushy, the service friendly and smart, and the menu a crowd pleaser. The drawback? The popular restaurant doesn’t take dinner reservations, so it’s best to call ahead to put your name on the waiting list.
What to get: Lobster pot stickers with ginger butter; salt-and-pepper fried calamari; a cheesy, peppery Caesar salad; sesame-crusted-tuna salad with sticky rice and soy-lime vinaigrette; plump crab cakes with skinny fries and slaw; Hong-Kong–style sea bass; chicken paillard over angel-hair pasta; chipotle-glazed pork tenderloin; flourless chocolate waffle.
-March, 2008
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.
