Food

100 Best Restaurants 2009: Cashion’s Eat Place

No. 65: Cashion's Eat Place

Cuisine: Chef John Manolatos, who took over from founding chef/owner Ann Cashion, has pumped up the menu of seasonal American cooking with robust comfort plates and Greek accents. The result: food that’s more homey than polished but rewarding just the same.

Mood: The oxblood-red dining room wraps around a cozy bar and is a destination for thirtysomethings on dates.

Best for: Intense conversations; double dates; a meal at the bar.

Best dishes: Creamy bone marrow with mâche and capers; spinach-and-dodonis-feta tart; roasted garlic-scented lamb chops with turnip gratin; house-cured ham with vinegary collards; cream-filled house-made doughnuts, hot from the fryer, with a demitasse of hot chocolate and handcrafted marshmallows; pear clafouti with caramelized crust.

Insider tips: The three-course Sunday-night family dinner for two ($80) is a wallet-friendly option, as is a new late-night (midnight to 2 am) bar menu with the likes of pork carnitas and crispy lamb ribs.

Service: ••½

Open Tuesday through Saturday for dinner, Sunday for brunch and dinner. Moderate to expensive.

See all of 2009's 100 Best Restaurant 

Ann Limpert
Executive Food Editor/Critic

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.