When it opened two years ago, Pedro Matamoros’s place tantalized with promise. But the chef seemed uncertain of his direction. Sophisticated bistro? Fine dining that let its hair down? And the cooking was uneven. Now the urbane dining room is finding its voice with a lustier approach. If prices are a little high, the chef’s commitment to artisanal technique is a kind of compensation. Matamoros sources mostly local ingredients and brooks no shortcuts in preparing them, taking a craft approach to everything from pastas to charcuterie.
What to get: Deviled eggs with pastrami bacon; bowl of pickles, tomatoes, and cucumbers; steamed mussels with lomo; Cuban-style pressed-pork sandwich; grilled quail; grilled rib eye; lamb Bolognese; gnocchi with maitake, beech, and shiitake mushrooms; ginger cheesecake; Chocolate Cloud (chocolate cake with mascarpone and a Sicilian zabaglione).
Open Monday through Thursday for lunch and dinner, Saturday for dinner, Sunday for brunch and dinner. 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.
